Chapter 30
Amelia was sure Ian had seen that letter.
And also, that he pretended not to.
“……”
His silence—no yes, no denial—felt like a clear answer to her question.
“I heard you tried many times to schedule a class.”
She didn’t say *with the Grand Duke*, being careful not to mention that part.
“…Where did I put the dessert from earlier?”
Ian tried to dodge the conversation again by standing up.
Without thinking, Amelia grabbed Ian’s arm.
Maybe he felt how desperate she was, because Ian sighed and sat beside her again, looking up at the sky.
“Still falling… the meteor shower.”
“……”
“I’ve never seen this many before.”
His side profile looked sad as he stared at the sky.
His long lashes trembled faintly over his red eyes.
“I…”
His voice sounded so lonely, it made Amelia’s chest hurt.
Just a moment ago, he’d been full of jokes. But now, it was like a shadow had fallen over him.
*I changed so many things in the past for you.*
*But what chain is still holding you back?*
“Amelia… the truth is…”
Ian kept his eyes on the falling meteors as he continued.
His voice was soft, like he was talking to himself.
“…The truth is, I’m afraid.”
“……!”
“I can’t believe I’m saying this stuff to you. Oh—there goes another one.”
He laughed like it was nothing and pointed at the sky.
But Amelia didn’t let go of his arm. Instead, she grabbed it tighter.
“What are you afraid of?”
She wanted to know what he was running from—because only then could she help him.
Hearing her worried voice, Ian covered his forehead like he regretted speaking.
Then Amelia grabbed his other arm and pulled him to face her directly.
She needed to make sure he wouldn’t escape again.
“You said you’re my boyfriend, not my husband, right?”
“?”
Ian’s eyes blinked in confusion at her sudden words.
“Well, no matter which one you are, you still need to tell me stuff like this!”
Amelia shook his arm slightly.
It didn’t budge—he was strong—but his eyes did. They wavered.
“……”
Ian stared at her quietly, as if debating something.
“…Turns out, there’s something even scarier.”
“What?”
Amelia blinked at his confusing words.
Ian chuckled softly and gently pulled his arm away from her to fix the blanket around her.
He looked playful for just a moment—
But soon his face turned serious again.
That face was *too* unfair.
Like he was about to say “I’m okay” and change the subject.
“My existence is… an anomaly.”
“……”
“It’s not something you can just ignore. It’s too big.”
Even though he tried to say it in a roundabout way, Amelia could feel the weight he was carrying.
“What if I can’t control it? What if I end up hurting someone?”
“……”
“What if I’m not good enough? What if I can’t live up to being an ‘anomaly’? What happens then?”
“……”
“Sometimes, I think maybe it’d be better if I just disappeared. Then maybe my brother could…”
“That’s not true!”
Amelia yelled before she could stop herself.
She tried to keep her voice down because of the people around them, but her hands were shaking.
Every word Ian said pierced her heart.
How much had he been worrying to think like that?
This life was similar to the last one, but his struggles were different.
He had no idea how amazing he was. He was the *only one* who didn’t know it.
Looking up at Ian, Amelia felt tears welling up.
She tried hard not to cry as she spoke clearly and firmly.
“There’s no way you’re not good enough, Ian! Don’t think that way.”
“……”
“And so what if you’re not perfect right away? Practice makes perfect! That’s what my dad always says!”
Ian looked surprised, blinking at her.
“I love playing the piano, and my dad always praises me. But even then, I have to practice when I learn a new piece!”
“Okay, okay. Just take a breath first…”
“But you haven’t even tried yet!”
Fine. Since they’d already dropped the formalities, it was time to say what needed to be said.
“And what do you mean, you’re afraid you’ll hurt someone?”
Amelia let go of his arm like she was throwing it away.
Ian looked shocked, his eyes wide like a startled rabbit.
Too bad—looking handsome won’t stop me from being angry!
Amelia put her hands on her hips and puffed up her chest, putting on her most commanding face.
“What are you gonna do with me, then?!”
“W-What do you mean…?”
“Remember when we first met? Don’t you remember that day?”
The day they met in this life.
The day she first showed him her powers, just to bring forward their marriage.
Even though she accidentally put out his fire—
*Still, that was the day our powers met for the first time!*
Amelia remembered, even if it was a little embarrassing.
“You said, ‘You’ve got a great power. If I mess up, you’ll protect me.’”
*And now you’ve forgotten all that?*
“I *will* protect you! So what are you so worried about?”
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I was wrong.”
Ian, sensing that Amelia was about to explode, tried to calm her down and gently patted her shoulder.
“If you say stuff like that again, I’ll really scold you!”
Out here, outside the Grand Duke’s mansion, she could finally say these things freely.
“Okay, okay. I get it.”
Ian sighed and started sweating nervously.
Then—
“Aw, look at that! Her boyfriend’s totally whipped!”
“Hoho, they look perfect together. You two should get married\~”
People nearby were smiling, thinking they were just a cute couple bickering.
They had no idea this was a serious conversation about the future of the duchy.
Embarrassed, Amelia and Ian both pulled their hoods down lower.
“We almost got caught.”
“You started it!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Ian huddled up like a small animal, holding the knot under his chin with both hands.
Too bad—he didn’t look like a harmless animal at all.
Amelia narrowed her eyes at him and held out her pinky.
“Let’s make a promise.”
“…What kind of promise?”
“Take the class.”
“……”
Still hesitating? Amelia almost smacked her chest in frustration—
“…Okay.”
Did he just say yes?!
She lit up and was about to link their pinkies—
“But I have one condition.”
“What is it?”
*Say it! I’ll do anything!*
But then… Ian said something that made her freeze.
“…Don’t cry because of me again.”
At that moment, Amelia blinked—
and *drip*—a tear fell.
Oh no. Her eyes had been burning for a while now.
Another drop rolled down her cheek.
Once they started, the tears wouldn’t stop.
She bit her lip and lowered her head.
Ian gently reached out and wiped the tears from under her right eye.
“I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”
No—it’s not your fault.
She was just upset that their situation kept pushing him like this.
*I’m such a mess.*
She tried hard to stop crying.
She wanted to tell him, *It’s all fate’s fault, not yours.*
But she couldn’t say it out loud.
Instead, she just held his hand that was wiping away her tears.
His eyes asked silently, *You’re done crying now?*
And she quietly nodded.
“Mommy, are they gonna kiss now?”
“Goodness! Kids these days are so quick!”
They quickly pulled apart, shocked by the voice.
Amelia pretended to focus on watching the meteor shower again—
trying to hide the fluttering in her chest from Ian’s lingering warmth in her hand.
