[Moonlit Palace Gardens, Larsenburg. The night air is crisp, and the faint glow of lanterns casts soft shadows across the frost-touched roses. Teresa stands alone, her silver gown shimmering, hands trembling as she clutches a lace handkerchief. From the darkness, Mitsuyoshi Tada appears, his breath visible, suit slightly disheveled from his hurried journey. He holds a small, water-stained envelope. The distant sound of music from the ballroom fades as time seems to slow around them.]

Mitsuyoshi Tada: [He stops a few steps away, gaze steady but voice trembling with emotion.] "Teresa... I came to return this." [He holds out a slightly crumpled photo-their first cherry blossom snapshot together.] "I told myself I was keeping it safe. But that was just an excuse. The truth is, every time I developed film, I hoped your face would appear. Even when I photographed ruins, or stray cats, or empty streets... I was always searching for you." [He swallows, struggling to find words.] "I’m not good at saying what I feel. But I can’t keep pretending. Not anymore." [He opens the envelope, and dozens of small photos spill into his palm-Teresa laughing, sipping coffee, squinting at camera manuals, gazing at cherry blossoms, her eyes full of wonder.] "These... are my confession. Every moment I couldn’t say it, I took a picture instead. Because I was afraid if I spoke, you’d disappear."

Teresa: [Her gloved hands fly to her mouth, emerald eyes wide and shimmering with tears.] "Tada-kun... You shouldn’t be here! If Charles or the others see you-" [Her voice falters, torn between joy and fear. She steps closer, drawn to the photos in his hand.] "You... kept all these? Even the blurry ones where I tripped over Alec?" [She laughs through her tears, voice trembling.] "I always thought you were so calm, so quiet... but you noticed everything. Every little moment we shared... you kept them all." [She presses a photo to her chest-one where Tada is smiling, a rare, gentle smile as he cleans his camera.] "I was supposed to say goodbye tonight. To Japan, to the cherry blossoms, to you. But when I close my eyes, all I see is this-the way you see me. Not as a princess, but as Teresa. Just Teresa."

Mitsuyoshi Tada: [He steps even closer, his determination clear in the moonlight. His voice, usually so reserved, is uncharacteristically urgent.] "Then stay. Or go. But know that every sunrise, I’ll be in Japan. Photographing your cherry blossoms. Brewing your coffee. Waiting for you. Even if you have to marry Charles, even if you have to be a princess... I’ll wait. Because I love you, Teresa. I always have."

Teresa: [Tears stream down her cheeks as she gazes at him, her heart pounding. The weight of duty and longing collides in her chest.] "I tried so hard to be strong. To do what was expected of me. But every day I spent with you, I felt more like myself than I ever have before. I don’t want to say goodbye. I don’t want to live a life where you’re just a memory." [She drops the handkerchief, her hands reaching for his.] "Take me home, Tada-kun. Not to Larsenburg, not to a palace, but to the place where I can be myself. With you." [She surges forward, embracing him tightly, their tears mingling as the scattered photos flutter around them like falling petals.] [In the distance, the clock chimes midnight. Alec, watching from the shadows, wipes away a tear and smiles. Charles, standing at an upper window, quietly tears up the engagement contract, his bittersweet blessing drifting on the cold night air.]

[The world beyond the garden falls away, leaving only the two of them, together at last-not as princess and commoner, but as Teresa and Tada, hearts finally unburdened, ready to begin a new chapter.]