Chapter 7 (Part 4)

Letting out a deep sigh, she leaned her back against his chest, stopped trying to undress herself, and said, 

“Then, go ahead. Undress me yourself. I won’t lift a finger.”  

“It’s your punishment,” she added, and he immediately responded with a quick, “Alright.”  

He then began working busily with his hands. Watching him, she let out a short, amused laugh.  

“If you undress me quickly, I won’t say anything even if you do whatever you want afterward.”  

She teased him in a playful tone, whispering into his ear.  

At her words, Nathaniel’s hands moved even faster.  

“…Why won’t this come off?”  

But despite his enthusiasm, he soon voiced his frustration.  

“See? You can’t do it.”  

She giggled softly, teasing him again.  

As she had expected, the dress she wore today was designed with multiple layers, and underneath it, there was a voluminous petticoat, making it quite difficult to put on and take off.  

Eventually, she began undressing herself, and only then did the layers of fabric slip off one by one.  

Now bare, she clung close to him and wrapped her arms around him.  

Fortunately, his skin felt much warmer than before.  

When she asked if he had calmed down, he let out a sigh mixed with a faint laugh and replied, “I must’ve been startled. I’m sorry.”  

This kind man apologized for something as small as this.  

But in truth, she was the one who should have been saying those words.  

Her chest tightened with emotion, and she lifted her head to kiss his cheek.  

When he looked down at her in surprise, as if asking why she had done that, she spoke.  

“I’m the one who should be apologizing. I left the house on my own… and ended up being chased by some strange man, making you sad.”  

“That’s…”  

She thought he would deny it as usual, but this time, he hesitated for a moment before lowering his head onto her shoulder and asking, 

“Why did you leave? You should’ve stayed and waited… Do you know how shocked I was when I saw you there? If I’d been just a little later, really…”  

As he spoke, he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and chest, as if trying to hold her as close as possible.  

His desperate gesture made her rest her cheek against his hair and respond softly, 

“I heard a gunshot. In the morning, you took the gun with you, didn’t you? Then, right after that, I heard the sound of a whistle… I thought you were calling for help. I thought you’d been shot… I’m sorry. I was being foolish.”  

“So, in the end, it’s my fault. I let that guy take the whistle from me. We got into a scuffle, and he ran off with it. I shot at him, but he got away… He probably planned to use the sound to lure someone like you and threaten them.”  

“So that’s what happened.”  

He explained the situation step by step.  

Only then was she able to understand what had happened.  

In the end, it was just a series of unfortunate coincidences piling up. They had simply been caught in the middle of it all. 

At that moment, she felt his arms around her tighten.  

Soon after, a faint tremor spread through his body.  

It seemed he was tense.  

As she gently stroked his hair, wondering why, he suddenly asked,  

“Why aren’t you asking me anything?”  

“Huh?” 

“There’s a lot you could ask me. Things you could demand answers for.”  

As he spoke, he pressed his head even closer to her shoulder, as if afraid of what she might say.  

It was as though he was trying to hide himself further.  

What could he mean? Was he talking about how he wasn’t actually Levin? Or how he wasn’t really my husband? Or how the dream I’d had wasn’t a dream but a memory of the past?  

He was right—there were many things she wanted to ask.  

But the biggest question in her mind at that moment was why he cared for her so much.  

Why was he willing to take on the role of her husband and take care of her?  

Why had he saved her life multiple times?  

“I don’t have anything to demand. We just had a bit of bad luck, and now that man is gone, right? You dealt with it, didn’t you?”  

“That’s right. He’ll never appear in front of you again. I made sure of it. I shot him. You probably don’t remember, though.”  

He seemed to think that she hadn’t seen what had happened because she had been on the brink of death at the time.  

Of course, he wouldn’t want her to have witnessed such a horrifying scene.  

She decided to play along and replied, 

“I see.”  

Then she added, “That’s enough for me.”  

“Cordelia, but…”  

“I’m just grateful to you. That’s all. So, I don’t have anything I want to demand from you.”  

She felt his body freeze for a moment.  

Perhaps he had expected only resentment or accusations from her.  

But instead, her words were the complete opposite, leaving him flustered.  

What a foolish man.  

He had saved her life multiple times and cared for her so deeply.  

How could he think she would resent him?  

How could he think she would lash out at him and leave without a word?  

“But there is one thing I want to ask.”  

“…What is it?”  

His reply came with a noticeable tension in his voice.  

She took a deep breath.  

It was a question that made even her own heart tighten.  

“Are you… okay? Even though I’m… someone like this?”  

“What do you mean?”  

His question came immediately as he lifted his head.  

Droplets of water fell from the tips of his wet bangs.  

She turned to face him, sitting across from him.  

Then she raised a hand to brush back his damp hair and looked into his golden eyes.  

After a moment, she continued in a slow tone.  

“You probably already know… My past seems to have been miserable and painful. What I’m asking is if you’re okay with someone like me, a woman with scars like these.”  

“…”  

“Of course, the past is the past. I don’t let it bother me anymore. But you… you’re in a position where you could choose someone better, aren’t you? Unlike me.  

“And it’s not like I’m anything special either. I keep worrying you, and… Honestly, I feel so sorry and unsure of myself.”  

She wasn’t sure what kind of expression she had while asking that question.  

All she knew was that it hurt her heart to say it.  

Perhaps it was because she felt like such a beautiful person had somehow ended up tied to someone like her.  

She wasn’t an exceptionally beautiful woman, nor was she wealthy.  

She hadn’t even grown up being loved.  

Her cooking skills were clumsy, and when thunder and lightning struck, she would still bury herself in his arms like a child.  

She was full of complaints, easily frightened, and, most importantly, she had a past that was shattered by an unwanted marriage.  

Why would someone like him…?  

Why would such a beautiful person…?  

Why would he love me like this?  

Why would he keep me by his side?  

That question had always lingered in her mind.  

“You could have someone much better by your side. So…”  

“Don’t… say that.”  

At that moment, as if it were a lie, tears began to fall from his eyes.  

Startled, she stopped speaking and swallowed her breath.  

Right after, he tilted his head and kissed her.  

It wasn’t a deep kiss, just a light one.  

But in that gentle gesture, she felt an indescribable sorrow.  

As he pulled back and met her gaze, he spoke.  

“You are special to me.”  

“Me…?”  

“From the moment I first saw you, I knew.  I knew I would love you uncontrollably.”  

Me? Why me?  

And when exactly was this “first moment” he was talking about?  

Her mind was filled with questions.  

While she was still confused, his forehead touched hers.  

With his eyes closed, his long lashes brushed softly, close enough for her to see.  

“You are like a turning point in my life. I can’t even remember what I was thinking about before I met you. From the moment I first saw you, my life seemed to be filled with only you. I was always watching you… whether I was fully conscious or not, you were all I could think about. It became my dream to hold you in my arms, even just once. Just once… that’s all I wished for. So how could I, with you in front of me now, ever think such things?”  

Such a beautiful person.

And yet, he thought of her—someone so insignificant—in such a way?  

She couldn’t understand it at all.  

But there wasn’t the slightest hint of falsehood in his words.  

His confession continued, calm and steady.  

“You were an unattainable dream to me. And now, you’re here beside me. How could I dare to think of such things? How could I even dare to compare you to someone else?”  

“Nathaniel…”  

“I swear, not once have I ever cherished or loved anyone other than you.  So please, don’t say things like that. To me, you are the only one, the most beautiful, the most special person.”  

His feelings seemed to pour into her completely.  

It was so heartfelt, so deep, that it hurt.  

It was undoubtedly a profound and immense sincerity, something she felt she would never experience again, even in her entire lifetime.  

With a heart full of emotion, she kissed him.