Chapter 9 Part 4

After guiding me into the room, Harten hung the ‘occupied’ sign, just like the rooms we had passed earlier. With that sign now in place, neither the maids, the servants, nor even the master of the house would be able to enter. The fact that only Harten and I were left in this room created a subtle tension.

I wet my parched lips with my tongue, and at that moment, I was startled by the directness of Harten’s gaze. He was looking at me with a face that seemed somewhat displeased.

“Miss…”

Harten called me again with the same title, but there was something in his voice—perhaps frustration, perhaps something else—that made him seem troubled. His emotions seemed heavy with negativity, things I couldn’t fully see. When I simply blinked and didn’t respond, Harten ran a rough hand through his hair and sighed sharply.

“Miss…”

He called me once more, this time with a tone that seemed to carry a sense of disappointment as he approached me. Gently, he pulled me into his arms, his voice soft and almost plaintive as he murmured:

“I’m still… uneasy.”

“……”

“I don’t want to believe that my past choices were wrong, but in moments like these, I find myself regretting them.”

I wanted to ask what choices he was referring to, but the question hung in my throat. Instead, I carefully patted his shoulder, sensing that this rare moment of him revealing his feelings should not be spoiled by my curiosity.

“I’m afraid of the times I don’t know about you.”

“……”

There was a visible wave of unease spreading across Harten’s face as he vocalized the emotions he had been hiding. As his body leaned against mine, fully relying on me, I felt a pang of sympathy and reached out to touch his back. Though I couldn’t fully understand his words, I knew he needed comfort. I gently patted his back, offering what little solace I could.

“I like you, Miss.”

The calmness in his voice, as if he had removed all emotion, left me breathless. It shouldn’t have happened. I had so easily rejected these feelings before, but at that moment, denying them wasn’t as easy. Was it because I had never heard his emotions expressed so directly? Or was it because I realized his voice, which tried so hard to sound composed, had wavered?

I shouldn’t be swept away by him. Whether for his future or mine, I knew it would be a difficult path, yet I only opened my mouth, unable to say anything. The fear that if I pushed him away again, he might never come back to me crept in. The thought of not seeing him smile at me again after being hurt by my words filled me with dread.

I realized I was afraid of that possibility. Just the thought that he might never return was enough to make me hesitate. All the moments when I denied and ignored his feelings for my own benefit suddenly seemed meaningless. I was now afraid of a future where he wouldn’t come back.

I had acted like I was swept up in him, blaming him for everything, but the truth was, I had always waited for him to reach out. The realization hit my heart like a wave, and the words I had rejected before now felt like a knife that had turned back to wound me.

So, in that moment of hesitation, amidst the pain, I fully realized my feelings. I liked him, too. I wouldn’t call it love, but beneath the care I had for him, the feeling of liking him had quietly grown.

From start to finish, it was the fruit of his labor, having planted the seeds and watered them. I was at a loss for words to him now. Not wanting to hurt him took away most of what I needed to say.

Since I didn’t want him to notice, instead of responding with words, I lifted my fingers to stroke the back of his neck, just as he had done to me a few days ago. Of course, my gesture meant more as a silent affirmation than a seduction.

However, Harten seemed to take it in a different sense, stiffening momentarily at my touch. He buried his face in my shoulder and let out a short sigh, his warm breath leaving a trail of heat as it dissipated.

“Miss, I…”

“…Ah!”

Harten, who had been murmuring, suddenly bit the nape of my neck, startling me. Letting out a loud gasp, I was taken aback as Harten tightened his arms around me and gently licked the spot he had bitten.

“Miss…”

It seemed as though he was about to continue speaking, but he appeared completely absorbed in brushing his lips and tongue against my neck. The damp, tingling sensation he created made my arms lose their purpose, hanging awkwardly in midair.

“Te-Ten?”

As he subtly wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer, Harten tilted his head as if to ask why I was calling him. The expression that had stirred my sympathy just moments ago was nowhere to be seen. Instead, as our eyes met, he smiled brightly with a radiant expression.

“Miss.”

He whispered sweetly, leaning in until my vision was entirely filled with him—his arms holding me tightly while his face wore a gentle smile. I stared blankly at his face, completely entranced.

“I want to kiss you, Miss.”

At a distance where our lips were about to touch, he whispered seductively, his eyes curving with a tempting gaze. When I hesitated, he boldly leaned into the act of seduction. The fierce battle between my reason and emotions tipped to one side the moment Harten nuzzled his face against my hand. To begin with, the fight had been lost the instant I acknowledged my feelings.

“…I’m so weak to temptation.”

With a sigh of resignation, I mumbled to myself, irritated by my own lack of willpower. Harten, as if delighted by my words, left soft kisses all over my face.

“If it’s only with me, I don’t mind.”

“Only with you?”

“Yes, only me.”

“…And if it’s not only you?”

When I teasingly repeated the question, the hand that had been slowly trailing up my back froze. Suddenly, it felt as though the temperature in the lounge had dropped, a chill settling over us.

“…Was there someone else, aside from me?”

Harten ground his teeth, trying hard to soften his tone, as if he didn’t want me to catch on to his reaction. However, the slight tremble in his voice and the way he held me even tighter betrayed his emotions. Despite the possessiveness in his actions, I couldn’t help but laugh at the way he clung to me as if letting go would kill him.

“Miss, please answer me.”

The longer I delayed my response, the more anxious Harten’s voice became, just like earlier when he had tried to claim my time. I wanted to see the expression on his face as he demanded an answer, but he stubbornly refused to show it.

“There wasn’t. There isn’t anyone else. So, let me see your face.”

“…I still can’t.”

“You’ll dislike it, Miss. I can’t.”

His softened voice was firm in its resolve. Why would I dislike it? Even when I reassured him, he refused to bend.

“Right now, I feel like ripping apart a nonexistent rival, so… I can’t.”

Realizing that his jealousy, which I had thought was a joke, was more genuine than I expected, left me both surprised and a little tickled inside. I sighed playfully, intending to tease him, but my reaction seemed to affect him deeply—his shoulders, which had been clinging to me, gave a noticeable shudder.

“Do you dislike it when I’m jealous?”

No, in truth, I liked it. But there was no way I could admit that openly. Instead of answering him directly as he quietly waited, I leaned closer and whispered.