I left the Penton estate only after the day completely faded.
With each exhale, the night breeze carried misty breath. Despite the cold, my steps remained steady, even as my hands stiffened from the freezing temperature.
Thinking about the Marsen mansion beyond the trees made my body tense. It was too late to go to the library, and the winter garden was too dark for flower-watching.
“Rezhe.”
Yurik’s voice came from behind. Yurik, wearing a thick coat, had another one draped over his arm. Before I could take off my coat, Yurik placed the one he brought over my shoulders.
“I went to get the coat when I saw you leaving.”
“Oh, so that’s why I didn’t see it.”
Although I received the farewell of the Penton family, Yurik was not among them. I wondered if he was busy and intentionally didn’t call me, quietly leaving.
From the coat emanated the scent of winter and the subtle fragrance of Yurik. I pulled the coat closer to my chest to block the wind. The back felt warm and cozy.
“Thanks, Yurik. For bringing it.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Still, thanks. It’s cold, so let’s go inside quickly.”
Yurik didn’t enter the mansion but stood still outside.
“Yurik?”
“I want to accompany you.”
Yurik took a step towards me.
“If it’s uncomfortable, I’ll go inside.”
“No! It’s just… I thought you might feel cold.”
“Not uncomfortable?”
“Not at all.”
Actually, it was very, very slightly uncomfortable, but I didn’t say it. When I glanced at Yurik, he seemed relieved by my answer and took another step forward. My head naturally tilted upward.
“Aren’t you going?”
“I’m going!”
As I turned around, Yurik stood by my side. Silently, we left the Penton estate gardens and headed towards the main gate.
For some reason, the short silence felt heavier on the dark night road.
It wasn’t like this when we were younger. Even when Yurik attended the boarding school, our relationship was not this awkward.
But after just a year without proper conversation, it seemed awkward with Yurik. I knew time moved fast, but I didn’t realize that relationships between people could drift apart so quickly.
“Hey.”
“Rezhe.”
Yurik and I spoke simultaneously. There was tension in our grip.
“…You can go first.”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah?”
Surprised, I looked at Yurik. It was an unexpected answer to a question I had not expected. I was so flustered that Yurik realized and stopped walking. His upright gaze met mine.
“I’m sorry about earlier.”
“…What?”
To my question, Yurik’s face became apologetic. I sincerely didn’t know why he was apologizing. It was the first time I heard that I was angry.
“It’s about the stepsister talk. I understand that you were upset because of me. I know I hurt you by firmly rejecting it. But I can’t accept you as a stepsister.”
My heart sank at his serious expression and solemn voice. Yurik was apologizing for his attitude of rejecting me outright when the stepsister topic came up earlier. Although I felt hurt at the time, I wasn’t angry.
I had just felt a bit sad that Yurik didn’t think of me as he used to. But now, it seemed there was a different reason why Yurik rejected me.
“…You can speak first.”
“Yeah.”
“Really?”
“…”
Yurik asked me with a shocked expression. His tone was apologetic when he apologized earlier. Although Yurik’s words were correct, I couldn’t agree with them out of conscience. Now, my gaze instinctively avoided his.
“…Sigh.”
The sound of Yurik’s deep sigh pierced through my chest.
“So, I was awkward. That’s why I didn’t talk to you.”
“…”
“Is it because I was awkward? Really?”
“Uh-huh.”
Yurik asked with a face filled with shock. His tone was apologetic when he apologized earlier. Although Yurik’s words were correct, I couldn’t agree with them out of conscience. Now, my gaze instinctively avoided his.
“…Sigh.”
The sound of Yurik’s deep sigh pierced through my chest.
“So, I was awkward. That’s why I didn’t talk to you.”
“…”
“I was the one who felt awkward. That’s why you didn’t talk to me.”
“W-Well, you were the same way.”
“What?”
“You also avoided eye contact with me and didn’t talk.”
“I didn’t find you awkward. In fact, I was glad you were there.”
“What? He said without a hint of expression change.
“I just couldn’t talk because you looked so beautiful. I was too nervous.”
“…”
My mouth opened without my knowledge. Yurik examined my expression and cautiously took my hand. He gently caressed the tips of my fingers, then, interlacing our fingers, he squeezed my pinky. Both Yurik and I held our breath for a moment, feeling a perfect match.
“We used to hold hands like this before, so how can you find it awkward?”
“Sorry.”
Now, I felt sorry for Yurik. My head involuntarily lowered, feeling the weight of the guilt. But there was nothing I could do about the unfairness.
The held hand, the tone, the appearance – everything was completely different from when we were kids. How could it not be awkward? Even Yurik’s personality had become more solid.
In the novel, Yurik’s personality was the same whether he was a child or an adult. He was taciturn, cold.
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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