Chapter 3.4

Emilia Bush’s performance was held in a secret space on the ship. Only Royal Section guests could enter, and Berry hadn’t realized that meant the entrance itself was hidden. Just a moment ago, it had been an ordinary wall, but when Damian pressed certain spots, it turned into a revolving door—a miracle that left Berry already extremely excited.

“My goodness, a fake wall! And on a ship!”

“Fascinating, isn’t it?”

“It’s amazing. Wow.”

The performance hall wasn’t large, but there were few guests, so it didn’t matter. Yet, even five minutes after they arrived, no other guests came in. Only a server appeared to pour two glasses of champagne. Sitting at the central table in a nearly empty room, Berry was filled with questions.

“Why is no one else here?”

“Who knows. We’ll find out after the performance.”

A deep smile played on Damian’s lips. 

Were there really no other Royal Section guests?

In fact, Berry had only moved to the Royal Section midway, so she didn’t know if there were others. She’d just assumed there would be, since it was such a large party.

“This champagne has a nice, sharp taste.”

“I’m glad it suits you.”

A little embarrassed, Berry picked up her glass and took a sip. The alcohol content was low, but she drank quickly, one sip after another. And by the time she’d emptied her glass—

The stage lights came on and Emilia Bush appeared.

“Gasp, she’s on stage! And there’s not even an audience yet!”

Oh my.

Berry sat up straight, sincerely concerned. She wanted to make sure Emilia knew at least she was listening with full attention.

“The theme of tonight is love. I’ll sing songs for lovers.”

Even with only two people in the audience, Emilia Bush maintained her professional composure. She wasn’t flustered. She simply sang. Soon, her husky voice filled the hall, and Berry was slowly drawn in by the song, closer than she’d ever experienced before.

‘Ah, it’s so beautiful.’

Emilia Bush’s singing had power. It wasn’t something fragile that would scatter in the wind, but a voice and message strong enough to be remembered and repeated for a long time. Didn’t she write and compose all her own songs?

Emilia was so impressive, Berry even fantasized about having such talent herself.

‘Ah, she’s truly amazing.’

Her heart thudded and sighs kept escaping her lips. By the time Emilia sang the third song without a break, Berry’s skin tingled and her chest ached. The melody was so sweet she thought she might melt. The lyrics made her want to fall in love right away.

And just when Berry thought she couldn’t bear the pounding of her heart any longer, Damian reached for her hand under the table.

“!”

His hand was so hot, Berry was startled—she thought she’d been burned. But soon she realized it was Damian, and she stayed still. Then, with each phrase of the song, he laced another finger between hers. Slowly, even more slowly—so slowly she could memorize the shape of his hand.

Before long, even breathing felt difficult, and Berry, her face flushed red, was quietly gasping for air.

“Sometimes, love sneaks up when you least expect it and turns your world upside down.”

During a short break, Emilia sipped water and champagne in turn, then spoke softly.

“If only we could fall into love without thinking about anything else. If you can do that, it’s a great blessing.”

Emilia’s gaze swept over the empty tables, one by one. Then she stopped on Berry, and smiled meaningfully.

“There’s a young lady here tonight who’s been granted such luck.”

Huh? Me?

Suddenly singled out, Berry’s eyes widened. She’d been paying attention to what Emilia was saying, but never imagined she’d be the one referred to.

“Thanks to the gentleman beside you, who spent a truly unimaginable sum, this Emilia Bush is holding a concert just for one person.”

“???”

“In fact, it wasn’t just the money—I was moved even more by the story behind it.”

What did that mean? Emilia was singing for just one person? 

Berry couldn’t even imagine how much that would cost. 

And what story was she talking about?

“I have a message to deliver to the young lady, along with this song. I’ll read it for you.”

Berry opened her mouth but only listened. She wanted to look at Damian, but from the way his grip on her hand tightened, she sensed it would be better not to. She didn’t know why, but her instincts told her so.

“Only after all these years have I finally been able to stand before you with pride.”

“……”

“Today, I want to tell you my story. The things I always wanted to say but never could.”

It seemed Emilia was holding a letter written by Damian. It would have been touching to receive it as a letter, but having Emilia read it made it all the more meaningful.

“Every time I faced a crisis in life, I was chipped away, little by little. It wasn’t easy to be told to be grateful for a wealth I never wanted or asked for, or to endure an extreme schedule under parents who demanded absolute obedience to their every word.”

Was he starting with his childhood story?

In truth, Berry didn’t know much about Damian. She knew he was the heir to Houndworth and the way he acted whenever he visited the Swanton Mansion. That was all. She had no idea what his life was like back home, or how hard it had been for him. She knew nothing about that.

“Even at a young age, I only got three or four hours of sleep a day. Even the meals I ate, the clothes I wore, the expressions I made, and the words I spoke were all predetermined. I was slowly, but surely, losing my mind.”

How pitiful. So that’s what my brother Philip meant. The Houndworth family was harsh.

“Then, one day, I met you.”

Before she knew it, Berry was listening as seriously as she could. She straightened her posture and held his hand even more tightly. She could feel Damian flinch, but she still didn’t look at him.

“I still remember you running around in a dirt-stained dress, saying you wanted to see the prettiest sunset. Ironically, the moment I saw your red hair, I thought, ‘Has the sun risen?’ Even when you fell after bumping into me, you didn’t cry; instead, you boldly said everything you wanted to say. It made my heart churn.”

His feelings, delivered in a gentle voice.

“This is my confession of first love.”

“!”

“From today forward, I want to give you everything I can. Because you are my breath, my sun, and my love.”

Berry felt her nose sting. His confession sounded almost like a prayer. Why her? She hadn’t done much, yet…

“This next part was added in a hurry this morning.”

Emilia smiled as she turned to the next page of the letter. Berry, fighting back tears, listened even more intently. She didn’t want to miss a single word Damian had said.

“If you want, I could date you for another ten years. I could spend fifty more years loving you from afar, if that’s what it takes—if there’s a set time for it.”

At last, Emilia began to read the last part of the letter.

“But Berry. I want to be your last. I won’t force you to match the feelings and depth I’ve carried since childhood, so please love me at your own pace.”

Please love me.

Those words meant that he already loved her. He had loved her alone, all this time.

“Berry.”

“Ah…”

“I only breathe in the moments I’m with you. It was like that before, and it’s the same now.”

By then, Emilia had quietly left, and only the two of them remained. Berry turned to Damian, and he unclasped their hands and slowly knelt on one knee before her.

No way.

Could this be…?

“Will you marry me, Miss Berry Swanton?”

“!”

“Even when our hair turns white, and our appearances change, I will still love you.”

It was a proper proposal. The kind she had always dreamed of, with a heartfelt confession and a diamond ring.

Even though their marriage was already decided, receiving a proposal made it feel completely different.

Berry shyly nodded and gave him her answer.

“Alright.”

In that moment, Damian’s gray eyes shone with unmistakable joy. Berry looked down quietly at the ring he slipped onto her finger and thought:

She would never forget this moment.

“So, then, how did you live while you were abroad, when you couldn’t see me?”

“It was terribly painful. But escaping my father’s grasp was my top priority.”

One would be surprised at how much new lovers can talk.

Berry was deeply curious about the life Damian had lived without her. How he had lived so far, what kind of life he wanted to live in the future, what his time studying abroad was like.

She found herself curious about everything she’d never paid attention to before.

“Besides, once people realized you were important to me, all of Houndworth’s enemies would surely target you.”

“Ah…”

The Houndworth family’s political enemies. That was a famous story, too. Berry knew well how, when hosting a party, you had to know which guests must not be invited together, and if you had no choice, how to seat them far apart.

“That’s why I left, and grew stronger. So I could stand up to my father and protect you completely.”

“That’s amazing.”

This was praise straight from the heart. Damian had gone abroad when he was only as old as she was now. She was still living so carelessly, but he had left the country with all that on his mind.

He was truly incredible; she wanted to applaud him.

“Thank you, Berry. Gaining your understanding and support was the most important thing for me. I’m sorry I left without saying anything.”

“It’s alright, I understand completely. Besides, I was far too young then for you to tell me all this.”

How wonderful it would have been if she’d been closer to his age. Then she could have been someone he could lean on.

Damian had struggled alone for far too long. Berry felt so sorry for him.

“Well, if there’s more I haven’t said yet…”

At last, Damian spoke in a lighter, more playful tone, as if trying to change the mood. Berry met his eyes with a puzzled look. He seemed happy, but why?

“Berry, this cruise is mine. And soon, it will be yours.”

“What???”

“I was planning to give it to you as a birthday present. So we can remember today forever.”

“You bought an entire ship as a keepsake?”

“Something like that. Happy birthday, Berry.”

Damian smiled deeply. Berry was so stunned, she couldn’t think straight.

Wait, so…

This ship… what?

“I feel dizzy. The idea that this ship is mine—my goodness. I can’t believe it at all.”

“With a ship, you can watch the sunset and sunrise whenever you want. You can hire or fire the captain and crew as you please, and you’re free to throw parties with just your friends.”

“My goodness, it’s truly amazing…!”

Berry was genuinely astonished. She knew he was wealthy, but gifting a cruise ship was on another level. She was so surprised, she couldn’t even believe it was real.

‘Since I really can’t believe it, for now… I’ll think about this later.’

Berry let out a long breath to cool her confused mind. After blinking a few times and finally regaining her composure, she thought again about what she wanted most in this moment.

“Um, Damian.”

“Yes, Berry.”

“I want to hear more of your story. I want to get to know you better.”

How hard must he have worked to earn enough to buy a cruise ship? How much pain did he have to overcome for this moment?

She wanted to know those things, to hear them.

When she expressed that, Damian’s lips curved into a gentle smile.

“These are private stories, so it’s a bit difficult to talk about them in a public place. And it’s not ideal to stay here much longer. How about we order dessert and wine and talk in our room?”

“Alright.”

Berry nodded. Whether the ship was really a gift or not, just hearing ‘happy birthday’ from him filled her heart with a quiet warmth. Birthday. Yes, it was her birthday. She was now, legally, fully an adult.

An age where she could deeply love, desire, and embrace someone.

‘Can I love Damian?’

She wanted to.

Thump, thump—her heart pounded the whole way as they walked hand in hand back to their room. The bright moon in the dark sky cast their shadows together.