Chapter 319: Chapter 319 - The Teddy Bear And The Lady (2)
Chapter 319 – The Teddy Bear And The Lady (2)
Kuhn walked towards Mirabelle, then stopped at a close distance . Mirabelle, who was watching the scene with a stunned expression, pinched her thigh with all her might to make sure she was not dreaming . She grimaced and gave a cry of pain .
“Ah!”
Kuhn looked at her in surprise .
“Are you all right?”
“Ah, yes! I’m fine . ”
Only then did Mirabelle belatedly realize what she had done . She must look like a crazy woman hurting herself out of nowhere . This important moment could have been ruined because of her .
But she couldn’t help it . This didn’t seem real . Kuhn standing in her room… It seemed like a fantasy that would blow away like dust before her . Mirabelle was forced to confirm that it was real . The only problem was that once she had done so, she wanted nothing more than to disappear into the ground in embarrassment .
‘What should I do? Does he think I’m weird? I don’t know where to look . ’
But she couldn’t bring herself to speak . She dreamed so much about Kuhn that this didn’t feel real . Mirabelle’s face burned with shame . She awkwardly cleared her throat and pretended to act casually .
“So…how have you been so far?”
It was a simple, courteous question . But it was a different question she wanted to ask .
Did you come because you missed me? Do you finally have the courage to hold my hand?
Already, her head was full of expectations that he would end her wait . If Kuhn answered that way, she would have no regrets dying at this moment .
Finally, Kuhn moved his thin lips .
“I came to the Freegrand Kingdom for business, and Her Majesty sent along some supplies with me . Here is a letter from Her Majesty the Empress . ”
Kuhn formally took out a white envelope, and Mirabelle accepted it silently . She felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on her head . Her hopeful expectations were immediately dashed . Reality and her imagination were completely different . This was not a dream, but real . Kuhn only came here under command, and he had no desire to see her for himself . He was only present because Mirabelle wanted to see the man delivering the supplies, and that man happened to be Kuhn . That was all .
Mirabelle stood as frozen as a statue for a moment as she controlled her bitter emotions .
“I see . Oh, I’m late, but congratulations . ”
“I heard you became a baron . I hadn’t had the chance to congratulate you in person until now . ”
“Thank you . ”
Mirabelle had already heard that Kuhn became a baron some time ago . Although it was a low position, that fact that he became a nobleman did not change .
So, once upon a time, Mirabelle had high hopes . If the reason Kuhn pushed her away was because of the difference in social status, then he might return .
But quite a while had passed since then . Kuhn had rejected Mirabelle because of a difference in status, but later she realized that it might not be the reason all . He simply had no feelings for her, and refused her confession in a way to not hurt her feelings .
But Mirabelle smiled as if it was alright . She wasn’t a little girl who would toss away her entire heart anymore .
“There’s a guest room for the person who brings the supplies every year . You may stay there until you return to the Ruford Empire . If you’re not comfortable here, you can ask the maid for other accommodations . ”
“Not at all . I have to return to the Ruford Empire tomorrow, so I’ll spend one night here . ”
“Very well . If you need anything, tell the maid . ”
“Yes . Thank you . ”
Kuhn bowed modestly to Mirabelle like he always did, then walked out of the room . He seemed to glance at the designs on her desk before he turned, but Mirabelle dismissed it as an illusion . He wasn’t interested in her . Mirabelle couldn’t draw out fantasies in this situation .
Kkiiig, deolkeong!
As soon as the door firmly closed shut, Mirabelle lost all her strength and collapsed onto her chair . It was a very short meeting, but she realized so many things in a short period of time . Kuhn really didn’t have any feelings for her, and her wait wasn’t likely to end . The thought of it broke her heart, but…
‘Still…it was good to see his face . ’
She knew there was no hope, but she enjoyed seeing his face for the first time after three years . This was how it always ended with Kuhn . That was fine, though . There was no happy ending, and while her love was one-sided, it was good to experience it .
‘…I’m glad . ’
It was a real relief that she did not get caught up by her foolish whimsies . She could be around Kuhn for one night . He wasn’t here for anything special, but she could enjoy his company for a while . But even after a long night of pain…that alone couldn’t stop her excitement .
That night, Kuhn and Mirabelle had dinner together . It was not polite to have Kuhn eat with the servants now that he was a noble .
She stared across the table to look at him . She never thought she would have a meal with Kuhn in this mansion . They had only eaten together once before, when Mirabelle gave him a healthy meal of chicken . At the time, Kuhn had said:
— Young Lady, it’s not good for you to share a table with a servant .
Later, she understood how uncomfortable she made him, and vowed never to force him to eat with her again . But now this unexpected day has come .
Kuhn probably didn’t like being stared at, so Mirabelle lowered her gaze and ate normally . The dining room was so quiet that the only sounds were the occasional clacking of silverware . It was Kuhn that broke the silence first .
“For some reason I thought there would be a chicken dish, but my prediction was wrong . ”
“Ah, tell me if there is something you wish to eat . ”
“No . I guess I was just remembering what you served me before . ”
Mirabelle realized that Kuhn also recalled that memory . But that was probably just coincidence . That was a difficult time, so he probably just remembered it even more .
“Then I’ll ask the chef to make it tomorrow to save those memories . It’s been a long time since I had a guest, so the chef must be wondering what to make . ”
Mirabelle rang the bell on the table with a gentle smile . A maid posted outside came into the dining room .
“Yes, My Lady . ”
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“Please tell the chef to prepare a healthy meal made from chicken tomorrow . ”
“Chicken? You don’t eat chicken . ”
At the maid’s words, Kuhn glanced suspiciously at Mirabelle . He seemed to remember that the chicken dish was one of her favorite foods from the past . Mirabelle answered with an indifferent look .
“Not for me, but for the Baron . ”
“Ah! I understand, My Lady . ”
The maid gave a polite bow, then scurried out the room . Mirabelle and Kuhn were alone again, and the latter made a questioning look .
“You don’t eat chicken anymore?”
“I don’t . My preferences must have changed when I got older . You don’t have to worry about it . Anyway, I know you would be happy to eat delicious food like before . And…I also apologize for any inconvenience I gave you last time . ”
As a child, Mirabelle looked at the world with a pure lens . She didn’t care that Kuhn was a servant . With a later perspective, she realized that she must have made him uncomfortable .
Kuhn replied in a soft voice .
“It’s alright . It’s already in the past . ”
Mirabelle responded with only a slight smile . She couldn’t say she didn’t eat chicken because of her memories of that time .
After Kuhn and Mirabelle finished eating dinner, they headed to their respective rooms . Unfortunately, the two were headed in the same direction, so they walked side-by-side for a while . Meanwhile, Mirabelle inwardly thanked the universe for this small accident .
The pairs’ footsteps echoed in the hall . She listened to the sound and slowed down a little more . She wished that this path was a little longer .
Tuk, tuk, tuk .
A soft patter echoed against the window, and Mirabelle turned towards the sound . White snow was starting to fall outside, and she unintentionally let out a murmur as she witnessed the scene .
“Oh, it’s snowing . ”
Kuhn, who was walking next to her, paused and looked out the window . The snow drifted like glowing petals against the dark night sky .
“Yes, it’s snowing . ”
There was a note of melancholy in his tone, and Mirabelle gave a smile . Kuhn was the same as he ever was . He was like that when they went on their picnic together, and showed little interest in the natural landscape . But Mirabelle was greedy to show him more . She believed that scenes from nature made people feel relaxed, and she wanted to crack Kuhn’s shell a bit . Of course, her feelings for him had not changed .
“Winter is really coming . It’s getting colder . ”
Mirabelle nodded her head and began to walk forward again . Then, Kuhn shrugged off his coat and dropped it over her slender shoulders .
Seueug—
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Mirabelle’s footsteps suddenly halted . His jacket was warm . His body heat soaked deep into her skin as well as her heart…
She looked up at Kuhn, and he spoke in his neutral voice .
“You might catch a cold, so be careful . ”
Why? Mirabelle felt like tears would burst from her at any moment . This wasn’t a new feeling, but she rediscovered it all over again—Kuhn was a man who could make any moment special . His act of meaningless kindness made her as happy as if she owned the whole world . She was so joyful at this moment, and at the same time so sad…
Mirabelle managed a weak smile .
“…Thank you . ”
A complex expression crossed her face, and Kuhn looked at her strangely . Mirabelle wondered at the meaning, but she missed the opportunity to ask him when he started moving again .
The pair continued their silent stroll, until they finally reached the guest room where Kuhn would stay overnight . There, a vicious-looking man was waiting impatiently for them .
“You’re here now?”
He spotted Kuhn and quickly approached .
“What’s going on?”
“We have to move our schedule forward . There is urgent news from the Ruford Empire . ”
The man held out a piece of paper . Kuhn looked at the contents and nodded .
“I see . Tell everyone to pack immediately . ”
Mirabelle’s eyes rounded at Kuhn’s unexpected decision . She thought he would stay at least one night . He was supposed to sleep in the mansion, and then tomorrow she would see him eat chicken . But her wish was shattered .
“Do you have to leave right away?”
“Yes . I need to return as soon as possible . ”
“Ah…”
In the meantime, the vicious-looking man already disappeared to carry out Kuhn’s orders and inform the others to pack . Kuhn opened the door to his room, where his luggage still remained unopened . He didn’t need to pack like everyone else .
Kuhn walked back out of the room with his luggage, and turned to Mirabelle who was standing by the door with a blank expression .
“Let me escort you to your room . ”
Mirabelle’s mouth was bursting with so many things to say . She wanted to see him a little more . She wanted to keep him here if she could . But in the end, the word that left her mouth was short .
“…Yes . ”
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The road that Mirabelle hoped for had ended forever . The distance from the dining room to Kuhn’s room, and then from there to Mirabelle’s room, was everything she could have . It almost made her angry .
When they arrived at Mirabelle’s door, Kuhn gave a polite bow .
“Thank you very much for today . I hope you are healthy as always . ”
“Yes . And Kuhn…take care of yourself . ”
“Then dream well, Young Lady . ”
Mirabelle had yet to decide how to say goodbye to him . She was at a loss at what to do at this sudden separation, and Kuhn had already sharply turned away from her . As she looked at his cold back, she pressed her lips together to hold back the tears that threatened to escape .
‘When can we meet again?’
That was what she wanted to say .
‘You didn’t forget what I said I was waiting for, did you? You didn’t forget my confession?’
She was still in love with Kuhn . She was still waiting for him . There were so many words that she wanted to say, but they all jammed at her mouth that, in the end, she could not say a single one .
She was afraid that she might be a burden to him… And, like before, she was afraid to hold on to him in fear of holding him back . As a woman who loved Kuhn, she didn’t want to bring any more harm upon him . However…she could not suppress the desire to see him .
“…Heug . ”
Eventually, a cry broke out from her lips . Only after Kuhn completely disappeared could Mirabelle sit on the cold floor and cry as much as she wished . The feeling of a broken heart was the same as before . Even after all this time, it hurt to the point of death .
“Euheug, this is truly bad . ”
She couldn’t even wipe the tears that flowed shamelessly from her eyes . Then, through her blurry vision, she noticed a neat handkerchief in front of her . She looked up and saw someone was holding it . As soon as she identified who it was, she was so surprised that she couldn’t even remember why she was crying .
It was a man with dark blue hair and pale skin . It was Kuhn, the man that had just left her earlier .
She thought he had gone completely, so she could not understand why he was in front of her .
“Please let me ask you something . ”
Kuon looked at her with an uncharacteristically complicated expression .
“Are you crying because of me?”
A final tear slipped from Mirabelle’s eyes as they widened in amazement . Wh-what? Mirabelle had no idea how this happened .
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