Chapter 8 (Part 4)

Though a tragedy had occurred, the Rozes family was still one of the prestigious noble families that they so admired, and she was the head of that family. Therefore, she needed to maintain a dignified attitude.  

At that moment, the three young ladies were struck speechless. They were the ones who cared most about dividing nobles into ranks, so the impact on them was all the greater.  

After offering them a light bow, Cecilia stepped out of the ballroom. Talking to the young ladies had left her feeling even more drained.  

Even though she had confronted those who had tormented her, she found it wasn’t as satisfying as she had expected.  

The thought that, had she not become a Countess, she would have continued to be looked down upon by them made her feel uneasy. They would likely spend their entire lives looking down on others.  

So Cecilia decided to relieve herself of the stress caused by them by taking a moment to rest.  

But just as she reached for the door handle of the lounge—  

“It’s been a while.”  

She froze at the sound of the voice she had longed to hear.  

There was no way he could be here. With so many young ladies searching for him, if he had shown his face, the ballroom would have erupted in chaos. Cecilia assumed she was hearing things.  

It seemed she had been thinking about him too much lately.  

“You still don’t seem happy to see me.”  

But when a shadow fell over her, she thought it might not be a hallucination. Turning her head to look at the man behind her, Cecilia’s eyes widened.  

“Priest Ian?”  

“I’ve left the priesthood, so that title feels a bit burdensome now.”  

His neatly combed black hair, his noble white formal attire—this was the first time she had seen him out of his priestly robes.  

With the moonlight behind him, the man seemed to shine as if blessed by the gods. His appearance was so ethereal that Cecilia stared at him in a daze.  

“Is it really you?”  

Snapping out of her daze, she reached out to touch his cheeks, turning his face this way and that.  

“Yes, it’s me.”  

Ian smiled softly.  

“How did you get into the ballroom without being noticed?”  

“I wore a mask when I entered.”  

Of course.  

If he hadn’t worn a mask, the screams of the young ladies who saw him would have been endless. Squinting her eyes at him, Cecilia asked,  

“I heard you disappeared after leaving the temple.”  

“I’ve been staying at my brother’s estate for a while. Since I haven’t been leaving the house, it seems rumors like that started.”  

“Ah, I see. That makes sense. I’m glad to see you’ve been well. And it seems your insomnia is improving….”  

“I wonder if you know how much I’ve been looking for you.”  

Though she had been rambling in excitement, Ian cut her off.  

“You’ve been looking for me?”  

“Yes.”  

“Why?”  

“I wanted to see you again.”  

“For what reason?”  

Hearing that he had been looking for her made Cecilia’s heart sink. It still felt like he only sought her out when he needed something.  

“To be honest, I wanted to express my feelings to you that day. But when you mentioned an engagement, I….”  

“Lies!”  

Cecilia couldn’t believe Ian’s words and interrupted him before he could finish. He had never once expressed his feelings before, and now he was suddenly claiming he had feelings for her?  

Her mind was in turmoil, and she didn’t know how to process what he was saying.  

“It’s not a lie. It’s the truth.”  

“You only came to me because you needed me to cure your insomnia. You rejected me so many times before—why didn’t you tell me sooner?”  

“I was afraid of being rejected. But when you ran away from the engagement ceremony, I realized something. Knowing I might never see you again, I suddenly couldn’t bear to let you go.”  

“Is that true? You don’t need me just because of your insomnia?”  

Cecilia’s eyes narrowed further.  

“To be honest… my insomnia was cured a long time ago. But I lied back then.”  

“Why would you lie?”  

“Because I wanted to hold onto you, no matter what.”  

Ian’s eyes trembled slightly.  

His clear, transparent gaze seemed sincere, but Cecilia still couldn’t understand everything.  

When they had been intimate, he had clearly looked pained. Hadn’t he made a face as though he were wounded while they shared a physical connection? And after everything was over, he had coldly pushed her away.  

The more she recalled those days, the more questions filled her mind.  

“You were the one who distanced yourself from me first. And now you’re saying you lied to hold onto me? It doesn’t make sense.”  

“It’s natural for you to think that. Back then, I wanted to push you away. Every time you were near, it felt like the world I had built was crumbling, and I couldn’t stand it.”  

Ian’s gaze, fixed on Cecilia, didn’t waver in the slightest. Even though he was no longer a priest, he still seemed noble and pure.  

But soon, his expression changed, and his eyes filled with an insatiable desire.  

“As you may already know, you’re the one who made me incapable of suppressing my lust any longer. So you must take responsibility. No, please allow me to stay by your side.”  

When they had been intimate, Ian had looked at Cecilia with resentment, blaming her for his fall. But now, there was no trace of such feelings in his gaze.  

Instead, he desperately yearned for her, as if he couldn’t live without her.  

Perhaps all the words he had said that seemed like misunderstandings were true.  

Even though she was hearing his sincerity, Cecilia still couldn’t fully trust Ian’s words. The memories of him pushing her away whenever they grew close, his fickle behavior, and the wounds he had inflicted on her heart made her hesitant.  

As Cecilia hesitated, unsure of how to respond, Ian spoke first.  

“I love you. My lady—or should I call you Countess Rozes now?”  

It was strange. Just by adding the words “I love you,” all her doubts vanished in an instant.  

Was there some kind of magic in the word “love”? The moment she heard it, Cecilia was certain. His gaze held nothing but the truth.  

“You can call me whatever you like. To be honest, I love you too. Do you know how much I’ve been looking for you?”  

Cecilia stepped forward and embraced Ian, confessing her feelings. In response, he held her tightly as well.  

“I know. I read every letter that came my way, hoping one might be from you. So I promise, I’ll never let you go again.”  

His hand reached out to wrap around her waist, and their lips met. He revealed his desire without hesitation, as if he would no longer hide it.  

What had begun as a relationship formed by entering the wrong bedroom had been tangled with misunderstandings. But now, it was different.  

Having confirmed each other’s feelings, the love that had once been misaligned was finally beginning.