“Now, you’re the only one I have.”
Larisa began to cry sorrowfully. William, unsure of what to do, hugged Larisa.
William couldn’t sleep that night either. He was afraid he would fall asleep and wake up in reality. He couldn’t leave Larisa in such a miserable state, even if it was just a dream.
Larisa, too, couldn’t sleep. Speaking in a whisper towards William, lying on the floor, she said,
“Will, I like the nickname Will. It reminds me of little William. Bill or Liam seems too distant.”
“How was I when I was little?”
“You used to laugh a lot, be tender… Now, you’ve become too gruff.”
William didn’t know how he was during this time period. However, Larisa’s words were probably correct.
“I know. William may seem gruff, but he’s actually a tender-hearted person. That’s why you can’t leave me alone, right?”
Is that so? William quietly got up from his seat and looked down at the sleeping Larisa. The moonlight illuminated Larisa’s face, which looked too pale, and the image of Larisa behind glass crossed his mind.
‘Because of you!’
The Larisa behind the glass was shedding tears. Even if it was a reflection of her own guilt.
William knew how selfish he could be. Larisa probably didn’t want to continue a painful life. But even feeling guilty, he couldn’t give up on Larisa.
Even in a dream.
A few days later, the two headed to the capital’s checkpoint again. This time, Larisa could pass without much difficulty as the documents had been processed.
The two of them fled far away from the capital, as if being chased by a witch.
Larisa’s lung disease worsened rapidly as the days went by. William knew that Larisa’s death was imminent. At least until then, he wanted to stay by her side.
“Your birthday is coming soon. What do you want for your birthday?”
“I want to see the sea.”
Larisa had never seen the sea, let alone left the capital. She had only heard someone brag about seeing the sea. The two set off towards the sea.
As the sun set, William finally arrived at the beach. He lit the candles on the birthday cake he had prepared. Without blowing out the candles, Larisa whispered.
“It’s a bit regretful to die before knowing what love is. If I were born again, could I love someone at that time?”
“I told you not to say such things…”
He didn’t want to hear about death or someone wanting to love.
“William, do you regret marrying me?”
“I don’t.”
“Why?”
“…”
“Do you find me pitiful?”
William sighed, washing his face with seawater. He wanted to give only good things until the last moment, as it was the only thing he could do.
But sometimes, Larisa’s questions like this exhausted him. William answered casually.
“You’re not pitiful.”
“Then do you love me?”
“…”
Larisa closed her eyes quietly and stood still for a while. William realized that Larisa was making a wish and waited silently. Larisa opened her eyes and said,
“If I could be born again, I want to fall in love with you for real at that time. Not the gruff William now, but the gentle William when we were young.”
“Lara. I…”
“Not now.”
William swallowed the words he was about to say. Larisa blew out the candles. As the sun had completely set on the beach, Larisa stared at the sea for a while before returning to their lodging.
That night, William forced himself to sleep. He wanted to stay by Larisa’s side, but at the same time, he didn’t want to witness Larisa’s death.
“I’ve experienced it already. Three times. There’s no need to recover the memories, right?”
When he wakes up again, it’s reality. William fervently hoped as he slept. He barely fell asleep in the early dawn and realized, upon waking up late in the morning, that there was no presence in the room.
“Larisa?”
Just in case, he checked even the bathroom, but Larisa was not there.
“Did she run away?”
He had a hunch. Did Larisa not want to show him her dying moments? Or was it simply that she had grown tired of him?
Calmly, William found Larisa’s long pink hair on the bedsheet. Without hesitation, he drew his arm.
On the white sheet, he drew a blood magic circle and burned the hair, casting alchemy. The innkeeper would be horrified when they found out later, but it didn’t matter.
Searching for something was his specialty. Spotting Larisa, aimlessly walking along the beach within the magic circle, he immediately rushed out.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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