Chapter 63
“Miss, what happened?!”
After returning to the Duke’s mansion with Coa, I had to endure a long lecture from Claire.
She hadn’t been overly worried since I had a bodyguard with me, but she was still clearly upset about my sudden outing. Plus, I had totally ruined my study schedule—that didn’t help.
Once Claire found out, there was no stopping the news from reaching my parents. After hearing what happened, my mother decided to send financial aid to Hills Village.
Even though she was my mom, I had to admit—she was such a wonderful person.
“But next time, instead of just running off, talk to the head butler first. Your safety is the most important thing to us.”
“Yes, I’ll remember that.”
I nodded at her kind, concerned words.
But honestly… none of this was registering in my mind.
Everything Claire said just went in one ear and out the other.
Because one thing—and one thing only—was spiraling endlessly in my mind like a snake coiling around itself.
The kiss.
When I had teased Raymond about Adrien, he kissed me as if to prove his innocence.
And the second time? He deliberately sucked the healing saliva from my lips.
Looking at those two events, there was only one conclusion I could come to:
He wants me.
But why?
Well… because he likes me?
Wait—my favorite person actually likes me?!
Is this real? This is insane!
Alone in my room, I found myself overwhelmed and short of breath. I tried to calm down with deep breathing to stay sane.
Falling in love with my favorite character…
Sure, in my imagination, we’d already gotten married, had kids, and even grandkids. But experiencing it for real was a totally different thing.
If I did become Raymond’s lover, of course I’d be happy. So, so happy. But… was that okay?
I was still engaged to the Emperor. And maybe I would be forever…
Even though my heart was joyful, that painful truth quietly crept in.
That’s why—when Raymond’s lips came close again—I blocked him with my hand.
We weren’t officially anything yet.
Still, that worry didn’t stop my heart from racing wildly.
Ever since I’d entered this world, I’d moved forward with one purpose: to protect and support Raymond.
As a fangirl, I had the kind of love for him that no one could beat.
That’s why… having him return my feelings meant the world to me.
Every kiss we shared kept playing in my mind on repeat.
Ugh. There’s no way I’m sleeping tonight…
Just thinking about scenes from Night of Ecstasy in Paradise made my face heat up.
I pulled the blanket over my face and squeezed my eyes shut, chanting, Sleep, sleep, please let me sleep…
But no miracle came.
I stayed awake the whole night.
The next morning, big dark circles formed under my eyes. Since I had such fair skin as Eilene, it was even more obvious.
“Oh my goodness, Miss! Look at your face!”
Claire gasped as she entered the room and pulled back the curtains.
“You look exhausted. Was yesterday too much?”
“Haha, maybe…”
“Please rest today. I’ll cancel everything on your schedule.”
“Thanks, Claire.”
She must’ve realized how bad I looked because she actually canceled my plans for the day—something she never did.
Grateful for the excuse, I lay right back down.
It was weird how sleep wouldn’t come at all during the night, but as soon as morning hit, it came flooding in.
I pressed my cheek into the blanket and finally drifted off.
By the time I opened my eyes, it was already afternoon.
I ate a super late meal, and before I knew it, evening turned into night.
Claire came in and told me that all the day’s lessons had been canceled. I thanked her, and she left after telling me to rest more.
I sat silently, staring out the window.
Moonlight shone gently across the garden.
Just then, the moon disappeared behind a cloud, plunging everything into darkness.
From far away, I heard the call of a bird of prey—
“Ook, ook, ook.”
Sitting at the edge of my bed, I thought: Night’s really settling in.
Wait—that voice… is that Okhee?!
“Ook, ook, ook.”
This time it came from right outside my window.
I rushed to the terrace and opened the glass door.
Sure enough, Okhee sat there with wide sparkling eyes.
“Okhee! What are you doing here?”
“Ook ook.”
“Just came to visit?”
Usually, when Okhee showed up, it was to deliver an important message.
Like the two times she came when Raymond was hurt.
So even though she looked relaxed tonight, I couldn’t help but feel nervous.
But then—I spotted a small note tied to her leg.
“Oh! A note? So that’s why you came.”
“Ook ook!”
After giving Okhee some water and sunflower seeds, I checked the note.
It was from Raymond.
He had written a time and place… asking to meet me.
And the date?
Today.
“Wait—only 30 minutes left?!”
What could he want to talk about?
I quickly changed into something practical and left the mansion with Coa.
Our destination was the eastern forest.
The moonlight was bright, but clouds covered much of the sky—making it the perfect night to sneak around.
The forest looked the same everywhere, but Coa knew the exact location. Honestly, having someone from Raymond’s inner circle with me was the best move I’d ever made.
We arrived at the meeting point, and in the distance, I saw Raymond.
Coa dropped me off and disappeared somewhere, leaving just the two of us.
The place Raymond had chosen was a secluded lake in the forest. The water was crystal clear and shimmered under the moonlight.
“Eilene. You’re here.”
When he spotted me, he walked over with a gentle smile.
I felt a little awkward and glanced toward the lake.
“Wow, I had no idea a place like this existed. It’s beautiful!”
Even as I spoke, I could feel Raymond’s gaze fixed solely on me. His eyes burned so intensely, I was scared to meet them.
I could feel it on my cheek—like it was burning.
He must’ve noticed I was avoiding his eyes.
“Can you look at me for a moment?”
Raymond stepped closer and gently cupped my face, pulling my gaze to meet his.
His bright blue eyes—though cool in color—burned like fire.
Now that I was caught, I had no choice but to face him.
His intense gaze made me feel like I would melt.
Raymond parted his lips.
“Eilene. I… can’t stand it anymore when I don’t see you.”
“…Huh?”
Whoa. That was so sudden!
You can’t just say something like that with that face. I can’t handle it.
I swallowed nervously—and of course, Raymond noticed that too.
“You swallowed it? What a shame. I really wanted it.”
His voice was thick with desire. I instinctively swallowed again.
A quiet silence fell between us.
Then, with eyes like a glowing blue sun, Raymond said:
“Be my lover, Eilene.”
The most heart-fluttering confession ever.
It felt like something out of a dream—something I had imagined a thousand times.
A breeze blew through the forest, but it felt like it passed straight through my heart. There was no other reason my chest would feel so tingly.
I stood there dazed, and finally managed to speak.
“I… I…”
I had practiced this scene in my head all night.
But now that it was happening for real, my brain was in chaos.
All I could do was spit out broken pieces of words.
“I… I need time to think…”
“You need time to sort out your thoughts? How long?”
“For a while…”
“I see.”
Even though I was flustered and stammering, Raymond remained calm. He wasn’t pushing me—just quietly waiting for my answer.
As soon as he let go of my face, I quickly turned around.
And from behind me, I heard his voice again.
“Eilene.”
“Yes?”
“I’m leaving Hills.”
“You are?”
“Yeah. Contact me through Okhee. I’ll wait.”
His voice softened at the end—there was a quiet desperation to it.
All I could do was nod silently.
Then… I ran.
I bolted down the forest path as fast as I could. I could sense Coa catching up behind me, but thankfully, Raymond didn’t follow.
But my relief quickly turned into regret.
Sure, I said I needed time because I was flustered, but the truth?
That was just me lying to myself.
This was the real issue:
“How is a fangirl supposed to survive without her favorite?”
I had completely ignored that truth.
How could I even function without seeing Raymond?
It was such a ridiculous idea.
Why did I act like that? I was so foolish.
I was used to seeing Raymond almost every day. Now that he was gone, I missed him so much I felt like I was going crazy.
I tried to comfort myself by staring at my cherry blossom print of him… but nothing compares to the real thing.
So that’s what he meant when he said he’d go crazy if he didn’t see me.
Love is all about timing. And regrets? They’re always too late.
After just three days, I couldn’t take it anymore.
I rushed to the terrace and called for Okhee.
But on this dark, quiet night… there was no sign of her at all.
