Chapter 6 (Part 2)

As they walked together, Celestia kept glancing for the right moment to present her gift. Finally, when Kayev fell silent, she seized the opportunity and pulled a small box from her pocket.

“Kayev, this is…”

Kayev, who had been gazing endlessly at her face, looked down at her hand with a puzzled expression. The paper box, tied with a satin ribbon, was unmistakably a gift.

“It’s nothing special. I just had too much free time lately… I bought a handkerchief with the first salary I received after coming to the House of Ruden. It seemed too plain, so I embroidered it a little. You know my skills aren’t that great, but…”

Kayev carefully opened the box he received from the rambling Celestia. Inside was a silk handkerchief with his name delicately embroidered in gold thread. Given her current financial situation, it must have been a significant expense.

Celestia stopped speaking and waited anxiously for his reaction. Unlike her childhood days, when she would casually hand over gifts, she now felt so nervous that her heart seemed ready to burst.

“Why…?”

“Huh?”

“Why are you giving me a gift like this?”

Kayev felt so overjoyed by her unexpected and endearing gesture that he could hardly contain his smile. Yet, he pretended to maintain his composure and asked.

Humans are creatures of desire, it seemed. Though her small act of sincerity thrilled him, he found himself wanting more. If only she could say one kind word with those pretty lips of hers, he felt he wouldn’t need anything else.

Celestia was taken aback by his unexpected response. She had anticipated a simple “thank you,” but his question caught her off guard.

Why, he asked? If she had to explain… there wasn’t much to say. There was no particular reason. Just as she had always done in the past, she simply wanted to give something heartfelt to someone she cared for.

“If you don’t need it, give it back.”

Her heart sank, and tears threatened to well up at his unexpected reaction. But before she could reach for the handkerchief, Kayev quickly tucked it deep into his pocket, avoiding her outstretched hand.

“I never said I didn’t need it.”

He had no intention of giving up the rare gift she had given him. Yet, he still craved her love. Despite the immense affection she had shown him in the past, his parched heart greedily absorbed all her gestures of love and demanded more.

Seeing Celestia give him a gift like this made him feel as though he had returned to the past. Back then, she had loved to bring him all sorts of trinkets. At first, he had been utterly confused by the meaning behind the odd items she gave him.

The horribly flavored homemade cookies had been mistaken for a poisoning attempt, and the handmade talisman, supposedly for warding off evil, had been misinterpreted as a cursed doll. Only after spending time with her did Kayev realize that everything she gave him was an expression of her feelings.

She hadn’t changed, not then, and not now. Her actions, driven by a desire to express her sincerity, remained the same. And that made him incredibly happy. Celestia was the only person who could bring him such joy.

Therefore, Kayev knew he had to repay her unchanged sincerity with a changed version of himself. Unlike in the past, when he had brushed aside her gifts, he now had to thank her.

He had to express his gratitude—not just for the handkerchief but for everything she had ever given him. He had to thank her for loving him despite his flaws and tell her that he loved her too.

“Thank you, Celestia. Not just for the handkerchief, but for everything you’ve ever given me. I’ve always wanted to say this. I’ve been too much of a fool to say it until now, but… thank you. Thank you so much. And…”

As Kayev spoke, his face flushed with embarrassment, and the image of his younger self naturally overlapped with his current expression.

The dark, brooding look he once wore, as though he carried the weight of all the world’s suffering and anger, was nowhere to be seen. What remained was pure joy and a hint of shyness.

Seeing his expression, the last lock in Celestia’s heart quietly fell away.

Ah, truly, this was enough.

The happiness radiating from his face and his heartfelt words of gratitude made her feel as though all her past struggles had been worth it. Overwhelmed by immense emotions, she could no longer resist. It was a love so profound that mere words like “I like you” couldn’t begin to describe it.

Resisting any longer was meaningless. This was a love she could no longer deny.

For so long, Celestia had wondered how she could love one person so deeply and endlessly, especially someone with whom a future seemed impossible. She couldn’t understand why her feelings hadn’t faded, even after years.

But now, she understood. Celestia truly loved him. She couldn’t explain what had sparked it or why all her emotions were directed toward Kayev Ruden.

Sometimes, fate seems to crash into a person’s life so suddenly. 

Celestia thought, as she accepted it.

Now, she had no other choice. She had to tell him how she felt as soon as possible. There was no point in keeping such a love hidden. The urge to shout it out and show it overwhelmed her.

“Kayev.”

The voice calling his name was as sweet as sugar. As a result, Kayev Ruden forgot what he was about to say, letting her take the lead.

“I love you.”

He hadn’t expected such words to come from her lips, and he froze in place.

“What?”

Kayev, dumbfounded, asked again, but Celestia Danverton repeated her confession. It didn’t stop at just once. She kept saying the same words until her love etched itself into his heart, beyond his ears.

“I love you. I think I really… love you so much. Truly, I love you… I love you, Kayev.”

Those romantic words finally gained a tangible force, striking Kayev’s heart with a thud. It was, quite literally, an ambush. Her unexpected attack sent his heart plummeting before it resumed beating with a fierce rhythm.

“S-saying something like that so suddenly…”

His face flushed, and his ears turned red. The thrill and joy made his fingertips tremble.

“It’s surprising.”

Hearing his own clumsy response, Kayev’s flushed face turned pale as if drained of blood. He needed to come up with a better reply immediately—something worthy of Celestia’s lovely confession, something that could properly repay her sincerity.

“But how can I help loving you? I’ve been awkward because my feelings were so complicated, but I’ve always loved you. I’ve loved you all along. Now I know for sure—I love you.”

However, Celestia seemed unconcerned about his reaction. Like a parrot perched on someone’s shoulder, she simply repeated her confession.

“I really do love you. I love you, Kayev. I love you so much that I don’t know how else to express it. I’ve always loved you.”

Her words poured down like a torrential rain, flooding the desert of his heart. Eventually, Kayev had no choice but to surrender. Like snow melting under the spring sun, he softened and melted completely.

“I… I love you too, Celestia.”

The words tumbled out in a rush, without any time to think of flowery phrases. Even so, she smiled back at him as if she were the happiest person in the world.

Their emotions were so overwhelming that they couldn’t even embrace. The two simply held hands and gazed at each other.

Her peach-colored, flushed cheeks, the sunlight scattering across her smile—it was a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.

They stayed like that for a long time. Kayev suddenly realized he was holding Celestia tightly in his arms. It was a perfect moment, one he would never experience again in his life. He found himself wishing this time could last forever.

Kayev, who had also endured his share of life’s hardships, valued the present and the moment just as much as Celestia did.

Suddenly, he recalled the years when he had left the Danverton Estate and couldn’t see her. During that time, she had been engaged to another man. If fate had deviated even slightly, the two of them might never have met again.

That thought brought a sudden, intense urge to consume her entirely as she was. An inexplicable anxiety rose within him, as if she might disappear from his sight at any moment.

It felt like scorching lava clawing through his insides. He wanted to confirm the love they had just exchanged in a more explicit and undeniable way. The heat was unbearable unless he held her right then and there.

“Celestia, let’s end today’s outing here.”

“What? Why? We’ve come all this way—can’t we spend a little more time together?”

“…I don’t have the patience to wait until sunset.”

Realizing what he meant, Celestia’s face turned bright red.

Moments later, the two hurriedly gathered their belongings and headed back to the estate as if they were fleeing. What happened afterward became a small secret between the two of them.

To the two lovers, nothing else in the world mattered anymore. Celestia, who showered him with love without reservation, and Kayev, who acted like a foolish man drowning in his first love, were utterly absorbed in each other.

For Kayev, once known as the tragic heir of the House of Duke Ruden, it seemed that the first spring of his life had finally arrived. Warm and peaceful days passed.

Unfortunately, his spring came to an unexpectedly early end. It was due to a trap neither of them had foreseen.