“A curse?”

“My parents didn’t die in an accident. My mother saw my father having an affair, and she took his life for that. She then cursed me so that I will never be able to walk under the sunlight.”

Rubica’s mind was spinning so fast that it hurt. She then recalled how Ios thought she was an extremely special and strong being when they first met.

A complicated puzzle was about to be finished against her will. She feared that fact so much. However, her lips moved.

“And your mother was…”

“A nymph.”

A short answer.

That much was enough.

She should have asked only that much. But despite the warning in her head, her heart warned she couldn’t miss this chance.

“Then you came looking for me because of your curse?”

She could see the pain in his face and remembered the times where he begged her to not despise him.

Did he find her just to use her as a tool to break his curse?

‘I don’t care. It doesn’t matter.’

No matter what his motive had been, the love he had shown her was real. He wasn’t the kind of person who was capable of faking such an emotion.

“How can I break your curse? I’ll do anything.”

Her genuine auburn eyes shook his heart that never received such love from anyone before.

Why wasn’t she confronting him for fooling her all this time? Why did he hide the truth from her, fearing about being despised and not being loved by her?

“My nurse, who was on my mother’s side, left me something shortly after I was cursed. It wasn’t a lead by itself, but it was a special tool that gave me another chance. However, it disappeared a week before I met you and was replaced by a note with your name on it, written with my handwriting.”

A special tool that could give another chance. Her name was written in his handwriting.

Could it be… no, she was taking it too far. The two thoughts crossed her mind at the same time while her head was beating like a heart. She dropped her head and put a hand on her forehead. She didn’t know what that was, but she instinctively asked, “Was the thing… a ring?”

Her voice sounded like a reed, so she thought there was no way he would understand it.

“Yes, with a blue stone just like my irises in the middle.”

However, he understood it and even replied. Then, he leaned down to look into her eyes.

Yes, the ring that had always been on Arman’s chest was blue, just like Edgar’s eyes. She was sure of it, she had checked it every morning while people were not looking.

-You should check his full name.

She had read Edgar’s long full name because of what the butler had said.

She had gone past the name ‘Arman’ in that series of names. That name was just too common.

‘He graduated from the Academy, and he is blind…’

However, he could go blind at a much later time. Arman had worked for two weeks to invent cheap soap for her, and Edgar had pushed everything aside to make a sewing machine and one that made ribbons. They were just like each other.

Of course, they also had several dissimilarities. Their appearances were especially different. Nevertheless…

“Edgar.”

Rubica wrapped his face in her hands again. She didn’t look down to avoid his gaze, not anymore.

“Smile at me.”

She felt like there was something she was supposed to realize every time she saw him smile.

He awkwardly raised the tips of his lips.

“No, not like that. Smile widely.”

“I am doing my best. I always do my best when it comes to your favors.”

However, Edgar didn’t protest further as Rubica looked just too serious.

As he had never forced himself to smile, smiling widely was something hard to do.

But he couldn’t say no to her order, so his brain worked hard to make a smile that would satisfy her.

‘What has delighted me the most recently is…’

It was when she said she also wanted him as well. Oh, and the kiss she had just given him on his forehead. It had delighted him very much as well.

Why did she do that so abruptly? He didn’t exactly look great, compared to his usual neat self… Maybe she was thinking that he was sexy, just like he was thinking about her.

His lips curled up. Within the small trembling of his smiling muscles, that habit, was Arman. They just looked so surprisingly different that Rubica failed to recognize it till now.

What has he been through that his looks changed so much? Rubica wanted to call his name, but she couldn’t as there were tears swelling up from her heart.

“Ar…”

Before she could say the word Arman, his lips pressed on hers.

“Don’t call me by that name. I’m about to go mad because of jealousy.”

Rubica’s eyes were dreamy now and nodded. Her moist lips made him thirsty again even though he had tasted them many times.

His middle part, that had calmed down a little, started to soar up again. Really, at this important time? What would she think if she saw it? Edgar was sure a beast that became hot regardless of time and occasion.

“What do you mean, jealousy?”

“I’m Edgar, not Arman.”

He replied, focusing on calming himself down. Thankfully, she didn’t recognize his… abnormal condition. Instead, she looked at him and asked.

“What makes you think I was about to call you Arman?”

For a moment, Edgar felt like time had stopped. He had been paying all his attention to how he would look in her eyes that he had missed what was really important.

He opened his mouth, but he didn’t know what to say. She always made him dumbfounded.

“You knew?”

Her voice was trembling, more than the ground that trembled because of Ios.

She wanted him to deny it, but he nodded.

“How much? How much do you know? Do you know how we met? How you saved my life, do you remember what you whispered to me after you put the ring on my chest?”

This time, she wanted him to nod. However, he shook his head.

“Oh.”

She burst into tears. Her memories of Arman went past her mind. The times that had been difficult, but also happy thanks to him.

She had had so many things to ask, as much as the things she wanted to tell him if they ever got to meet again.

Why did he use the ring’s great power on her instead of saving himself with it, and if he ever realized her feelings toward him? Really, even a whole night wouldn’t have been enough for that.

However, the only man who could give her the answers didn’t have those memories. He even pretended to be ignorant when he knew he was Arman.

Did he know how much she had been tormented? How much she blamed herself?

The happier she became with him, the greater was the guilt she felt.

Was it right for her to be so happy alone? How was Arman doing after giving her another chance? She was worried. Her heart had always been heavy with guilt as worrying about Arman after deciding to love Edgar felt like a betrayal.

“Since when… since when? Since when we first met?”

“No, I didn’t know at first.”

Edgar replied quickly while wiping her tears and nervously shifting.

“Then since when?”

“Since the day you wore that sexy nightdress.”

Rubica blushed hard. It was an embarrassing memory to her, but to Edgar, it was an extremely powerful memory.

He still clearly remembered how she looked, but he tried hard to not recall. The middle part of his pants was so hot that it was about to catch fire.

“But that’s quite some time ago!”

She was now really mad and couldn’t control her anger. She grabbed both of his cheeks and pulled hard. Edgar had to endure the pain without making a sound.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner? If you had told me earlier, I… I…”

She wouldn’t have hesitated so much to love him. She even wanted to love him earlier. She felt a thrill every time their eyes met, and she wanted his lips to linger more on her lips when they kissed. Oh, she had suffered so much, trying to ignore all that.

“Rubica, I’m sorry.”

He wiped the teardrops on her cheeks with his lips. He feared she might announce she would never see him again, but she didn’t push him away. What had he done to such a kindhearted and innocent person? He regretted it, but it was too late.

“Why did you do it? Why did you hide it from me?”

She couldn’t even blame him properly. He was sorry, but he knew he would make the same choice if it had been possible to go back in time. He was so selfish, but…

“I wanted your real love.”

He confessed, putting her on his legs. Her body was warm and sweet. She was the one who taught him a human body could feel so warm and pleasant.