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chapter 67
“At first, I even thought about abandoning everything and running away with Celine. But… Celine didn’t agree.”
‘Bern… in the end, this was as far as we could go.’
‘No! Celine! We can just leave like this! Then no one would be able to interfere with us anymore.’
Bern clung to Celine, pleading, but she shook off his hand with a cold expression.
‘You’re telling me to give up everything and just follow you? What nonsense.’
“Celine…?”
“Even though Count Lemario is older, he has plenty of money, so I can live comfortably without lacking anything. I can finally escape my father’s tiresome obsession with money. But if I run away with you, what will I have left?”
Bern was speechless at her unyielding attitude.
‘…Could it be that you’ve been meeting me all this time because of my wealth and status?’
“…Yes! That’s right! I approached you because of your status! And now you realize it. How naive you are.”
The words were shocking enough to make Bern question whether they had ever truly liked each other for who they were, rather than for their social standing.
Hearing Celine, Bern finally couldn’t hold onto her any longer.
And so, Celine married Count Lemario.
“I heard that you married shortly after breaking up with me. I couldn’t bring myself to function. You see… I loved you enough to give up everything.”
Listening to him, Lucia thought of her own blind love for Herwin.
She empathized with Bern and felt a pang of sorrow for him.
“For a year, I lived like a wreck. I didn’t leave the mansion at all, and I refused to meet any friends who came looking for me.”
“But now…”
Now he was walking around with a composed face, smiling easily, and had even promised an engagement to her…
Bern gave a wry smile, aware of Lucia’s whispered thoughts.
“With time, I started to feel a bit better. And then, unexpectedly, my father passed away.”
“…Ah.”
“Although I resented him for opposing Celine so much, I couldn’t hate him completely since he was my father. At first, I thought I might bring Celine back since my father had passed, but she had married another man and was living well while I was still drowning in heartbreak. Our connection was completely severed.”
“But… you still love her, right?”
“Huh? Ah, no. I mustn’t…”
Startled, he raised his hands as if to ward off the topic, but Bern pressed his lips tightly together.
A warm sensation settled on her hand. Bern looked down at her tiny hand.
“…Yes, that’s right.”
“Is that why you said I reminded you of Celine?”
“….”
“Both Bern and I have someone we love, but we can’t be together.”
“If that made you uncomfortable, I’m truly sorry. I just chose Lucia for my own peace of mind.”
As she expected, he was projecting his own heartbreak onto her.
“But! I didn’t choose her just for that reason! Lucia is far too kind and wonderful for me. So… I thought you would be a good partner for my future.”
Bern urgently stood and faced Lucia. She gave a wry smile and looked up at him.
“No need to apologize. Perhaps I’m the same as Bern.”
Now she finally understood why being with Bern had always felt comfortable, why she felt a sense of kinship.
He was like a reflection in the mirror: carrying the same pain, having loved similarly, and unable to be with the one they truly loved.
“Since Bern had the courage to speak, I should say my part as well.”
“There’s no need. You don’t have to…”
“No. I want to. I hope you’ll trust what I say more than what others have told you.”
Bern paused his hand gestures and nodded, sensing the sincerity in Lucia’s words.
“As you expected, I have loved Herwin from afar for a long time. Unlike Bern, we never confirmed our mutual feelings, but I adored him so passionately that I poured everything I had into him.”
“….”
“Since we’ve known each other since childhood, I thought that if I waited a little, someday Herwin would feel the same way. But it was just my wishful thinking. That day never came.”
“…I see.”
“The reason I agreed to meet Bern was because after confessing to Herwin one last time, my feelings didn’t reach him. Honestly, after loving Herwin so intensely, I didn’t think I could ever love anyone else that passionately. So I chose Bern as someone who would be a suitable partner—someone I could live with even without love.”
Bern, realizing they shared the same feelings, held Lucia’s hand tightly, feeling the sincerity in her words.
“I’m not much different from Bern. So don’t feel burdened. In fact… knowing that Bern thinks this way puts my mind at ease.”
It felt like a liberation from the burden of love. Since each of them loved someone else, they didn’t need to seek love from one another.
Whatever happens in the future, for now, there was relief.
“If Bern had wanted love from me, I would have felt burdened. The same goes for you, right?”
Bern nodded slowly.
“…Shall we check, just in case?”
“Check?”
“Yes.”
Lucia carefully examined Bern’s face. His features were bold, but his eyes were gentle—a handsome man with an intelligent aura.
If she didn’t love Herwin, she might have liked Bern. But realizing this also meant she didn’t actually love him.
“Please, kiss me.”
Bern’s golden eyes behind his glasses flickered. He opened his mouth slightly in surprise.
“…Did you say kiss me?”
“Yes. If my feelings tilt even slightly toward you, I might eventually come to like you. And… later, we’ll need to share a deeper bond.”
“That may be, but… isn’t this your first kiss?”
“Yes, it is.”
She had never dated anyone, so this was her first kiss. Ideally, she wanted it with the one she truly loved, but that was impossible now.
“Are you really okay being my first?”
Bern considered her feelings carefully. He knew who she truly loved and hesitated to take her first kiss without permission.
But Lucia had already decided.
“Yes. It has to be Bern.”
Bern thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Then, excuse me for a moment.”
His cold, large hand cupped her left cheek. Bern leaned in slowly, allowing her the chance to pull away if she changed her mind.
Lucia closed her eyes as he approached.
Finally, soft lips pressed against hers. She flinched at the strange sensation.
They didn’t realize anyone else could see them kissing.
Feeling her tremble, Bern pulled back immediately.
“Are you okay?”
Lucia’s trembling blue eyes met his. She pressed her lips firmly to his neck, and this time, she kissed him first. Bern, surprised, closed his eyes and guided her slowly to avoid startling her.
Their lips parted slightly as their tongues met. The awkward, unfamiliar sensation left her feeling strange—both guilty and oddly pleased.
Focusing on the sensation, her mind drifted to Herwin. It felt like kissing him, not Bern.
After a short but deep kiss, they slowly separated.
Lucia, her face flushed, exhaled shakily with a hint of regret.
“…Lucia.”
A voice—not the one she imagined—reached her. Opening her eyes, she saw Bern, not Herwin.
Even though it felt like she kissed Herwin, reality was cruel, and tears streamed down her face.
“Sniff… I-I’m sorry… I…”
“You don’t have to say anything.”
Bern felt her emotions while kissing her and held her gently.
“It’s alright, Lucia… it’s alright.”
“Ugh… sniff…”
Her tear ducts finally gave way in the warmth of his embrace. Lucia let herself cry in Bern’s arms.
Through the kiss, she realized she would never forget Herwin. She felt pathetic, unable to be with the one she truly loved.
“Lucia. I promise. I will never make you cry.”
Bern felt the same. While kissing her, he thought of Celine.
“I can’t be certain I’ll ever love you, but I will do my best to make sure you are happy.”
“I… I will do the same. Even if I cannot love Bern, I will do my best.”
For the first time, Bern and Lucia’s hearts truly connected.
They thought that when it comes time to marry and continue their family line, it would be ideal to have a partner who truly understands them.
Even without love, they would strive for a happy life together. That was their resolve.
At that moment, an eternal bond of understanding and comfort was formed.
Lucia hugged Bern tightly, crying. She never imagined Herwin would have seen her like this.
Meanwhile, Arista went searching for Herwin with her friends.
“Where on earth did he go?”
He had been acting strange even when they were together.
Seeing him desperately searching only for Lucia felt unfamiliar, yet it made her heart ache.
“You should have treated him well when you had the chance.”
Shaking her head at Herwin’s foolishness, Arista scanned the surroundings.
“He’s not here…”
No matter how she looked, she couldn’t spot a large man with black hair.
“Let’s check over there.”
She remembered a space behind a pillar and approached.
Turning the corner, she witnessed an obscene scene.
“I-I’m sorry…”
A man and a woman were entwined in a passionate embrace.
Embarrassed, Arista tried to leave, but froze when she recognized a familiar face in the scene.
“You….”
“…What?”
The man, caught mid-kiss with the woman, turned irritably and was shocked to see Arista standing there.
He soon realized she was Princess Lydia.
Remembering his recent struggles to secure investment from Duke Lydia, he panicked, thinking his true self had been exposed to her.
His face turned pale as he fled, leaving the woman behind.
But Arista wasn’t concerned with him. Her gaze fixed on the woman who had been passionately kissing the man.
“Hah… I never expected to run into you here again.”
The woman looked at Arista with an incredulous, weary glare.
