He didn't speak. Instead, he took the slightly smaller women's ring from the velvet box.
His movements were steady and firm, forming a stark contrast to her earlier trembling.
He took Coletta's left hand, his profound golden eyes gazing at her. His voice was deep and gentle: "Then, please accept my response as well, Coletta."
Steadily and solemnly, he placed the ring, inlaid with the other half of the pearl, onto her slender finger.
"May it protect your sincerity and courage, witness the future glory of Mortari, and remind me... that Laguna holds a pearl that belongs to me."
The moment the ring was fully seated, it was as if a silent vow had been forged.
The two halves of the separated pearl, residing on different fingers, seemed to cross the distance to reconstruct a complete, one-of-a-kind symbol.
Coletta could finally no longer hold back her tears, but they were tears of pure joy.
This time, with no one to interrupt her, she no longer hesitated. Standing on her tiptoes, she took the initiative and kissed his lips.
The kiss carried the coolness of the sea breeze, the gentleness of the moonlight, and the slight chill of the ring. More than that, it carried the heavy, sincere emotion the two had just confirmed.
Rover returned her kiss, pulling her tightly into his embrace.
After a long while, their lips parted.
Their foreheads touched, their breaths intertwined, and the pearl rings on their fingers quietly echoed each other under the moonlight.
"Come with me," Coletta's voice was husky and brimming with love. Taking Rover's hand, she led him toward the upper deck of the yacht, to her luxurious master cabin.
The cabin door closed behind them, shutting out the sea breeze and the sounds of the outside world.
Moonlight spilled through the porthole, casting a hazy halo indoors.
Coletta turned around and kissed Rover again. This time, the kiss held a bit more urgency and passion, as if she needed to confirm that all of this wasn't just a dream.
Rover responded to her passion, guiding her toward the bed.
Garments slipped to the floor one by one. The moonlight traced Coletta's gradually exposed, lustrous, and beautiful curves.
Her skin was flushed with a slight rosy hue, and her opal-like eyes were filled with love and a nervous anticipation.
Without needing many words, everything fell into place naturally.
He possessed her gently, and she responded to him passionately. Pain intertwined with pleasure; raw inexperience coexisted with eager exploration.
Moonlight streamed through the porthole as soft moans and pants interwove in the quiet cabin. Accompanied by the faint sound of ocean waves outside, it composed an intimate movement of music belonging solely to this moment.
She bloomed beneath him, like the most delicate flower under the moonlight.
Her fingertips interlocked with his. The two rings occasionally clicked lightly against each other, emitting a nearly inaudible sound, as if they too were whispering of their connection...
Who knows how long passed before the wind and waves gradually subsided.
Coletta curled up in Rover's arms, her cheek resting against his warm chest. Listening to his steady heartbeat, her face bore a languid, satisfied flush.
Rover gently stroked her silver hair, his fingertips twirling the strands.
"Now," Coletta's voice carried a post-coital huskiness and sweetness as she whispered, "Cat's Eye... finally belongs to me completely."
Her tone carried a tiny, satisfied possessiveness.
Rover let out a low chuckle, planting a kiss on her smooth forehead: "Sleep, Opal. We'll be docking tomorrow."
"The ship is almost at the shore... Are you not going back tonight?"
"I'm not going anywhere tonight. I'll stay right here with you." His voice carried an immense gentleness and a reassuring power.
Hearing his answer, Coletta closed her eyes peacefully in his embrace.
The moonlight gently enveloped the embracing pair. The yacht swayed lightly with the waves, sailing toward home.
The two rings nestled together in the dark, quietly emitting a soft, eternal luster.
After resting warmly in Rover's arms for a while, Coletta felt her throat grow parched. Coupled with her earlier emotional excitement and their intimate activities, her mouth felt incredibly dry.
She gently rose from Rover's embrace, afraid of waking him as he seemed to have fallen asleep.
Under the moonlight, his peaceful sleeping face lacked its usual sharpness, replaced by a soft gentleness.
Coletta looked at the pearl ring on her finger, still glowing faintly in the dark, and a boundless sweetness and satisfaction swelled in her heart.
She soundlessly slipped on a sheer silk robe, tied the sash, and barefoot—like a cat sneaking out—gently opened the cabin door. She wanted to go to the small bar outside to get some chilled drinks for the two of them.
The corridor was dead silent. Most of the guests had already disembarked and left. Only the low hum of the yacht's engines and the sound of the waves remained.
She hadn't walked far when, at the corner of the corridor leading to the public area, she saw a familiar figure.
It was Xiakong.
She seemed to have had some to drink. Her cheeks bore an unnatural flush, and she was tightly hugging her theorbo, which she valued as much as her life. Head down, she was pacing back and forth in the short stretch of hallway outside Rover's guest room.
Her steps were a bit unsteady, her brows furrowed tightly, and her lips seemed to be silently muttering something. She looked completely hesitant and anxious.
Coletta stopped in her tracks, frowning slightly.
Why is Xiakong here? And it looks like she's been drinking? Judging by this posture... is she hesitating whether to knock on Rover's door?
For a moment, the sense of crisis brought on by Phoebe that morning seemed to vaguely resurface, but it was quickly replaced by a more complex emotion.
Watching Xiakong's demeanor, she suddenly understood—this silly girl had probably, just like she did earlier, mustered an enormous amount of courage to confess or say something. But upon reaching the door, she chickened out, leaving her to torment herself out here.
Coletta remembered how Xiakong looked singing in the sunset, remembered the admiration and faint affection for Rover in her eyes, and also remembered the deep friendship between them.
A bizarre impulse surged in her heart. Thinking of that woman beside Rover who always made her feel uncomfortable, mixed with her newly acquired immense happiness and a mindset of seeking an "ally," she walked over.
"Playing guard at the door isn't something a poet should be doing, Xiakong."
Coletta's voice carried a hint of post-sleep huskiness and teasing, sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet hallway.
Xiakong jumped, her whole body shivering. She whipped her head up and saw it was Coletta. Especially upon seeing her silk nightrobe and languid posture, her face instantly flushed even redder, like a thief caught red-handed.
"C-Coletta!? Why... why are you... I... I wasn't..."
She stammered in panic, subconsciously hugging the theorbo tighter as if it could offer her protection.
Coletta walked up to her, her gaze sweeping over the instrument in her hands and her crimson cheeks. She understood perfectly.
She leaned in closer, lowering her voice. Her tone no longer held the haughtiness of a Young Miss, but rather a bizarre excitement like sharing a secret, and... a trace of generosity?
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