“I haven’t told anyone yet. You’re the first person I’ve told,” Julia said.
She couldn’t predict how people would react to those words, so she had kept it to herself until now.
“No, not at all. It’s amazing,” Erin said affectionately but firmly.
“Really?”
“Julia, I’ll support you,” Erin said, using informal language for the first time instead of her usual polite speech.
It was a small difference, but Erin’s support felt even more powerful because of it.
Looking into Julia’s eyes, Erin spoke with sincerity. Just that one word made Julia’s heart swell. In truth, she had wanted to be encouraged.
Even though nothing had been decided and regardless of whether it was realistically achievable, Julia longed for that one word to be a solid pillar of support.
In that moment, Julia realized that Erin would support her no matter what, regardless of what she said. Unconsciously, that’s why Julia had confessed to her in the first place.
“Thank you,” Julia’s face lit up.
Julia indeed liked Erin. Once again, it was natural; she wanted to have good conversations and be friends with Erin for a long time.
‘Ah, so that’s why there was a misunderstanding.’ It was a completely different emotion from what Aiden suspected, but Julia definitely liked Erin.
***
Erin changed into a dress and brushed her hair, lost in thought.
Since talking with Julia today, her heart had been beating happily. She felt happier and fuller than ever before.
Until now, Erin had felt anxious due to an unreasonable misunderstanding. Its implications were enormous.
It felt like the moment Erin had been longing for was finally coming to an end. This moment seemed to hint at the unwavering relationship between Erin and Aiden.
While it used to be Erin’s own determination, now she could be sure. She would no longer concern herself with the relationship between Aiden and Julia.
If Erin had anything to worry about in the future, it would be solely focused on her time with Aiden and dreaming of new moments. She also intended to quickly dispel Aiden’s misunderstanding as Julia had asked.
How embarrassing it would be if they found out that Aiden and she had been jealous of each other over Julia.
She was curious about how that would look. But after returning to the mansion, Erin’s feelings changed.
“It’s a bit regrettable to just say this.”
After learning everything from Julia, Erin decided against telling Aiden all the details. Instead, she thought of a better way.
“Hmm~”
The best part of learning all the facts from Julia was knowing that Aiden was jealous. Humming a tune, Erin schemed happily. A smile played on her lips.
Late in the evening, Erin prepared the wine before Aiden arrived.
Sharing a drink with Aiden before bed was the beginning of Erin’s plan. Not long after, Aiden arrived.
“Wine,” he remarked as he naturally took his seat at the table upon entering.
The two often enjoyed wine and had many conversations, a time both of them enjoyed. It was when they casually shared a drink at the table that Erin had prepared, that things felt strange.
“Aiden,” Erin called his name softly.
“Seems like you’ve been showing interest in Charte lately,” Erin said subtly, eyeing Aiden.
“I thought we had an agreement,” Erin deliberately squinted her eyes and stared at Aiden.
Momentarily perplexed by Erin’s question, Aiden cautiously spoke, “Are you…jealous?” His eyes gleamed with anticipation.
“No, who would be jealous,” Erin turned her head away and pursed her lips, stubbornly refusing to admit her jealousy.
Aiden’s eyes sparkled even more.
“It seems like you’re jealous,” Aiden muttered cautiously yet confidently to himself.
Erin’s face turned red. She turned her head away, avoiding eye contact, but her actions clearly betrayed her jealousy.
Aiden’s eyes widened.
“Erin.”
Aiden’s momentarily blank expression brightened.
He was desperate for her to love him back.
“No, it’s a misunderstanding,” Aiden quickly denied. It was obvious to anyone that he was flustered and telling a lie.
As Erin averted Aiden’s gaze and rolled her eyes, she sighed deeply, as if giving up.
“Do you remember when Aiden first held Julia’s hand at Hertius Square?” Julia’s question seemed to stir a reaction in Aiden.
“When was it okay for you to touch someone else, or is Julia special?” Erin deliberately spoke with a sadder expression.
Aiden became restless at Erin’s heartbroken and jealous demeanor, unable to contain his own distress.
“You were misunderstanding everything,” Aiden said urgently.
Without giving himself time to think, he suddenly stood up, made an effort to meet Erin’s eyes as she stooped with her head down, and continued speaking.
“No, really. It’s not true. It’s been okay for me to touch someone else for a long time now.
It’s been years!” Erin had been worrying and caring for him, but there was no need for that anymore.
Now that they had become a complete couple, there was no need to pursue her attention by deceiving Erin. He hoped that she would care more about him than worry. That’s why he didn’t bother about it anymore.
Ironically, that misunderstanding was partly because of that.
“Huh? Just a few months ago….” Erin blinked her eyes slowly, as if she couldn’t believe it.
“That’s!” Aiden seemed to be momentarily at a loss for words, then he closed his mouth and slowly opened it again.
“It was a lie. I did it to make you worry and think about me more.”
“So now…?”
“So I’ve been pretending that it’s not okay. But now, there’s no need to do that anymore.”
Aiden naturally cupped Erin’s face and met her eyes. Despite the pleading tone of his voice, the corners of Aiden’s mouth were twitching.
It hurt to see Erin upset, but at the same time, Aiden couldn’t bring himself to stop smirking at the fact that Erin was jealous. But Erin pretended not to notice.
The truth was, this was exactly the sight that she had really wanted to see. The fact that he secretly enjoyed her jealousy.
“Actually… I was the one who was really jealous,” she said, wanting to hear Aiden speak sincerely.
“Aiden, jealous?” Erin pretended to know nothing.
“….Lately, I felt that you were closer to Julia than me.” Aiden began to honestly express the emotions he had felt.
From resentment and loneliness to even a hint of anxiety. As she watched him calmly continue speaking, Erin felt the impulse to pull Aiden close and hold him tight.
“Do you think I like Julia?”
“No. There’s no way I would do that to you,” Aiden answered firmly.
“Then?” Erin’s head tilted to the side in surprise. Without hesitation, Aiden opened his mouth.
“Charte might be able to do that. And it’s been quite obvious that she likes Erin.”
“….”
“Who wouldn’t like you when they get close to you, Erin?” Aiden spoke with such conviction. He genuinely believed that everyone had to love Erin. Moreover, his words still carried a tinge of wariness towards Julia.
Erin quickly lowered her head. If she didn’t, she felt like she might burst into laughter from sheer joy. After composing her expression, she raised her head to look at Aiden again.
To have someone who loves me so blindly… How could this person not become the goal of my life? Erin loved Aiden’s every emotion in return.
Taking Aiden’s hand, Erin let out a sigh.
“Who I love is more important. And there’s only one person who’s allowed to be jealous of me.”
Erin wanted to reassure Aiden that there was no one else, no need for him to be anxious.
No matter what situation the two of them faced, even if there were insurmountable obstacles, everything would change and they would overcome it together.
The one thing she didn’t have to worry or doubt about was the fact that Erin loved Aiden, just as Aiden loved her.
As Erin guided Aiden’s hand to wrap around her, she spoke, “The only person who can hold me like this in this world is Aiden. I wouldn’t allow anyone else.”
Erin looked Aiden in the eyes as she spoke, her demeanor momentarily bewitching, causing Aiden to lose his composure.
