Something in his expression deepened at that. His hand tightened around mine, no longer tentative, but certain in a way that left no room for doubt. Real. Present.Here. The word settled into me slowly, as steady as the warmth of his hand within mine, the regular rhythm of his breath no longer something I had to search for or fear might vanish if I looked away for too long.
“It seems impossible that having you here with me isn’t a dream,” he murmured.
“It’s not,” I assured him.
For a moment, neither of us moved. Then slowly, he reached for me. There was no hesitation or resistance this time, no distance left to bridge. His hand came to my face, steady and certain, as though grounding himself in the reality of me—ensuring that this moment wouldn’t slip away as so many others had before.
“Mirelle…” And then suddenly, as if he couldn’t hold back a moment longer, he pulled me towards him with a groan of suppressed longing.
His arms wrapped around me with a force that stole the breath from my lungs, as though he feared I might disappear if he didn’t hold me tightly enough. I clung to him just as fiercely. He was warm, solid, and very much real. The reality of it washed over me all at once, too much and not enough all at the same time.
I found myself crying. I’d always prided myself in my stoic control of emotions, but now was too overwhelmed with joy to contain them. Judging by a tremble in his shoulders, I wasn’t the only one.
He pulled back just enough to look at me, his hands still resting at my arms, as though unwilling to let go entirely. One hand lifted to cradle my cheek, his thumb brushing lightly along my skin to wipe a tear away. I leaned into the touch, wondered why I had ever thought to resist this.
“You brought me home,” he murmured.
“We did this together,” I reminded him. “And now I’m home too…with you.” For a moment, we simply looked at one another. His gaze flickered briefly to my lips, then returned to my eyes, something unspoken passing between us that no longer needed to be hidden behind charm or deflection.
I moved forward again, closing the last remaining distance, and he met me there. I wasn’t sure how long we remained held together, only that it carved a new cherished memory, one I would never have to rediscover.
He leaned up, and this time when he kissed me, it wasn’t desperate or stolen in a fleeting moment that could vanish as quickly as it came. Rather it was chosen, real in a way that surpassed even the most beautiful dream.
His hand tightened slightly against my cheek, anchoring me there as surely as I anchored him. The world around us no longer felt fragile or uncertain, but whole. His fingers brushed lightly along my jaw, the movement unhurried, as though he too was testing the boundaries of this moment, confirming that it would hold.
“You’re still here,” he murmured, his voice quieter now, stripped of everything but the truth of it.
“I told you I would be.”
Though I knew he had reason to doubt. The longer I was awake, the more memories continued to surface from our past together before the curse. Through every fleeting encounter and all the times I had left before allowing myself to get too close, he’d patiently forged a relationship until I’d finally allowed myself to accept what I’d wanted from the moment we first met.
But not this time. This time, I had finally chosen to stay. I nuzzled closer, silently offering my acceptance.
A smile touched his lips, softer than anything I had seen from him before. “It appears I’ve finally caught you. It seems I’m the victor in our game at long last.”
Despite everything, a spark of familiar defiance rose within me. “Don’t let it get to your head. I fully intend to win the next round, and all the ones that follow.”
His eyes lit, bright and warm, like sunlight breaking through after a storm and I saw for the first time glints of gold in the grey depths. “So there will be a next time. That sounds very much like you’re planning to remain captured.”
A soft laugh escaped me. “I’m daring, but not foolish enough to try escaping a prince. For now, let’s call it a draw.” I pressed a quick kiss on his cheek. “You turned out to be the man of my dreams after all.”
His entire expression glowed, a joy that was quickly replaced with mischief. “Now that I've captured you, I find I have nodesire to let you go. Will you—“ For the first time, uncertainty softened his voice. He hesitated, as though the words themselves required courage, but he pressed forward. “—will you allow me to court you?”
The beautiful question struck deep, echoing every quiet dream I'd spent years trying to suppress. I ached to accept…but hesitated. “Are you certain I'm worthy of such an honor?”
“I know you're a thief,” he said gently. “We spent a year before the curse meeting on my balcony while you attempted to infiltrate the palace.”
I shook my head. “From the first moment you first caught me, I stopped trying to infiltrate anything. I kept coming back to see you.”
The admission revealed the truth I had long avoided. All of these years, I had been chasing an impossible heist—even the most skilled thief couldn't hope to steal the heart of a prince and keep it. Someone like me had no place beside a royal. And yet, the impossibility of it had never lessened the longing.
Perhaps that was why I had dreamed myself into a life where I could be a princess—where loving him was not a theft, but something freely given. Where I could be the one thing I had never believed I could become: worthy.
When I remained silent, he reached for my hands, holding them gently between his. “I understand your reservations, having spent my life wrestling with my own doubts. But what matters is not where you come from—it’s who you are.” His gaze held mine, steady and sincere. “You never stole for cruelty or greed. Rather your gift has allowed you to experience the lives of others—to understand them in a way few ever could. That kind of empathy and compassion is exactly what this kingdom needs.”
My heart lifted in an emotion that felt dangerously like hope. His thumb brushed lightly against my fingers, grounding me.
“The past you see as something dark and unworthy has shaped you into someone capable of protecting and caring for others. You’ve already helped me see my own worth. I have no doubt you would do the same for our people.” A faint smile touched his lips. “Besides…a lock-picking queen would bring a rather unique set of talents to the crown.” He winked, encasing me in warmth.
