FTP-80

Aiden paced nervously inside the barn with unusually restless steps. A distressed groan leaked out between his lips.

 

“This is really… what should I do?”

 

Just as Anje had been agonizing to the point of sleeplessness, he too was deeply troubled, though he didn’t show it in front of her.

 

The sunflowers secretly being grown in the barn bore yellow buds that seemed ready to bloom at any moment. His heart, much like those buds, swelled with the desire to confess his feelings to her, to the point that it felt unbearable.

 

However, he didn’t want to confess suddenly to the unprepared Anje and risk burdening her or ruining their current relationship.

 

Thus, he tried to take better care of her than before, or narrowed the physical distance between them, carefully observing her reactions each time.

 

‘It seems to be okay so far.’

 

She had not shown any sign of dislike. Rather, there were moments when she wore an expression that suggested she might feel the same way as him.

 

She even wore the green wedding ring he had given her during the festival every single day without fail. Knowing that she always carried with her a ring that symbolized his love gave him great courage.

 

Finally, after pacing so much that the barn floor was hollowed out, he nodded firmly.

 

‘Alright, let’s say it. There’s a saying that if you can’t avoid a fight, it’s better to face it head-on.’

 

He murmured to himself the words he planned to say.

 

“About what happened during the festival… I need to explain further, so I’m saying this… about the ring I gave you and the, uh… incident? No, the event? That, uh… happening wasn’t something I did lightly… To be exact, with a heavy heart… No, that’s not it, again.”

 

After repeating his practice several times, he finally gained confidence, straightened his shoulders, and walked into the house with firm steps.

 

Let’s say it. Even if she rejects me, if I keep knocking on the door, another chance will eventually come.

 

For the two standing on the edge of a precarious boundary, now was the time for a courageous step forward. And that first step had to be his to take.

 

“Anje?”

 

“Yes?”

 

Anje, sitting at the table reading a book, raised her head. 『Shooting Techniques for Beginner Hunters』. It was a book Aiden’s grandfather had bought for him long ago.

 

“Are you busy?”

 

“No, it’s fine.”

 

Wearing an apricot-colored gown, she looked more radiant than ever. Her hand, which had paused while turning the page, reflected a green sparkle.

 

“Um…”

 

Suddenly tense, his throat and mouth went completely dry. Swallowing hard, he desperately continued speaking.

 

“Um, uh…”

 

What if he misunderstood her intentions? What if the shy smile she once showed was nothing but his imagination? What if she only wore the ring because she liked its design?

 

His heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst out of his throat.

 

After the clock on the wall ticked away for what felt like forever, he finally managed to speak the next sentence.

 

“The medicine box I lent you last time… Do you know where it is?”

 

Pathetic and stupid—what a disgrace. He silently cursed himself.

 

“The medicine? Ah, that… I put it in my room drawer. Why? Did you get hurt somewhere?”

 

To reassure her, as she frowned with concern, he frantically shook his hand.

 

“No, it’s not that… I just thought of replenishing it the next time we go to town. Now that there are two of us, it seems better to have plenty of medicine.”

 

“That’s true. Aunt Meg also visits once a week. I’ll go up and get it.”

 

As she closed the book and began to stand, Aiden stopped her.

 

“It’s just a quick check, so I’ll go get it myself.”

 

“Will you? Check the drawer, and if it’s not there, let me know.”

 

He trudged up to the second floor and opened the door to Anje’s room, letting out a long sigh.

 

“Good grief.”

 

The moment he tried to talk to her face-to-face, his vision went dark, and his mind went completely blank.

 

Pressing his thumbs against his eyelids, he slapped his cheeks lightly.

 

‘Let’s muster up some courage and try again later. …For now, I should at least check the medicine box since I’m here.’

 

As he told Anje, it was about time to replenish the medicine supplies. He opened the drawer and looked for where the box might be.

 

“…It’s not here?”

 

Inside the drawer were random items, ribbons he had bought for her, leaves that looked like they were picked up from the roadside, and other miscellaneous things. But the box he was looking for was nowhere to be seen.

 

Wondering if Anje might have placed it elsewhere and forgotten, he checked around her desk.

 

“Oh.”

 

Something shining between the desk and the wall caught his eye. Upon closer inspection, it was a pair of opera glasses.

 

He carefully reached out and retrieved the item wedged in the gap.

 

“You searched high and low asking where it had gone, and it turns out it was stuck in here.”

 

She had made a fuss, wondering if a crow had taken it or if a fledgling might have dropped it to the ground, but the culprit was none other than Anje herself.

 

Wondering if she might have dropped anything else, he stretched out his long arm and thoroughly checked the floor.

 

Rustle―

 

The next thing his fingers touched was a crumpled ball of paper. A helpless chuckle tugged at his lips.

 

“I told her to throw her trash away properly. and yet she stuffs it in here like this.”

 

Aiden flinched as he tried to put the snowball-like white, round bundle of paper into his pocket.

 

‘It could be an important document, so I should check it before throwing it away.’

 

Though the round, balled-up shape made that seem unlikely, he straightened out the paper anyway.

 

「To my daughter.」

 

Seeing the heading, his pupils shook violently as he quickly recognized the paper’s identity.

 

The sophisticated ink and elegant cursive radiated a sense of refinement. It was undoubtedly a letter from Duke Glasster to his daughter.

 

‘I shouldn’t read it.’

 

Reason screamed at him. This was a private letter, and her privacy deserved respect.

 

But his eyes couldn’t leave the paper. The mention of their married life was right there, at the very start of the letter.

 

「Thanks to you blabbering about your married life everywhere, the social circles have been quite abuzz.」

 

He desperately hoped the stories she spread about her marriage were positive as he read the next sentence.

 

‘Just one more sentence.’

 

His gaze moved to the next sentence, and then the next, unable to stop.

 

Until his eyes, filled with layers of emotion, deepened into a dark crimson, like blood.

 

TL/N: NOO! NOT ANOTHER FREAKING MISUNDERSTANDING ㅠㅠ SORRY GUYS BUT WHAT HAD BEEN ON MY MIND READING THIS SCENE WAS THIS MEME LOL

AIDEN READING THE LETTER BE LIKE:

 

* * *

 

Thud, thud, thud―

 

A loud noise came from outside. It was the hurried footsteps of Anje running up.

 

He closed the door he had just stepped out of and acknowledged her.

 

“A, Anje.”

 

“A, A, Aiden.”

 

She was slightly out of breath from running quickly, but Anje maintained a poker face and asked.

 

“Did you check the medicine box? It took a while, so I was worried you couldn’t find it.”

 

“Yes, I think I need to buy more bandages and antacids.”

 

“Really?”

 

She studied Aiden’s face closely. On the surface, he seemed no different from usual, but it was still necessary to confirm, just in case.

 

“Was there anything else? Any strange items or anything…?”

 

It wasn’t until after he had entered his room and some time had passed that she remembered she had placed her father’s letter somewhere inside the room.

 

She couldn’t exactly remember where she had placed it after carelessly crumpling and throwing it.

 

‘If Aiden sees that letter, it will be a disaster.’

 

She should have gotten rid of it right away when she received it. But since it was from her father, she couldn’t bring herself to tear it or burn it.

 

The area around her bitten nails, which she had nervously chewed after a long time, ached.

 

The letter contained all the harsh things she had said about Dilton Farm and Aiden. Furthermore, it even revealed that her father was trying to marry her off to another man.

 

To hide her anxiety, she rubbed her palms together.

 

“There was.”

 

“What, What was it?”

 

Aiden raised the corners of his lips.

 

“The drawer was a bit messy. I told you that cleaning it up should be done regularly, didn’t I, Anje?”

 

“Wasn’t the medicine box in the wardrobe, though?”

 

“Ugh… Fine. I’ll clean it up thoroughly this time.”

 

She lightly pushed Aiden to the side and grabbed the door handle. While cleaning the drawer, she planned to find and dispose of the letter.

 

“Then, I’ll head to the forest for a bit. There’s some new… furniture I’m planning to make, so I need to find suitable wood.”

 

He made a reasonable excuse and left. He needed some time alone.

 

Bang―

 

Aidan slammed the front door shut, and the childish smile he had just had was completely gone from his face. His expressionless face became more and more distorted as he moved away from the house and closer to the forest.

 

Finally, Aiden reached an open area far enough from the house and collapsed to the ground.

 

‘Anje…’

 

His hands, which were gripping the ground tightly, trembled.

 

‘Is it really true?’

 

A question so terrifying he couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud crossed his mind.

 

Everything around him spun, and it became hard to breathe. The peaceful and tranquil forest seemed to change its face, pressing down on him.

 

‘Is she really… going to leave me?’

 

Voices mocking him seemed to echo from somewhere.

 

‘There’s no way anyone would love a bastard like you.’

 

‘A coward bastard who only cares about his own life.’

 

Over the cruel words of Philip and the guards, Anje’s voice gradually overlapped.

 

His desperate cry, so full of despair that anyone who heard it might mistake it for the cry of a dying animal, echoed throughout the forest.

 

TL/N: NOOO, MY POOR AIDEN!!

 

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