CH 67

“At first I thought about dropping everything and running away with Celine, but… she didn’t agree.”

‘Bern, after all, we were done here.’

‘No, Celine, we can just leave, and there will be no one to stop us.’

Bern sagged against Celine, but Celine shook his hand away with a cold face.

‘You want me to give up everything and follow you? Say something that makes sense.’

‘Celine……?’

‘Viscount Romario may be old, but he’s got plenty of money, and he’s never lacked for anything, and now I’ll be free of my father’s tiresome money-grubbing ways. But if I run off with you, what will I have left?’

Bern was stunned into silence.

‘……Seriously, you’ve been looking at my wealth and background all this time?’

‘……Yes, that’s right, I approached you based on your status. How naive of you to realize that now.’

It was such a shocking statement that it made Bern wonder if they had been in love since they didn’t know each other’s identities.

Celine’s words finally broke Bern’s hold on her.

And so Celine married Viscount Romario.

“I heard that she was married not long after she broke up with me. I couldn’t get my head around it. She was the one I… loved enough to give up everything for.”

Listening to him, Lucia remembered her blind love for Herwin.

She empathized with Bern and felt sorry for him.

“For a year, I lived like a hermit, never leaving the mansion, never seeing all my friends who came to visit me.”

“But now…….”

Now he was walking around, smiling, and looking forward to his… engagement.

Catching on to Lucia’s digression, Bern smiled wryly.

“I got better as time went on, and then suddenly my father died.”

“……ah.”

“I resented his sudden departure because he was so against Celine, but I couldn’t hate him because he was my father. At first, I thought about bringing Celine back now that my father was dead, but she was married to another man and doing well by the time I was reeling from my heartbreak. My connection to Celine was completely severed.”

“But you still love her, don’t you?”

“What? Oh, no, I shouldn’t…….”

For a moment, Bern clamped his mouth shut, even as he reached out his hand in surprise.

A warm sensation settled over his hand. Bern’s head drooped at the sight of Lucia’s tiny hand.

“……yes, that’s right.”

“Is it because of her that you told me that I resemble you?”

“……….”

“It’s because both Bern and I have people we love, but can’t connect with.”

“I’m so sorry if that offended you. I just wanted to make myself comfortable… and that’s why I chose Lucia.”

As expected, her prediction was right. He was projecting himself from his broken heart.

“But! I didn’t choose you for that reason alone! Lucia is a very good person, more than I deserve, and that’s why… that’s why I thought you might be a good choice for my future spouse.”

Bern jumped to his feet and stood in front of Lucia. Lucia looked up at Bern with a bitter smile.

“You don’t have to apologize, I’m just like you.”

Now she understood why she had always felt so comfortable and connected with Bern.

He was like herself in the mirror.

They shared the same pain, loved similarly, and were unable to be with the person they truly loved.

“Since Bern dared to tell me, I should tell you about myself.”

“You don’t have to. You don’t have to tell me…….”

“No. I want to, and I want you to believe what I say rather than what you’ve heard from others.”

For a moment Bern held up his hands, sensing Lucia’s sincerity, and then he nodded.

“As you might expect, I have been in love with Herwin for many years. Although we never confirmed our love for each other the way Bern did, I cared for him so deeply that I gave him my all.”

“……….”

“We’ve known each other since we were kids, so I kept hoping that if I waited long enough, one day he’d feel the same way about me, that he’d recognize my feelings, but it was all wishful thinking on my part. That day never came.”

“Did it ……?”

“I ended up with Bern because after I made my final confession to Herwin, I realized that my heart didn’t reach him. I didn’t think I could love someone as passionately as I loved Herwin anymore, so I chose Bern as someone I could get along with, not necessarily love, but someone I could get along with.”

Seeing that she felt the same way, Bern squeezed Lucia’s hand, his sincerity palpable.

“I’m no different than Bern, so please don’t feel pressured. On the contrary… I’m more relieved that Bern is thinking like that.”

It felt like a release from the pressure of love. Some people truly love each other, so you don’t have to ask for love from the other person.

They don’t know what will happen later, but for now, it’s a breath of fresh air.

“If Bern wanted love from me, I would have felt overwhelmed, and that’s the same for him, isn’t it?”

Bern nodded slowly.

“I’m not sure. ……Why don’t we check it out, just in case?”

“You mean check it out?”

“Yes.”

Lucia studied Bern’s clean-shaven face.

He had a bold brow, but his eyes were gentle. He was handsome with an intelligent look.

She wondered if she might have liked Bern if she hadn’t had a crush on Herwin.

But the very thought of it meant she didn’t like him.

“Kiss me.”

Bern’s golden eyes flickered behind his glasses, and he paused for a moment in embarrassment.

“…Did you ask me to kiss you?”

“Yes. Because if I’m even remotely attracted to Bern, I might end up liking him someday, and… we’ll have to go deeper later on.”

“But… Isn’t this your first kiss?”

“Yes, it is.”

She had never been in a relationship with anyone, so this was her first kiss.

She wanted her first kiss to be with someone she truly loved, but that was impossible at this point.

“Are you sure you’re okay with me being your first?”

Bern was being considerate of Lucia, knowing who she truly loved, and he was cautious about taking her first.

But Lucia had already made up her mind.

“Yes. I don’t like it unless it’s Bern.”

Bern thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

A cold, large hand closed around Lucia’s left cheek. Bern approached her slowly, carefully enough that Lucia could say no if she changed her mind.

Lucia closed her eyes as Bern approached her.

And then her lips descended into a full pout. Lucia shivered as she felt the sensation for the first time.

The two did not realize that another person was watching them kissing.

Sensing Lucia’s trembling, Bern pulled away.

“Are you okay?”

Lucia’s trembling face turned toward Bern’s, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, clamping her mouth shut.

And this time, she kissed him first. Surprised, Bern closed his eyes and let Lucia lead the way, slowly so as not to startle her.

Their lips gently opened and their tongues intertwined. The sensation was clumsy and unfamiliar, and Lucia felt strange.

She felt like she was doing something she shouldn’t be doing. It felt good and strange at the same time.

Closing her eyes and concentrating on the sensations, she thought of Herwin, and it was as if she were kissing him, not Bern.

After a short but deep kiss, they slowly pulled away.

Lucia let out a shaky breath, feeling a little disappointed.

“……Lucia.”

She heard a voice, but it wasn’t the one she thought she heard, and she opened her eyes to see that it wasn’t Herwin, but Bern.

She thought she had kissed him, but the reality was different. Lucia burst into tears at the brutal realization.

“Hmph…….”

Lucia sobbed, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“Sorry, I’m sorry. I… I…….”

“You don’t have to say it.”

Bern kissed Lucia, feeling her emotions as well. Bern carefully hugged Lucia.

“It’s okay, Lucia… it’s okay.”

“Mmmm, hmmm…….”

The warm sensation of being held finally broke her tear ducts. Lucia sobbed into Bern’s arms, letting go of her emotions.

A kiss from Bern assured her that she would never forget Herwin.

She felt sorry for herself for not being able to connect with the one she loved.

“Lucia, I promise you, I will never make you cry.”

It was the same for Bern, who thought of Celine as he kissed Lucia.

Bern vowed to himself.

“I’m not sure if I’ll ever love you, Lucia, but I’ll make sure you’re happy.”

“Me too…I’ll do my best, even if I can’t love you, Bern.”

For the first time, Bern and Lucia’s hearts connected.

They thought, if they were to marry one day, they would want someone who understood them.

Even if it’s a loveless marriage, they’ll work towards happiness. That was their decision.

And that was the moment when an eternal companion was born who could sympathize with each other’s wounds.

Lucia burst into tears and hugged Bern tightly.

Overcome by her own emotions, Lucia had no idea that Herwin had seen her.

* * *

Arista joined her friends in searching for Herwin.

“Where the hell did he go?”

Ever since he’d been with the others, he’d been weirder than usual.

She wondered if he had finally realized how he felt about her.

“I’ll be good to you when you’re here.”

Sticking her tongue out at Herwin’s stupidity, Arista looked around.

“Isn’t this place…….”

No matter how hard she searched, she couldn’t find the giant, dark-haired man.

“Let me check over there.”

Arista remembered that there was a space behind the pillar, so she approached it.

Without thinking, she circled the pillar and saw an obscene sight.

“Oh, I’m sorry…….”

A man and woman were intertwined and making passionate love.

Arista turned to leave in a hurry, but a familiar face in her line of sight stopped her in her tracks.

“You’re…….”

“……what?”

The man, who had been kissing a woman for some time, turned his head nervously and flinched when he saw Arista standing there, wide-eyed.

He quickly realized that Arista was Princess Lydia.

The man remembered that he had recently tried to get an investment from Duchess Lydia.

He felt the blood drain from his body as he realized that he had managed to secure an appointment with Duchess Lydia, only to have his nakedness exposed by Arista, a member of her family.

He turned pale and hurried away, leaving her alone.

But to Arista, the man was of little importance; her gaze was fixed on the woman who had just shared a passionate kiss with him.

“Ha, I’m so lucky. I never thought I’d see you here again.”

The woman laughed in disbelief and glared at Arista.