33. Up Until now, and in the Future
After leaving the drawing room, a nearby maid guided me to Philipās room.
Upon arriving, I spotted Cedric. He looked at me as if troubled.
āIām sorry to have kept you waiting. Itās no good…ā
His shoulders sagged as he sighed.
ā…Lord Cedric, forgive me, but can you leave me alone for a moment?ā
āYes, I understand.ā
āThank you.ā
Cedric smiled when he heard my request and left with the maid. While thinking I should thank Cedric again, I approached the door.
āPhil, this is me, Viola. Iām sorry for my sudden visit. But I really want to talk to you.ā
ā…ā
āCan we speak for a moment?ā
There was no reply.
…If I hadnāt heard Vio-chanās words, I wouldāve given up and left.
At that moment, it was different.
He still loved me. That fact supported me above all else.
āThen, let me ask you a question.ā
I was sure he was listening. Believing that, I gently put my palm against the door, and continued.
ā…Ever since I was a child, I thought of you as a distant person. I always thought of you as a perfect beingāsomeone who was outside my reach.ā
Be it status, appearance, intelligenceāwe were both unmatched. You who did everything perfectly, and I whom was clumsy.
Because I had been with him ever since I was born, I was made painfully aware of our differences. After all, everyone praised him. As such, I began to feel inferior. I fell in to self-loathing over and over again.
Thus, I concluded that if we were to get married in such a situation, we would never attain happiness. Without marrying him, heād find someone more suitable, and I wouldnāt have to keep hating myself.
At that time, that was what I believed. I never doubted it.
āAs a result, I desperately wanted to break off our engagement, to the point of feigning amnesia. That day, when you lied and told that we loved each other, I was surprised. I thought you were harassing me.ā
I thought of what he said as some kind of crazy lie.
I thought that all those words of love from him were simply thatālies.
āHowever, I came to know that Lord Philip is different from what I believed. You are not good with people, but at the same time, you kept on saying and doing outrageous things. I never imagined you would do anything like that before.ā
My field of vision gradually blurred. I desperately reigned my tears.
āIn truth, you arenāt a perfect being.ā
Inviting me to the river for a date, reading a strange book…
Being overjoyed over my poor embroidery, naming and talking to a parakeet as if it was me….
Suddenly putting on an ice bucket…
…When I remembered that, I wanted to laugh.
Still…
ā…And thatās what I love about you.ā
I fell in love with him before I knew it.
I wanted to stay by his side all the time.
āI love Philip whoās kind, tense, clumsy, but genuine.ā
Tears overflowed from my eyes. My voice trembled, and I was stuttering. Still, I clenched my palm tight and continued.
āFrom now on, I want to call you āPhilā not because you wanted me to, but out of my own volition. I want to remain as your fiancĆ©e. I want to stay with you, forever…ā
When I said that, the door flung open. Because I was leaning my hand against it, I lost my balance and fell forward.
But the ground never hit me. Before I noticed it, I was being tightly embraced by Philip.
ā…Forgive me.ā
His voice, as he muttered that, was wavering. His warmth, scent, and voice engulfed me. My tears spilled even more.
āIām really sorry.ā
ā…ā
āI made you cry. Youāre hurt because of me.ā
āLord, Philip…ā
āNo matter how much I apologize, it wonāt be enough.ā
After that, I remained in his embrace for a while. Eventually, we gently separated. He anxiously gazed at me.
āIām sorry for avoiding you all this time.ā
āNo, Iām the one at fault. I lied to you…ā
Still, never once did he blame me.
Regardless, I felt that we were seeing eye to eye.
ā…As you say, Iām not perfect. I think of myself as a very ugly man who told lie after lie, and I am also not good at speaking.ā
āYes, I know.ā
Hearing my answer, Philip lowered his face and laughed. His right hand gently touched my cheek.
āStill, Iām confident that I love you more than anyone else.ā
His passionate eyes put me on a standstill.
Although I had been with him since I was born, I felt that I was finally able to face him properly for the first time.
āI swear to you that I wonāt lie ever again… can I still be by your side?ā
āI also promise to never lie again.ā
When I said to him, āPlease stay with me forever.ā Philip was baffled.
After a five minute long mysterious silence, Philip hesitantly opened his mouth.
āYou… do you truly love me?ā
āI do.ā
ā…Really.ā
āYes, I love you.ā
When I answered immediately, Philip crouched down, covered his mouth with his hands, and sighed for a long time.
His face and ears were surprisingly bright red. I crouched down to match his eye level.
He looked so, so adorable, and that was when I realized how scary love was.
ā…Iām speechless.ā
āAt a time like this, arenāt you supposed to say something?ā
ā…I can finally die in peace.ā
āPlease donāt.ā
Gradually, his expression changed. He seemed ready to cry at any moment. That time, I gently touched his cheek. A tear drop spilled from his golden eyes.
ā…Iāve always loved you.ā
With his face buried in my shoulder, Philip muttered so. That confession alone appeased my past self.
***T/N: …Award. GIVE THAT DAMN BIRD AN AWARD!!!!!!!!!!!
This cute little Lovebird saved us ?
The ultimate MVP of this story is surprisingly the one with the least IQ, parakeet Vio-chan, and the one who came up with the plan that originally messed up everything is the one with the highest IQ, genius Rex. Hahahahahaha
Maybe the story is telling us that rather than being a manipulative jerk like Rex, you gotta be straightforward with your feelings… like how Vio-chan blurted all her master’s secrets…
Awwwwwwww. My diabetes is waiving!
Thank u for the translaaaa!!!
Damn, I got too diabetic
So a dense bird that can’t read the atmosphere saved the love of two people who can’t be honest with each other.
Sounds right.
Im so glad š and cutie bird is superb š thank you for the chapter š and just asking, how long is this story? Should I worry about some thot coming?