The Villainess in the Romance Fantasy Is Strange - Chapter 75



75. A Journey for Two (4)

“… … I have something to give you.”

Make-up for the half-assed confession from two and a half years ago, revenge, revenge match… … The choice of words is fine. What’s important now is not such trivial things, but the gift I’m going to give you and the prepared comment.

I muttered softly and took a deep breath without Leah knowing.

Inhale slowly, exhale carefully. This is an effective breathing technique for calming a fast-beating heart. It is usually used when training in swordsmanship, but I never thought I would be able to use it to say just a few words.

“What do you want to give… … ?”

Leah tilted her head. She was half-sitting in my arms, blinking her eyelids repeatedly as she looked up at me with interest. Her large blue eyes were filled with curiosity, and even though she didn’t say anything, it seemed like she was curious.

“… … .”

The table has been set, and I have decided what to say. Now all that remains is my courageous decision. But the words do not come easily.

I thought I had already made up my mind two and a half years ago, but seeing my heart pounding so fast, I guess that wasn’t the case.

Well, they say that no matter how much you prepare yourself mentally, it’s useless. They say that you have to try everything yourself and realize that it’s not that big of a deal, and only then can you relax.

Yeah, this isn’t a problem that can be solved by hesitating. If a man draws a sword, shouldn’t he cut something?

“… … Phew.”

Take a deep breath.

Immediately after that, I took a half step back and took out a small accessory box that I had kept in my bosom.

“uh……?”

It was a plain box without any decorations, but Leah wiggled her eyebrows as if she noticed something.

From noble mtl dot com

I held the accessory box with one hand and opened it with the other.

-Click.

As the box slid open, the two rings inside revealed their exquisite appearance. They were large blue jade rings, the color of Leah’s eyes.

It’s been almost 6 months since I commissioned the custom-made piece, but since it’s such a rare gem, I only received the finished product last week. I’m glad I managed to get the timing just right.

“……wow.”

Leah’s eyes widened. She was so surprised by the ring that she covered her mouth with her hand without realizing it and let out an exclamation.

She rolled her eyes, which had become as dark as a lantern, and looked at me. Half joy, half embarrassment. There were vague emotions in her eyes that I couldn’t put into words.

I glanced at Leah, who was only asking with her eyes, ‘What is this…?’

“It’s a jade ring.”

Although it varies slightly from region to region, it is generally the case that it is one of the two most popular gemstones for proposals along with diamonds. That is why it is highly valuable and in high demand, so it is difficult to obtain.

A faint smile came to my face without me realizing it, as I recalled the hardships of the past, when I had visited the jeweler nonstop for three months and nagged him.

I met Leah’s eyes, still smiling.

“Lady Leah.”

“……huh.”

“I love you, truly.”

And then he said.

“Will you marry me?”

“… … .”

Leah’s breathing stopped.

… … I had that illusion. My heart was pounding so hard that I thought I would die when I finally got the official confession after waiting and waiting, but I tried to make eye contact with Leah and waited for her answer.

“… … .”

“… … .”

Leah lowered her hand covering her mouth. Her slightly wet eyes trembled slightly. Her red lips opened and closed repeatedly. She had a lot to say, but it seemed like she couldn’t quite put it into words.

I was like that too, so I waited quietly. Leah put both hands on her chest as if trying to calm herself down, and smiled slightly. It was a simple smile, but it was so beautiful that my heart stopped beating for a moment.

“……Cain.”

After a long silence, Leah opened her mouth. The soft sunset light illuminated her cheeks. The cute blush and the crimson sunset mixed together, making her look even more lovely.

As I nodded silently, Leah slightly extended her left hand so that the back of her hand was facing upward. Although she didn’t say anything, I immediately realized what Leah’s actions implied.

… … The empty ring finger of the left hand stands out.

After taking off her ring, he put the box in his bosom and gently held Leah’s left hand. Then, slowly and gently, he placed it on her left ring finger.

“… … Huh.”

I was concentrating so that I wouldn’t get a sneeze, but suddenly Leah burst out laughing. I raised my head and looked at Leah. With her back to the sunset, she spoke to me with a charming smile.

“Want to give me another ring?”

He took out the accessory box and handed it over. Click, I had already put on Leah’s ring. All that was left in the box was a men’s ring for me.

Leah gently stroked the gemstone of the ring with her thumb, then took it out and put the box in her pocket. Then she tapped my left arm and said,

“Cain, hand!”

“… … .”

It was like someone was talking about me as a pet. I was shocked and froze for a moment, but then the thought came to me, ‘Leah was originally this kind of girl… ‘ and I chuckled.

… … Yeah, well. She’s the type of girl who’s attractive because she stands out like this. What can I do?

I was a little disappointed because I had set the mood, but I guess I was really fooled. Leah, who was teasing me with playful words, looked strangely cute. I smiled and held out my left hand.

“Okay, okay.”

Leah smiled prettily as she put a ring on my left ring finger. The corners of her lips, drawing a soft curve, were incredibly lovely.

Wanting to see that smile closer, I unconsciously took a step closer.

“Lady Leah.”

“huh?”

“Is it okay if I kiss you?”

I was flustered when I blurted out my true feelings, but Leah seemed even more flustered. She looked at me with wide eyes as if my question was really unexpected, and said, “Huh?”

“Kiss? You want to kiss?”

“yes.”

I was thinking of picking it up later, but I just did it anyway. Isn’t it like spilled milk? You can’t pretend that something you’ve said never happened.

“You know, Cain. I thought about this last time, but do you usually ask women that? There’s no mood, no mood.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know the mood well.”

“It’s not that you don’t know, but you’re asking to embarrass me… … ?”

“No, that’s not it.”

If I knew how to naturally set the mood, would I have suffered this much? I could have already confessed on my own without any difficulty. So I can confidently say in front of Leah, ‘I don’t know the mood.’

Anyway, when I answered with sincerity, Leah, who had been staring intently at me as if trying to figure out my intentions, suddenly let out a sigh.

“… … Cain, you seem very skilled, but do you know that sometimes you’re strangely clueless?”

“Um, is that so… … ?”

“Yeah, the difference is so extreme. It almost makes me wonder if they did it on purpose.”

I’ve heard the words “I’m tactless” a few times, but this is the first time I’ve heard the words “I’m skilled.” Thinking that this was some kind of compliment, I puffed out my chest secretly, but Leah narrowed her eyes and poked my stomach with her finger.

“Look at this. You’re scolding me, but you don’t even know it and you’re just liking me.”

“……ah.”

It was a curse.

Embarrassed, I rubbed the back of my neck.

“Oh my, you idiot. … … Okay, then. If you want to kiss, then kiss me quickly.”

Leah lifted her head slightly and tapped her cheek.

“You said it was a kiss, but you’re just going to do it here or on the forehead anyway?”

“… … .”

As Leah said, although I used to lack courage, I chose the empty space of my forehead instead of my lips.

But now, we’ve officially exchanged rings. We haven’t heard a clear answer, but we’ve practically received permission to get married. And we have the full support of both families… … What’s there for me to be hesitant about?

I’m not sure if the emotion I’m feeling is arrogance or pride, but I know clearly what I need to do now.

I wrapped my left hand around Leah’s waist and lifted her chin with my right hand as if gently stroking it, then looked her in the eye.

“No, not this time.”

Despite my proactive attitude, Leah didn’t avoid eye contact. Instead, she looked at me intently and smiled faintly, as if telling me to try if I wanted to.

“Then, where are you going to do it?”

If there is a position where a man kisses a woman, isn’t it already implicitly decided without having to say anything?

I closed my eyes and pressed my face against hers. Then, just like Leah had done to me, I abruptly kissed her and quickly pulled away.

side-.

“……uh?”

Their lips touched for a split second. Leah seemed to realize, albeit belatedly, that it was their lips that were touching, not their cheeks or foreheads.

As soon as I fell, he opened his eyelids wide and looked at me with a look of disbelief. At the same time, his cheeks slowly turned red and turned into a ripe apple.

“Ugh… … .”

Although she has done it before, it is the first time she has done it on her own side. It is so cute how she is visibly flustered. I gently held onto Leah’s body, who was at a loss, and fixed her messy bangs.

“Where are you going?”

“… … Huh? What, what.”

“Aren’t you trying to run away just now?”

“No… … . No, no? Why, why should I run away?”

Is that really not the case?

When I brought my face closer to see what was inside, Leah let out a ‘gasp… ‘ sound and tried to push me away, but then suddenly became obedient and slowly closed her eyes.

“… … .”

Leah’s lips twitch.

I moved closer to Leah’s trembling mouth and kissed her again.

“… … Huh.”

Leah hesitated, not knowing where to put her hands, then grabbed the hem of my clothes and pressed our bodies together.

“… … .”

“… … .”

Like that, about 10 seconds passed.

We fell apart at the same time as if we had planned it, and looked at each other without saying a word.

… … And then, something came down from the sky and fell on my head.

“Huh? It’s snow.”

Leah said, looking up at the sky. I followed her and looked up too.

Not only was the sky covered in clouds that had been bathed in the sunlight just a moment ago, but now snowflakes were falling.

“……her.”

In the southern continent where it is hot all year round, it is not raining but snowing? Isn’t this a strange phenomenon that is almost on par with snowing in a country near the equator?

I know that snow falls in the Southern Continent only once every few decades, but it’s so unfortunate that this rare weather is occurring at the very moment that Leah and I are traveling.

I was trying to decide whether I should like this or not, when Leah gently grabbed my sleeve.

“… … Shall we go back to the villa first? Our clothes are really thin.”

“Oh, yes. That would be good.”

I came here wearing thin clothes because it was hot, but if I got snowed in like this, I would catch a cold 100% of the time. I held Leah’s hand and walked towards the villa.