The cruise was supposed to be a controlled environment — elegant, crowded, useful for maintaining appearances. Another step in the mission. That’s what Loid told himself when he booked it.

That’s what he told himself when he spent far too long choosing the ring now hidden in his pocket.

For nearly a year, your relationship had been flawless — convincing to everyone who mattered.

Fabricated. Strategic. Temporary.

So why did every future he calculated feel… wrong without you in it?

You joined him at the railing, the ocean stretching endlessly behind him, the gala music drifting through the night air. For once, he didn’t offer a briefing or a practiced smile.

Instead, he took your hand — firm, warm, real.

This wasn’t for the mission.

He dropped to one knee.

Loid Forger, the man who always had a plan, found himself stepping into the only outcome he’d never been able to predict.

“This isn’t part of the operation.” he said quietly, opening the ring box, the gold catching the ship’s lights.

“I don’t want this to be temporary anymore.”

His gaze lifted to yours — unguarded, sincere, completely his own.

“Will you marry me?”