Your Eternal Lies - Chapter 81
After Epilogue: Their Summer (3)
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“What?”
“You love each other, but you haven’t gotten married yet. Marry with us here, okay?”
This puzzled Rosen. But it seemed too late to back out . The children had already picked a bunch of colorful flowers and were looking at the hair scattered over her shoulders with greedy eyes. They seemed to want to brush the bride’s hair and decorate it.
Well, at that age, everyone longed for a pretty wedding. Looking at those bright eyes, it seemed that her emotions, which had been so dry and cracked, became moist again. It wouldn’t hurt to hang out with these kids for a while.
She had already been married, so she didn’t really want to get married again…
Still, she had never had a wedding before.
Rosen thought it would be okay to try it once, even as a joke.
She tugged on Ian’s sleeves and tried to stare at him. She knew Ian would do pretty much anything if she looked at him like that. Even if it was a bit embarrassing.
But before Rosen could try anything, Ian answered.
“Okay, let’s do it.”
Rosen couldn’t believe the words that came out of his mouth. It was really out of place for Ian to be the first to offer to play house like this.
The children cheered. Rosen was moved away from him in a daze. In the meantime, Ian had been caught by the children, saying that he should not see the bride.
The children who were a little older combed Rosen’s hair. Much more complicated grooming was applied to the hair than she had imagined, and flowers were stuck in every corner.
“Isn’t it pretty?”
“Yes, it’s pretty.”
When Rosen saw her face reflected in the clear puddle, she laughed in amazement. It was just a bunch of wildflowers the size of fingernails, but it looked very colorful and pretty, perhaps because it was carefully decorated. When she was ready, the children held her hand and made her walk along the grass.
Ian awkwardly walked across from the other side. The children kept urging him to see if he was having fun no matter what he did.
“Isn’t the witch looking pretty today?”
“Yes, she is pretty.”
“They say she is much prettier than usual! It’s a wedding!”
“She looks just as pretty as usual.”
But Ian was so boring that the kids couldn’t handle it. Boos erupted at his stern reply, but he didn’t care. The kids at Rosen’s side whispered to her.
“The officer was originally so handsome that we won’t bother asking if he looks more handsome today.”
Rosen was amazed at the children’s wise judgment. Everyone had eyes to see. She nodded vigorously.
As they stood facing each other, the children whispered and discussed the next steps. It was just a play, but standing face to face with flowers in her hair like this made her feel embarrassed. Unlike Rosen, Ian was staring at her intently.
Rosen could see what was in those eyes. Because she once looked at him like that in the fliers. He was looking at her as if possessed. Like when you see the most dazzling thing in the world. So her heart tickled. An excited child asked a friend standing next to him.
“What should we do now?”
“You fool, you have to officiate. I’ll do it.”
The eldest stepped forward and asked in a deliberately solemn voice.
“Are you two going to love each other in the future?”
Rosen and Ian nodded without speaking. The children clapped in unison. The clumsy wedding ended like that.
“Go away now.”
Ian chased away the crowd of children. But the children of Primrose were never discouraged.
“It’s not over yet. You two have to kiss!”
“That’s right, it’s over only when you kiss each other.”
Rosen felt sorry for the children who had been waiting for the highlight of the wedding all along.
‘Guys, it’s a pity, but Ian Kerner will never do that. This guy is a lot more boring than you think.’
Then Ian tilted his head, leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. For quite a while, too. It wasn’t a deep kiss, but it was stimulating enough for children. Rosen was dazed for a moment and couldn’t push him away.
“The wedding is over. Go away now.”
Ian kicked the kids out again. Red-faced children scattered all over the place and ran. Still, Rosen pushed away the children who didn’t go because she came to her senses.
Ian held onto one of the remaining children and whispered something in his ear. When they were finally left alone in the flower field, Rosen shouted.
“Did you eat something wrong today?”
“No.”
“What were you doing in front of the kids? You don’t usually do that, but you suddenly decided otherwise?”
Ian didn’t answer. He just sat her down on the flower bed and took out a sandwich from the basket and held it out to her. Rosen knew that he seldom opened his mouth to a question he had no answer to. And when she saw the sandwich, she was suddenly hungry.
Ian knew all too well that after Rosen ate something, she forgot to question him. It was similar this time. The sandwich was so good she couldn’t scold him anymore. He watched her eat, then stood up with his share of sandwiches pushed in front of her.
“Where are you going?”
“You are eating. Wait a minute.”
Rosen eagerly ate the sandwich as he ordered. After she finished eating, he appeared in front of her again.
“What I couldn’t tell you earlier… I wanted to say it while giving you flowers. I know it was a joke, but it’s a wedding.”
The grass crinkled under his feet.
His hands smelled of grass.
Rosen smiled and looked at him standing on the grass. In his hand was a bouquet of flowers in full bloom.
“I love you.”
“…”
“I love you, Rosen Walker.”
It was primrose. Yellow flowers bloomed brightly on this island throughout spring and summer. Rosen took the bouquet and smiled. Ian Kerner’s voice telling her he loved her was as sweet as the scent of a flower. She found that interesting.
He was an infinitely blunt man, but he also knew how to have a sweet and soft voice. Because the Generals trained him that way for war. But now he was using that voice to confess his love to a witch.
Yes, funny and wonderful things like that sometimes happen in the world. That is why some people still believe in love and living. As she examined the flowers he held out to her, she felt like she had become one of them.
Rosen thought she wanted him to be as happy as she was now. So she asked.
“…Are you happy now?”
“You will never know.”
“…”
“How anxious I am every time I fall asleep, afraid that all of this might be a dream.”
He stroked her hair and said as if asking. At his fingertips, the flowers that the children had placed in his hair were profuse.
“So, don’t hide and show up from now on. When you come to me… Please show up normally. I am always waiting for you, so it really surprises me.”