The more she thought about it, the more she felt she knew why Zephion no longer said the words. Perhaps because he had once told her that it was enough simply to leave together—that he didn’t care if she never loved him, never married him.

Reina gave a faint, bitter smile. It wasn’t that she had suddenly come to “love” Zephion. It was only that she couldn’t ignore his feelings. After all, with one single choice, she had become the burden he would carry for the rest of his life.

There was no way the one carrying that burden could simply laugh as though nothing weighed on him.

“Do you not have an appetite?”

Noticing she had barely eaten, Zephion asked with concern.

“Mm, I just don’t feel very hungry.”

“You’re not feeling unwell, are you?”

His expression shifted in alarm as he quickly pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. She gently brushed his hand away with a small smile.

“No, I’m not sick.”

“If you don’t feel well, you must tell me right away.”

“Mm.”

Even with her reassurance, she could feel his golden eyes fixed on her, heavy with concern.

“Do you… regret it?”

Reina looked at him. Their eyes met. In his expression, she saw a flicker of fear.

“I don’t regret it.”

She answered more firmly than necessary.

“And you? Do you regret it?”

“I don’t.”

Zephion replied without hesitation.

Silence fell again.

“No… the truth is, there is something I regret.”

“What is it?”

“When I said it was fine if you didn’t love me.”

His hand clenched into a tight fist.

“The truth is—it’s not fine.”

“Pipi.”

“…Childish, isn’t it?”

A bitter smile touched his lips.

Reina didn’t respond. Even that childish side of him was Zephion—and that, too, was precious to her.

“That man.”

His teeth ground together. From that reaction alone, she knew he meant Kaelid.

“Every time he looked at me with that sense of superiority, I found it laughable. Even though he had you, the way he kept trying to confirm it was so pitiful that I ridiculed him for it. But, in the end, I’m no different.”

“…”

“The thought that you might not love me makes me… a coward.”

His golden eyes sank into a darker, heavier shade.

She couldn’t even think to look away. She could only listen as he laid bare the truth of his heart.

“I’m sorry I said we were married. I only… wanted some way to hold on to you. Every moment I realize you can’t go far on your own, I feel so satisfied—and I end up hating myself for it.”

Pouring out the darkness inside him, Zephion was the one to finally break their gaze.

“Horrible, isn’t it? Reina must not realize what kind of person I am, and yet she stays with me.”

His low voice came out rough and unsteady.

“I’ll ask again. Do you regret it?”

It was cowardly to ask, after making it so she had no way back. Breaking her cane, declaring he would kidnap her—wasn’t this no different?

And yet, the truth was, she didn’t regret it. From the moment she took his hand until now, not once had she regretted anything.

“I don’t regret it.”

The tense line of his shoulders slowly eased.

“Reina.”

“Mm.”

“Could you… love me, even just a little?”

“…”

“If you tell me I shouldn’t be greedy anymore… I’ll listen. I won’t ask for more.”

Reina gazed at him quietly.

“Just a little is enough. Even if it’s only for a single moment.”

Zephion was begging for love. His voice carried the desperation of someone willing to crawl on the ground if that’s what it took.

“I’ll give you my whole life. So even if it’s only for a moment, please love me.”

He drew closer and sank to his knees. Resting his forehead against her lap, he pleaded fervently. His arm reached out cautiously, circling her waist.

“Pipi.”

She gently stroked his dark hair.

‘Does he realize I already hold his whole life?’

Would she have to pay the price for that?

Reina carefully lifted his chin as he let out a trembling breath. His golden eyes glistened, clouded with fear, love, self-loathing, and desperate longing all tangled together.

Her fingertips traced softly over his damp eyes. She felt the faint tremor of his eyelashes against her touch.

“Just a little—would that be enough?”

At her words, he pressed his lips together in silence.

“Would a moment truly be enough?”

“…No. It wouldn’t.”

“Be honest. You’ll only regret it again.”

“Love me. I’ll give you everything—so love me forever. I want to be greedy.”

Reina slowly lowered her head.

‘Ah… what a pure and unwavering heart.’

Even the darkness within him, she felt she could embrace it all.

As she gently stroked Zephion’s tear-streaked cheek, she pressed a light kiss to his fevered forehead. His breath hitched sharply.

“I love you.”

She had heard those words countless times before, yet now they felt different—something entirely new. What had changed?

Perhaps it was because, for once, she didn’t have to think of revenge, or hatred, or Kaelid. At last, she could set everything down and truly look at the heart this boy was offering her.

“I love you, Reina.”

As though unable to stop himself, he poured out the words through broken sobs. The flood of I love yous pressed down on her chest until it felt as if she might suffocate.

She had never realized love could be so heavy, could strike so deeply inside her. The unfamiliar weight of the feeling made even breathing difficult.

“Pipi, I…”

Before the lips that seemed ready to whisper I love you until her voice gave out could speak again, she pressed her hand over them.

His face was drenched in tears. When he blinked, the tears gathered on his lashes spilled down his cheeks.

“I don’t know how to love.”

Reina confessed the fear inside her. She didn’t know what it meant to love. All she had ever learned was hatred, obsession, and s*x.

The sweet kind of love Zephion spoke of—she had never even believed it truly existed.

Not until this moment, watching him bare his heart and beg for her love, did she realize that this—this desperate, aching honesty—was what love could be.

His golden eyes gazed at her quietly.

‘Is this… love, shining in his eyes?’

They said that love made your heart flutter and pound. But that couldn’t be true. No words could capture the storm churning inside her now.

Reina let the words she had been struggling with spill out.

“But… if I ever do come to love, I want it to be with you.”

At that, his eyes widened, and he lowered his head. Where his face touched, her skin grew damp with his tears.

The arms around her waist tightened with fierce strength. She stroked his broad shoulders gently as they began to tremble.

‘I’m sorry… that I don’t even know what love is.’
‘I’m sorry… that I can’t yet say I love you as easily as you do.’

But if this feeling was love, then she wanted to feel it only from Zephion. No—she was certain she could never feel it from anyone else.

Even if she lived her whole life, there would never be another person who could stir such emotions within her again.

Reina lowered her head and drew him into her arms. Perhaps because he had cried so much, his body felt faintly warm.

She pressed her lips firmly against his soft hair. He smelled of Zephion.

“If what I feel now is love…”

“It is love.”

“It’s a feeling I don’t know. Something I’ve never felt before.”

“Mm.”

“Then that means it’s love.”

She didn’t deny it. She had never felt this way for Kaelid—or for Yuta. It was her first time experiencing such a feeling. Then yes, it must be love.

“Then I’ve managed to have one of Reina’s firsts, haven’t I?”

Zephion lifted his head. His face was a mess, but he wore the happiest smile she had ever seen.

Despite being very close, she didn’t feel the need to turn away. He leaned in hesitantly and their noses brushed together lightly. Their breaths mingled, caressing each other’s lips.

“Tell me you love me.”

He whispered, his voice burning. She could feel the frantic pounding of his heart, pressed against her knees.

“I want to be Reina’s first love.”

Her lips trembled.

‘Is this truly love? Can I say that it is?’

Why did the words I love you feel so difficult to speak?

Love. Love. Love.

The more she turned it over in her mind, the more the words rose up, swelling in her throat, as if insisting that the emotion she felt was indeed love.

“I love you.”

For the first time, Reina spoke the word love. It was the first time she had so openly laid bare her feelings.

“I love you.”