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Translator: Nonon
Proofreader: Silavin
POV: Violet
Huh?
Why am I crying?
I haven’t been told anything to make me sad. I haven’t suffered any physical pain. I haven’t suffered any mental torment. But tears are still overflowing from my eyes.
Isn’t now the time to be overjoyed that I made Lord Clo happy? I shouldn’t be crying in front of other people.
So right now I should turn my expression into the smile that’s supposed to be on my face. If I keep doing this, I’ll end up causing trouble for Lord Clo.
“H-huh… w-why…?”
Stop. Please stop.
If I keep crying without knowing the reason, I’ll only trouble Lord Clo.
But my overflowing tears didn’t stop, and they continued even when I shamefully wiped them away with my hand.
At this rate, the dress that Lord Clo sewed for me will be stained.
The precious dress Lord Clo made for me, which made me so happy that I couldn’t help but want to return some of that happiness to him on his birthday, would be soiled. That’s not something I would ever desire.
“— Are you okay?! D-did I say something strange—“
Look, Lord Clo is also panicked because I suddenly burst into tears.
Unable to understand why I’m crying, he’s puzzled by what to do and is worried if he should do something or if I’m hurt somewhere.
I don’t want to worry him. I just want to make him happy.
I worried about what to give him. I waited for the right chance to give it to him. I acted the moment I saw the opportunity. I gave him the present. I would be so happy if he liked what he saw inside. But I was so nervous thinking about whether he’d actually like it, that I couldn’t think about anything else. Still, I desperately tried to keep my expression normal, just like how I was taught.
“N-no… you didn’t say, anything strange… you are not at fault, Lord Clo.”
But now, my desperate façade had been stripped away and I was crying disgracefully.
I couldn’t control my emotions. I couldn’t even stop my tears.
Ever since I entered the academy, I became aware that I was bad at choosing whether to show my emotions or not. But I thought I was pretty good at suppressing emotions of joy and sorrow. I didn’t cry when I parted ways with His Highness either.
The only times I’ve cried in front of somebody like this was when Burnt and Amber saw me crying as a child, and in the cave after Schwarz’s attack.
“This, is… because I’m just… happy.”
But I’m not crying out of pain like I did back then.
Trying to make sense of the jumble of mixed emotions, I gradually tried to figure out why I was crying, and I somehow realized that those were not tears from pain or sadness, but rather from joy and happiness.
“Because… you’re happy?”
I was happy.
It was partly because he accepted my present and was happy because of it. But he still hadn’t seen the actual present so that wasn’t all. Even though I was happy, I wasn’t overwhelmed with joy from that.
My tears were caused by Lord Clo’s simple, casual comment.
“Finally… you told, me… that you, loved me…!”
I was somehow able to describe the reason behind my tears as I wiped them away.
Simultaneously, I felt even more confused at why I cried over this.
Ah, but at the same time, I also understood why it happened.
In the past, I was abandoned by His Highness because of my jealousy.
In the past, I was expelled from the academy because I went out of control.
In the past, my Father lost interest in me as a result of my faults.
I was told that my actions were unbearable.
I was told that I did not look at my surroundings.
I was told that he had never been in love with me.
I was told that had it been a crime, he would have killed me.
“The person, I love… told me that, he loved me…!”
The whole world seemed my enemy, and I had fallen into despair, thinking that I would be spending the rest of my life alone. I was even ready to accept the fact that I would suddenly marry a man I didn’t know.
But thanks to meeting Lord Clo and the others, I was given the opportunity to get back on my feet.
The first night after we met, Lord Clo told me that he hated me.
The day I received the ring, Lord Clo told me that he was my ally.
When I averted my eyes from the past, Lord Clo told me that I didn’t have to shoulder everything alone.
When my friend asked him how he felt, Lord Clo said that he was happy and smiled.
It might sound like I’m bragging, but Lord Clo definitely had feelings for me.
He told me that I was precious to him. I said it many times too, I could sense it from his actions too, but after he said those words earlier, I finally realized that he had never told me that he ‘loved me’ until now.
And now Lord Clo said it so naturally.
Just that was enough to make me tear up. I was so happy that I cried out of joy, as if I had never been happier.
“… I’m sorry, Lord Clo… that I suddenly started to cry…”
But seeing me suddenly burst into tears would throw Lord Clo into confusion.
What should I do about this emotional instability? Calm down, Violet.
Although it certainly made me happy, to Lord Clo those are words he only said casually. If this is how I react to his casual words, he’ll definitely be put off.
I’ll wipe away my tears and look forward. And I’ll ask him to forget whatever just happened.
Lord Clo is a kind person, so I’m sure he won’t bring it up—
“Lady Violet.”
As I wiped away my tears one again to look forward, Lord Clo got close to me and placed his hands on my shoulders while still holding the gift box in his right hand.
My mind still confused from his sudden actions, I looked at Lord Clo without understanding what was going on.
“Thank you very much. For loving me.”
I heard his voice, the sound of which always made me feel relieved, from up close.
His gentle, yet powerful blue eyes were looking at me.
His face, the smiling sight of which also made me smile, was very close to me.
If I straightened my back and lifted my head, his lips were within reach.
“———“
“———“
In a fleeting moment. On a night with a slight snowfall.
Lord Clo gave me a memory I would never forget.
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