Chapter 73

I froze, unable to comprehend the sudden situation.

‘I’m happy.’

That was my first thought.

The man I loved had confessed his feelings to me in a greenhouse filled with pink flowers that seemed to be modeled after me.

There wouldn’t be a woman who wouldn’t be happy in this situation.

However, I couldn’t fully enjoy the happiness.

‘But……’

The joy was fleeting. Bewilderment replaced the space that had been filled with happiness.

‘Does it make sense that Nine loves me?’

I looked down at Nine. Even while I remained silent, he simply waited for an answer, looking up at me in the exact same position, without a single trace of hesitation.

His face was serious, but if I looked closely, his dark eyes were subtly trembling with nervousness.

I could feel his sincerity in that small, unfeigned tremor.

My mouth asked him on its own accord.

“Really?”

When a woman asked that in a proposal scene I once saw, it was purely disbelief mixed with an abundance of joy.

“Do you truly love me?”

I merely had to try not to let my voice tremble too badly.

To my ears, my voice sounded only like a repeated request to confirm his sincerity.

“Yes, I sincerely love you, Miss.”

Time seemed to stop for a moment.

The gaze directed at me, the voice filled with certainty, the thoughtfulness filling the surroundings.

Even after reconfirming all of this, I couldn’t help but realize his true feelings. He truly held feelings for me.

The moment I realized that fact, my heart sank and my mind went blank.

My vision, which had only contained his figure, blurred.

“……Chacha?”

Tears spontaneously streamed down my cheeks.

The moment a tear dropped onto the back of my hand, the stopped time began to flow again. Even inside the greenhouse, where there wasn’t a breath of wind, the flowers rustled.

No, it felt like the world was rustling, just like on the day I first fell for Nine.

Then and now, this rustling seemed to be a warning to me.

Don’t twist the original story.

Don’t get caught up in the original story.

But from the moment I first met him years ago, my heart had already been rustling along with the world, and now, it had changed everything beyond the point of no return.

‘I made it happen.’

I had resolved to live peacefully without interfering with the original story. This resolve had been my goal from the moment I first set foot in this world.

But at this moment, I realized that the life where I could be by Nine’s side, where he could love me and I could freely express my love for him, was better.

How could I refuse this unceasing one-sided love of several years that had so stained and shaken me?

‘I want to be happy.’

Though I think I failed to keep it, I now finally decided to erase the resolve not to interfere with the original story from my mind.

Because my happiness could no longer follow the original story. Because I wanted to walk a future that wasn’t fixated on the predetermined path.

“Huk…”

Tears welled up again, and I choked up, making Nine rise to his feet in surprise.

He reached out his hand, unsure of what to do, then placed the rings he was holding on the table and came closer.

The large hand that approached, as if to wipe away my tears, hesitated before touching them.

“I know I have caused you distress until now.”

Nine spoke carefully, as if he didn’t think the tears I shed were tears of joy.

He lowered himself back down in front of me and met my still teary eyes.

“So, I have nothing to say even if you say you hate me.”

That’s not right. I haven’t hated you even once until now.

Nine made a distressed expression as he voiced the assumption that I hated him.

At that single expression, and sensing his heart, I felt like I would completely break down.

“Please give me a chance. A chance to win your heart, a chance to have my love accepted by you.”

Every word he spoke resonated deeply. Because Nine was not a man who spoke lightly.

I wanted to nod immediately and accept his feelings, but I held back and took out a handkerchief to wipe my tears.

There was an essential matter that needed to be addressed, something that had to be concluded.

I handed the box on the table to Nine.

Nine accepted the box with a look of surprise.

“Let’s sit and talk first.”

When I offered my hand to him, who was kneeling, he took my hand and stood up.

However, he held it so cautiously that I could barely feel his grip on the hand touching his.

Nine obediently sat down across from me.

Placing the box in front of him, he waited for me to speak, his hand resting on the box as if asking for my permission.

“…I will give you my answer after you have seen everything inside that box.”

Nine opened the box with a very solemn expression, clearly imagining something serious.

I was just as nervous. I silently watched as Nine took out and examined the items inside the box one by one.

Inside the box were documents detailing the source of the love potion and the tracking results of the funds used to purchase it, a video orb containing the confession I had persuaded the true culprit, Helena, to give, and finally, records of the antidote purchase and Tully’s medical opinion stating it was used on Nine.

“……”

He reviewed all the items in the box and closed it again.

I spoke to him quietly and cautiously.

“I won’t say I’m innocent. Even if it was Helena who ordered it, it’s true that I personally obtained the love potion you consumed.”

“……”

“However, it might seem strange for me to say this after obtaining the love potion, but I sincerely wished you wouldn’t have such an unpleasant experience…”

After that, I slowly explained the whole sequence of events.

Nine listened quietly to my words, only nodding occasionally, as if to signal that he was listening.

Regardless, since I had unintentionally deceived him for a long time, my confession was certainly not a pleasant one.

Because of this, I kept watching Nine’s face as I spoke, but contrary to my expectation, his face showed no sign of disappointment or anger.

It was as if he already knew. Or as if he wouldn’t withdraw his declaration of love even knowing it, he simply met my gaze with steadfast eyes.

“…Aren’t you angry?”

“Isn’t that the question I should be asking you?”

“Why?”

“Because I misunderstood you, who was worried about me, and said harsh things. There were many things you shouldn’t have had to go through because of me.”

“……”

He opened his mouth as if to say something more, but looked at me, fell silent, and then stood up again.

Unconsciously, tears streamed down my cheeks again.

How much thought and worry had I gone through before confessing everything to him?

My long-held tension broke down at his answer, and tears welled up.

As I tried to suppress the sobs rising from within with my hands, Nine’s hand gently wiped away my tears.

Following the touch, I raised my head and saw Nine’s face, carefully examining me.

The bursting of my long-suppressed feelings was instantaneous.

“I, I like you too.”

The hand tracing my cheek paused.

“For a long time, I’ve had feelings for you since before you even remembered me.”

“……”

“I have never, not once, hated or resented you.”

Tears dropped with every word.

The emotions, once they started pouring out, flowed as endlessly as the tears I shed, making me wonder how I had suppressed them until now.

The hand that began to gently stroke my cheek again wiped away the moisture near my eyes.

My blurred vision cleared instantly, and his face, close to mine, became visible.

Nine… was smiling as if he were overwhelmingly happy.

Strangely, seeing that face slowly made my tears stop. Perhaps because I didn’t want to miss a single moment of Nine right then.

When my tears stopped, Nine took out the rings he had placed on the table and slowly slipped one onto my ring finger.

This was the first wedding ring for us as a couple, who had received wedding gifts decorated with pink diamonds a few months ago but hadn’t yet acquired wedding rings.

Looking closely, the main gem of the wedding ring was a pink diamond, but the small gems decorating the sides were processed black magic stones.

When I also personally slipped the ring, which harmoniously incorporated our colors, onto his finger, Nine’s hand trembled slightly.

“……”

“……”

No words came to mind.

However, there were so many words contained in the way we looked at each other that a strange atmosphere flowed just from facing each other.

Nine’s face slowly drew closer to mine.

I closed my eyes softly, extremely nervous.

Something soft yet slightly rough briefly touched and pulled away from my lips.

“……?”

That’s it? Really?

I was dissatisfied with the kiss, which was lighter than one between children, even for a person my age and a married couple. When I subtly opened my eyes, Nine was looking down at me with an expression of adoration.

Heat rushed to my face, and my head dropped. I opened my mouth out of embarrassment, but

“A, are you…”

Are you teasing me?

Before the words could fully leave my mouth, he cupped my cheeks with both hands and swallowed my words along with my lips.

The touching lips and intertwining breaths were hot, and my heart pounded madly.

The hand that was supporting the back of my neck subtly and sensually stroked my neck and earlobe, making me shiver.

Then, for my lack of breath, Nine briefly pressed his lips to mine again before pulling away.

Nine’s face was slightly flushed. I was clearly blushing up to my neck as well. Every place his hand had touched was burning hot.

But happiness outweighed embarrassment, and I smiled sweetly at him.

It was my first kiss, experienced across two lifetimes.