I care about you
“Wherever I go, I always get the attention of the crowd for being the handsome lord of the tower. I’ve been really tired these days.”
He sighed deeply as if it was really tiring.
Unknowingly, his face became tired for a moment.
It was strange that even though his face looks tired, he is still attractive.
“Tomorrow, I’ll send a carriage to Marquis of Kernels. Take that and come to the tower.”
“Won’t you tell me the reason?”
“I’ll explain tomorrow when you visit the tower. You’re so curious, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Then you’ll think about me until you reach the tower. Because you will be wondering about my intentions.”
Zion leaned his head close to me. Then, he spoke, making me feel his hot breath.
“That’s what I wanted.”
I had no idea why I got goosebumps suddenly. Ah, I think I was a little excited.
***
My carriage ran along the streets of the capital when it eventually entered a deserted forest path. Looking outside the carriage through the window, I saw the deep forest road.
Is pretending being lover in public enough compensation for the liquid substance that Zion worked hard for the past three years?
Why did Zion even drop the glass bottle of the precious liquid at my feet?
I felt a little odd to dismiss it as a coincidence.
Because Zion from the original story was a very thorough person. I could hardly understand it, but I didn’t think much of it. What’s important to me right now is not being labeled as an enemy of the tower.
Let’s not think deeply, it would only hurt my head.
The carriage, which was running along the forest road for some time, stopped. I wiped my forehead as I got off from the carriage.
It seems like it hasn’t been long since the sun has risen, but my forehead was sweating now. As I looked up at the sky of the summer day, the intense sunlight disturbed my vision.
Why do I feel hotter than yesterday?
“Hot.”
At that moment, a hand shaded my green eyes from the sunlight.
“The sunlight was too harsh for a beautiful lady like you.”
I looked at Zion, who had suddenly arrived. Wearing a loose white shirt like yesterday, he came silently. Nevertheless, he still shines.
Like in a movie, his messy hair fluttered in the summer breeze. I am completely impressed.
What, he is very handsome today.
“Hello.”
“Yes, hello.”
After Zion greeted, he motioned his hand, signaling me to follow him. As I followed him, I saw the tower ahead.
Although I imagined a tower, built with stone blocks, the actual appearance of the tower was a typical mansion. The tower seemed so colorless.
Upon entering the mansion, only a few people could be seen. Still, when they encountered us, they politely bowed their heads to Zion.
Whenever that happened, I remembered again that he is the lord of the tower.
While following him, I took the chance to ask.
“Zion, will I be helping you fix the glass bottle?”
He answered naturally.
“No.”
“……”
“Erica. Don’t worry about it. I will not say anything about that. If you are good at pretending as my lover, I’ll handle things neatly. Trust me.”
There was a strong conviction in Zion’s words. Maybe that’s why I had to trust him.
“Yes, I believe in you.”
I took a small breath of relief. It was fortunate.
So, together, we climbed the stairs leading to the upper floor. Zion, who walked one step ahead of me, began to speak.
“Did you think about me yesterday?”
“Probably.”
I answered roughly.
I was really curious why Zion asked me to pretend to be in a relationship with him.
But last night, when I returned to the Marquis and lay down in bed, I quickly fell into a deep sleep. It was because I was tired. Unfortunately, the last thing I thought right before I fell asleep was, ‘Leo cried.’
I thought of a man who shed tears because of our breakup. What kind of crying face does Leo’s look like?
As far as I know, Leo was gifted with an innocent face, and usually smiles languidly. So, I had no idea what his crying face would be.
It was something that is difficult to imagine. My thoughts were stopped when Zion spoke to me.
“Then, as promised, I’ll tell you my situation that you were curious about.”
“What I am trying to say is I was born so handsome. I am pretty good-looking, have a good personality, talented in magic, and have a good family. There’s no shortcoming. As a handsome man, I naturally got everyone’s attention ever since I was born. Until now, it was always like that.”
“Ugh. Totally conceited.”
At my words, Zion giggled.
“But it’s true.”
“So?”
“So. My current problem that everyone is paying attention to…….Indeed, it’s about what kind of woman will Zion Leppe marry.”
Zion, who said so, stopped talking. From the expression of his face, he looked worried about something.
I repeated the words he said earlier. What kind of woman will Zione Leppe marry?
In the novel, Zion loved Yuliana, but his love ended up as one-sided. After the novel ended, did he meet another woman and marry her?
I glanced at Zion’s broad back who was ahead of me. Then I suddenly recalled the scene in the novel, in which Zion, who failed in love, cried in the dark.
Zion Leppe.
Will you end up crying just like in the book?
Before we knew it, we walked side by side along the hallway. Every time we walked; the backs of our hands brushed against each other.
At that moment, I wondered how it would feel to hold hands with him. Then unexpectedly, Zion held my hand and intertwined with my fingers tightly.
Did he read my thoughts or what?
His hand was quite warm. It was an irresistible warmth. Perhaps that’s the reason why I couldn’t let go of his hand.
After some time, he stopped walking.
“We’re here.”
Zion stopped in front of a room. Despite reaching the room, he did not let go of my hand. He just pointed somewhere with his free hand.
His finger pointed to the door of the room in front of us. To be more precise, the gap between the small open doors.
I carefully lean my face through the gap of the door, and look from it. From the inside, I could see the back of a woman sitting on the sofa.
“Did you see the woman sitting on the sofa?”
“Yes.”
“That woman is my stepmother. Although she came from a good family, her integrity is not as good as it is. Everyone in the society already knows that.”
I nodded my head.
Duke Grigor of Leppe, Zion’s father.
He is not a great man.
It was because of his habitual affair.
That was his story that I read in the novel. After peeking through the door, I looked up at his face, which was quite close.
“Do you feel sorry for me?”
I guess that was the look on my face.
Zion pressed down my head using his finger.
“Don’t bother. I’m fine.”
Zion’s face, saying it was okay, has the saddest face I’ve ever seen from him.
Stupid. Why are you saying it’s okay with a sad face?
It seemed that Zion didn’t want me to pity him.
Come to think of it, that’s the reason why Zion loved Yuliana, the heroine in the novel. It was because Yuliana did not sympathize with Zion.
And Zion fell for her for that.
On the outside, he looked more gorgeous than anyone else, but in reality, he has a bad family.
He was raised neglected. He grew up lonely and always wanted someone’s love.
Yuliana didn’t pity him. Yuliana was the only woman who saw Zion as himself. Therefore, it was only a matter of time before Zion fell in love with Yuliana.
And I……
“It wouldn’t know if I didn’t listen to it in the first place but I care about you.”
I confessed my honest feelings. Probably the opposite of Yuliana’s attitude.
I didn’t want to be like Yuliana who was loved by many men in the novel.
Even if I knew why Yuliana was loved by the male protagonists, I wanted to say my true feelings.
That was all.
“I’ve never seen anyone who says they’re alright with their own mouth.”
Looking at me, there was a small glint in Zion’s gold eyes but it soon disappeared.
He grinned a little and spoke clearly.
“Still, don’t worry.”
Then, Zion quickly changed the topic, trying to stop me from feeling more pity for him.
“Anyway, I’m being forced by my stepmother to marry.”
The flow of the conversation was about his marriage again.
“Is there a big reason?”
I naturally followed the flow. I didn’t want to uncover something that Zion didn’t want to talk about.
“Uh. Before I became the lord of the tower, I’m the eldest son of the Leppe family. It’s a justification that I should be the successor. Of course, it’s not that I won’t succeed. But I don’t want to get married right now.”
“Hm. So, you’re asking me to pretend to be your lover in front of your stepmother? So that she won’t urge you to get married anymore.”
He smiled slightly and nodded his head.
“That’s right. I sent a letter to my stepmother yesterday saying, ‘I already have someone I love, and I won’t marry someone you have chosen. If you don’t believe it, come to the tower today.’”
“After I sent it, she came right away. My stepmother is waiting for us.”
I answered coolly.
“Okay, leave it to me.”
Well, that’s a favor. When I shrugged my shoulders, Zion giggled.
“Erica, you don’t have to try so hard. I don’t like my stepmother either.”
I don’t care how she treats me. He assured me and completely opened the door which had been slightly open.
As we went into the room, we walked to the sofa where Zion’s stepmother was sitting. Soon after, I could see her face as she sat upright on the sofa.
She is a middle-aged woman who has no resemblance to Zion’s handsome face. She was Zion’s stepmother and the mistress of the Leppe family.
“Zion, you’re here?”
Mrs. Leppe’s voice was not very pleasant to talk to.
She called Zion’s name, but she was staring at me. Somehow, I felt like I was being criticized. With that, I smiled in a lovely manner and gave a pleasant atmosphere as she observed me.
If you want to see it, watch it as much as you want.
“Yes, mother. As I told you before, this is the woman I love. I want to marry her, so I don’t want you to force me to marry anymore.”
When Zion greeted her, he already mentioned the subject. He was pretty direct.
I still greeted Mrs. Leppe with a smiling face.
“Mrs. Leppe. It’s my first time meeting you. My name is Erica Kernels.”
I held the hem of my dress and bowed slightly. At my greeting, her eyes changed.
“Erica Kernels? No way, the evil woman, who changes men every three months… …. that lady is you?”
Did my rumors get into Mrs. Leppe’s ears? I guess I’m very famous.
With no sign of embarrassment, I answered confidently.
“Unfortunately, yes.”
It was my choice and my way of doing things.
No matter what anyone says, even if Mrs. Leppe looks at me horribly, I did not regret what I had done so far. Not a bit.
What’s wrong with changing men every three months? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime anyway.
“Madam, is there a problem?”
I smiled even more.