Transmigrated Into The True Heiress-Chapter 177: Publicly

Dinner was surprisingly pleasant this time around. The atmosphere at the table felt lighter and more relaxed—a stark contrast to two nights ago.

Ephyra was relieved to see that Lyle appeared fine, showing no signs of restlessness or pain. She was quietly pleased, too, that it was just the two of them in here, sharing this calm, warm moment.

The restaurant had been entirely cleared out and reserved for them. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the glittering city skyline, and the warm lighting from the chandeliers overhead gave the space a soft, intimate glow. The clinking of silverware and quiet background music blended into a comforting ambience.

A server placed down two covered plates before lifting the lids to reveal perfectly seared duck breast in a red wine reduction, truffle risotto, and honey-glazed carrots arranged like edible artwork. Ephyra’s eyes lingered on the plate a moment longer than necessary, partly impressed and partly stalling.

She lifted her gaze. "This is... elaborate."

"It’s just dinner," Lyle said, his tone casual. "Though I suppose it’s the least I could do."

Ephyra gave a small smile. "For what?"

He paused, then picked up his glass. "For making you cry, the night before the yacht."

She blinked. That wasn’t what she expected.

’How did he know she cried? And could that even be counted as crying? It was just a tear that fell from her eye before she slept.

"You didn’t make me cry," she said, slowly. "I was just overwhelmed."

"It doesn’t matter why. It happened," he said slowly, meeting her eyes. "I don’t like seeing you that way. Especially not when I caused it."

Ephyra didn’t respond right away. She looked down at her plate, then back up. "You’re not very good at apologizing, are you?"

Lyle didn’t deny it. "I’m not trying to be good at it. I’m trying to be honest because I want you to know that I’m sincere."

That made her smile again—more genuine this time. "You’re succeeding at that."

He gave a nod and turned his attention to the meal, cutting into the duck with practiced ease. "Good. Then we can leave it behind us."

They ate in companionable silence for a while. Ephyra let the flavors linger, appreciating how the richness of the risotto balanced the sharpness of the reduction. Every so often, she glanced at Lyle, noting how relaxed he looked compared to the version of him she’d met months ago. There was still that coldness in his posture, a kind of quiet, calculating control—but it didn’t feel as distant anymore.

He looked up briefly, catching her staring. "You’ve been quiet tonight."

"Just thinking."

"About anything you want to say out loud?"

She took a sip of water, considering. "Not yet. I’m still sorting it."

Lyle nodded, accepting the answer without pressing. That was something she’d come to appreciate about him—he didn’t push when it mattered.

"This is nice," she said finally.

"It could be like this more often."

Ephyra looked up. "Could it?"

"If you let it," he replied. "If you stay."

She didn’t answer that—not because she didn’t want to, but because she hadn’t made her choice yet. But the way he looked at her across the table, the stillness in his expression, told her he already knew.

And maybe that was what made her want to tell him.

"Lyle," she said, stopping mid-bite and setting her fork down. Her eyes met his across the table. "I want to tell you something."

"Is this about the secret you don’t want to say anything about?" Lyle asked. He didn’t sound impatient—just observant and a little surprised.

"Yes, uhm... actually, my biological family was not the Allens. Yes, the late Elara was not the one who gave birth to me and Eliot is not my father. My real family... I don’t know who they are, but it seems they were a powerful, wealthy family in the past, and now they’re all dead. It seems my mother is still alive... and then there’s me."

She paused, breathing in slowly before continuing. "So... what I’m saying is that I have a family member out there whom I know nothing about, but I need to find out to understand what exactly my identity is. And on the other hand, there’s the threat—the one that made my biological family disappear. It’s still out there, and once I start digging for information, I’m likely to find out about me. And if that happens... there’s no doubt it will want my life."

She looked down briefly, then back up, her voice quieter. "That’s what I’ve been carrying around. And I didn’t know how to tell you."

Lyle remained quiet, his expression unreadable for a moment. Then, he set down his glass.

"You should find out who you are," he said. "Whatever danger comes, I’ll handle it. If you’re at risk, then we deal with it. Together. But don’t stop looking just because it’s safer to stay in the dark. That’s not who you are."

Ephyra stared at him for a moment, absorbing every word.

"You’re not scared of this?"

"Fear is irrelevant. Truth isn’t." His gaze held steady. "You have the right to know where you came from. And I have every intention of making sure you live long enough to find out, Ephyra. Nothing would so much as hurt you as long as I’m alive."

She felt something heavy in her chest loosen.

He didn’t offer empty comfort. He didn’t sugarcoat it. He simply told the truth.

"Thank you, Lyle."

She smiled, reaching for his hand across the table. "I would love for us to continue like this. But... we signed an agreement. Once the antidote was completed, we would be considered divorced—officially. So whether we separate or not emotionally, on paper we’ve already made that decision, and we can’t change it."

Lyle stared at her. "I remember. But if we get divorced, we can still be together—if you accept my proposal."

That caught Ephyra off guard. "Proposal?"

"Yes. Before, we kept everything between us private. But now I want to do things differently. Openly. Properly. I consider this us... seeing each other. And after we’re divorced, I want to ask you to be my fiancée. Officially. Publicly."

"Lyle..."

"Please, just say yes. I don’t want to spend more time apart. I want people to know we’re together. And I want you to be mine, Ephyra."

He took her hand in both of his and pressed soft kisses against the back of it, one after another.

Ephyra stared at him, her mouth parting, then closing again. She couldn’t bring herself to say no—not to this, not to him.

"I... I’ll think about it."

——••——

It was finally their last day of vacation, and Ephyra decided to wear something a little more dressed up: a white long-sleeve shirt layered under a light blue denim vest adorned with pink ribbon bows. She paired it with matching high-waisted, wide-leg jeans that had white bows stitched neatly at the hem. Her look was finished off with a pink bow-accented handbag and white ankle-strap heels.

Lyle—after far too much convincing—finally agreed to match her. He wore a crisp white button-down shirt under a light blue denim jacket and paired it with tailored, light-wash oversized jeans. He topped it off with white sneakers. Even their hairstyles matched—Ephyra had straightened her hair, and Lyle had let his hair down for once.

She looked at him, eyebrows raised in approval. "Wow. You look like a handsome college student."

Lyle looked down at himself like he was still unsure about the whole outfit. "I feel like I’ve been dressed by a pop idol’s stylist."

"You have," she said with a smirk. "Me."

He smiled but didn’t argue. "Where are we going again?"

"First stop, Empire State Building," she said, checking her phone for their reserved ticket time. "Then, a helicopter tour over the city."

Lyle raised a brow. "You booked us for a helicopter—dressed like this?"

"It’s called romance," she replied. "And it’s not like we’re going hiking. It’s a luxury ride. Doors and everything."

"Ephyra, I don’t think being in a helicopter can be called a luxury ride."

Ephyra laughed as they stepped out of the hotel suite and made their way to the elevator. "You’re being dramatic. You’ll like it."

"Will I?"

"Yes. You’ll pretend to hate it for ten minutes, and then you’ll spend the rest of the flight leaning against the window and pointing out buildings like a tourist."

Lyle didn’t deny it. "Only if you don’t make me wear those ridiculous headphones."

"Oh, you are wearing the headphones. They’re pink."

"Ephyra."

"Mm?"

[|Later that morning|]

The view from the Empire State Building was predictably impressive, and thankfully, the line was short due to their reserved time. They wandered from one side of the observation deck to the other, taking in the city from all angles. Ephyra was glued to the skyline, pointing out landmarks, while Lyle mostly stood back—one hand in his pocket, the other wrapped around the coffee she’d forced him to buy.

"You know," she said, turning toward him, "you’re not even pretending to be impressed."

"I’ve seen taller buildings."

"You’re impossible."

"I’m just saying, next time let’s visit Tokyo."

Ephyra was gleeful inside, but she rolled her eyes. "Fine. But first—helicopter."

[|Afternoon|]

They arrived at the helipad dressed like the most stylish tourists New York had ever seen. Ephyra kept checking the schedule on her phone while Lyle watched the helicopters landing and taking off. When Ephyra glanced at him, she had the thought that he was mentally calculating every possible mechanical failure.

The staff led them to their helicopter, handed them headsets, and helped them inside. Lyle glanced at the pink headset.

"Pink, as promised," Ephyra grinned, handing it over.

"You planned this entire look."

"Yes, and you look great."

He sighed and put them on. "After we’re done with this, I want something back."

"You’ll get it—but first, let’s take pictures. I want to keep a lot of memories of this trip."

As the helicopter lifted off, Ephyra felt the familiar thrill rise in her chest. The city spread out beneath them, vast and glittering. Lyle didn’t say much at first, his gaze on Ephyra’s expression, but as they cruised above Central Park and circled around the skyline, Ephyra caught his stare. She raised a brow, chuckled, and leaned toward him, pecking his cheek.

"Yes," he admitted readily. "The view is actually beautiful."

Ephyra gave him a look. "Say that again, but with more enthusiasm."

He turned toward her, adjusting the mic on his headset. "You are beautiful."

"There we go."

They continued the ride in peace, the sound of the pilot narrating the city fading into the background as they simply sat together, side by side, watching the city below.