Oh my goodness! It was Ares! Why is he here!
I felt a rush of blood to my face. Unable to find the right words, I stared at him with a flushed face, and the ‘author’ seemed equally taken aback.
“Uh, well, Bianca? Then I’ll be going now! See you next time!”
No, don’t go! If you leave me alone here, who’s going to handle the aftermath! Please!
Ignoring the desperate cries of my heart, the ‘author’ quickly got up and rushed towards the exit. Ares, still looking stern, didn’t take his gaze off her until the end.
After the ‘author’ completely left the tea shop, the space between me and Ares felt colder than the depths of winter. In the absence of the ‘author,’ a chilling breeze swept through as if to freeze everything.
Ares quietly took a seat in the spot where the ‘author’ had been sitting just moments ago.
“I heard you were tired and going home, but you’re here.”
Ugh, I ended up becoming a liar. Frantically searching for excuses, I replied, “I happened to run into a friend. We were catching up over tea since we haven’t seen each other in a while.”
Yeah, that’s it! The ‘author’ may not be a friend, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen her! Oh, my improvisation skills, you’re truly magnificent!
“Is that so.”
Though he verbally seemed to accept it, Ares’ stern expression clearly conveyed his disbelief in my words.
To avoid any more talk about the ‘author,’ I quickly changed the subject.
“where is Leia?”
“….”
Without immediately responding to my question, he stared at me and slowly opened his mouth.
“She safely returned to the Marquis’s estate on a public carriage. I want to express my gratitude for your concern.”
“Are you sure? Even if it’s a public carriage, it’s not entirely trustworthy. There could be unexpected situations along the way…”
“So, do you think I should have escorted her all the way to the Marquis’s estate?”
Of course. She’s your lover, after all.
Instead of speaking, Ares responded with a positive glance. The first woman to break through the boundaries of the renowned Ares was Lea. Then, wouldn’t she deserve to receive that level of treatment?
Ares sighed heavily as he looked at me. That man seemed to sigh quite a lot. I learned one more thing about him.
I forced a smile and asked again, “How did you come here? I thought you would go straight back to the mansion from the salon.”
“I stopped by the wine bar, thinking about leaving, and saw a familiar figure by the window. It was indeed you.”
“Uh, I see.”
I should probably change seats from now on. My startled heart was still pounding. Well, to be honest, I couldn’t distinguish if it was pounding out of surprise or excitement.
His transparent golden eyes, silently staring at me, seemed to penetrate my innermost thoughts, making me want to avoid that gaze.
I quickly finished the remaining tea, grabbed my bag, and stood up.
“Well, I’ll be going now. See you next time.”
“…Take care on your way home.”
I gave him a light nod in response and quickly left the place. Phew, the air feels heavy; I can hardly breathe.
As I exited the tea shop, I chuckled weakly. I don’t know what I’ve been doing for the past two years, but now I’m about to become friends with Ares, the one I’m calling to die soon, and engage in a power struggle with him.
Although I was surprised by his sudden appearance at the tea shop, I felt a slight touch of emotion when I learned that he had originally planned to go to the wine bar but changed his course upon seeing me and came up to the tea shop. It meant that he didn’t just ignore me and pass by; he actually came to see me.
Reflecting on the unrequited love I had harbored for the past two years, even this small gesture felt like a luxury. During those two years of unrequited love, I couldn’t bring myself to say a single word to him. I was afraid that if I spoke, my voice might tremble, or my face might turn red.
Honestly, for Bianca Uranos, who dominates the social circles of the capital, to be shy because of a crush on a man – does that even make sense? I wanted to be a woman who remained unwavering and unyielding in any situation.
In reality, it was embarrassing. The fact that I fell so deeply in love with him at first sight without exchanging a single word was incredibly absurd and shameful. I didn’t want to become a weak and infatuated woman unable to keep a clear head in love.
While holding onto my feelings for him, I pretended to be indifferent for years. It would have been nice if a brilliant young man appeared to help me forget him, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen, and I couldn’t let him go.
However, now I had a reason to let go. I had discovered the true nature of my emotions. What the “writer” had set up for the progression of the novel was the essence of my feelings. It meant that my feelings were deliberately implanted. So, falling helplessly in love was not due to my naivety.
That realization brought me considerable relief.
Now that I knew the truth about my love, the next step was to cleanly discard it.
However, this proved to be more challenging than I thought. The ‘setting’ created by the author was powerful.
Thinking about it differently, even though Ares is trying to approach me now like a friend, soon the love for Lea will ignite, as set by the author.
So, Ares, please stop approaching me. Even if you just come as a friend, I am already in enough pain.
