CHAPTER 164…………………………………………..
“Kyle…”
I whispered his name softly, and he flinched, looking at me in surprise.
It was hard to see clearly in the darkness, but it felt like he was flustered and quickly turned his head away.
The way he did it—awkward, a little clumsy—somehow looked incredibly cute to me.
“…They say when you fall in love, the whole world turns pink. Is this how everyone feels?”
I wanted to see Kyle’s handsome face straight on, but ever since our eyes met, he insisted on only looking toward the front where the actors were.
Thanks to that, I could comfortably watch Kyle’s profile as he stared at the stage, and in a different sense, it made me like him even more.
“A few years ago, he looked a bit more youthful… but now, Kyle has completely become a man.”
The moment I started watching him, the actors on stage no longer caught my attention.
With his sharp nose and perfectly shaped lips exactly my type, it was far more enjoyable to just endlessly stare at Kyle’s profile than to watch the cheesy play.
“Ahem. How did you find it?”
At the end of the play, an elderly gentleman asked the woman beside him.
Her eyes were wet, but she pressed a handkerchief against them and answered in a calm voice.
“I think I regretted many things… especially toward our children. Forcing them into marriage for the sake of the family… I wonder if they resent me.”
“Although it was an arranged marriage, both children are doing well now. It’s not a life of loveless marriage, so don’t torment yourself too much.”
“Even so… a love that overcame both family opposition and monsters… Isn’t it excessively beautiful? Did you see the Countess of Inferna as well? Was she truly beautiful enough to fall in love at first sight?”
People seemed convinced that this story was about Kyle and me.
Because the play exaggerated everything so much, everyone seemed to think I was an incredible beauty.
“Well, technically, the character I’m supposed to be is beautiful… but it’s not that exaggerated in reality.”
When we finally left the building, someone was selling what looked like merchandise.
“Portraits of the young lady and the Duke from the play!”
A boy going through his voice change had a scratchy, uncomfortable voice.
Perhaps because of that, people passing by would stop in front of his stand.
The young couple in front of us soon stopped as well.
“Oh, portraits? I must have one!”
Having just watched the play, the neatly dressed young lady pointed at the portrait for the man.
He raised his chin toward the boy and asked,
“Ahem. How much is it?”
“One gold per piece.”
“Preposterous. Even if you called a painter to do it, it wouldn’t cost that little.”
“Well, then… there’s no choice. You can invite the Duke and the Countess and have a painter draw them directly.”
The boy’s rebellious tone ended, and Kyle immediately handed him three gold coins.
The boy, surprised, accepted the coins with a dumbfounded expression.
“B-but there’s only one portrait…”
I thought he didn’t intend to sell, but it seemed he only had one left and could be picky about it.
Kyle extended his hand as if it didn’t matter at all.
“Keep the change, I want this one.”
“Oh, yes! Of course!”
The man in front of us tried to give a gold coin late, but the boy shook his head with an unapologetic expression.
“As I said, there’s only one portrait.”
“Then I’ll come back tomorrow.”
“No. It will be difficult to get the Duke and Countess’s portrait around here for a while.”
“Sigh… there are plays tomorrow and even on the weekend. Why won’t you sell it?”
“They said they won’t paint anymore because the engagement ceremony is coming soon.”
The man hastily pulled out three gold coins from his pocket and offered them.
“I’ll give three gold coins. You’ll sell it to me. I got here first, didn’t I?”
“That doesn’t matter. The person who pays first owns the portrait, not the person who arrives first.”
The man, furious, glared at Kyle and then suddenly started pointing at him.
“What a terrible attitude! Doing nothing and cutting in line! Tch!”
“….”
“You think someone like you knows about love? Ladies, you can tell a man just by looking. That guy beside you only looks handsome on the outside. Everything else is hopeless. Just by looking, I can tell he’s the type who wouldn’t believe in love.”
The same man who had admired Kyle during the play was now pointing at him and insulting him.
It was utterly chaotic.
In the carriage, Kyle proudly handed me the portrait.
Curious about the one we had obtained with difficulty, I opened it—and it depicted a couple that didn’t resemble us at all.
A woman with dark, rich red hair, unlike my own rosy hair, and a man with yellow eyes were painted.
“Do you like it?”
He asked bluntly, but his gaze seemed to be seeking my praise.
So I had no choice but to smile awkwardly at a portrait that didn’t resemble us at all.
“Yes. I like it. But…”
“However…”
“It seems to have been painted by someone who’s never seen Kyle. It’s well-done, but…”
It wasn’t a picture we could truly call our portrait.
Kyle, reaching for it belatedly, frowned as he examined it.
“Hah.”
His face turned pale, as if he had been scammed.
‘Can this even count as a scam?’
While thinking it might be Kyle’s fault for buying without checking, our eyes met again, like at the theater.
Flinch.
Kyle, unsure what to do when our eyes met, quickly turned his head toward the window.
“Kyle.”
I called to him, but he stubbornly continued staring out the window, as if he deliberately wanted to ignore me.
The only sound between us was the rattling of the moving carriage.
“…You can speak freely.”
Perhaps uncomfortable with my silence, he spoke slowly.
Once again, I smiled quietly, comfortably watching his profile like at the theater.
“Then, I’ll say it like this. Thank you for coming today. I was surprised to suddenly receive tickets as a gift, but it was enjoyable because you came with me, Kyle.”
I didn’t intend to say anything remarkable.
I simply expressed my genuine gratitude—and Kyle looked at me as if deeply moved.
“…I should be the one thanking you for sending the tickets.”
Kyle’s intense gaze made me feel a warmth spreading through my body.
It felt like my heart was being tickled uncontrollably, like watching a couple in a dating sim.
‘No wonder he’s a hidden character…’
Kyle was too dangerous for my heart.
Just being in the same space made my heart feel like it might explode. I was even worried if this was okay.
“If… you’re grateful, will you promise to give me a real portrait next time?”
“….”
Kyle’s attention returned to the portrait that didn’t resemble us at all, and he clenched it tightly in his hand.
Our eyes met, and he nodded slightly, signaling yes.
“I know a painter. I’ll call him. He might be able to capture a bit more of your beauty in the painting.”
Kyle said this embarrassing thing so naturally. Blushing, I turned my head, and he gently held my cheek.
Our eyes met, and his red eyes looked even clearer today.
“Kyle.”
“May I kiss you?”
His voice was so honest. It sounded like he literally wanted to press his lips to mine, and I couldn’t help but close my eyes.
Yet, even as I felt my eyelids trembling, I didn’t feel his lips yet.
“….”
“….”
The absence of any sensation made me anxious, and flustered, I opened my eyes.
Kyle, who I thought had disappeared, was still watching me.
His lips, which I thought would stay away, slowly drew closer—and then they pressed against mine, softest in the world.
Smack.
His lips were sweet, as if made of cotton candy, melting the instant they touched.
As the carriage rattled more, Kyle’s strong arms enveloped me, and our time sped toward the engagement ceremony like an arrow.
