Chapter 059
Turning my head towards the source of the sound, I saw Evan’s hand resting on the fence.
He was holding onto the fence with one hand to maintain his balance on the slippery ground.
Creak.
As soon as I realized that, the fence, which was barely holding its shape, collapsed.
“Ah!”
Splash!
We both fell into the lake together.
I wanted to get out of the water quickly due to the cold sensation enveloping my body, but no matter how much I struggled, my feet couldn’t touch the ground.
It looked shallow, but it seemed to be quite deep.
‘I can’t breathe!’
Just as a wave of psychological fear washed over me, a hand suddenly reached in between my armpits and pulled me up to the surface.
“Phew!”
“Are you okay?”
As I gasped for air, I heard a frantic shout right in front of me.
When I opened my fluttering eyelids, I saw Evan’s flustered expression as he checked on me.
“Gasp, I’m okay…”
Not wanting to fall back into the water, I placed my hand on his shoulder and spoke.
Clinging to him, I barely managed to look around the lake, noticing the water rippling over Evan’s shoulders.
No wonder I couldn’t touch the ground no matter how much I struggled.
“Pfft, I’m swimming in a lake in the middle of the night.”
As I clung to him, reflecting on the current situation, I found it amusing and couldn’t help but laugh.
However, Evan didn’t seem to share my sentiment; he spoke in a heavily subdued voice.
“…I think we should’ve stayed home. We should go back quickly, before you actually catch a cold.”
He seemed to believe that all of this was his fault.
Just then, the clouds that had been covering the moon parted, and light slowly returned to the lake.
As I faced Evan’s face right in front of me, time seemed to freeze, and I stopped smiling, becoming completely still.
I discovered that his gaze was filled solely with concern for me.
It was different from the worried looks my family gave me.
I wondered if I would ever meet someone who would look at me with such eyes again in my life.
“Why, did you get hurt somewhere? Just a little longer, we’ll be out soon, so please bear with it.”
Seeing my expression suddenly drop, Evan also grew serious and spoke in an urgent tone.
“No, I’m not hurt… but I think something feels off with my body.”
“Where?”
“I think my heart has been racing too fast since earlier.”
It wasn’t just my heart.
Starting from my heart, a strong pounding resonated throughout my fingertips and toes.
“Then that’s serious. We can’t waste any time. We need to go back and call a doctor immediately.”
Evan’s expression sank even more seriously upon hearing my words.
He seemed determined to get me out of the lake as quickly as possible, tightening his grip on my waist and thighs.
As he did, my center of gravity shifted forward, causing me to look down at him from above.
At that moment, a drop of water that had been precariously hanging from my eyelashes fell and landed on his cheek.
As our gazes met at a distance where our breaths almost mingled, I felt his arms around me tremble slightly, tightening their grip.
As if we had made a silent promise, we exchanged glances in the air for a long time without speaking.
I wondered how long it had been.
I tightened my grip on his shoulder and softly opened my mouth.
“Are you okay?”
“What do you mean?”
Evan’s voice cracked low at the end.
I thought that the pounding I had been feeling wasn’t solely my fault.
It made sense, as his shoulder, which I could feel through his wet clothes, was transmitting a warmth and tremor similar to mine.
Suddenly, the conversation I had with the kids I met earlier today about love came to mind.
‘When you love someone, do they really shine and look beautiful?’
Not just the person, but the air around us seemed to sparkle as well.
‘No. Mom said love is wanting to protect them so they don’t cry!’
I had proposed marriage because I didn’t want him to be humiliated by others.
‘My uncle said that just seeing someone makes you smile, and that’s love!’
After spending time with him, I realized for the first time that I could smile like this.
When I became aware that there was only one answer to all of this, I instinctively raised my hand to cradle his face.
Then, I opened my mouth while staring directly into his gray eyes.
“Is it okay…?”
“What do you mean?”
“What I couldn’t do properly at the wedding.”
Evan’s pupils shook violently as he realized what I was saying.
But he wouldn’t refuse.
Because he was looking at me with the same gaze as mine.
I wondered why I hadn’t noticed it until now.
“Mi..lady…”
In a state of utter embarrassment, he reverted to calling me by the initial term he had used.
I slowly caressed his wet cheek and brought him closer to me.
Eventually, our lips, at the same temperature, met.
I could feel the hands enveloping my body trembling faintly, but soon he hugged me tightly to the point of breathlessness, and I no longer felt the tremors.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
“Ha…”
“……”
“Hu…”
“Oh, come on!”
Startled by the irritated shout coming from behind me, I stopped what I was doing and turned around.
As I turned my head, I saw dandelion seeds fluttering and swaying.
“Why are you suddenly shouting? You scared me!”
I frowned at Joy, who, upon seeing me, let out a big sigh as if he were the one wronged.
“Ha! You’re the last person who should be talking, sighing dramatically all day and interrupting my work!”
Joy, who had just finished transferring the potion into bottles, placed the bottles down roughly on the table.
“Let’s hear it today. What kind of trouble is bothering you that you’re sighing every minute?”
Joy turned to face me with his arms crossed, exuding a fierce energy.
Feeling a bit guilty under his probing gaze, I awkwardly looked away and mumbled softly.
“It’s nothing.”
Joy snorted dismissively at my words.
Seeing that he had no intention of backing down until I answered, I scratched my cheek awkwardly.
‘Talking to Joy about this kind of trouble is a bit…’
In fact, it was a concern I found hard to share with anyone, not just Joy.
This was especially true since it had arisen a few days ago after my trip to the lakeside with Evan.
‘How do I say that ever since we kissed, it feels like Evan has been running away from me?’
I fell into contemplation as I reflected on the events of the past few days.
The first time I felt something was off was the day after our trip to the lakeside.
Now that I realized what my feelings for Evan were, I wanted to be with him more than ever.
So, I went around to his likely locations, such as his office and the training grounds, but strangely, I couldn’t find Evan anywhere.
Even when I asked the knights where Evan was, the result was the same.
I heard multiple times that he was at the western training ground, only to find out he had already left by the time I got there.
“At first, I really thought he was just busy.”
But seeing that he didn’t even come to his bedroom made me feel something was off, and it didn’t take long for me to realize he was avoiding me.
It was when I happened to spot Evan coming from the opposite direction while walking down the street.
In my excitement, I raised my hand to call his name.
“E…van?”
I merely blinked, and the Evan who had been right in front of me had vanished without a trace.
He disappeared so quickly that I wondered if I had imagined our eye contact.
As similar incidents continued to happen over the past few days, it was only natural that my feelings became increasingly uncomfortable.
midori
thanks! OH MY GOD, i didn’t expect the kiss! oomph, evan is avoiding her.