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HARIJ knew the sudden silence was Rose’s answer. He quietly closed his eyes.
She had been on his mind ever since she said she had nowhere else to go besides the Azm estate.
Born bearing the unique secrets of a witch, Rose had lived every day of her life since birth in quiet seclusion. He could only imagine the toll it took on her to interact with people every day after a lifetime of avoiding people and concealing her facial expressions.
That strain, however, wasn’t enough of a reason for her to go back to a life of hiding in fear under the floorboards every time she heard the slightest sound. Even if she was fine with it, Harij couldn’t bear the thought of her returning to such miserable days.
When he saw how well she was getting along with Tala, such anxieties were buried for a while. But when he chanced upon how the newly hired Mona treated her, they resurfaced.
His greatest fear was what would happen to her in the unlikely event something happened to him.
He hoped it never came to that, but he couldn’t guarantee he would always be there for her in the future, given his profession as a knight. Emergencies can’t be predicted in advance. And even if he could, knowing what was coming was no assurance that he could prevent it from happening.
Even the people closest to Harij looked at Rose funny when they learned she was a witch. He didn’t know how much he could protect her in the event he couldn’t be there to shield her anymore.
In which case, he wanted to give Rose legal status as soon as possible. Once she was legally married into the Azm family, the world shouldn’t be able to scorn her even in the worst-case scenario resulting in his death. His relatives would be too worried about public opinion to abandon his widow.
He took it as a good sign when Rose, who was initially hesitant about marriage, didn’t refuse Tien’s dowry on her behalf. Harij thought that meant she was open to getting married—interested, even.
Or so he thought—now in the past tense, because he had to admit he might have jumped the gun. Because from what he had seen, Rose didn’t seem too pleased whenever he brought up the topic of marriage.
“So what? You think marriage will solve things?”
“As long as we get married, then I’ll just have to wait for her to fall in love—with more than just my face.”
Harij didn’t mind being mocked as a foolish man. He was content to wait for Rose’s heart to grow more fond of him after they wed. As long as they were married, she would be protected if anything happened to him in the meantime.
Rose didn’t speak much, nor did her expressions change all that often. Harij was starting to learn how to occasionally pick up on when she was panicked, embarrassed, or delighted—but he wasn’t confident he was completely reading the emotions she was trying to conceal from him.
Due to her inability to lie, Harij was starting to suspect Rose changed the topic or didn’t say anything at all to hide her true feelings.
He didn’t think for a single second that she decided to get married on a whim after living alone for so long. But he couldn’t dismiss the possibility she might be regretting that decision.
It didn’t help that being with Harij likely meant more jerks like Yašm might appear again to judge her.
He thought it too cruel to come out and ask if she regretted her decision to marry him.
Harij knew that Rose—that witches—couldn’t tell a lie. He felt seeking the truth from her was the same as ordering her to pluck out her heart and lay it on a silver tray for him.
For better or worse, her answer would be her unfiltered true feelings. She might say the words he longed to hear—or the complete opposite. Either way, it would only result in hurting Harij—and Rose, by default for having hurt him.
But… Harij opened his eyes. Rose stood expressionless before him. Even so, she held his gaze without looking away. Surely she must have been a panicked mess on the inside.
Harij cracked a smile. He took her slender fingers, which were like rose stems, in his hand and went down on one knee. Her deep-forest-green eyes rounded.
“Rose.”
Sometimes, people need to move forward prepared to be hurt and to hurt another.
“There’s something I haven’t been able to say to you.”
“…Do you want me to leave?”
“Not even close. Don’t even joke about that. It’s not funny.”
Rose stared at Harij after his instant reply without so much as a crack in her stony mask.
“Then are you asking me to share your values for what our relationship will be like after marriage?”
Rose hit him with a second question when it was already rare enough for her to ever interrupt someone when they were speaking. It almost seemed as though she thought it would be easier to say it before he did.
“Oh? You were listening in?”
Her hand stiffened at his nonchalant response. The eyelashes bordering the eyes he was staring into quivered and immediately cast dark shadows underneath. His heart nearly shattered for causing her expression to darken, but he decided to boldly declare his intentions.
“I’m in love with you.”
His first ever confession seemed to echo in his ears, perhaps because of the humid early-summer air. Rose’s hand trembled in his.
“I want you to live in that house with me now and forever.”
Rose’s large, round eyes opened so wide, he feared they might fall out. Her pale skin, which always made him worry, was stained a peachy pink. With tremulous lips and cheeks flushed red, she squeezed out a hoarse reply.
“A-A witch always keeps her promise.”
“I know.”
That was probably her way of saying she wasn’t going to go back on her word about living with him in that house. Her roundabout way of speaking was the weapon she had carefully cultivated to protect herself until now. He wasn’t going to force her to stop for him.
“I’m human, so I will lie at times. The day may come when you doubt my words. The only unchanging promise I can give you is marriage. Okay?” Harij’s next words came out husky. “The fact that you were willing to leave the hermitage to come live with me must mean that…you like me, if only a little more than the next guy.”
Rose’s eyes bulged as she gaped at him with an expression that screamed “What is this guy going on about?” Harij felt his courage wither, a frown creasing his brow.
“…You do, right?”
Rose bobbed her head three times in the affirmative.
“Then we should just get married first. I made things more complicated for us by worrying about the laws and legal status, but it turns out—I just want to marry you. You can fall in love with me after that.”
Rose’s knees buckled. Harij pulled her into his arms by the hand he held before she could sink to the ground.
“What’s wrong?”
“My legs, my legs, my legs…” Rose repeated those same two words in a delirium. She pressed her forehead against his shoulder and buried her face. He couldn’t see her side profile hidden under the hood.
After uttering her sixteenth incoherent “my legs,” Rose fell silent for a while. Then she muttered, “I understand now,” straightened up, and took a step away from Harij.
“I think I finally understand what the problem was. I see… I seem to have a habit of avoiding openly voicing my feelings because I’m a witch… So that’s why, yes. Please give me a moment.”
Several seconds passed as she contemplated how to convey her thoughts before she finally spoke again.
“That mansion is very comfortable. I’m very…fond of it. If possible, I would love to continue living there now and forever. I am also pleased about the prospect of our marriage. And…”
After raising and lowering her hands, squatting and standing, and pacing in restless circles, she finally looked at Harij.
“I-I also…”
Harij assumed he knew what words her quivering lips and misty eyes were trying to weave. He stood up straight in anticipation.
“…lo…lov…”
The scene wasn’t much unlike a grandparent watching their grandchild trying to stand for the first time. Harij swallowed hard as he waited for her.
“Lo-lov… Lovely clear lake, isn’t it?”
A cold breeze blew over the clear lake.
“……”
“……”
“…Sure is.”
“…P-Please wait a little longer.”
How else could he respond to her teary voice than with “All right”?
“I…I lov...love how silver grass grows year-round.”
“That’s nice.”
“I…I lov…lov…love that the food called sukiyaki was first created in a faraway foreign nation.”
“I see.”
“Lo…lo…” Eyes brimming with determination stared up at Harij. But the second he returned her passionate gaze, she clammed up. “Lo…Lotta…space between us…”
“Want me to fill it?”
“W-W-Wa-Wai-Wait! Not that! Stop! Wai—”
The rest of her words disappeared into Harij’s chest. He embraced Rose to fill the space between them, stealing her breath away to the point she seemed to have difficulty breathing.
“What’s next?”
“I-I-I’m not m-messing with you!”
“I hope not.”
As if I could survive this if it was just a game to her. Harij tightened his arms around her. Does she understand how deeply I want to hear those words from her lips?
Rose must have heard the seriousness in his voice, as she sank into silence once more. Dammit. He bitterly regretted that slipup. He sensed the witch wouldn’t be able to say what he wanted to hear if he didn’t make things as natural and comfortable between them as possible.
But Rose surprised him by tightly clutching his shirt and breathing out an answer in a voice so hushed he would have missed it if he weren’t straining to hear her.
“…I love…you.”
Bliss spread through his chest. Driven by a joy unlike anything he had ever experienced before, Harij hugged Rose close to his chest.
She was irresistibly adorable. Harij never knew someone this precious and lovable existed.
He pulled down her hood and caressed her light-pink forelocks. Then he pressed his lips against her hairline.
His fingers trailed down her cheek and brushed the hair behind her ears. As he kissed her temples, he buried the tip of his nose in her hair. He inhaled her unique feminine fragrance permeated with the smell of herbs.
She’s too adorable, and I want to adore her so much, I can’t stand it.
As he began losing himself in massaging her earlobe with his fingers, he felt two light raps against his chest. He ignored them, continuing to enjoy the feel of her, but then he found himself shoved away.
“What?”
“Wh-Wh-Wh-What? Really? ‘What’ is my line, buster!”
When he saw her looking more shaken than someone who had seen a star falling from the sky, he cupped her cheek in his hand.