Chapter 8
“What on earth kind of gift is this…!”
Fleur brushed back her wet brown hair, impatiently waiting for the sudden downpour to end.
But against her wish, the sky only grew darker, like night was falling.
“Did you call me?”
“No. I didn’t say anyth—”
Hearing her muttering to herself, Aidan appeared behind her and asked. When he stepped into her field of vision, her head turned as if pulled by a magnet.
Aidan had stripped off his rain-soaked black jacket, standing in just a white blouse.
Because of the dampness, the blouse clung tightly to his body, tracing his lean frame. Through the half-transparent silk, the contours of his well-toned muscles showed clearly.
Even if she tried not to look, human instinct was stronger. Her eyes kept filling with his image. After all, handsome men and water together were the ultimate paradise, heaven, utopia—hallelujah.
“Good lord…”
His usually unruly black hair was weighed down by the rain, giving him a calmer look. Brushing back the bangs that had been covering his eyes, his forehead was revealed.
That made his dark brows and long lashes stand out, and with raindrops gathered on his sharp eyes, he looked melancholic.
“Is there something on my face?”
“No… I’m just confused whether I came under this awning or ascended to heaven…”
“What are you talking about? Did your temperature rise all of a sudden?”
He came closer and laid a hand on her forehead to check for fever. Were his hands always this large and warm? Was this what they called handsome-man therapy?
“I’m not sick, so don’t worry.”
Her heart pounded so violently she feared it might touch him first. Fleur quickly stepped back, turning her body away from his hand.
There must be something strange in this rain. Dark thoughts kept bubbling up, and she had to press them back down.
“If the rain doesn’t stop in about five minutes, I’ll call Dylan.”
“And how exactly will you call him from here?”
At the mention of Dylan, Aidan’s face twisted, and he drew close to her side.
She tried hard not to meet his gaze, wondering why he insisted on standing so near. Tilting her head slightly away, she showed him the whistle hanging from her necklace.
“With this. Since the fields are wide, it’s the best way to let the servants know where I am.”
“You sound like someone who’s been farming for ten years.”
“That just proves how seriously I take my work.”
Aidan stared at the whistle with clear displeasure before asking quietly,
“Why did you appoint him as your aide?”
“Him? Don’t speak carelessly of my aide. Belittling Dylan is no different from belittling me.”
She couldn’t let his disparagement of her household duties slide. Fleur glared at him with sharp eyes.
Then Aidan pouted and asked,
“Is your reason for breaking off our engagement because of your aide?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you love that… Alin, or Galic, or whatever his name is?”
Even as he asked, his crimson eyes trembled, as if begging her not to answer. He looked anxious, afraid she might actually say yes.
Fleur shook her head at once.
“Dylan became my aide because he’s good at his job. There are no personal feelings.”
“Not even a little?”
“Not at all.”
Even with the answer he wanted, Aidan’s expression wasn’t relieved. Silence stretched between them.
“…Then why do you want to break our engagement?”
It was the first time he had brought up the subject.
“I want to protect the Balen family name with my own strength. If I marry you, Balen will disappear forever and become Houser instead.”
“You can still use the name Balen for the farming business.”
“That’s not the point, Aidan.”
She continued gently,
“I don’t want to be in a position where I need your permission to use my own family’s name.”
“…”
“I have too many things I want to do to spend my life behind someone else, just because we’re married. That’s why I want to stand alone—so I can do what I want under my own name.”
Aidan fell silent, his gaze drifting over the fields Fleur had cultivated.
“Even though I lost my parents and live alone now, I like this life. I do the work I want, and I’m surrounded by servants who move for my goals.”
“…It shows.”
“And I want to become an example for other young women who are left alone like me.”
“An example?”
Fleur’s golden eyes sparkled.
“In a world that insists marriage is the only answer for women left behind, I want to show that there’s another path.”
“…”
“I want to show them with my own life that it’s okay to dream freely.”
These were feelings she’d experienced while playing the game. It had always pained her that, because of the era, people believed only marriage could bring stability of body and heart.
“…I never thought you’d be thinking like that. I thought you’d just cry because you hated being alone.”
For the first time, instead of denying her talk of breaking up, Aidan acknowledged her reasoning.
“That’s fair. The old me never would’ve said anything like this.”
Before she transmigrated, Fleur had been calm, quiet, and prone to tears. It was understandable that he couldn’t accept the breakup easily.
“But this is my true heart.”
“…I see.”
“So will you end the engagement with me now?”
The pounding rain that threatened to collapse the awning gradually eased.
Aidan’s crimson eyes fixed unwaveringly on Fleur, and she did not look away.
“…Hypothetically.”
“Yes?”
“If we break up… is there still a chance that someday, if our hearts align again, we could marry?”
“…What?”
“You’re breaking it off because you have things you want to do. Then after you achieve your dreams, if you one day wish for someone by your side, could you accept me again?”
His tone turned pleading, as if begging her to say yes right now.
“If you can decide the breakup on your own terms, then I should be allowed to decide to wait on mine.”
“It could be a very long time. By then, your heart might not be the same…”
“Fleur.”
For once, he didn’t use her nickname.
“I’ve never not loved you. That’s why I stayed by your side even as your family declined. So… don’t dismiss our engagement as just a promise between parents.”
“…”
“Just answer me this—if we break up, you won’t forbid me from coming back to you someday. Then, when the time comes, I’ll formally propose again.”
Even while speaking of separation, somehow the conversation circled back to marriage.
Fleur felt flustered by the shift, but the breakup had to come first.
Since Aidan was the first character tied to her storyline, distancing herself from him might completely change her life.
“Alright. I won’t stop you if you come back someday.”
“Then look forward to it—how thoroughly I’ll prepare to win you over in the future.”
He seized her left hand and drew her closer, until their toes nearly touched. Startled, she froze, and in that moment Aidan pressed his lips softly to the back of her hand.
You are close to a capture target.
This is a chance to raise his affection. Kiss him.
What? Kiss him?
Hey! I just managed to get him to agree to a breakup! Now I’m supposed to throw all that away? Who in their right mind kisses someone right after calling off an engagement?!
She nearly burst out laughing at the absurdity of the system message.
“Eep!”
Suddenly, Aidan’s arm circled her waist, trapping her in his embrace.
“W-wait! Why are you hugging me?!”
“You’re shaking.”
“What?”
“Your body’s hot. Must be from being caught in the rain.”
She’d been so busy marveling at his drenched face that she forgot she was just as soaked. Her fragile frame couldn’t withstand the heavy rain for long.
Only once she was in his arms did she realize she was trembling from the chill.
She knew she should pull away, but her body instinctively sought his warmth, making it hard to resist.
“Fleury.”
“Wait—mmph.”
He leaned close to her ear, his low voice sounding louder than the rain itself.
“As a parting gift for our breakup… will you give me one last present?”
“What… present?”
He gently grasped her chin, locking her gaze with his.
“A farewell kiss.”
