Merrien sighed softly and looked down at the festival streets, feeling the gentle breeze.

“…It’s peaceful.”

Like when they came before. Perhaps even more so than before.

“Merri, have you ever thought about raising a dog?”

Ariel whispered, lightly resting his face on Merrien’s shoulder.

Merrien narrowed her eyes to gauge his intentions.

Surely… he wasn’t planning to bring some strange magical beast like Christopher Something like last time?

Thinking that would absolutely not be allowed, Merrien hastily replied.

“Aren’t we already raising one?”

“What?”

“You.”

Ariel’s mouth fell open, stunned by the sudden response. Then he smiled beautifully, his eyes curving.

“…That’s right. Don’t worry about dogs or anything else, Merri.”

“…Mmm.”

Was he just testing her?

Merrien quietly looked down at Ariel, who was burying his face in her shoulder.

***

In the early evening, as the fireworks were about to begin as announced, the fortune teller was preparing to close up, cleaning his table.

He almost spilled his cards in surprise when he noticed an enormous man in a black robe standing before him without making any sound.

“We’re closing… but I suppose I should hear what you have to say.”

As the fortune teller calmly arranged his cards and sat down again, the man silently pulled up a chair and sat across from him.

With his black robe and deeply bowed head.

All that was visible of his face was a single black eye, and even that was so dark it appeared murky.

The fortune teller laid out cards on the table and spoke.

“You confessed your feelings as the previous prophecy foretold.”

“……”

“And you were rejected.”

The large hand reaching for a card paused briefly.

As if nothing had happened, the man picked up three cards and pushed them toward the fortune teller.

Then he stood up and turned around before the fortune teller could even check the cards.

His action of lifting the tent flap was as unhesitating as when he had entered.

“You will continue to love that person in the future.”

But he finally stopped at the fortune teller’s words after checking all the cards.

“…Yes.”

That was something Agnes already knew.

Since when, and why—he still didn’t know.

It had just suddenly seeped in.

The only thing clear was that it would take a very long time to remove her from his heart.

He briefly looked down at what was hanging on his arm.

It was a crude bracelet that Merrien had made for him long ago.

“…You probably don’t understand why I said I’d stay in that boring Tower.”

Yes, she would never know.

A bitter smile escaped him.

It was because the Tower was the only place he could see Merrien. Since she would occasionally visit with Ariel.

That was all.

‘How did I end up falling for my friend’s woman.’

My friend’s woman. If only that weren’t the case, he could have kidnapped her, imprisoned her…

…No, if she just weren’t Ariel’s woman, he could have kept her by his side somehow.

He ruffled his hair and snapped his fingers.

He had work left to do back at the Tower.

***

“The fireworks will begin soon!”

As the sun began to set, everyone became restless.

Shops closed as they prepared for the fireworks, while street food vendors became even busier.

And then.

“The Romance Hotel with the best view of the fireworks, now for just 10 gold!”

Merrien stopped at the solicitation.

“Where is this hotel?”

She asked, looking at the pamphlet thr*st before her, just out of curiosity.

It was truly just curiosity, nothing more.

“That hotel right there! It’s absolutely the best spot for viewing the fireworks.”

“How good is the view?”

“Here, here. If you open this pamphlet…”

Excited to find someone interested, the man unfolded the pamphlet.

It perfectly displayed photos of fireworks taken from inside a room during the last festival.

“You’ve come to the right place. The top floor room has the fireworks perfectly aligned with your view, and there’s exactly one room left.”

Not only that, but the very best room had just one vacancy.

The man whispered as if sharing a deeply confidential secret.

“I’ll take that room!”

Merrien raised her hand immediately.

She thought if she didn’t claim it right away, someone would snatch up this wonderful room.

“An excellent choice!”

As the man promptly began filling out paperwork, Ariel silently handed him 10 gold.

While Merrien, excited about the prime location without really knowing what it was, headed toward the hotel first, the man continued writing documents.

Then, in a low voice contrasting with his high-pitched solicitation tone, he whispered:

“I’ve set up the room as you requested in advance. So that you can see outside perfectly from inside, but no one can see inside from outside.”

“Good work.”

Ariel placed a pouch of gold on top of the man’s papers.

With a “Thank you,” the man smoothly disappeared into an alley.

***

“This is amazing!”

As soon as she entered the room, Merrien’s jaw dropped.

She had worried belatedly that there might be something wrong with the place since employees were soliciting customers outside…

But contrary to her concerns, the interior of the room was identical to the photo in the pamphlet.

In fact, it was even better.

It was decorated in a clean white tone and was so spacious it seemed wasteful for just two people.

One entire wall facing the fireworks was a floor-to-ceiling window, and the only awkward thing was that the bed was placed right next to it.

Seeing the bed, her worries began to creep in.

‘…Nothing will happen, right?’

By now Ariel should have said something, but he remained quiet. Merrien glanced at him nervously as she flopped down on the bed.

She couldn’t help recalling what she had said earlier in the day.

“…Not in public.”

“Not even in secluded places, and not during the day either.”

“Only when we’re alone. Got it?”

Now it was night, they were alone, and no one could see them.

Though it was a floor-to-ceiling window, they were in the top floor room.

“Merri.”

“Hmm?”

Perhaps because she was having embarrassing thoughts on her own.

Though he had only called her name, she responded in a strange tone.

As if she were obviously conscious of him.

“Merri. You’re nervous right now.”

Ariel didn’t miss the opportunity.

She didn’t even know when he had lain down beside her. Merrien suddenly realized that a large shadow had fallen over her.

When she rolled her eyes to check, sure enough.

Ariel was looking down at her from above.

“…You’re not planning to crush me like this, are you?”

Merrien tried to make a silly joke.

“As you said, it’s not daytime and it’s not a crowded place. It’s night and we’re alone.”

But Ariel didn’t seem interested in playing along.

He was reciting exactly what she had been thinking.

“Ariel. We came in to watch the fireworks.”

“There’s still some time before the fireworks start.”

“…What exactly is going on in your head?”

“Merri?”

“……”

Seeing him tilt his head and pretend not to know anything, Merrien was left speechless.

If she could crack open his head, she was sure a lecherous demon would pop out.

And probably not just one or two.

But she didn’t reject Ariel’s face slowly drawing closer.

Because she knew she was exactly the same as him.

Just as their lips were about to meet with their eyes closed.

Bang-! Bang-!

Though it wasn’t yet time for the fireworks to start, the sound of explosions rang out loudly.

As Merrien blinked in confusion and closed her slightly parted lips, Ariel checked the window with an irritated frown.

“…Who the hell.”

She thought she heard a curse at the end, but Merrien, with her eyes wide open, simply pushed Ariel off her and to the side.

Ignoring Ariel as he collapsed helplessly on the bed, she pressed herself against the window.

“Wow…”

It was so beautiful.

The fireworks embroidering the sky changed repeatedly, becoming animal shapes, then flower shapes.

From up here, she could even see the Tower’s magicians creating the fireworks with magic from buildings lower than the hotel.

She could even see Seren scolding one of the magicians who might have made a mistake.

“……”

The mood had been so good just a moment ago.

Ariel, who had been sitting dejectedly on the bed since being suddenly pushed aside, looked at Merrien’s back and smiled.

She was so cute, her eyes sparkling with delight at fireworks that he could show her all day if she wanted.

And in a little while would come the finale of the fireworks display he had been preparing for a long time.

Merrien continued watching the fireworks when she noticed something strange.

‘The shape of the fireworks… is it a flower?’

At some point, the shape of the fireworks had become fixed.

It seemed to be some kind of flower, but not being certain, she squinted to observe more closely.

Then the fireworks gradually gathered and merged into one. The red fireworks suddenly turned blue and bloomed into a bud.

It was a blue rose.

Just as she realized this, the fireworks exploded with a bang!

“Merri.”

At the same time, Ariel softly called Merrien’s nickname from behind.

“…Yes?”

Merrien was still pressing both palms against the window, looking outside.

Then she turned around thoughtlessly and froze.

Because Ariel was kneeling behind her.

“Merri. Do you know what blue roses symbolize?”

“…No.”

She was confused.

The meaning of blue roses or whatever—nothing was registering.

Around the kneeling Ariel’s neck hung the dog collar she had woven for him with blue roses.

Moreover, even though they hadn’t turned on the lights to better see the fireworks, his blue eyes gleamed.

Ariel carefully took Merrien’s arm as she stood frozen.

There was a click sound, and she found a bracelet woven with blue roses on her arm.

“They symbolize love that never gives up.”

“……”

Merrien’s orange eyes rippled with surprise.

Pleased by her reaction, Ariel’s face was so filled with joy that his eyes curved like crescent moons.

“Tame me, Merri. Hold my leash and continue to do so.”

As he spoke, he urgently grasped with both hands the hand he had just placed the bracelet on.

As if he would never let go.

The bracelet he had given her was both a symbol of restraint and a plea for her to hold his leash and lead him.

Feeling the eerie obsession she hadn’t experienced in a while, Merrien shuddered and rubbed her shoulders.

Then she let out a laugh of disbelief.

“…Who proposes like this?”

“Hmm? You will, won’t you?”

Even in this situation, he was anxious about being rejected.

Merrien could no longer see his heart rate since the system was gone, but she could tell his heart was racing.

Because the hand holding hers was trembling madly.

Merrien gripped that hand tightly.

In that moment, Ariel’s trembling stopped completely, as if it had been fake.

He looked up at Merrien blankly, as if her response was his salvation.

“Yes, I will. Ariel.”

Ariel could no longer contain himself and stood up abruptly.

“…I love you, Merri. I love you.”

Finally saying the words Merrien had wanted to hear.

Merrien wrapped her arms around the neck of the man who cast a shadow over her.

“Yes. I love you too, Ariel.”

Behind the couple, the sound of blue rose fireworks exploding continued for a long time through the floor-to-ceiling window.

Until the end of the day.

I Thought I Healed the Villain’s Sickly Younger Brother
Main Story End

T/n: I want to read the R19 version of this so badly right now! This is definitely one of the hottest and best proposals I’ve ever heard about. Would have absolutely said yes!  (⺣◡⺣)♡

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