Chapter 83

Chapter 83

“So, when your heart feels comfortable…”

“….”

“Tell me then.”

Zachary bit his lip at her words. She was considerate of him even at this moment. Her concern for him was so warm that he felt pathetic for having to lean on her.

Iellie, who was looking at his face, suddenly spoke.

“More than that, Zachary, you are so stupid.”

…He had to endure the pain alone.

She really hates him now.

“…Sorry.”

“I was trying to tell you that you don’t have to apologize to me if possible… but, not this time.”

As anguish and anger were entangled in her chest, Iellie gazed up at Zachary with fierce eyes.

“No matter what you do, there is nothing I can’t forgive you for.”

The person who had been hurt the most right now must be him. She thought she had to cuddle the suffering Zachary. Iellie swallowed her breath… and yet, even though she knew… Her voice came out sharp.

“But still, it makes me angry to see you like this.”

“Len…”

“If you forced me to leave, you should have lived happily on your own.”

Her voice gradually grew louder.

At least for her… He shouldn’t have lived like this.

“I’d rather you just forget about the lowly daughter of the Viscount family, and just live a good life.”

Zachary went silent. The light green eyes that contained him trembled slightly. Iellie continued.

“Why did you force me to go alone when you were going to be in so much pain? Why did you say you were going to divorce me?”

“That… It is right to let you go.”

Zachary raised his gaze quietly and looked into her eyes. His eyes were shining as blue as ice.

“…Honestly, I haven’t changed my mind.”

“What?”

“Even then and now, I think it is right for me to let you go.”

As he uttered so, his expression was calm. In the time he spent without her, all the colorful expressions disappeared.

“But, pathetically, again… I’m hanging on to you.”

Zachary smiled bitterly. Iellie felt her unknown emotions soaring. Moonlight pouring through the window. Her knight was silent like a statue.

…Why was he still so stupid?

“I have a lot of things to apologize to you for.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect you to be this stupid.”

Iellie opened her mouth in a cold voice. Zachary met her gaze slowly. Like a death row inmate waiting for his execution, her gaze was dazzling, but at the same time, her voice gradually trembled.

“I have resented you a lot since I divorced you.”

“I know. I would have done the same.”

His voice had no strength left. Iellie heard his voice and escaped from his arms. The light green eyes tensed.

Zachary met the pained eyes.

Slap!

A sharp hitting sound was heard. It was because Iellie slapped his cheek with all her might.

“….”

Zachary remained silent with his head bowed. She hit him so hard that even her hand hurt.

“…I’m so sorry, Len.”

“Of course, you should be sorry. How hard was it for me?”

Iellie, who shot back, breathed in rough breaths.

At the same time, Zachary was silent. He was the one who said it was okay to hate him, but when he thought that she really hated him, his heart sank.

“You divorced me without listening to my opinion!”

Iellie’s voice, which had been quiet the whole time, gradually sharpened. She clenched her fists in emotion.

“…You did that for me? If it was for me, shouldn’t you have talked to me first?!”

Without realizing it, she raised her voice. There were so many feelings conveyed in that furious voice as her anger was justified.

“I said no, didn’t I?”

“Len.”

“I didn’t want to leave you, so I told you to stay by my side!”

It was the first time he had ever seen Iellie so ruffled and angry in this way. Zachary was startled.

“Did you feel relieved because you judged yourself and acted alone? Did you think it would be okay like this?!”

How angry was she to do this to him? What if she told him that she would never see his face again? That she hated him forever? Even though he told her it was okay, it… honestly, it wasn’t all right at all. He didn’t want to be hated.

“Besides, I’m not the former Duchess, so why do you keep worrying that I’ll be like her?”

Iellie’s breathing became rough. She stared at Zachary, who lowered his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“….”

“I’m so sorry, Len. I…”

Zachary, who was about to say something, stiffened his shoulder. As if swallowing her tears, her breathing was suffocating. Iellie was crying again. Because of that, he unknowingly stretched out his hand.

Her tears were hot.

‘I made her cry again.’

He hated himself, and he couldn’t stand it. Zachary froze as he felt the wet tears on his fingers.

“But, nevertheless…”

Transparent tears flowing down her white cheeks wet her face. Iellie was stuttering her words.

“I’m glad you came back to me.”

“Le, Len.”

“Furthermore…”

She took a breath. Raising her hand, she casually wiped the corners of her eyes. After that, she smiled happily.

“Because I was the one who promised to wait.”

“….”

Reaching out her hand, she then grabbed Zachary’s cheeks. When she met his gaze, she cried and continued her words.

“Do you know how surprised I was that the Duke died?”

“Len.”

“Then, you will have to hold the duke’s funeral alone. That’s…”

Iellie blurted the end of her words. She still couldn’t believe the Duke was dead. He must have endured his father’s death alone… Even though they didn’t have a close relationship, the two were father and son.

‘It must have been very painful to lose a father.’

Small, smooth fingers slide over his cheeks. Zachary pulled his lips together and gazed at her.

“Was it very difficult?”

“I…”

Zachary took a breath. No… He had no intention of putting his pain on her, who suffered because of him.

‘But…’

The moment Iellie’s warmth touched her, it felt like the wall in his heart that had been standing started to melt away. The next moment, she nodded her head lightly as if she understood.

His eyelashes slowly got wet.

‘If you do this to me…’

The bud-like light green eyes are still sweet. Those eyes that he couldn’t help but love.

‘…I’ll lean on you again this time.’

At that moment, Iellie hugged him tightly. Zachary reflexively stiffened his body at the sudden embrace.

“Zachary, it’s okay. You can count on me.”

Like looking into his own inner heart, she uttered so. He took a breath.

“Len.”

“Because I will never leave you.”

Iellie muttered in a low voice. Her voice slowly got wet again.

“And, the Duke… I think he was waiting for us to come together.”

Zachary was silent.

His father, Theron Hessenweitz… The last conversation he had with his deceased father was about Iellie. When he said that he would bring her back, his father gave a small smile.

“I want to say my final goodbyes to the Duke with you.”

She glanced up at him. As soon as she met his eyes, Iellie smiled with a sad face.

“Will you do that?”

“…Yes.”

Zachary answered in a hoarse voice. Iellie buried her head in his arms and murmured.

“You don’t cry anymore.”

“Because I learned that crying is useless.”

He answered firmly. Now, he doesn’t cry like he used to. During the time away from her, he seemed to have learned how to relieve the pain alone. Because of that, Iellie felt sorry for him.

“It’s okay to cry if you want to cry.”

“No, now I’m okay.”

Zachary tightened his arms as he embraced her. A soft voice tickles Iellie’s ear.

“Because I have found the person I need to protect once again.”

It was more like an oath.

…The only person left to him, Iellie. An oath that he would completely protect the woman who had already suffered a lot because of him because she was the only one he could lean on.

“By the way, Zachary.”

The next moment, Iellie lifted her head up and opened her mouth with a bright voice. Zachary tilted his head.

“Yes?”

“A year has passed.”

“….”

He didn’t know what her words meant. As Zachary looked puzzled, Iellie smiled brightly.

“It’s time to break the wish bracelet.”

“Ah, the wish bracelet.”

Zachary suddenly glanced down at his wrist. There was a thread bracelet that Iellie made herself. Even though he tried to take it off again and again since she left, he couldn’t take it out and left it alone.

She whispered.

“I’m glad, though.”

“What?”

She responded in a friendly tone, stroking the thread bracelet on Zachary’s wrist with her finger.

“Even though we broke up, you didn’t untie this bracelet.”

For a moment, he was speechless after hearing her words. After hesitating for a while, Zachary smiled with an awkward look.

“There is no way I can take this off.”

“Yes?”

“You left this behind, how dare I let it go.”

Ever since Iellie left, he had lived on the very little things she left behind, so was this bracelet. It was something she had made herself and wrapped around his wrist. He thought he would probably never take it off in his life.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I see.”

As Iellie’s cheeks were dyed red as she smiled, Zachary lowered his head and pressed his forehead to hers.

“Remember those words?”

“What?”

“If you cut the bracelet with the person who shared it…”

Raising her eyelashes, she whispered. Iellie continued sweetly as she wrapped her arms around Zachary’s neck.

“You said that there is a legend that two people can live happily ever after.”

“I know, because you said that when you gave me this bracelet.”

“So, let’s cut this bracelet now.”

She uttered firmly.

Zachary nodded his head… A wish bracelet that promised eternal happiness. While rummaging through her little bag, she brought the scissors she used to embroider.

“Give me your wrist.”

At her words, he held out his wrist without a word. Nervous, Iellie tucked the scissors between his wrist and his bracelet.

“Does it hurt?”

“No, not at all.”

He shook his head. To be honest, he didn’t know what was with the wish bracelet or why she was nervous about cutting one bracelet. When Iellie cut off the bracelet while holding her breath, the bracelet snapped with a click and sound.

“Ah.”

The small sapphire beads and threads fell. Zachary, who picked up the remains of the bracelet, straightened his back.

“Give me the scissors.”

“Here.”

Iellie hurriedly handed the scissors.

Zachary’s large hand wrapped around her slender wrist. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her bony wrist. He said as if asking questions without realizing it.

“Why are you so skinny?”

“Someone caused me a lot of heartaches, that might be why?”

“….”

With her coy answer, he paused. She grinned as she entrusted her wrist to him.

“Why would you feel guilty?”

“…As expected, it’s because of me.”

“Of course. So from now on, be nice to me.”

Iellie then waved her wrist, telling him to cut the bracelet quickly. As if her delicate wrist could break at any moment, Zachary carefully grabbed her wrist. And in a careful motion, he placed the scissors on the bracelet.

Snap.

The bracelet broke. Iellie said, looking at the falling jewel beads.

“Now that we cut the bracelet together…”

“….”

“We will be happy until the end. Understand?”

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