AKANNI'S POV
I found him near the back corridor—my studio boss—still pale, still processing.
"Sir," he began, awkward now. "I—I didn't know."
I smiled gently. "You didn't need to."
He laughed nervously. "You represented us tonight. And all this time…"
"I was loyal," I said simply. "That hasn't changed."
Something shifted in his expression—not shame, but respect. Real respect.
"I misjudged you," he admitted.
"No," I replied. "You saw what I allowed."
That ended the conversation.
When I returned to the hall, the noise felt distant. My empire no longer needed defending. My past no longer needed explanation.
Only one person mattered now.
Mira stood by the window.
She hadn't rushed to congratulate me. She hadn't joined the chaos. She simply watched—always observing, always understanding before others did.
I joined her without a word.
Below us, the city glowed.
"You did it," she said softly.
"No," I corrected. "I finished it."
She smiled, turning to me. "How do you feel?"
"Tired," I admitted. "Relieved. Empty. Full. All at once."
Her hand brushed mine—unintentional at first.
Then deliberate.
For months, we had danced around something unspoken. Shared grief. Shared rebuilding. Shared silence heavy with meaning. Tonight, the weight shifted, her eyes held mine longer than necessary.
The room felt smaller.
"I should leave," she said quietly.
I didn't stop her with words.
I stopped her by reaching for her hand.
"Mira…"
She inhaled sharply, as though the name alone undid her restraint.
"I stayed when everything collapsed," she said. "I held you together when you didn't believe in yourself. If this is a mistake—"
"It's not," I said. "I have that I want to build this with you"
The kiss that followed was not rushed, it was earned.
It carried months of restraint, healing, and trust. When the door closed behind us, the world stayed outside.
That night, there was no desperation.
Only certainty, only warmth, only two people choosing each other—fully, finally.
And sometime before dawn, as she rested against my chest, I spoke.
"Mira," I said softly. "Marry me."
She lifted her head, eyes searching my face.
I didn't kneel.
I didn't perform.
I simply offered truth.
"I don't need another empire," I continued. "I need you. You are all I want"
Her answer came in tears.
And a yes.