Chapter 320 - The Teddy Bear And The Lady (3) (1/2)

“Why are you…”

Despite Mirabelle’s puzzled expression, Kuhn only repeated his words.

“Please answer. I asked you if you were crying because of me.”

Of course it was because of Kuhn. She cried because she despaired to see him go. But Mirabelle could not bring himself to answer honestly. Kuhn might move further away from her if he knew her real feelings, so she shook her head.

“No, I’m not crying because of Kuhn. There’s just dust in my eyes…”

“You can curse at me for being bad.”

“No, I said it was dust.”

“You want me to believe that?”

“I’m telling you, I’m fine, so you don’t have to worry.”

Mirabelle knew she was making ridiculous excuses, but she couldn’t step back. If Kuhn discovered the foolish feelings she harbored, he really may not want to see her again.

But that too made her sad. Nothing hurt more than never being able to see him again. Even if her heart was shredded into a thousand or ten thousand pieces…she would still miss him.

Kuhn looked at Mirabelle and sighed.

“Here—”

He wiped the tears off Mirabelle’s cheeks with the handkerchief he had offered. Although Kuhn’s touch was meant to console her, Mirabelle’s eyes overflowed again, but she bit hard on her tongue to swallow them back. No matter what happened, she couldn’t cry in front of him. Her effort was so hard that her lip started to bleed, and Kuhn spoke in a soft voice.

“You were honest before, so when did you start hiding your feelings?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Very well. If the Young Lady does not want to answer, then I’ll let myself be deceived.”

It was as if he was implying the Mirabelle of the past was better than the one now. A sense of unfairness bubbled up inside Mirabelle. Was that true? It was as if her heart was being squeezed. She felt bitter as she cowardly tried to understand the feeling inside her.

“If…if I said I cried because of you, what were you going to say in reply?”

The hand that was wiping away her tears with a handkerchief suddenly stopped. Kuhn seemed to find it difficult to look in her eyes, so she smiled vaguely and continued.

“See…that’s why you don’t ask difficult questions in the first place.”

Mirabelle spoke firmly in conclusion, and Kuhn gazed at her with his gray eyes.

“My Lady…you must be mistaken.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t think you like me.”

“That’s the problem.”

“…?”

Mirabelle looked at Kuhn questioningly. Mistaken. That didn’t make any sense. She thought back a moment…

As the thought deepened, Mirabelle’s eyes began to tremble. Something was wrong. It sounded like he had feelings for her. But it couldn’t be. Kuhn broke up with her and never contacted or saw her afterwards. Even after reuniting again with her after a long time, he was distant from her.

‘No, wait…’

Was he really distant at all? During dinner, he mentioned dishes from the past, and afterwards he gave his jacket to her without hesitation.

Even now…

He had come back for Mirabelle.

She frowned as she laid out these events in her mind. Kuhn looked at her confusedly at her sudden reaction.

“How should I interpret your facial expressions?”

“You don’t like me. Don’t…don’t confuse me anymore. Do you know how torturous it is to have hope?”

For the first time, Mirabelle spoke out against him. But, for the first time, a small smile appeared at Kuhn’s face when he heard those words. Even that tiny reaction was monumental considering his usual expressionless face. It was even more special for Mirabelle, who loved him.

“Kuhn…?”

Mirabelle stared in surprise at the smile on his lips.

“How long have we been apart? I’m taken aback when I look at you because you look like a mature woman.”

“What is…”

This conversation was moving in a direction she didn’t expect, and her tongue felt numb. Although Kuhn looked the same as ever, from his point of view, Mirabelle must have changed a lot. She might have been a naive young girl in the past, but anyone could see she was an elegant woman now. Mirabelle managed to continue with a trembling voice.

“If you keep doing this…I might misunderstand.”

“Don’t you know yet? Why do you think I’ve come all this way?”

“It was on business…”

“Yes. There was a job in the Freegrand Kingdom, and I volunteered to do it. I also took charge of the supplies sent by Her Majesty.”

“Surely…”

“Yes, it can’t be a coincidence, can it?”

Mirabelle’s eyes widened at his confession. It was so profound that she doubted whether she interpreted it correctly. No matter how hard she thought about it, there was only one correct answer.

“Does that mean you wanted to see me?”

“Yes. I came all this way here for you.”

“…!”

Mirabelle covered her open mouth with her hands. Her eyes brimmed with tears that threatened to spill over once more.

“I didn’t mean to make you cry again…”

But the tears she shed were silent. She never thought that her love would be requited. She never expected a happy ending.

But things turned out differently.

As she blinked, her tears began to fall. They weren’t tears of sorrow like a while ago, but tears of joy.

“Why didn’t you tell me straight from the beginning?”

“You may not have been waiting for me.”

“So if my heart was settled, you would have given up?”

“Yes. I thought it would make you happier, if possible.”

“How can that be? I…I can’t be happy without you.”

In the three years she hadn’t seen Kuhn, Mirabelle had learned many things. A person didn’t literally die when a love was over—it was just a time when they breathed but didn’t feel like living. If she was asked what she wanted most in this world, she would be able to answer without hesitation.

It was Kuhn. The only one Mirabelle desperately wanted the most in this world was Kuhn. And now that earnest desire had come true. It was a happiness that she thought would never come into her life. Her tears streamed endlessly down her cheeks.

“It’s not a dream…”

Kuhn carefully brushed Mirabelle’s cheeks.

“No. But it’s like a dream.”