Chapter 28

‘Newlyweds.’

The heat that she had managed to cool down rose again.

“Meow, meow.”

“Oh, wait, just a moment.”

“Meow!”

“Ugh!”

The cat squeezed out of her arms. At her groan, Sir Costance rushed out of the kitchen.

“Are you hurt?”

He looked at the cat that had scratched her hand and then at her. Vivi quietly observed her scratched hand.

“Does the cat… dislike me?”

“I’ll get some disinfectant.”

“What? This is nothing…!”

But Sir Costance was faster. He brought bandages and medicine and sat in front of her. Meanwhile, the cat came to his side and rubbed its face against his leg.

“Meow.”

His gaze lingered on her hand. He carefully examined the scratch on her hand and applied medicine. Vivi closely observed his serious expression. As always, seeing him up close, his handsome face appeared even more beautiful.

Then she recalled the image of him with his forehead exposed. He looked handsome back then too… Without thinking, she reached out and lifted the black hair that covered his forehead. Sir Costance’ hand paused.

“Vivi?”

Sir Costance looked up at her. Perhaps she hadn’t completely sobered up, as she did something she wouldn’t normally do.

“It’s beautiful.”

“……Vivi.”

His broad forehead was revealed. As expected, it was beautiful. She stared intently into his gray eyes watching her.

“I felt it before too… Sir, you have a really pretty forehead.”

At her words, his Adam’s apple moved noticeably.

“Is that so?”

A warm breath escaped from his lips.

“Yes.”

“Anything else?”

“……”

“Is there nothing else that’s beautiful?”

Surely there must be more than one. 

She looked at his lips.

“……The cat must be hungry.”

She belatedly averted her gaze from him. She tried to remove her hand from his face. But before she could, her wrist was caught by him.

“It’s asleep.”

“Sorry?”

“It seems to be crying because it’s sleepy, not hungry.”

She lowered her gaze. Just as he said, the cat was sleeping, nestled against his foot. She laughed helplessly.

“That’s right. It’s such an unpredictable little thing.”

He slowly parted his lips.

“I’m different.”

“……What?”

“I…can’t understand your heart, Vivi.”

His voice resonated with her.

“Vivi, you’re very cautious. Especially in front of me.”

He spoke softly. A quiet air flowed between them.

“But sometimes you shake my heart so much.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t say it to get an apology. I just want to know.”

He looked at her with an excited gaze.

“I don’t understand women’s hearts well. So sometimes I’m clumsy like this.”

“……”

“So please tell me, Vivi. What do you think of me? If not as a friend, not as a lover. Then what am I to you?”

She couldn’t avoid his gaze. Her heart trembled. This feeling was definitely different from what she felt with other men. When she looked at him, her heart raced, and her body reacted.

‘I shouldn’t feel this way.’

Knowing this, she felt wronged. 

Why couldn’t I live normally? 

She wanted to date, have a family, go on picnics, and enjoy dates.

In front of Sir Costance, this sense of injustice deepened.

“……You know, Sir.”

Her lips parted. Just once, she wanted to live like others.

“Please speak, Vivi.”

“……Can I kiss you?”

Looking at Sir Costance made her have a big misconception. That he would be different from other men. That even if he knew her true identity, he would like her until the end.

He was always…

“Ah!”

He pulled her wrist toward him.

“Mmph!”

As her body leaned forward, his lips covered hers in an instant. Like a beast, he held her nape and pressed his lips to hers.

“Mmm.”

A strange sound emerged between their lips. The sound seemed to trigger something in Sir Costance, making his body heat up. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

Meanwhile, she sat still like a statue, accepting his movements. The deepening scent of him made her lower abdomen itch. Goosebumps rose on her nape, and her fingertips and feet tingled.

His tongue began to explore her mouth. Breathing became difficult. Realizing this, he briefly parted their lips, then lightly bit her lip as if promising more to come.

“Haa.”

“Vivi…”

Both of them released the breath they had been holding. His wet eyes looked strangely seductive.

“It’s red.”

“……?”

“Your lips, they look very tasty.”

He lightly touched her lips and then kissed her again. This time, without any prelude, his tongue invaded. He touched every corner of her mouth. As his kiss became more skillful, only she grew anxious.

“Mm.”

Just as he made her feel good, she wanted to make him feel good too.

She tried moving on her own, following his lead. When something soft touched, both she and Sir Costance flinched in surprise. Sir Costance stopped his actions altogether and froze.

Ah, maybe this was wrong…

Embarrassed, she tightly closed her eyes. Then he pulled away and rested his forehead on her shoulder, exhaling sharply.

“Damn it, Vivi…”

Even his breath felt hot.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“If you’re apologizing for making me a bad person, then yes.”

“What do you mean by a bad person…”

Every time Sir Costance spoke, his black hair tickled her neck. If she wasn’t careful, strange sounds might escape her lips again. To prevent this, she touched his hair.

Again, his shoulders twitched.

“……Again.”

“I, it was itchy.”

“You really are…”

He muttered softly.

“You really make me a bad person, Vivi.”

“Ah!”

She observed his reddened ears and neck. His excited gaze slowly swept over her body, starting from her lips. She felt n*ked.

He looked at her with a face suppressing desire.

“I want to kiss you again.”

“Sir…”

“Costance. My name is Costance.”

“I knew that…”

“Then please call me by my name.”

His hand touched her cheek. His fingers gently tapped her nose.

“C-Costance.”

When she spoke, he drew a beautiful arc with his lips.

“Just once more.”

“C-Costance.”

“A little more.”

“Costance.”

“……Vivi.”

“You know, Costance, you’re not a bad person.”

His eyes widened.

“You are…”

He was someone precious to her. Someone who created a future for her when she thought there was none.

He was the one who brought flowers and trees to her anxious heart.

With him, she felt like a girl. Happy fantasies kept making her smile.

“You are special to me.”

In the end, she admitted it. Sir Costance, who had been staring blankly at her, suddenly hugged her tightly.

It was a force that almost suffocated her. Sir Costance buried his face in her shoulder and inhaled. As she entered his embrace, she hesitated before placing her arms around his back.

She could hear heartbeats. Both hers and his were racing.

“I like you.”

He confessed.

“I like you.”

“……Yes.”

“I like you, Vivi.”

“……”

“I like you.”

He kept confessing.

“When you first rejected me, it was truly… unbearable to the point that I didn’t want to remember it. That day, I was not in my right mind, Vivi.”

His grip tightened.

“I thought about trying to forget you. Trying to erase you from my memory…”

His voice choked in the middle. He couldn’t hide the overwhelming emotion and swallowed hard.

“But it was impossible.”

So when I saw you again at the cathedral, I fell for you again.

Even while exchanging serious conversations, I cherished that time immensely.

When I parted from you, I regretted not asking you to have tea with me so much that I couldn’t take a step forward.

Sir Costance said,

“I am crazy about you.”

“……”

“Even if you think of me as pitiful and pathetic, it’s okay. Vivi.”

He gently pushed her shoulder and looked at her.

“Please do so, please…”

“……”

“Think of me as pitiful. Pity me. It’s okay to think of me as a stray cat.”

“Sir.”

“If you consider me even a little special.”

“……”

“Vivi, I will give you everything of mine.”