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Chapter : 12
Anna was coming home later than usual. Lisa, waiting in the carriage, was probably very angry by now. She might even make Anna copy 50 pages from the Bible as punishment.
‘That’s fine. Maybe I’ll become more pious.’
Normally, Anna would have been very nervous about Lisa, but today, since she had just promised to get married, she felt unusually bold and brave. Anna was smiling to herself, lost in thought, when suddenly Raiden squeezed her hand.
“Ah!”
Surprised, Anna looked up and saw Raiden looking at her with a serious face. He asked in a quiet voice,
“You have to go now, right?”
“Ah, yes. I do.”
Anna agreed, and Raiden’s eyes looked sad. He hesitated, then reached out and gently touched Anna’s finger with the ring.
“It feels like a dream,”
he whispered, his voice shaking a little. Anna was going to smile, but when she saw his eyes getting wet, she suddenly felt like crying too.
“…Me too.”
That was all she could say. Raiden smiled with joy, then looked sad again and whispered,
“I know you have to go… but I don’t want to let you leave.”
Anna felt the same. She was always the one to show her feelings. She was the first to confess, the first to say she wanted to meet, but Raiden only nodded quietly at her requests.
Still, it didn’t mean he loved her less. Even though he didn’t say much, his actions always showed his love clearly. Anna grew up with a loving stepfather, John, so she could tell when someone truly cared about her.
And Raiden… Raiden loved her more than anyone ever had.
Because of that, Anna was brave enough to say something bold.
“Then… should we kiss?”
“!”
Raiden was so shocked he froze, almost like a doll that didn’t need to blink.
For a moment—a moment that felt terribly long to Anna—there was only silence.
‘I messed up.’
She was so sure Raiden would like it, but now she was getting embarrassed.
‘What if I look too forward or bold?’
Anna’s blue eyes shook. Maybe she had let her feelings go too far just because they had promised their future.
‘Don’t you know how pure Raiden is?’
But her embarrassment soon turned to sadness and a little anger.
‘Even if I was too bold, is it really that bad?’
She remembered how Lucy had once shown her a popular romance novel among the maids. Anna wasn’t interested before, but when she imagined herself and Raiden as the main characters, it made her heart race. One night, she and Lucy secretly read the novel late, and Lisa caught them and scolded them.
‘In those books, the main characters always kiss when they confess their love…’
And when the girl confessed first, the boy never looked embarrassed. If they were the main characters in a novel, it would just say ‘END’ right here. Not much of a story.
‘Now I’m just overthinking because I’m sad.’
Anna pretended to be calm and spoke in a cool voice,
“Well, forget it if you don’t want to.”
As soon as she said that, her heart hurt. What if he really didn’t want to? Her eyes started to sting.
Suddenly, Raiden pulled her forward. He wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her close. Anna’s eyes went wide as she looked at his handsome face right in front of her. Raiden thought her blue eyes looked like ocean waves full of tears.
But now was not the time to just look.
He moved his lips and whispered,
“I want to, my lady. If I can’t, I think I’ll die.”
“!”
Anna’s mouth dropped open in shock at his words. Raiden didn’t miss the chance—he kissed her, their lips pressing tightly together.
Anna stared wide-eyed at Raiden. He closed his eyes and focused on the kiss. His long dark eyelashes made shadows on his cheeks, and when they shook, they looked like butterfly wings.
Anna thought he looked beautiful, but the heat from the kiss made her nervous. She felt a chill down her back and her stomach tightened, so she pressed her lips together. At that moment, Raiden opened his eyes.
In his eyes, Anna saw a new emotion. She didn’t know exactly what it was, but it made her shiver and breathe fast. Suddenly, she realized:
‘Is this what they call passion?’
It was a word often used in romance novels to describe the hero’s charm. When the male lead did something, the girls would blush and fan their faces. She always thought it was silly, but now, she understood.
‘No wonder they lost their minds.’
You shouldn’t judge others until you’ve felt it yourself. Now she’d enjoy reading romance novels even more.
Anna was a little scared of this new feeling, but she didn’t want to stop.
While Anna was lost in thought, Raiden tried hard to control himself. When they made eye contact, he urged her silently with his eyes. Anna finally relaxed her lips, and Raiden playfully pressed their lips together again, nodding for her to do the same. Anna learned something new about Raiden:
‘Raiden can be a little clingy.’
But she didn’t mind. After hesitating, Anna pressed and released her lips just like he did. Raiden blinked, as if saying ‘good job.’ Anna started to laugh, and when she looked up, she saw his dark eyes curving in a smile, too.
They laughed together, still kissing. They felt even closer, happier, and more in love than ever—like they could die happy right now.
Finally, they parted with a soft sound. In a dreamy state, they just stared at each other. Their lips were red and wet, making them want to kiss again.
Anna looked at Raiden like he was a perfectly cooked piece of meat. Suddenly, Raiden let go and stepped back.
“It’s too late.”
“Ah…”
Now Anna remembered Lisa, probably pacing outside. Her mind told her to go, but her heart wanted to stay. But Raiden made the choice.
“Please get up, my lady. I’ll help you.”
He stood first and helped Anna up. She looked at him with a pout, sighed, and got to her feet. They held hands tightly as they climbed down the ladder and stepped onto the ground.
“I…”
Raiden suddenly started to speak.
“Yes?”
Anna, feeling sad about leaving, looked up at him. Raiden had a very serious look, and declared,
“I will become such a great person that no one can criticize me… and I’ll come to get you. Please wait for me—just five years.”
“…Five years?”
“I will work hard so I’ll be worthy when you become an adult.”
Raiden lifted Anna’s hand and kissed her fingertips, staring into her eyes with strong gray eyes. Anna’s heart began to pound again.
She was so happy and shy she couldn’t speak. Raiden gently shook her hand.
“My lady, your answer?”
“…You already know.”
Anna mumbled with her lips sticking out, and Raiden tried not to laugh, acting innocent.
“But if you don’t say it, how can I know? If you don’t really want to, then…”
Anna waved her hands, surprised.
“Ah! I get it, I get it! I’ll wait for you. Of course I’ll wait—you know that.”
But after asking for her promise, Raiden went quiet again. Anna wondered what was wrong and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye—when suddenly, he pulled her into his arms again.
