“So, everything will be a bit small. It’s where my older brother and I used to hang out when we were young.”

He smiled at Bercheria nodding, and looked down at her feet sticking out from the blanket.

“About fifteen years old. I thought it would be about the same size as me back then, but it seems like you have slightly longer legs.”

At Lacraxan’s words, Bercheria smiled the same smile on her lips.

He covered her protruding toes with his large hands, and looked at the fireplace crackling and snapping.

“On the day of the wedding. I had something I wanted to give you.”
“What is it?”

Lacraxan took something out of his pocket and held it out in front of her.

“What is this?”

On the day Lacraxan decided to marry Bercheria, he immediately thought of his mother’s ring without hesitation. For ordinary women, marriage is a joyful day celebrated by family and friends, a day of happiness where they become more affectionate with their parents and reminisce about the days they have lived. However, for Bercheria and Lacraxan, there were no family members left to celebrate their wedding together. So, Lacraxan thought that his mother’s ring could have a small meaning for Bercheria. Although he couldn’t deliver it to her since the wedding day, he kept it with him, believing that it would have its own meaning once it found its place.

It was a ring with a large diamond adorned with droplet patterns.

“Oh, a ring.”

To Bercheria, a ring was an item used to make her mother’s strikes even more painful. However, not all rings were so horrifying in appearance. The ring placed on her palm looked beautiful.

“It’s what my mother used to wear. It’s also the only item I took from the heirlooms after she passed away.”

When Bercheria silently stared at the ring, Lacraxan seemed to be nervously dry-mouthed due to tension.

“The diamond…”

Lacraxan cleared his throat and continued speaking.

“The reason for giving a woman a diamond when getting married is that this gemstone does not change. It symbolizes that the love at the moment of marriage will not change. Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“It’s beautiful.”

Bercheria looked at the ring in silence, then lifted her head and asked.

“Did your mother’s feelings not change while wearing this ring?”

Lacraxan smiled.

“At least as far as I know.”

A smile appeared on Bercheria’s face.

When Lacraxan first decided to give her this ring, he didn’t attribute more meaning to it than the ring his mother used to wear. However, when Bercheria fell into the sea, Lacraxan’s thoughts completely changed. He no longer intended to regret not cherishing something precious after losing it. Now that she was by his side, he understood that love grows even more when you cherish and express it more when the person is close to you. However, this was only his chosen pace. Lacraxan planned to patiently observe until she set her own pace.

“Would it bother you by any chance?”

Only then did she raise her head and meet his gaze.

“Huh?”

“Because it’s an heirloom. If it bothers you, you don’t have to accept it.”

As Lacraxan tried to pull his hand away, Bercheria, surprised, grabbed his hand.
“No, not at all. I don’t feel bad.”

She seemed a bit surprised.

Thoughts crossed her mind, wondering if it was okay for her to wear such a beautiful ring.

“When a man puts a ring on a woman during marriage, it becomes a symbol of love. My mother was happy throughout the time she wore this ring. So, I wanted to give it to you.”

Lacraxan cautiously held Bercheria’s hand and put the ring on her finger.

“I hope you will be happy wearing this too.”

The ring fit perfectly on Bercheria’s fourth finger.

Lacraxan caressed her face instead of the ring.

Throughout his life, he had never cowered in front of others. He had never encountered anyone better than him in anything, and there was no reason to be timid anywhere he went. However, strangely, in front of Bercheria, he kept acting foolishly. He either picked unnecessary fights or looked at her as if he needed to be cautious. They say that everyone becomes a fool when they fall in love someday. It seemed he was no exception.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Yes, it is beautiful.”

Who wouldn’t fall in love? If a woman, undeniably adorable, shyly wore the ring he gave her, anyone would fall in love once again.

When he thought about the possibility of losing Bercheria because of Gerard, Lacraxan once again felt his blood turn cold. He wanted to make Bercheria his official wife as soon as possible. That way, other humans wouldn’t dare to target or treat her recklessly. Sometimes, looking at Bercheria like this, Lacraxan felt a sense of urgency. If someone deliberately tried to seduce this woman, innocent Bercheria might fall for it.

“Do you know how many swindlers there are in the world, astonishingly?”

“Huh?”

Lacraxan decided he must address this part carefully.

“If someone other than me says something like this, never believe them. Don’t trust them if they say things like ‘You’re pretty,’ or ‘I’ll treat you well, so let’s go together.'”

Bercheria burst into laughter at Lacraxan’s words. He seemed unaware of how cheesy his words sounded when he spoke so seriously and earnestly.

Speaking so seriously and gravely.

“I’m not a baby, you know.”

Bercheria responded as if comforting him.

“You’re an innocent person.”

But Lacraxan was not convinced. His forehead was now furrowed.

He needed to speed up the wedding.

So…

Suddenly, Lacraxan grabbed the handle of the chair she was sitting on and stood up.

As he bent down and approached her, the rocking chair creaked and leaned backward.