When I opted for the embarrassing story, Philip nodded with a serious expression. After hesitating a little, he opened his mouth.

“Actually, it’s about the bird I mentioned earlier.”

“Okay.”

“That was not a sparrow… but a parakeet.”

“Eh.”

I was surprised, not because of the reveal, but because he decided to start from there.

Because of that, I showed a moronic expression. I felt frustrated.

I know it’s a parakeet!

“I usually keep it in my room, and I talk to it almost every day. I guess that’s why it said such things.”

“I, I see…”

“…Because I always talk about you.”

He admitted it. Just by listening to him, I already felt second-hand embarrassment. I couldn’t imagine the embarrassment he was currently feeling.

“You must’ve… been creeped out.”

He said such a thing. I stared at his confused face, which was also bright red.

I grew more and more convinced—‘—ah, this person really loves me.’

But why would such a beautiful person love me?

For a long time, I thought of Philip as a perfect man whom was completely out of my reach. I felt unworthy of him.

Despite that, in truth, he read weird books and vented to a parakeet. The more I learned about him, the more humane he felt. I also discovered his weird sides. Before long, I had forgotten about our distance.

I had been with him for 18 years, yet I didn’t know anything about him.

No, I was the one who didn’t even try to know.

“I’m not.”

“…Really? Back then, I was told by Rex that you dislike overbearing men so I hid the parakeet way before you lost your memory.”

…Why the hell did Rex solely give strange pieces of advice?

It seemed that Philip was adamant about hiding the parakeet’s name.

Seeing that he was told that back when he was a kid, Rex had long been aware of Philip’s true feelings. Despite that, Rex still made everything vague for me.

Well, even though it was frustrating, what Rex did was right. Unless I discovered it myself, I wouldn’t have believed Philip loved me.

“D, do you love me that much?”

“Yes, I love you.”

“…!”

“Be it in my waking moments, or when I’m asleep, you’re all I ever think about.”

He said such a thing without hesitation.

Until just the other day, I could have easily dismissed all his sweet words as lies. Now, his words went straight to me.

To be honest, I still failed to understand.

After all, up until recently, he was really quiet and didn’t make any advances towards me.

As of the moment, my heart thumped as my temperature rose. I couldn’t meet his gaze. I hurriedly looked down. For some reason, I felt so embarrassed.

“…That’s why, even if you love another man, I won’t back down.”

“Huh?”

Philip suddenly muttered such and his expression filled with pain. I didn’t understand the meaning of his words, so I tilted my head.

He continued.

“May I proceed to the other story?”

“Sure.”

I had no idea what he was going to tell me, so I felt anxious. My heart was about to collapse. It must be a very painful story. I prepared myself for his following words.

“…Cyril.”

“Yes?”

“Have you fallen in love with Cyril?”

“What?”

Towards that crazy question which popped out of his mouth, I instinctively asked.

Despite that, he didn’t seem to be joking. Philip wasn’t only serious, but also looked hurt.

“…What, do you mean?”

“I heard from an acquaintance that the two of you meet each other.”

“…Ah.”

The other day, I was alone with him in a café for about 10 minutes. Someone appears to have seen us.

Even so, Philip’s acquaintance witnessed us at a really bad timing. Still, in the first place, it was my fault for creating such a situation.

“I’m sorry, but you misunderstand. I was alone with Lord Cyril for a while, but Lady Laura was also present.”

“But Cyril said he loved you, and you seemed to reciprocate it.”

“Huh?”

Was that when Cyril affirmed that he had loved me in the past? My attitude must had given a ridiculous impression.

I had to tell him that it was all a misunderstanding. I must explain that I chanced by them when I was about to buy thread for embroidery.

“I don’t love Lord Cyril.”

 I stared straight into Philip’s eyes as I said that. He looked terribly relieved. Eventually, he exhaled a deep, long, sigh.

“…What a relief.”

“Eh?”

“I was so anxious that you loved Cyril, I became a mess. I haven’t even been sleeping properly.”

His words caused my heart to leap again.

Only then did I notice the bags under his eyes. He must had been very concerned about Cyril.

“Did you enjoy your time with Cyril? You always seem to have a pleasant time when you’re with him.”

I became positive that those words and his attitude were due to his anxiety.

As soon as I lost the perception that everything might be a lie, fog cleared in my head. I could see everything clearly, now.

“I truly love you.”

Philip confessed while letting out a troubled laugh. At the same time, my chest terribly tightened.

“Phil, I’m really sorry for causing such a misunderstanding. I will be careful in the future.”

“No, I’m the one who should be sorry. I easily believed what others told me.”

He held his mouth with one hand and muttered. “When it comes to you, I’m not confident.”

“…”

“…”

Afterwards, a somehow awkward silence ensued.

However, unlike the previous times, I didn’t feel awkward. It was actually comfortable.

“It seems that you are still doing embroidery.”

“Oh, yes. When I have time, I practice a little.”

When I was told that, I suddenly remembered the existence of the bookmark in my bag. Instead of a handkerchief, I had recently been embroidering the edges of bookmarks.

I had been wondering when the best time to give it would be. Now, I was sure he’d be happy. Regardless, I was still a bit unsure about whether I should give it to him.

In the end, I took the bookmark out of the bag and presented it on the table.

---

***T/N: Lmao, I’m glad they are being honest to each other. But, at the same time, they’re still lying to each other. So… basically… the lie helped them to become honest with each other.

<Previous chapter

Next chapter>