𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐱
My heart leapt with a loud thump.
Caught off guard by the question, my mind couldn’t function properly.
ㅤ
“May I hear your answer? Whatever Alice’s reply may be, I will not force anything upon her.”
“Roa-sama. . .”
“Don’t worry about the earlier matter concerning the store. It was something I wanted to convey because I wish to do something for Alice, but after hearing Alice’s feelings, I worried it might seem like I was obliging her to respond to my feelings. . .
No, would it have been the same if I had said it earlier? Sorry, that wasn’t my intention, I just. . .!”
ㅤ
Roa-sama’s face paled with the thought that he might have hurt me.
ㅤ
“It’s alright, I understand. Roa-sama, you said you would support my dreams. It was just a suggestion, wasn’t it?”
“Exactly. In my eagerness to know Alice’s feelings, I said more than necessary. . .”
“It wasn’t unnecessary! Even though you were really busy, Roa-sama, you made a proposal that respected my wishes!”
“. . .Thank you, Alice.”
ㅤ
At last, Roa-sama looked at me, his eyes moist and fervent.
ㅤ
“It’s the first time I’ve loved someone and wanted to convey my feelings. . . I was impatient to hear Alice’s thoughts.”
ㅤ
Roa-sama’s meticulously combed hair was slightly disheveled. His cheeks were softly flushed, his eyes harboring a definite warmth.
The gaze that flickered like a flame, seeking me, was feverish.
ㅤ
“I know you don’t want to marry. For nobility, marriage is an obligation, naturally expected as the culmination of a romance.
But for now, can we set that aside? I too have been granted permission to remain unmarried for life as a reward.”
“Roa-sama did?!”
“My brother was surprised, but he understood.”
ㅤ
Our hands, gently overlaid, were burning hot.
Gazing ahead, Roa-sama’s face softened and clouded.
ㅤ
“I know Alice must be feeling anxious. . . It’s not my place to speak for Alice. It’s only natural for her to feel that way, and I want to prioritize her feelings.”
“. . .Thank you so much.”
“I want to be in love with Alice. To build up feelings and trust.”
ㅤ
The overlaid hands tightened slightly.
Though on top, it neither pressed down nor grasped mine.
A hand that respected my will.
ㅤ
“I love you, Alice.”
“Roa-sama. . .”
“If Alice shares my feelings, please. . .”
ㅤ
The words that followed were muffled in Roa-sama’s mouth, but they were enough.
My face is hot. My heart is loud.
ㅤ
ㅤ
. . .I’m scared of falling in love.
But I’m confident that Roa-sama would not betray anyone.
ㅤ
So, it all depends on how I feel, doesn’t it?
To trust or not to trust.
ㅤ
It’s just that, and yet it feels incredibly heavy.
I managed to open my dry mouth from tension and looked straight at Roa-sama, softly voicing my heart.
ㅤ
ㅤ
“. . .I also like Roa-sama.”
ㅤ
It was a true feeling, without any falsehood.
ㅤ
“To be honest, I am still scared. But the reason I can take this step forward is because it’s with Roa-sama.
. . .I believe in Roa-sama. I want us to respect each other and connect our feelings.”
“Alice. . .”
ㅤ
With a smile for Roa-sama, whose eyes were moist, I made a tight fist.
ㅤ
“Even so, if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t! There are no absolutes in love! If we both make an effort and it still doesn’t work, then that’s something I can accept!”
ㅤ
Roa-sama’s face, which had been looking at me in astonishment, crumples with emotion.
ㅤ
“Huh. . .haha, that’s right. You never know how people’s feelings will change. It’s important to try to be there for each other.”
“Yes. Even so, the thought that I could do it with Roa-sama is a big step for me.”
“I’m really glad you think so.”
ㅤ
Being looked at with such a melted expression is both incredibly embarrassing and joyful at the same time.
The fingers that were stacked tickle as they move, and I feel a stroke on the back of my hand.
ㅤ
“Roa-sama. . . That. . . is troubling.”
ㅤ
It was the first time I had been touched like this. It must be an expression of Roa-sama’s affection, but my heart is beating too fast, my face is hot, and I can’t think straight.
ㅤ
“. . .Even if you make that face and say you’re troubled, it troubles me.”
“What kind of face, I wonder. . .”
“It’s a face I want to see alone.”
ㅤ
Roa-sama’s face, as he says this, is dyed with joy and love.
. . .The “face that only I want to see,” as Roa-sama said, I wonder if it’s this expression.
ㅤ
“. . .Then, let’s make it our secret, just between the two of us.”
“Indeed.”
ㅤ
The fingers had stopped moving without me noticing.
Holding hands and looking at each other, we both start laughing without a prompt.
ㅤ
The two of us, filled with joy, our laughter mingled and dissolved into the night sky.
━END━
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