I Just Wanted to Call Off the Arranged Marriage With the PrincessโSomeone I Could Never Possibly Be a Match ForโBut for Some Reason, She Took a Liking to Me and Is Now Closing in on Me
โHere you go.โ
She handed me the ring as if it were no big deal.
She said she wanted to walk home today, so we sent the carriage ahead, and this happened along the way.
โโฆThanks.โ
There wasn’t a shred of emotion or atmosphere to it.
I wasn’t looking for any of that, but at the same time, I can’t help but wonder, โWhat’s up with this?โ Such is the complexity of a man’s heart. Or rather, I’m the one who paid for it, right?ใWell, actually, I sent the bill to my parentsโ house, so strictly speaking, it wasnโt me.
The ring rested in the palm of my hand.
A black gem sat atop the setting.
When I raised it to my face and held it up next to Irisโs eyes, the hues were strikingly similar. Deep as the night, yet with a faint glimmer.
โI guess you could call it an engagement ring.โ
โRight?โ
Iris held up her own ring.
Hers was a nearly transparent silver, close to the color of my eyes.
Giving the other person the color of your own eyes.
In this country, it was a straightforward courtship gesture, and as an engagement ring, it was a common choice. Iโd thought it might be unpopular with young ladies who constantly chase trendsโit felt like an old customโbut since itโs actually popular, I guess a womanโs heart is as changeable as the weather.
Though, this was the first time Iโd ever seen one that was black.
I held it up to the setting sunโฆ and for some reason, just slipped it into my pocket.
Instantly, Irisโs eyes narrowed and grew sharp.
โPut it on your finger.โ
โI donโt feel like it.โ
โWhy not?โ
Why, you ask?
โBecause I have no intention of getting engaged.โ
That was the truth. I didnโt want to get engaged.
Perhaps sensing that, Iris looked slightly hurt. It wasnโt like I wanted to make her look that way. But turning down an engagement means hurting someone, regardless of whether you have feelings for them or not.
I donโt want Iris to hate meโฆ
So, as if making an excuse, I voiced the true feelings Iโd been too embarrassed to share with anyone but the Queen until now.
โIf weโre going to be that kind of relationshipโฆ I want to fall in love properly.โ
Even though my throat is dry and it hurts.
Only my skin felt burning hot and damp.
ใใโใโใโ
โI want to fall in love properly.
Ahโฆ a strong sense of empathy filled my heart. It resonated, making my body tremble like a bell.
I understand what he wants to say.
But thatโs not the literal meaning. I can read the true meaning hidden within. It must be because of now. If this had been said during our arranged marriage meeting, I think I would have taken it at face value.
But because weโve been together all this time, even if itโs been less than half a year. Because weโve lived together, I understand.
โโI want to be special.
Thatโs all.
Not the viscountโs third son. Not just a spare.
Not the third princess. Not the reincarnation of a black-haired, black-eyed, nation-shattering witch.
Not a role.
I want to be someone whoโs needed by someone. I want to be special.
Thatโs surely an ordinary thingโฆ but for us, it was something so distant that even hoping for it felt presumptuous.
But, I hold out hope. My heart grows warm.
Even though everyone else looks away when they see my black hair and black eyes.
With Lucianโwho showed not even a hint of disgust, but only the perfectly natural feeling that arranged marriages are a hassleโ
โmaybe itโs okay to wish for an ordinary love.
ใใโใโใโ
โโฆโฆโฆโฆKeep that.โ
After a long silence, Iris said.
โYou donโt have to wear it, but if I ever need itโฆ will you put it on?โ
Her smile, as if savoring her joy, left me speechless.
That time will never come. I donโt want it to.
โI told you I donโt want to be engaged, didnโt I? Why are you soโฆโ
โLucian.โ
When she called my name, I lifted my lowered eyelids to see Iris closing the distance, taking one step, then two.
Seeing me blink, Iris tilted her head. Her black hair flowed smoothly with her movement.
โโฆTouch my hair.โ
Why?
Though I found it strange, I had no reason to refuse, so I touched her with my fingertips, brushing away the bangs that fell over her eyesโand just then, Iris smiled a sly grin that seemed to melt into the setting sun.