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“We can’t.”
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t expect it. Still, it was true that I felt sorry for being rejected so quickly, and I pouted my lips.
“Do you hate it that much?”
“It, it’s not that I don’t like it…”
Cassius stuttered.
“It’s just… I just didn’t think it was appropriate here.”
This time, it was my turn to blush.
It was because I had no intention of doing anything here either. I just meant to say that we should make it a predicate fact before we go back…
“Then, it’s all right if it’s later…?”
“Of course.”
As Cassius’s breath brushed through my ear, I couldn’t help but turn over unknowingly, feeling my body heat up along with his.
“Cassius.”
I called out to him with both eyes closed. Sure enough, the voice that had been confident until just a moment ago was trembling slightly.
“How long will it take… to get home?”
“Are you talking about my house? Or do you mean your house?”
“That…”
I took a deep breath for a moment.
…Could I say something like this?
Perhaps I was digging my own grave.
‘But, it doesn’t matter…’
Cassius Brudenell would already be waiting for me in that grave. As I thought so, I quietly opened my mouth.
“It’s our home.”
“Evelyn, that’s…”
“Why?”
I asked innocently.
“Isn’t your house, my house, too?”
“….”
Cassius silently wrapped his hand carefully around mine. Then, he pulled my hand away and brought it to his lips.
And then…
He kissed it fiercely as if he would never let go again.
My hand, that is.
“…Cassius.”
I called his name, a little flustered, but I didn’t pull my hand away.
“I love you.”
He passionately confessed.
“You have no idea how much I love you.”
“I know.”
I answered sincerely. Only after I wasn’t a fool did I realize how much Cassius Brudenell loved me.
“No, you don’t know.”
Saying that, he shook his head.
“I… wish you to be happier than anyone else in the world.”
I swallowed dry saliva. He seemed to be wishing for the impossible.
…To be the happiest person in the world.
“I want you, Evelyn, to always have only the best things in life. I want you to live in a place where no one can hurt you, where there is nothing but happiness… I wish you to live that way.”
A warning bell rang in my head.
Uh, this…
…Wasn’t this a familiar line?
I caught my breath.
Yes, that was a long time ago, so it came to mind one beat late. It was because it was the line that Cassius recited to Ophelia in the original story!
‘Obviously, he told Ophelia the same thing… To live in a place where no one could hurt her, where she would have nothing but happiness.’
However, Ophelia wasn’t happy.
Instead of being moved by those words, I just turned around and cried.
In hindsight, Ophelia could never be happy with Cassius, who had killed the only family she had. However, the relationship between me and him was completely different from that of the original Ophelia and Cassius.
He hasn’t harmed my family in the slightest.
Unlike Ophelia, I wasn’t terrified of Cassius.
And, above all…
‘Cassius would do anything to make me happy.’
Perhaps the original Cassius Brudenell had no different intentions. He did all sorts of things in the name of Ophelia’s happiness. Still, what he did was nothing more than selfish arbitrariness.
On the other hand, my Cassius…
“Evelyn, what are you thinking about?”
“Right now, I thought about how happy I am.”
When I gazed straight up at him, relief flashed in Cassius’s eyes.
“So am I.”
“You know, Cassius.”
I blurted out the question that had suddenly come to my mind.
“Yes.”
“Can I ask you one question?”
“Ask me anything.”
He answered earnestly.
As I rested my head against his shoulder, Cassius flinched but didn’t move away, and I could feel the warmth of his body against mine.
I whispered in a barely audible voice.
“If I tell… to die, will you die?”
“Yes.”
He replied in a tone that suggested it was a given.
“I will do anything you want me to do.”
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The weight of those words hit me like a ton of bricks. However, it wasn’t burdensome. On the contrary, it made me even feel at ease.
This Cassius Brudenell, staring at me…
He would never be like the original Cassius.
“I love you.”
I slowly confessed. It took a lot of courage to say something that was probably long overdue.
“I’ve been in love with you… since a long time ago.”
“….”
Cassius was silent for a moment. The answer that barely came back after a few minutes of silence was typical of him.
“Can I hear it one more time?”
“I love you.”
When I whispered directly into his ear, Cassius’s reaction was immediate and he grabbed my wrist before pulling me into his body.
I swallowed dry saliva.
‘Maybe, now was…’
It was then that someone outside suddenly shouted.
“Your Excellency the Duke, I’m entering!”
Joy prevailed over embarrassment when I heard those words. It seemed that Cassius had indeed exonerated his name and safely inherited the dukedom.
At the same time, Cassius gently pulled me away and moved toward the door. It was almost a superhuman reaction speed because it was almost at the moment when the door was about to be forced open as it was being crushed.
“…Sir David.”
Cassius sighed.
“I thought I told you not to follow me?”
“I’m now a viscount, Your Excellency the Duke, and…”
Likewise, a voice mixed with a sigh was heard before David finished his words.
“You know my wife, don’t you?”
“Ophelia!”
I immediately ran to the door. Seeing that, David looked puzzled and moved out of the way, but it didn’t matter.
“Sister!”
It was because a familiar face peeked out from behind him. Her golden hair, which was more shiny and fine than gold thread, was tousled, and as soon as she saw me, her amethyst eyes trembled with a mixture of joy and intense emotion.
It was Ophelia, my beloved sister.
However, my joy was short-lived and concerns about the fact that Ophelia had been chasing this inhospitable Kingdom of Bynell came to the fore instead.
“Ophelia, how are you feeling? You’re so thin… I’m glad you came, but you should’ve waited at the border or something, we were going back anyway.”
“Who is the one who should be saying that?”
Ophelia replied, wiping the tears from her eyes.
“Sister, you really should be eating something right now… Even if you were dragged away, you should have eaten well!”
“I ate well.”
I sighed.
That said, it was a situation where my appetite was low, so I didn’t eat much. Still, I was trying to eat enough to replenish my energy. On the other hand, Ophelia’s face was completely cut in half, perhaps because the journey was difficult. .
She blithely ignored my words and threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly.
“I really missed you.”
I buried my head in Ophelia’s hair.
Unlike me, Ophelia’s well-groomed hair smelled good.
“Me too.”
It was an unsightly, hoarse voice.
“I really missed you…”
“You’re never going to go anywhere else, okay?”
“Of course.”
I answered, trying to swallow the emotions that were churning through me.
“I’ll never leave. It’s a promise.”
“Sister…”
Ophelia eventually burst into tears and I held her in my arms, quietly comforting her. Although it was unintentional, I caused her many heartaches. It wouldn’t be enough, even if I apologize dozens of times.
“Ku, keuheum.”
All of a sudden, I could hear someone coughing.
I turned my head around. No one, not even Cassius, would be forgiven for blatantly interrupting a tearful reunion between sisters…
“I…I’m sorry to interrupt, but—”
To my surprise, it was David. Did he think he was permitted to interfere because he was Ophelia’s husband?
Just as I was about to open my mouth to say something blunt…
“I’m getting worried about the eyes of the people around us…”
Oh.
David was right about this one. Ophelia and I apparently had a tearful reunion in the middle of the hallway, and before we knew it, we were now the center of attention for the inn guests.
“Th-thank you.”
When I hurried away from Ophelia, she asked me with an earnest face.
“Sister, will you come back right away? I’ve prepared a carriage for you! It’s so comfortable, you won’t have any trouble if you leave now.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
I grabbed Ophelia’s hand and hurried down the stairs.
Ophelia asked out of the blue.
“By the way, are you going to ride in the carriage with me? It’s because there are two two-seater carriages.”
“Of course. Who else would I ride with if not you?”
“Really? I’m so happy!”
Ophelia smiled broadly and took my hand.
Feeling happy at the sight, I also smiled at her… without realizing the consequences of the conversation that was so natural to me.