Balfour paused for a long moment as a bitter smile curled at the corners of his mouth. âPerhaps youâre right. Iâve been weighing too much.â
Ellinor added, âIf they are in love and want to step into marriage, could you bear to tear them apart?â
Balfour gazed thoughtfully at her. âAs Iâve said before, if our family agrees, I wonât object.â
âIf possible, put in a good word for them with the Howard family. Give them a chance.â
Balfour stared deeply into his sisterâs eyes, ultimately nodding in agreement.
In the room, Ida removed her gold-rimmed glasses and placed them casually on the table. She then lounged on the couch, lightly massaging her temples.
Byran did enter the room, but he sensed that Ida was upset, so he didnât dare get too close.
âCough⦠Ida, Iâve spoken to my brother. He doesnât object.â
Ida, with her eyes half-closed, continued to massage her temples, ignoring him.
Byran furrowed his brows as he took a few steps closer. âIda, youâre not angry again, are you? Iâve shown my sincerest intentions; what more do you want? Iâll talk to my family today. But we canât get married right away because my brother hasnât married yet. Iâll try to get them to agree to hold our engagement party first.â
Ida remained silent, lazily leaning back on the couch.
Byran, seeing her indifferent attitude, was frustrated and plonked himself down next to her.
âHey! Whatâs with that attitude? What are you thinking? Say something! Iâm fighting so hard for us to be together forever, and youâre not saying a word. Itâs like Iâm the only one invested in us!â
Finally, Ida made a sound. It was a soft chuckle.
Byran couldnât stand her ambiguous laughter. His pent-up frustration flared. âWhat are you laughing at?
Am I funny?â
Ida opened her eyes, giving him a sideways glance. âDonât you think youâre funny? You were making a fool of yourself by talking to your brother like that! If you donât want to be laughed at, you shouldnât have said those things in front of everyone.â
This made Byran feel hurt, and he became defiant. âI did that because I was afraid youâd leave me again. I wanted to tie you to me as soon as possible. Compared to you, whatâs pride? I donât even need pride anymore.â
Ida paused as her cold eyes squinted at him.
Byran, feeling uncomfortable under her gaze, crossed his arms, trying to act natural. âWhat are you looking at? Laugh if you want! Iâve always been a joke in your eyes! Anyway, Iâm determined to marry you! No one but you. And youâre not marrying anyone but me! Weâre stuck together for life. If you donât agree, weâll just torture each other for a lifetimeâ¦ah.â
Before he could finish, Byran was cut off.
No, not cut off, more like silenced.
Ida suddenly leaned over, cupped his face, and started kissing him.
An unprecedented initiative that left Byran stunned.
He widened his eyes, never expecting Ida to be so unrestrained towards him.