Khaled hesitated for a moment, then grabbed Velia’s slender waist, fidgeting in his arms, before gripping her wrist.

“Have you lost weight while I was away? Were you lonely?”

“No, I’ve been fine.”

“No, you haven’t been eating properly, it’s clear. You seem like you’ll break with just a little pressure.”

Seeing him sidestep the topic, Velia wore a puzzled expression.

“Are you avoiding this on purpose?”

Velia suddenly lifted her head to ask.

“Maybe.”

Obviously avoiding, Khaled shamelessly pretended not to and began to fiddle with Velia’s hair.

He didn’t seem very interested in having a serious conversation.

As if he didn’t know how hard it was for her to broach the subject!

Annoyed, Velia pushed away his hand and sat up.

“Khaled.”

It was a signal that she was ready to talk.

Finally, Khaled chuckled and rose from the bed, picking up a robe placed nearby and draping it over Velia’s shoulders.

“To be honest, I’m a bit scared to hear what you’re about to say.”

Khaled sat on a nearby sofa, tossing a light joke.

Velia also cautiously left the bed, securely fastening the robe Khaled had put on her, and sat near him.

“So, what’s making you so serious?”

“……I’ve chosen to hold your hand, not Raul’s. Do you know how big a choice that is for me?”

The joviality on his face quickly darkened.

Because the weight of what Velia just said made him realize the gravity of the conversation to come.

“I’ve bet my entire life on choosing you.”

Velia spoke with a firmness that belied her usually reticent lips.

If she turned back now, she would never be able to tell him the truth.

“So I’ve decided to tell you everything.”

“……Everything?”

Velia nodded her head.

“Yes. All the things you’ve been curious about.”

For example, her ability to foresee various situations, or why she wanted to bring down Raul.

“Do you want to hear it?”

“……Yes.”

His face wore a complicated expression.

As if he had been wanting to know, but was confused about whether he should actually hear this story.

“No, wait.”

Khaled then interrupted Velia’s words and covered his face with both hands, leaning forward.

“Can you give me a moment?”

Velia sat silently, waiting. Khaled was silent for a while as well.

‘……He must have sensed it instinctively.’
Velia sat silently, waiting. Prince Khaled, too, was momentarily silent.

‘…She must know instinctively.’

That once she speaks, there would be no turning back.

Because it took a lot of resolve for Velia to even bring this up, he also might need some mental preparation.

“You don’t have to listen if you’re scared.”

But would it not be irritating to back out now?

His hesitation was irksomely stifling. Yet Velia gave no sign of this, only casually lifting the corner of her lips in provocation.

“Scared? Me?”

And he was one to easily take the bait Velia threw.

It was the same when she first proposed their contractual relationship. He accepted all her proposals with a face that seemed to say he couldn’t help but find her interesting.

As memories of that time passed by, Velia slowly closed and reopened her eyes.

‘I never thought we’d end up like this back then.’

A smile slipped at the thought of her past self, who was filled with only intentions of using him. She never thought she could be this sincere.

“Alright. Shall we hear the things you’ve been hiding from me?”

“You won’t regret it?”

Velia knew he had considered running away for a moment. His instincts warned him that going any deeper here would be a mistake, as if he had suddenly sobered up while struggling in a swamp.

So she asked for his opinion one last time.

She had no intention of letting him go, but she could at least listen to his opinion.

“Regret? There’s no way I would regret anything. Isn’t that so?”

Prince Khaled grinned.

Looking back wasn’t something he often did in life. Regretting past actions was even rarer. He had grown up in an environment where he had to constantly look forward to survive.

“So tell me, Velia. What’s this big secret you’ve been hiding?”

His face, which had been confused until now, hardened, as if he was ready to hear whatever she had to say.

Velia began to speak of the story she had kept hidden.

“Weren’t you ever curious why I despise Raul so much?”

At her question, Prince Khaled chuckled softly.

“As if I wouldn’t be. I was more curious about that than about the many other things you know.”

Velia sighed softly at his generous response.

Bringing this up was a huge gamble for Velia. He might not believe the difficult story she was about to unload.

But hadn’t he believed countless other stories for which she couldn’t even present proper evidence?

Velia tightly held her slightly trembling hands together. Then, suppressing the desire to flee, she parted her heavy lips with effort.

“……Have you ever heard of someone jumping across time to return to the past?”