Chapter : 06
‘At least he’s not avoiding me.’
That’s a good sign.
I tightened my grip on the hand holding Harten.
“I don’t really know what kind of relationship you and I had before. I’ve heard we were lovers, but I don’t remember whether we were close, or even if we were in the middle of breaking up.”
Only then did Harten look at me.
His clear gray eyes wavered like a ship caught in a storm.
Watching Harten, who couldn’t even hide his agitation, I whispered softly.
“Still… I want to get along well with the person named Harten Seind as I am now. I want us to face each other like this, share the same scenery, talk, and get to know one another. What about you?”
At my whisper, Harten’s lips trembled.
As if he had been desperately waiting to hear those words, he couldn’t take his eyes off me for a long while before finally forcing his mouth open.
“Eani Nessel.”
The way he said my name was extremely cautious.
“Are you… not afraid of me?”
“Huh?”
“You said my eyes were scary. That I look at people as if they were tools.”
So I…
Harten trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.
I blinked rapidly at his question, then burst out laughing without meaning to.
“Hahaha! Did I really say something like that?”
“Huh? Uh… y-yes, you did.”
Harten stared blankly at my laughter, then nodded absentmindedly.
At that answer, my head shook on its own.
‘Treating people like tools.’
Right. That had happened.
There was a time when Eani Nessel, arguing with Harten Seind, shouted at him not to treat people like tools.
It was also the first incident that disappointed Harten.
‘Because Harten deeply hated his parents for treating him like a tool.’
He had been careful not to become someone like them, but as he grew older and found himself forced to act for his own benefit, he felt an intense self-loathing.
That remark became a trigger for Harten.
‘And of all people, he heard it from Eani—the one he wanted to get along with the most.’
It must have lodged deep in his heart.
Otherwise it wouldn’t have surfaced at a moment like this.
Perhaps flustered by having said it himself, Harten fidgeted restlessly.
Watching him, I let out a quiet scoff inwardly.
‘Seems Eani Nessel never actually saw that kind of gaze.’
If she had, she wouldn’t have been confused.
I squeezed Harten’s hand tightly and spoke.
“So that comment hurt you.”
“No, it’s not exactly that—”
“I’m sorry, Harten.”
“!”
“My past self must have spoken carelessly. How could I have said something like that?”
I looked straight into Harten’s gray eyes as I continued.
“When they’re such beautiful eyes.”
As I said that, I reached out and lightly tapped the corner of his eye.
Bang!
Harten shot to his feet as if struck by lightning and looked down at me.
“Y-you…! From earlier—!”
The sun was slowly setting.
The sunset, spread out like a masterpiece, gently illuminated the balcony where we stood.
Maybe it was because of that sunset. Or maybe not.
‘Harten’s face…’
It was burning hot, just like the crimson sky.
Realizing his own state, he covered his cheek with one hand and shouted.
“You’ve been touching a man without any hesitation! I can’t believe it!”
After saying that, he fled the balcony in a flurry, like a shy young girl.
I quietly watched his retreating figure, then smiled softly.
“So, Elin?”
“Y-yes? Yes?”
Apparently not expecting me to speak to her, Elin—the maid waiting behind—flinched.
Keeping my eyes on Harten until he disappeared around the corner, I murmured,
“How long do you think it’ll take for that man to open his heart to me again?”
At my question, Elin answered in a voice full of amazement.
“It already seems… wide open, doesn’t it?”
Several days passed since Harten began staying on Tadivna Island.
His original plan had been to check on Eani’s condition for about a day and then return, but since her state didn’t seem quite right, he intended to observe her over a longer period.
Today as well, wandering the garden under the pretense of taking a walk, Harten’s eyes sparkled.
He had spotted the person he was looking for.
“Do you like this island that much?”
As he approached and asked, Eani—who had been sitting on a swaying swing, gazing at the sea—turned her head.
Her green, forest-like eyes brightened and curved into crescents.
“Harten!”
At some point, she had started calling him by his name.
Under normal circumstances, that would have been unthinkable.
He was a man who lived at the very top of the empire’s hierarchy, a power figure who stood shoulder to shoulder with the crown prince.
And yet—
“I really love it here. The sky is always clear, the breeze is cool—just sitting still makes me feel good~.”
‘When you smile, I feel good.’
No—what am I thinking?!
Harten quickly shook away the honest thought that had slipped out and casually sat down beside Eani.
When she smiled like that, all the tension in his body melted away.
And he found himself wanting to allow her anything she did.
Even things that had been absolutely unacceptable before.
“The sea is especially beautiful. If you told me to spend the whole day just looking at it, I’d happily agree!”
‘I might be fine spending all day just looking at your smile.’
Damn it! Another ridiculous thought!
Clearing his throat to steady himself, Harten glanced at Eani.
Honestly, it was true—he liked her smile. That was why he wanted to make her smile more.
Maybe that was why he made a suggestion he’d never even considered before coming to this island.
“Then want it?”
“Huh?”
“This island. You said you like it.”
“……”
“Want me to give it to you?”
Eani stared at him with wide eyes, then covered her mouth with both hands.
She seemed to understand his words a beat later.
“N-no! How could I possibly accept an entire island!”
“It’s not that difficult. I’d just have to change the name on the deed.”
“But I—”
“I have so many islands like this that I could kick them around with my feet. Giving one to you wouldn’t even be noticeable.”
He said it casually, but Harten felt inexplicably anxious.
Come to think of it, this woman had rejected everything he’d ever given her.
No matter what gift he offered, she always coldly said she didn’t need it, that she didn’t want it.
‘So this time too… is she going to say no?’
He’d just been curious how brightly she would smile if he gave her something she liked.
Thinking he’d done something pointless, he was about to fold his arms—
“Harten!”
Eani suddenly beamed and threw herself into his arms.
With his hands raised to cross his arms, Harten ended up instinctively catching her.
“Thank you! I really loved this island!”
She then looked up at him.
“Then can I decorate this place however I like? It sounds fun!”
Her excitement was unmistakable in her voice.
Harten could only stare at her face, as if bewitched.
‘Beautiful.’
…No! What is this foolish thinking again?!
Her radiant smile had more than met his expectations.
But he couldn’t afford to act like an idiot over just one smile.
Harten struggled desperately to regain his composure.
‘Remember what kind of woman she is. She’s the woman who made my life miserable. Even if she lost her memories, she’s still Eani Nessel!’
He shut his eyes tightly, drilling the thought into himself.
After a brief moment—
Having regained his calm, Harten slowly opened his eyes.
And immediately met Eani’s gaze, staring up at him brightly.
“Hehe.”
Eani smiled bashfully.
‘Still… she’s too beautiful.’
The calm he had just recovered collapsed in an instant.
Only after coming to this island did Harten realize it.
Eani Nessel was truly a beautiful woman.
Not just pretty—but the most beautiful woman in the world.
He had never seen anyone smile so beautifully and adorably, so in his world, Eani Nessel was the most beautiful woman there was.
That was an absolute, unshakable law, regardless of any condition—
‘Please! Harten Seind!’
He barely managed to cling to his reason.
He almost lost himself to her beautiful smile, her soft warmth, and the pleasant scent that tickled his nose.
‘Prime numbers… I need to count prime numbers…!’
He did everything he could to chase away the nonsense swirling in his head.
2, 3, 5, 7, 11…
But even so, he couldn’t bring himself to push Eani away.
His body stubbornly refused that command.
Perhaps she sensed his state.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Slip.
Eani gently slipped out of his arms first.
She even scooted a little distance away and murmured,
“I know this kind of behavior makes you uncomfortable. I was just so happy that I forgot myself… I’ll be more careful from now on.”
“N-no, it’s not that—”
Flustered, Harten began to speak, then clamped his mouth shut.
On the first day he arrived on this island, he had scolded Eani for touching a man so freely.
He had never once shared affectionate physical contact with Eani Nessel before, so sudden skinship was bound to be startling!
‘That’s what I thought.’
Then why does it feel so disappointing?
Why does it feel so frustrating?
If he had never known her touch, it would be one thing—but after feeling it a few times, he found himself wanting more.
‘…This is driving me insane.’
Before, it had been enough just to keep her within sight.
So why had he changed like this now?
Harten stared silently at the emptiness where she had been in his arms, then raked a hand through his hair.
Unaware of his turmoil, Eani chatted brightly about how she wanted to decorate the island.
Absurdly enough, even her voice sounded like the clear ringing of bells, making him want to listen endlessly.
If the symptoms had become this severe, there was no helping it.
‘Ha… I guess I have to admit it, at least to some extent.’
That he was being drawn to Eani Nessel again.
Even more intensely, more fiercely than before.
Strangely, that feeling didn’t disgust him the way it once had.
But still… he was afraid.
It was a filthy experience he couldn’t bear to repeat twice.
‘If that’s the case, then….’
