Chapter 133

That night, Rodella and Aivert talked for a long time.

But what Rodella was most curious about was this: “…Since when, and why?”

‘Why did you like me?’

Aivert thought about it carefully, then shook his head.

“I don’t know.”

“It wasn’t love at first sight, was it?”

To Rodella, who said that, Aivert answered seriously.

“I thought so at first, but now that I think about it, you were beautiful from the start.”

Rodella’s face turned uncontrollably red at the sudden, unguarded remark.

“You… you say things like that, so…”

She was stammering.

“How can I say that so casually?”

He naturally finished her sentence and answered it himself.

“I can say even more.”

Then, he stared intently at Rodella, without averting his gaze.

“How and where you’re beautiful, and what I want to do because of it…”

“S-stop!”

Is there nothing he can’t say after a kiss!

No, they had kissed before, but… uh…

A memory of his hot breath suddenly came to mind, and Rodella’s face turned red like a tomato again.

Finally, she covered her face with both hands.

Aivert chuckled and asked, “What about you?”

“Huh?”

Rodella peeked through her hands and saw Aivert tilting his head, asking, “You also said you don’t know since when you started liking me.”

Rodella, whose face hadn’t cooled down yet, fanned herself frantically.

Since when had she liked him?

Rodella also fell into deep thought.

If she had disliked him, she wouldn’t have associated with him.

But since when had she seen him as a man…?

Rodella really didn’t know.

At some point, she started to feel her heart flutter whenever he was in front of her.

She didn’t know what that feeling was until…

“Ah.”

Rodella remembered something.

“When?”

She had remembered something, but it was a bit awkward to talk about.

Rodella briefly looked up at the ceiling.

“Rodella?”

Aivert’s voice came a little closer.

Rodella, who had paused, turned to him, and he kissed her on the forehead.

It was a different, tingling sensation that seemed to course through her whole body, strange yet peculiar.

“Will you tell me if I do this?”

“Huh?”

“I’ve wanted to do this, every day.”

Aivert kissed her again.

Rodella’s face felt like it was about to burst.

She would have told him without all this!

Rodella gently pulled her head back and said, “Actually, I had a dream when I was in the hospital.”

“What kind of dream?”

It was a weird dream, yeah.

Rodella looked at him and spoke.

In the dream, Aivert had come to greet her after a tour abroad, and next to him was a woman.

And he was holding out a wedding invitation…

“Who was the woman?”

Aivert asked like lightning.

‘You’re curious about that too?’

“I was curious about that, too. So…!”

Rodella clenched her fist without realizing it.

“I got bothered by the people around you…!”

Her words, filled with a bit of indignation, brought on another wave of heat.

Aivert, seeing her face that truly looked like it was about to burst, fanned her.

‘This, this is even more embarrassing!’

Rodella grabbed his hand and held it down firmly.

“So that’s why you looked unhappy back then.”

Aivert now had a look of understanding.

“…You knew?”

To her quiet question, Aivert answered nonchalantly.

“I told you, I know everything about you.”

…There it is, that line again.

But it sounded different now.

“…Anyway, after having that strange dream.”

Rodella, emphasizing the words “strange dream,” continued.

“Then, while talking to Cecil, I realized for the first time.”

The fact that the dream was unpleasant.

The fact that she felt unpleasant just at the thought of someone other than herself standing next to him.

“…At that time… I knew, but even before that, um…”

She couldn’t finish the sentence “I think I liked you,” because it was too embarrassing, but Aivert seemed to understand.

“…Anyway, after that, you stood with the Imperial faction.”

Aivert raised his eyebrow slightly at her words.

“I stood by your side, not the Imperial faction.”

“Huh?”

This was a perspective she had never considered.

“I follow the Emperor because you serve him. I’ve never been part of the Imperial faction.”

He opened his hand.

“It’s just called the Imperial faction for convenience.”

Is it okay for such a disrespectful thing to come from the head of Royden, who is now a pillar of the Empire?

“…Then what if I went crazy and had different thoughts?”

“The Empire would be split in two…”

—Whack!

Rodella ended up hitting him on the back.

“Watch your mouth, watch your mouth!”

“There’s no one here to spread the story.”

Aivert seemed to be telling the truth, though.

Rodella waved her hands and said, “Anyway, anyway, that’s why I actually, actually… didn’t want to go on the overseas tour.”

Rodella looked at him shyly and said, “I wanted to be by your side. I felt like you were following His Majesty the Emperor reluctantly because of me. So I was going to leave.”

I really didn’t want to go.

It was her true feelings, coming out now.

“I’ve told you before, I’ve never done anything I didn’t want to.”

This was also something he had said once.

Rodella looked at him quietly.

“Then why did you keep your distance?”

He hadn’t explicitly said he would, but he had clearly avoided her for a while.

There were definitely those hellish days when the person who was always there when she turned around wasn’t, and it was hard to see his face even once a day.

So why then?

“Back then,” Aivert slowly closed his eyes.

“I was still your friend, and I knew I was just a friend. If I didn’t keep my distance…”

He opened his eyes again and brought his face close to Rodella.

“Like this.”

They were so close their noses almost touched.

Aivert, who had come close enough for her to feel his scent and warmth, whispered, “I felt like I wouldn’t be able to stay still for even a moment.”

Before she could fully understand his words, a peck, his lips touched her forehead.

He immediately raised her hand and kissed the back of it.

“I felt like I’d want to do things like this. I felt like I wouldn’t be able to hold back.”

He looked at Rodella’s hand and lightly licked the tip of her finger.

At the moist and unfamiliar yet warm sensation on her sensitive fingertip, Rodella inhaled sharply.

“I was afraid that my actions would make our relationship irreversible.”

“…So you were afraid we’d grow apart and not even be friends anymore?”

Rodella took over the conversation, unable to erase the lingering feeling on her fingertip.

Aivert nodded.

“That’s right.”

At his words, Rodella let out a soft sigh.

In the end, they had felt the same way.

“So, actually, I was scared of your birthday.”

Aivert said as he let go of her hand.

“I thought you’d finally be free and fly away.”

‘And I can’t believe that’s not the case.’

He whispered, “It feels like a dream to me too.”

Rodella gently leaned her face on his shoulder.

It was something they always did, but the warmth felt different and made her heart pound.

“What if I wake up tomorrow and you pretend you don’t know me?”

Rodella murmured.

“I wouldn’t even if I went crazy.”

How long had he waited for this moment? Why would he? Aivert answered as if it were obvious, but Rodella was still anxious.

The habit of always assuming and preparing for the worst, even when she knew the thought was absurd, made her continue to think that way.

“Then should I leave you some proof?”

Aivert pulled back slightly from her and met her gaze.

“Proof?”

He nodded at her question, then took something out of his inner jacket pocket.

It was a box with rings in it.

“Huh?”

With a click, the opened box contained two rings.

“This…”

Rodella remembered this ring.

It was the one she said was pretty when they were choosing a birthday present for Cecilia.

“I bought it then.”

Aivert took out one of the rings. Then he gently pulled Rodella’s hand towards him.

His eyes meeting hers were clear and blue.

Not the deep blue that contained worry and shadow, but a clear, blue gaze.

He smiled.

“I like you, Rodella.”

It was a phrase she had heard since childhood.

But.

“I love you, Rodella.”

He said it again, with a more direct meaning.

In words that Rodella couldn’t possibly misunderstand.

“This time, you won’t just say thank you and move on, will you?”  Aivert laughed softly.

Rodella exhaled as the many words he had said over the years, no, countless times, suddenly took on a heavy emotional weight.

“Which finger will you put it on?”

Rodella’s apologetic gaze met his light one.

The past doesn’t matter.

What matters is now.

His blue eyes seemed to say just that.

His gaze lowered to her hand and pointed to one spot.

The ring finger on her left hand.

“I like this spot, what about you?”

There was no reason to refuse. It was the place that would serve as proof that today wasn’t a dream.

“Okay.”

Rodella willingly held out her hand.

She had taken off the ring she was wearing from their contract engagement for a moment.

That was also his gift, but she wanted to wear the more meaningful ring now.

And soon, the rings with true meaning were placed on their hands.

It was a beautiful afternoon with a sparkling sunset.