26

[Since I helped you, I want payment. You know the new dessert shop? Buy every kind of dessert and offer them to me!]

Instead of an invitation, Richel sent a letter demanding payment for her help.

Adrian happened to meet Elsia there.

He didn’t know if Richel had planned it, but he recognized her at once, though he couldn’t acknowledge it.

If Earl Portman heard about it, he might be forced to hide Elsia forever, and Adrian never seeing her again.

Was it that accidental meeting that changed her feelings? A few days later, Adrian received another invitation from Richel.

—Shall we make a bet?

Elsia’s proposal was truly unexpected. Adrian never imagined she would approach him so actively.

He’d only heard she was raised as a modest woman.

That meant Richel must have done something to Elsia.

“What magic did you use to change Elsia’s behavior?”

He asked several times, but Richel only said she couldn’t tell him and avoided further explanation.

Trusting Richel, Adrian rented a villa in advance—a perfect place to avoid Earl Portman’s eyes.

Adrian gave Elsia the address and waited for her. But while he waited, he felt anxious.

He couldn’t be sure she would come.

So when he heard a knock, he smiled without realizing it.

But even at his villa, Elsia hesitated, so he couldn’t just embrace her.

It felt forced, so he couldn’t do it.

But he never imagined Elsia would approach him so actively.

When their lips touched, Adrian couldn’t control the desire that surged within him, as if he wanted to devour her. If he kept going, he felt he would ruin her.

So he hurriedly separated Elsia from himself, barely suppressing his burning desire.

But Adrian immediately regretted it. Seeing her hurt expression, he felt he’d wounded Elsia. And again, she approached him first.

—It’s okay.

Seeing her come to him so actively, Adrian felt an irresistible urge and finally couldn’t restrain himself.

When he took her for the first time, Adrian felt like he owned the whole world. He was fulfilled to his core. He poured everything into her, whom he’d only dreamed of.

But at the same time, he realized he was deceiving her.

He’d heard she would get headaches if she tried to recall her memories—how could he tell her?

So he couldn’t promise another meeting to Elsia as she left the villa.

He felt guilty for continuing to meet her while deceiving her.

He didn’t expect Elsia to become physically attached all at once, but he wanted to approach her more confidently.

But—

“Elsia doesn’t seem to want to break her engagement with Mars.”

Adrian couldn’t stand it at Richel’s words. He had to try harder to win her heart.

So, when he happened to meet her at the square, Adrian revealed part of his true feelings. After spending the night with her, he couldn’t stop thinking about Elsia, so he told her he wanted to see her.

But he was cowardly. He couldn’t say it was his heart—he said it was because of her body.

That was partly true. It was as if they’d always been one; they fit together so well.

The more Adrian thought about it, the more he felt he and Elsia were destined.

—I missed you.

Did she feel the same? At his words, Elsia ran to him. Seeing her run to him, Adrian found her irresistibly lovely.

So Adrian wanted to express his feelings openly.

But he felt unworthy to tell Elsia he loved her.

He felt she was like a star in the sky—too high for his confession to reach.

He started trying to take her from her fiancé, but whenever he stood before Elsia, he lost confidence.

He worried that if he said he loved her, she would feel burdened and leave him.

After so many repeated encounters, Adrian believed their bodies and hearts were connected. But that was just his misconception.

Elsia still showed no affection for her fiancé, but she didn’t seem willing to break her engagement.

Since the interests of the families were entangled, Adrian could understand her decision, but he couldn’t help feeling frustrated deep inside.

So Adrian tried to provoke Elsia, testing her. He wondered if mentioning marriage would shake her. But it didn’t. The wall between them showed no sign of crumbling, and Adrian’s heart grew ever more frustrated.

‘That man doesn’t suit you.’

He wanted to tell Elsia the truth about her fiancé, and he hesitated many times about whether to actually say it.

But he couldn’t. Elsia never brought it up herself. Her fiancé even used a false name, so if Adrian brought it up first, he could look like a suspicious man digging into others’ business.

So Adrian had to wait until Elsia told him her real name. That would mean she had truly let him into her heart.

When that time came, he planned to reveal everything, along with his feelings. Adrian resolved to do so.

But in the end, it was Adrian who confessed first.

He waited as Richel suggested, but physical attraction never turned into affection. Instead, Elsia tried to distance herself from him.

His desire to hold onto her, even just physically, shattered into pieces.

This was truly the end. If he let her go like this, she would marry that man. If so, he would reveal everything.

As Adrian’s feelings grew desperate, he found himself saying to Elsia,

“…I love you.”

Once he managed to say those difficult words, they poured out like a flood.

He had always struggled to open his mouth for this, yet now it came so easily.

Adrian didn’t mind if Elsia didn’t accept him.

He only wished she would understand his feelings.

Even if his confession didn’t reach her heart, he hoped she would at least think of him a little.

But Adrian was still a coward. He wasn’t brave enough to hear Elsia’s answer right away.

He decided he would hear her answer only after revealing everything to her.

He searched for renowned doctors, hoping to find a way to heal someone who felt pain every time they recalled their memories.

Before he could find a solution, Elsia came to see him. He was no longer staying at the villa where they used to meet.

He had returned to his mansion, the Brightwell residence. So when Elsia came directly to Brightwell, his heart raced with joy at her coming for him. But his joy soon faded.

She had learned all about their past.

And he made a mistake—he mentioned Richel’s involvement.

He thought Elsia knew everything, but she didn’t.

‘If I’d known, I should have told her the truth myself sooner.’

Adrian deeply regretted it. He tried to explain by visiting Portman again, but the Earl still blocked him.

He could only leave roses and a note through Elliot, then wait again for Elsia to forgive him.

***

[Back to the present.]

Elsia came to Adrian sooner than he expected.

After hearing from a maid that she had arrived at Brightwell, Adrian’s heart began to beat rapidly.

He could guess what she might say, so he suppressed any hopeful expectations.

Adrian welcomed Elsia with a gentle smile.

But unlike his expectation that she would come angry, her expression as she looked at him seemed somehow sad.

He was relieved she didn’t appear angry, but still worried.

He couldn’t approach her first, so he could only guide her to the drawing room.

“Rian, right…? My childhood friend.”

Suddenly, Elsia’s soft voice came from behind, and Adrian turned his head to look at her with surprised eyes.

It was different from her old, sharp voice when she came to confront him.

And she called him by the nickname she used as a child.

That meant Elsia’s memories had returned.

Before Adrian could speak, she said,

“I’m sorry.”

Elsia suddenly hugged him from behind. Adrian didn’t know what to do in the sudden embrace.

He couldn’t understand why she was suddenly apologizing.

“I… I remember everything now. It was all my fault, and I remembered how you took all the blame because I didn’t speak up.”

Adrian sighed in relief at her words.

Elsia had finally escaped the pain of forgotten memories. She wouldn’t have nightmares anymore.

Adrian turned and gently embraced Elsia.