Chapter 8.6

Opening her eyes wide, Andrea wiped her damp cheeks with the back of her hand. Taking a deep breath, she looked down the hill. She intended to soothe her heart with the open view, then turn back as if nothing had happened.

But then…

“Huh?”

Andrea squinted as she looked down the hill. A man was walking up the winding path toward the ranch. At first, there didn’t seem to be anything unusual about it.

Though the ranch didn’t receive many visitors, neighbors would occasionally drop by. A boy selling firewood or a neighboring farmer bringing fresh milk, for instance.

But this visitor seemed different. His golden hair gleamed as if it had been melted by the sun. His face, tinged red by the setting sun, was striking. His physique was so well-built that even the taut folds of his shirt were visible. The closer he got to the ranch, the faster Andrea’s heart began to pound. He bore an uncanny resemblance to the man who had filled her thoughts and heart moments ago.

“…I must be losing my mind. I’m even seeing things now.”

Andrea muttered to herself, pinching her cheek hard.

“There’s no way Michael could be here. That’s impossible…”

“I like the sound of that.”

It was then. The man, resting his hand on the fence, smiled faintly and spoke.

“Hearing my name in your voice.”

“……”

“Andrea.”

Andrea, Andrea, Andrea. The man’s voice echoed in Andrea’s ears as if it were a lingering melody. She thought it was an illusion. She believed she was hallucinating. But the man before her was too vivid—his face shimmering as if it alone held the light of the world, his refreshing smile, and his gentle voice.

Startled, Andrea struggled to part her trembling lips.

“How… How is this… No, why…?”

“If you’re asking how I knew you were here, I heard it. From your maid.”

Michael effortlessly crossed the ranch’s fence with his long legs. Smiling softly, he approached Andrea, who stood frozen in place.

“She didn’t tell me easily. She was trembling in fear, refusing to open her mouth until the very end.”

“……”

“It took a long time to persuade her. I had to explain, relentlessly for days, why I absolutely needed to meet you.”

Michael stood directly in front of Andrea. He reached out and gently tucked her wind-blown hair behind her ear. When his hand lightly brushed her earlobe, Andrea instinctively flinched.

It was indeed him—Michael. The clean scent emanating from him and the solid yet smooth touch of his fingertips sent tingles through Andrea’s nerves. A feeling, akin to longing, began to bloom.

‘I’ve stopped expecting anything now.’

Andrea tried to compose her shaken expression. She was tired of foolishly hoping and then being disappointed. More precisely, she didn’t want Michael to see her like this. She didn’t want to confirm, once again, that she was nothing more than a convenient and insignificant woman to him. Even if, deep down, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of excitement or faint hope.

Avoiding Michael’s gaze, Andrea asked in a stiff tone.

“Why… did you come to see me?”

“I couldn’t answer that day.”

At his unexpected response, Andrea slightly furrowed her brows.

“Answer?”

“Yes, I realized I had to give you one.”

Michael continued in a calm voice.

“When you asked me to love you, when you asked me not to hide anything from you, I wondered if I could do that.”

“Then… if I ask for love, will you give me that too?”  

“…”  

“If I ask you to love me the way I love you, if I ask you to show me everything without hiding anything, just as I reveal all my vulnerabilities to you…”  

“…”  

“Will you grant me that too?”  

Realizing what Michael meant by “answer,” Andrea’s face turned crimson. It had been the day she had cast aside her pride and begged for his love. A day when she had laid her heart bare, only to leave empty-handed, humiliated. 

Why was he reviving a memory I’d rather forget? Was he here now to offer empty words, pretending to make an effort?

Andrea opened her mouth with a hollow expression.

“If your answer is that you’ll do that…”

“No, Andrea.”

“……”

“What I’m about to say isn’t some kind of favor.”

It wasn’t?

Caught off guard, Andrea looked up, meeting Michael’s gaze. He held her gaze firmly, his lips moving slowly.

“It’s a confession—that I love you. And an admission—that I’ve loved you for a long time.”

Andrea’s pupils dilated. Her blue eyes quivered like a candle flame in the wind. She replayed Michael’s words in her mind, one by one.

“That I love you… That I’ve loved you for a long time…”

She felt like the biggest fool in the world. Why couldn’t she comprehend such a short sentence?

Andrea stared blankly at the man before her. While her gaze wavered like a ship in a storm, Michael’s eyes remained as calm and still as a lake. Observing her expression, he continued speaking.

“As you know, I’m not exactly a good man. I’m arrogant, selfish, and foolish. So foolish that I didn’t even recognize my own feelings.”

“……”

“But I learn quickly. And once I learn something, I never forget it. I don’t make the same mistake twice. If I miss something once, I won’t miss it again.”

Was this a dream? Or a cruel joke? 

Andrea couldn’t believe the words Michael was saying, even as he spoke them with deliberate care. His eyes were so earnest it made her disbelief even stronger. After all, this was the moment she had envisioned and imagined countless times since she first fell for him.

And yet, while her mind denied its reality, tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks. Her delicate fingers trembled like branches swaying in the wind. As if, deep down, her heart had already accepted this as truth.

Michael reached out, gently taking Andrea’s trembling hand in his. His hand was warm—almost burning. He carefully cradled her thin fingers and wrist, which had grown even frailer. It was as if he were holding a fragile treasure that might shatter with the slightest pressure. Gazing down at her hand in his, he confessed in a low voice.

“Trust me one more time, Andrea.”

“……”

“I promise you won’t regret it. I’m confident. I’ll stake everything I have to protect you. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Michael raised his head, locking eyes with Andrea. His long, dark lashes trembled faintly.

“Let me keep loving you.”

“……”

“Keep loving me. And…”

“……”

“Be mine. Stay by my side for the rest of our lives.”

A clear tear rolled down Andrea’s cheek, sparkling like a jewel. Meeting her gaze, Michael smiled faintly. His thumb gently brushed against her ring finger, as if measuring the size of something that would one day fit there. Feeling his touch, Andrea let out a silent laugh.

“Your Highness…”

After a long pause, Andrea finally opened her lips, drawing Michael’s gaze.

She smiled faintly as she looked at him.

“You’re so confident already. I haven’t even given you an answer yet.”

“Andrea.”

The atmosphere between them shifted instantly. Just as Michael, flustered, hurriedly opened his mouth, Andrea’s red lips parted softly.

“I love you.”

“……!”

“Even if you’re like that, I love you.”

Michael’s eyes widened. As if his heart had dropped, he stared down at Andrea, who looked up at him with unwavering determination. She gripped his hand tightly.

“We’re so different. That’s only natural. We were born and raised in completely different worlds. Your Highness, you have lived a life where receiving is natural, while I’ve lived a life accustomed only to giving. So I don’t know how to be loved.”

“……”

“So, from now on, Your Highness, you must teach me step by step. Until I’m completely accustomed to receiving love, patiently.”

And then, all at once, Michael’s tension melted away. He pulled Andrea into his arms, holding her tightly.

“Oh, Andrea…”

He called her name like a sigh, over and over again. Then, he whispered softly into her ear.

“I promise. No, I swear. On everything I have.”

Andrea carefully wrapped her arms around Michael’s back. Resting her head against his shoulder, she murmured softly.

“I’ll teach you too. How to give love.”

“……”

“I’ll show you what it means to love someone with all your heart, for a lifetime.”

“Yes, teach me. Like I said earlier, I’m a fast learner.”

At Michael’s casual remark, Andrea burst into laughter. On the hill where the violet dusk had fallen, the silhouettes of the two slowly overlapped. Like two points that had seemed destined to remain parallel forever, yet had circled the universe to finally meet at one.

〈How to Love Someone Arrogant Like You〉 FIN