~Chapter 85~
I didn’t know what happened to Charlotte.
There was no time to care.
By the time I came to my senses, I was already running.
My breath was caught in my throat, my foot splashed into a puddle, and only then did I notice my surroundings.
…At some point, it had started raining.
“Bella!”
It was definitely his voice behind me.
My body moved again on its own.
Because I didn’t want to see him.
Because I didn’t want to know what expression he was wearing.
If there was even a trace of contempt on his face, I knew I couldn’t bear it.
‘How ridiculous.’
I was the one who doubted his heart all this time.
And yet now, I was terrified of losing even a part of it.
The rain-soaked garden was slippery and muddy. My shoes sank into the muck, and my body tipped forward, falling flat into the wet ground.
“!”
As I tried to push myself up, an umbrella was held over my head.
Even in the rain, the polished shoes in front of me could belong to only one man.
I couldn’t bring myself to look up.
When I tried to run again, strong arms pulled me into a tight embrace.
“Let go of me!”
Struggling wildly, the umbrella fell away.
He and I were both drenched completely in the rain.
We tumbled to the ground in a messy heap. When I regained awareness, Armians was beneath me, and I was sitting on top of him.
I tried to scramble up, but his fingers slid between mine, locking tightly.
“Don’t go, my lady.”
And then I heard it—
“You love me.”
Those words, heavier than the rain itself.
I froze, as if time had stopped.
Running away had been pointless.
Once he caught me, I felt strangely at ease—
As though I had finally set down the burden I had been carrying.
His touch was gentle as he dried the water from my hair. I almost told him his own hair was soaked too, but instead, I asked something else.
“You already knew I hadn’t lost my memory, didn’t you?”
“Yes. For a while now.”
“Then why… why aren’t you angry?”
“Because it doesn’t matter anymore.”
Armians gave a faint, bitter smile.
“Whatever reason Bella had for deceiving me… none of it matters anymore. It’s already become meaningless.”
At that moment, I understood the truth.
He liked me so much that even this could be brushed aside.
“…Do you love me?”
“Yes.”
“…Why?”
“……”
“Even though I deceived you? Even though I tricked you—your feelings haven’t changed? Not even a little?”
“Bella.”
His hand covered mine.
Only then did I realize I was trembling.
“You want me to explain feelings with clear reasons. But even I don’t fully understand them.”
His voice was deep, as though he had pondered this for a long time.
“In the past, I might have said it was because you saved me. That I love you because you gave me my life back. And I do still thank you for that.”
“……”
“But in life, there are countless things to be thankful for. Yet I don’t feel for them the way I feel for you.”
Raindrops slid down my hair. He picked up the towel again and sat behind me, carefully drying me.
“Bella is lovable. The way your eyes glance back when I call you, the curve of your lips when you’re flustered, even your fingers fidgeting awkwardly in the air—I can picture them even with my eyes closed.”
“……”
“Whenever I leave you behind, I feel as though your gaze still clings to my back. When I look out the window in longing, I even see you in the window frame. Because of that, I can’t bring myself to throw away even broken things—since they, too, remind me of you.”
“……”
“I have found reasons to love every little thing about you, down to a single strand of hair. But as for how this feeling began—I cannot find the origin. Because you were the first to ever give me this emotion.”
He tucked the towel at my neck and sat facing me again.
The look in his eyes was deeper than ever.
Without thinking, I blurted out—
“…I can’t believe it.”
But what I couldn’t believe wasn’t his feelings.
“I like you, Your Highness.”
To be precise—it was the opposite.
Because I knew his sincerity, it became even harder. Even more frightening.
“But how can we be sure? How do we know you, or I, won’t change? True feelings change. Promises and vows can break under circumstance. Just as you didn’t like me from the very beginning… feelings can change anytime.”
As I spoke, I suddenly realized it.
The real reason I had run away.
“I… I don’t want to see that happen.”
I pressed my clenched fists into the bedspread. A soft laugh answered me.
“…Why are you laughing?”
“Because I’m happy.”
I wanted to glare at him, but when I saw his wide, radiant smile, my strength drained away.
“Fear is born from not wanting to lose something precious. That means I’ve become someone precious to you. How could that not make me glad?”
“……”
“…Bella.”
He took my hand again.
“To completely trust another person—it’s difficult. After all, we are different beings.”
That was true.
“So give me a chance.”
“…A chance?”
“Yes. A chance for us to truly get to know one another.”
A chance. A chance…
I turned the word over in my mouth many times. It sounded… good.
“…Alright.”
