?Chapter 1170:


    Seeing him hesitate, Freya’s nerves kicked in.


    Ten minutes earlier, she’d been stressing about how to guide Ellis to the setup. Greta had sworn the note would work, promising he’d follow without question. But now, he wasn’t moving.


    “You can lead the way,” Ellis said, taking the card and rolling with the change of ns.


    Freya held out her paw, hoping he’d take it.


    Ellis nced at the oversized monkey hand, then sidestepped it with a polite smile. “This way, right?”


    Freya hadn’t seen thating. A blindfold would’ve been a smart move.


    “Yes,” she said softly, leading him toward the spot. Just before they reached it, she stopped. “Can you wait here, close your eyes, and count to ten?”


    That line made Ellis narrow his eyes ever so slightly—this part hadn’t been in his original proposal outline.


    Who had decided to throw that in?


    Still brimming with suspicion, he exhaled slowly, closed his eyes, and began counting. “One.”


    Freya let out a sharp breath of relief the moment the word left his mouth.


    She gave a discreet signal to the figures waiting in the shadows, then swiftly removed the bulky costume. Before Frederick could present the bouquet of roses, she quickly patted down her bangs.


    Ellis, ever attuned to his surroundings, caught the soft rustle of movement and the light patter of a second pair of footsteps nearby.


    Just as Frederick grabbed the costume and tried to slip away unnoticed, Ellis said, abruptly and with intent, “Ten.”


    Hold on. What was going on here? The entire group froze, caughtpletely off guard. Nobody had seen this twisting.


    “Wait!” Freya rushed to stop Ellis from opening his eyes—but in doing so, the voice changer was gone, and so was the disguise. In that instant, her voice rang out, unaltered and bare.


    The second Ellis heard it, his eyes flew open—and there was Frederick, awkwardly sneaking away with the mascot suit, and Freya, visibly caught off guard.


    Her hair was slightly mussed from the headgear, and with the soft touch of makeup she’d carefully applied, she looked gorgeous. That sudden panic in her eyes only made her beauty feel more real.


    The entire scene before him was so unexpected, it left him momentarily stunned.


    “This is…” he murmured, still trying to wrap his head around it all.


    Freya reached up and scratched her cheek, clearly flustered. She hadn’t imagined he’d jump from one to ten in the blink of an eye.


    “These are for you.” The whole flow of her proposal had been knockedpletely off track, so Freya pivoted, handing him the bouquet instead. “Also… I want to propose to you—in front of everyone.”


    As soon as she spoke those words, n activated the drone, which floated toward Freya, carrying the ring.


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