After I left the parlor, I asked the closest maid to take me to Lord Phillip’s room. When I got there, I saw Lord Cedric in front of the door. Upon seeing me, he made an apologetic face.
“I’m sorry I kept you waiting. It looks like he still won’t come out.” He let out another sigh and shrugged.
“Um... Lord Cedric, my apologies, but may I be left alone here for a little bit?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Thank you so much.”
“I leave my brother in your hands,” he said with a gentle smile. He took Little Vio from me and then walked off.
I made a mental note to thank Lord Cedric again later and turned to face the door. “Lord Phillip, it’s Viola. I’m sorry for my sudden visit. But there’s something I absolutely must discuss with you. May I speak with you for a little bit?”
However, as I expected, there was no response. If it hadn’t been for Little Vio’s earlier words, then I undoubtedly would’ve given up here and left. But that was no longer the case. He still liked me. That truth kept my feet rooted to the ground.
“Very well, then,” I said. “Then please listen to what I have to say.” I trusted that he was paying attention as I slowly pressed the palm of my hand against the wood and continued, “Ever since I was a child, I thought you were someone far out of my reach... That I wasn’t suited to be the bride of someone as perfect as you.”
Everything from status to appearance to grades... Nothing about me was on his level. He could do everything perfectly, and meanwhile, I was too clumsy and awkward to do anything right. Everyone around us thought the same. I’d known Lord Phillip since we were babies. So I kept unconsciously comparing myself to him. Time and time again, I hated myself and my lack of a spine.
“Lord Phillip, you were never a very friendly person. On top of that, I heard you say those things about me from your own mouth. So for the longest time, I thought you hated me.”
There was no way either of us would be happy if we had married each other under past circumstances. There was definitely someone out there who made a far better match for Lord Phillip, and if I wasn’t engaged with him, I no longer needed to hate myself even more than I already did. At least, that was what I used to believe.
“As a result, I wanted to end our engagement, even if it meant lying about having amnesia. And yet, you started to lie to me as well, saying we were in love with each other. I was really surprised. I even thought you had come up with a new way to torment me.”
He loved me enough to come up with such a sudden and unexpected lie. But back then, I believed it to be a complete falsehood.
“But you were such a different person from the Lord Phillip I knew... I’m not one to talk, but you kept coming up with outrageous lies and doing bizarre things I never imagined you doing. I truly had no idea what was going on...”
My vision was becoming more and more cloudy. Don’t cry yet, I told myself, biting back tears as best as I could.
“Lord Phillip, your true self wasn’t perfect at all.”
He took me to the river for a date and I saw the strange books that he read. He was so happy because of my terrible embroidery to the point that I felt embarrassed at his praise, and he talked about it all to a parrot that reminded him of me. He even randomly decided to put an ice bucket over his head. All of my memories with Lord Phillip were so silly and the opposite of my previous impression of him. And yet...
“And yet, I love you the way you are.”
Before I even knew it, I had fallen in love with him. I wanted to stay at his side for the rest of our lives.
“I love you, Lord Phillip. I love how kind you are, how you always try your best, and how you’re always honest with people even if you don’t always know how to talk to them.”
Tears welled up in my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. My voice was trembling, and I could feel my words catching in my throat. But even so, I clenched my fist and continued to speak.
“I want to call you ‘Phil’ as who I am now. I want to remain your fiancée. I want to be with you for as long as we...”
Before I could finish my sentence, the door suddenly burst open. I had been resting my weight against it, and I stumbled forward at the sudden lack of support. But I didn’t fall onto the ground. Instead, I realized that Lord Phillip was tightly embracing me against his chest.
“I’m sorry...” His voice was trembling as he gently spoke. The tears got worse as I realized I was surrounded by the warmth, scent, and voice that I loved. “I’m truly sorry for making you cry and hurting you.”
“Lord Phillip...”
“I can’t apologize enough.” I remained in his arms for a few minutes more, eventually he slowly released me and then looked at me with an insecure look in his eye. “I’m sorry I’ve been avoiding you this whole time.”
“No, I’m the one who should apologize for lying to you.” Even after I said that, he insisted that he was in the wrong. At this point, I felt like we were both at fault. “As you say, I’m not perfect. I’m a liar who has no social skills. I’m not cool at all.”
“Yes, I know.”
Upon hearing my answer, Lord Phillip smiled helplessly and gently brushed his right hand against my cheek.
“But even so, I’m confident that I love you more than anyone in this world.” His passionate eyes met mine. I’d been at his side ever since I could remember, but this felt like the first time I was actually seeing him. “I promise that I will never lie to you again... Despite all of my faults, would you still be willing to let me stay by your side?”
“I’ll never lie again either... Please, stay with me forever.”
He looked confused and after a strange five-minute-long silence, Lord Phillip hesitantly opened his mouth. “Um, do you...like me?”
“Yes.”
He didn’t say anything for a little while again. “Really?”
“Yes. I love you,” I answered immediately.
Lord Phillip slowly fell to his knees and covered his mouth with both hands before he let out a long sigh. His face and ears were so red that I felt a little worried for him. I crouched down as well so that I could meet his eyes. Love was truly a fearsome emotion, because he looked adorable like this. I had never seen someone so endearing.
“I can’t think of anything to say...” he said.
“Considering the situation, I wish you would try to at least say one thing.”
“I could die happy right now.”
“Don’t.”
His expression slowly became pinched, as if he was barely controlling himself from bawling. This time, I was the one who brushed my hand against his cheek, and as I did so, a single tear spilled from his golden eyes.
“I’ve always been in love with you... That is the truth.”
After he murmured that, he pressed his face against my shoulder, and I wrapped my arms around him. As I soaked up his warmth, I felt as if all of my past struggles had not been in vain.