Chapter 517: Marriage Proposal

"What’s wrong?" Quentin reached for Ivy Sherwood, then hesitated, feeling his hands were a little dirty.

Ivy Sherwood shook her head. "It was just a dream."

’It’s just that the nightmare felt so real. I dreamed Quentin fell... just like that. It was terrifying.’

’Don’t they say dreams are the opposite of reality? So it must be fake.’

’Besides, Quentin is perfectly fine. How could he possibly fall off a cruise ship?’

"I kind of want to head back," Ivy Sherwood said.

An inexplicable unease settled in her heart, as if the dream had truly affected her.

"It’s still early. Let’s stay a little longer. When the sun sets, the view will be even more beautiful. You go sit over there for a bit, I’ll go make you some fresh juice."

’Besides, the main event hasn’t even started. We can’t go back this soon.’

"Okay." Ivy Sherwood nodded.

’Quentin is so strong. What could possibly happen to him?’

’It’s just a dream. I’m overthinking it.’

The sun was almost setting when Ivy Sherwood realized she had slept for so long, and Quentin Blackwood hadn’t woken her.

Outside, the afterglow of the sunset illuminated the water. The shimmering surface of the sea, dyed a vibrant orange-red, seemed to boil. Where the sea met the sky, the horizon blurred, making it impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.

"It’s so beautiful," Ivy Sherwood murmured, the crimson glow reflected in her eyes.

The sea breeze ruffled her hair. Her eyes, curved into a smile, shone like stars.

Quentin Blackwood emerged from behind her, holding a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, and simply stood there, watching her quietly.

’It’s beautiful, indeed. But nothing in this world could ever compare to Ivy Sherwood’s beauty. In my eyes, there’s only room for her.’

Night fell quickly, and the city became beautiful in a different way.

The sky was dotted with countless stars, a river of silver pouring down from the heavens.

They were already on the return journey. The city lay at a distance, and as its lights flickered on, it transformed into a panorama of golden palaces. It was a truly beautiful sight.

Ivy Sherwood said excitedly, "This is the first time I’ve ever seen Lustre look so beautiful."

’Even though I live here, I’ve never truly taken the time to look at my own city.’

Quentin Blackwood, however, seemed unusually tense, as if he had something on his mind.

Ivy Sherwood noticed and turned to him. "Is it because it’s not as grand as Aethelgard? I know your office has an amazing view. You can see almost half the capital from there."

’The nights in Aethelgard are probably even more stunning. He’s probably so used to that view that this doesn’t seem as special to him.’

"It’s very beautiful," he said. "I want to spend a lifetime looking at views like this with you. Would you want that?"

Ivy Sherwood’s heart tightened. "Why... why are you suddenly saying all this?"

"Because I want a lifetime like this with you. No matter what the future holds, I want to be just like this, standing by your side, looking at the same scenery, doing everything together."

"But a lifetime is a very long time. No one can say for sure what will happen. And when you think about it, we haven’t even known each other for that long... Are you really sure? About a lifetime?" Ivy Sherwood looked at Quentin Blackwood, her voice filled with uncertainty.

’She was afraid all of this was just an illusion, a beautiful bubble. And because everything was so perfect right now, the fear of losing it was even greater.’

A moment ago, Quentin Blackwood had been the one asking the question, but now, the roles had reversed, and Ivy Sherwood was the one questioning him.

"I am," he said without a hint of hesitation. ’A lifetime is long, yes, but if I can spend that entire lifetime with her, then I’ll be the luckiest and happiest man alive.’

A loud BOOM, BOOM echoed from the distance. Ivy Sherwood looked up to see fireworks erupting in the sky over Lustre.

From their vantage point, she had a perfect view of the fireworks as they blossomed in the night.

She discovered that those fleeting fireworks seemed to be in the shape of a flower.

Those purple fireworks were... Irises!

The fireworks were incredibly detailed. They truly looked like Iris flowers blooming in the sky—first appearing as a tight bud, then bursting open in full bloom.

Ivy Sherwood had seen so many beautiful things today that she was speechless.

There were so, so many fireworks, enough to light up the entire city and even illuminate the surface of the sea around them.

"Quentin, did you see..." Ivy Sherwood started to ask Quentin Blackwood if he had seen the Iris flowers.

But when she turned, Quentin Blackwood was nowhere to be seen.

Puzzled, Ivy Sherwood turned back to the fireworks, but her attention was quickly drawn to a shifting image in the sky not far off.

’Are those... drones?’

They were too far away for her to be certain, but she could see countless sparkling lights in mid-air, assembling themselves into an image.

Ivy Sherwood looked carefully at the picture and felt it was a bit familiar.

’It looks like... the ancient painting Quentin gave me as our first gift. The one I donated to the museum.’

That was an incredibly intricate painting; she was amazed that drones could recreate it. Soon, the image shifted, morphing into something else. The more Ivy Sherwood watched, the more familiar the new scenes became.

’Isn’t that... Aren’t those all the moments Quentin and I have shared together?’

As the images were magnified, Ivy Sherwood realized what she was seeing: a testament to their journey together.

’This...’

"Ivy." Quentin Blackwood’s voice came from behind her.

Ivy Sherwood turned around to find that the deck of the cruise ship had somehow been filled with flowers. And standing there was Quentin Blackwood, holding an enormous bouquet of roses.

"You..." Ivy Sherwood covered her mouth, looking at Quentin Blackwood in astonishment.

’She truly never expected Quentin would do something like this!’

’No wonder Quentin seemed so different today. The fireworks, the drones... he must have prepared all of it, right?’

’I thought it was just a simple day trip, but it turned out to be an elaborate romance he had meticulously planned.’

"I’ve decided there are some things I don’t want to wait for anymore. I love you, and I want to marry you. We were the ones who met first, but even your best friend and your brother got married before us."

"Ever since I was ten years old, I haven’t had a family. I never really believed in love, probably because of the influence of the Blackwood Family. I used to think the world was just full of malice. I didn’t believe there were good people, and other than my mother, I didn’t believe anyone could ever love me. I even started to feel like my existence was pointless, because no one was ever happy to have me around. Instead, I was just a thorn in their side."

"I know my personality can be cold, and I’m not good with sweet words. I want to be with you forever. I want to build a little family with you, and our baby. Would you want that?"

Quentin Blackwood knelt on one knee before Ivy Sherwood, holding up the bouquet of flowers that was so large it was almost bigger than he was.

"Ivy, will you marry me, and spend the rest of your life with me?"

Spend the rest of our lives together. It was such a hopelessly romantic phrase.

Ivy Sherwood’s eyes welled with tears. ’She used to watch proposals on TV and think they were so cheesy, but now that it was actually happening to her, it felt like a dream.’

This wasn’t the first time Quentin Blackwood had asked if she would marry him, if she wanted to be his wife.

The last couple of times, she had been flustered and managed to brush it off. But now, in this moment, it truly felt like time to give Quentin Blackwood an answer.