Apparently, the phrase “it seems that” sounds strange. Without a doubt, I like you.
“Huh…?”
Lena opened her mouth slightly and froze in place.
(What… what did I just say?)
Suddenly, being told such an unexpected and surprising statement, Lena’s ears seemed unable to properly recognize Klaus’s words.
(I heard some strange words. Could my ears be messed up? Did I just hear that someone likes me… No! That’s impossible! Um… yes! That’s right! I like Richard-sama. Yes, that’s it. I said I like my little brother. That must be it!)
With trembling hands, Lena opened the sugar pot and slowly poured one spoonful after another into her tea cup.
(Klaus-sama likes Richard-sama. Of course. That’s why he wants to reconcile. I understand. So, surely, he wanted to tell me—to be beside me when he apologizes to Richard!)
It must be that way. It has to be. Otherwise, everything would be strange! I don’t know what exactly, but everything is definitely strange!
“Lena, I think it’s too much sugar. It might be too sweet.”
“Y-Yes!”
When Klaus spoke to her, Lena’s heart skipped a beat.
Seeing Lena’s flustered reaction, Klaus looked at her with a puzzled expression and took the sugar pot away from her hand.
Startled, Lena looked down at her tea cup and realized it was in the same state as Klaus’s tea earlier, and she felt like banging her head in frustration.
(What am I doing!)
Maybe the suspicious behavior of Klaus has somehow influenced her.
“Are you okay, Lena?”
“Y-Yes!”
“Then, may I continue with what I was saying?”
“Yes!”
“Ah, before that, let’s get fresh tea.”
Klaus called a staff member to prepare a new pot of tea for Lena. Seeing the staff’s expression as if to say “Again?”, Lena felt quite uncomfortable. Surely, they must think we’re a strange pair.
When the new tea was brought, Klaus added a spoonful of sugar for Lena. The sugar pot was then put away.
“Yesterday, Richard told me that he feels a woman like you would be good for him, and when he said that, I was told that perhaps all the reasons I liked him might not be entirely my own. In other words… I thought I liked you, and because I liked you, I unconsciously thought it was okay for Richard to be engaged to you. Now that I think about it, I don’t quite understand the reasoning, but I ended up recommending Richard to you. If you point it out, I can see many things—I think it’s strange that I didn’t notice until now at my age. Anyway, that’s what happened.””
Klaus spoke quickly, as if rushing his words.
His face was flushed red.
Lena carefully analyzed his hurried words, and once she understood, she blushed even more than Klaus.
“Eh, um…”
(So, that means… Klaus-sama actually likes me?!)
This is bad. I feel like I might hyperventilate.
As Lena gasped for shallow breaths, Klaus, noticing her strange state, stood up and moved closer to her.
“Are you okay?”
He asked while patting her back, but Lena could only nod shakily.
“Don’t breathe in. Listen to my signals and breathe accordingly. Breathe out slowly. Yes. Not yet. Don’t breathe in yet. When you’ve exhaled everything, breathe in slowly again, and then exhale slowly once more.”
Following Klaus’s instructions, Lena gradually calmed down.
As she regained her composure, Klaus’s earlier words resurfaced in her mind.
(What should I do? I can’t calm down—no, I shouldn’t calm down!)
As her breathing steadied, her tears began to loosen.
“Wh-Why are you crying?!”
Klaus hurriedly took a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it against Lena’s eyes.
“Don’t cry. Please. Did I, did I make a mistake in some procedure?”
Tears streamed down her face, and Klaus’s complexion started to turn pale.
“I-I’m sorry. I must have caused trouble. Please forget what I just said. Even I understand that someone like me saying such things would be bothersome.”
No, that’s not it. That’s not it at all.
In a panic, Lena grabbed Klaus’s hand that was trying to pull away, which had pressed the handkerchief against her face.
“Y-You said yesterday that you didn’t understand why I was crying, right?”
“Y-Yes…”
“I was crying because I was hurt.”
“…I-I’m sorry. It’s my fault…”
“Yes.”
“That… that was wrong—”
“If someone I love tells me to marry someone else, I’d be hurt too.”
“—”
Klaus’s eyes widened slowly.
“So, that means…”
Lena pressed her eyes to the handkerchief and nodded slowly.
“I also like you, Klaus-sama… I’ve liked you all along.”
Since that day six years ago, she had admired him. And as she discovered that he wasn’t just cold and ruthless, her feelings deepened. She often wished that, even just a little, he would look at her with the gentle expression he reserved for Richard.
But she knew it was impossible. So she decided to seal away these feelings.
Klaus gently kneeled beside Lena and hesitantly reached out, placing his hand softly on her cheek.
When she moved the handkerchief aside, his fingertips gently brushed her eyes.
“I like you.”
His repeated confession made Lena’s heart race.
They looked at each other with blushing faces. Suddenly, Lena felt a piercing gaze and lifted her face.
She saw that the cafe staff were watching them with warm eyes. Some of the staff were clapping quietly, as if to say they approved.
Klaus also glanced behind him and, noticing the staff, made an awkward face.
(Oh no!)
Lena widened her eyes and covered her face with both hands.
(I’m too embarrassed—I can’t come here again!)
She had completely forgotten that this was a public place.
Feeling her face flush with embarrassment, she still felt happy inside. Glancing at Klaus, she let out a soft, fleeting smile.
~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~
Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉
Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
~~~Next Chapter~~~
Next chapter will be released Tomorrow.
See you then!!
