Chapter 55 - I Like You More

Chapter 55. I Like You More

‘Who gave it to him?’

As she walked beside him, Leticia couldn’t look away from the ring on Enoch’s finger.

She was sure Enoch had feelings for her too.? He always had a cool look on his face, but when he was around her, he smiled gently and she felt special.

The ring he was wearing seemed to be mocking her, saying that she was the only one thinking that way.

‘You told me that you missed me…’

Leticia clenched the envelope with the rings in it.

Rather than being ashamed of misunderstanding, selfish resentment got the better of her.

‘Why did he accept it?’

She wondered what kind of person confessed to him.

They must be kind and lovely, right? She must be a good person, if Lord Achilles accepted their confession.

When she thought of Enoch, who would only smile at that person from now on, something deep in her heart began to sink.

‘What will I do all alone…’

Her shoulders slumped at that thought.

‘I really wanted to be honest with you this time.’

Leticia glanced down at the rings she’d bought. She couldn’t hold back the shabby and miserable feelings, and her eyes began to tear up.

When did her heart become so full? When did her greed get this big?

The desire to confess, even if she was rejected, popped up and tormented her.

“Leticia.”

“….”

“Leticia?”

“Oh, did you call me?”

Leticia heard his voice calling to her belatedly, she looked up with an indifferent expression.

Enock looked worried and asked Leticia.

“What the matter? You don’t look well.”

“I guess it’s just because I’m a little tired.

“….”

“I’m telling you, I’m fine.”

Leticia waved her hands as if she were innocent and smiled awkwardly.

At that moment, Enoch’s gaze turned towards Leticia’s envelope.

“Do you want me to carry that for you?”

“Ah…”

When Enoch casually nodded towards it, a sigh escaped Leticia’s mouth.

Leticia looked down at the envelope with a troubled expression on her face.

‘Speaking of which, what should I do with this?’

It was very painful to think that this gift, which had nowhere to go like her heart, became meaningless.

In the end, she would have to throw away this burden along with her greed.

“I bought it as a gift.”

“….”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

She couldn’t think of a good excuse, so she said the first thing that came to mind.

Somehow Enoch’s face darkened even more.

“A gift? For who?”

“That’s…”

“Are you giving it to Levion El?”

“What? No, not at all!”

This man, really! Levion had ignored her feelings and thrown them away.

Leticia had a genuinely irritated look on her face.

He was once a precious person, but now it was uncomfortable to even look at him. There was no way she would give such a person a precious gift that has all of her heart in it.

Enoch still squinted down at Leticia.

“Are you sure?”

“If you keep saying that, I’ll really give you a piece of my mind.”

“There’s a famous tart store over there, let’s go together.”

“….”

He quickly changed the subject, as if he had never been suspicious of her.

Leticia looked at him disapprovingly, but Enoch pretended not to notice. He brought her over to the tart store that he’d pointed to.

“The wild strawberry tarts sold at this store are delicious.”

Leticia glared at him, annoyed by his refreshing smile, but it was too warm for her to shake off his gentle grip.

Leticia looked at Enoch, who was walking with a happy expression.

This made Leticia’s mind even more restless…

‘Why do you keep…’

If she didn’t know better, he was being jealous.

Anyone could tell that’s what was going on, even she couldn’t think of it as anything else.

She wanted to ask if he was jealous, but remembered the ring on Enoch’s finger.

‘Come to think of it, isn’t it rude of me to hold his hand like this?’

She wondered if Enoch cared for her like a younger sister, and she was mistaken in thinking he favoured her. That thought alone made her feel like a heavy rock was weighing down her heart, but she wanted to enjoy holding his hand a little bit longer.

Enoch stopped walking when they reached the store, he then reached out and caught her other hand.

“I’ll listen to you.”

Leticia didn’t understand what he was trying to say and just nodded.

She belatedly realized what he meant when she saw his gaze directed towards the ring envelope.

“It’s okay, it’s nothing important.”

“But it’s still bothering you.”

“That’s true, but…”

Enoch was offering to listen to her about the envelope, it was very kind of him.

Leticia didn’t notice the strangely desperate tone to his voice, and smiled softly.

She was feeling jealous of the woman who was lucky enough to be lovers with such an attentive man.

Something was rising in her, but Leticia deliberately kept a calm expression on her face as she walked into the store. Luckily, she was able to buy the last remaining wild strawberry tarts in the store.

“Next time, I’ll come with Elle and Ian.”

She was sure they would love them.

She was imagining the two of them enjoying eating these delicious tarts together.

“Don’t you want to go with me?”

“What?”

“I hope you think about only me when we’re together.”

The slight frown and his clenched jaw seemed to be telling her that she was being heartless.

At that look, Leticia couldn’t help but laugh.

“When Lord Achilles isn’t around, I think about you a lot.”

“….”

“So don’t be too upset.”

Leticia smiled brightly and suggested they eat their tarts quickly.

For some reason, Enoch remained stiff and didn’t eat his tart.

“What’s wrong? Does it not taste good?”

“You don’t even know what I’m talking about…”

“What?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Enoch said it wasn’t a big deal and motioned for Leticia to eat. She wondered what he’d meant, but didn’t say anything and took another bite of her tart.

.

.

.

After eating the wild strawberry tart and walking around the square, the evening was almost over. As the bright day passed and the pitch-black darkness began to darken the sky, people began to set off firecrackers eagerly.

“Look at that!”

Leticia couldn’t hide her excitement and pointed to the night sky. Before she knew it, the sky was filled with fireworks of all colors, and she could not help but shout out in admiration.

“….”

“What? What did you just say?”

What he’d said was buried in the sound of the fireworks and Leticia asked him to say it again.

This time, she tilted her head closer to Enoch to hear him properly.

“I like you, Leticia.”

Behind the sound of the low whisper of his voice, she could hear the fireworks popping. Leticia blinked her blue eyes several times, wondering if she’d misheard him.

“I like you a lot.”

His confession confirmed what she’d heard and stopped any doubt.

Enoch captured her hands in his large ones, and he held on tightly.

“So don’t give that ring to anyone, only give it to me.”

As she stared mesmerized into his eyes, that were clearly looking at her alone. Leticia suddenly had a question.

‘How did he know she’d bought a ring?’

She bit her lip as she realized that Enoch saw the store trademark on the envelope in her hand.

Leticia looked up in surprise, and then she saw the three-leaf clover engraved on the ring on his hand.

‘This…’

A ring that looks just like the one she bought.

Leticia was confused for a moment about why he had a ring similar to hers, then remembered what the store owner had said earlier.

[The person who just visited had one engraved on his ring. I’m going to scold him this time if he doesn’t confess!]

‘No way…’

Was that Enoch?

She couldn’t believe it even as she looked at the ring, and had to check several times to see if this was a dream or reality.

As soon as she realized that what was happening in front of her was real, she felt her heart begin to race and her eyes began to water.

“I have someone I want to give this to.”

“I refuse.”

“But I still want to give it to him.”

“You can’t give it to anyone, but me.”

“That’s why I have to give it to him.”

She looked up slowly, and firmly looked into his sharp gaze.

This man, who didn’t realize, kept telling her no.

Somehow, it was funny and made her feel happy, so she kept smiling.

Enoch, who was still ignorant, spoke with more force in response to Leticia’s smile.

“Never…”

“I was going to give it to you.”

“….”

“May I?”

Only then did Enoch realize that she’d bought the ring for him.

It was the first time Leticia had seen Enoch with a stunned look, she smiled and brought it out.

Enoch chuckled when he looked down at the ring and the resemblance between the two.

“I thought you were giving it to someone else, and I thought my heart would shrivel up.”

“I saw you wearing one, and thought you’d received one from someone else.”

Leticia glanced at the ring on Enoch’s finger with an aggrieved look.

Enoch looked confused for a moment, then he grinned.

“I guess I was in a hurry.”

He’d been a fool and forgotten to take the ring off his finger and caused her to misunderstand.

Enoch looked Leticia in the eyes and apologized sincerely.

“Will you still accept it?”

Leticia couldn’t help but laugh as his eyes sparkled and he looked like a sad puppy waiting to know if she’ll receive his ring.

“I’d be happy to.”

As she offered her hand with a shy look on her face, Enoch put the ring on Leticia’s finger as she waited.

Then she noticed that he’d already put the ring she’d bought on his finger.

“If I buy you another ring, may I put it on you?”

She felt somewhat badly that she’d missed out on a good opportunity.

Enoch nodded as if he understood how she felt, then he suddenly remembered.

“If you feel the same way as me, I’d love to hear it.”

“What do you mean?”

Enoch tilted his head slightly, he grinned and put his mouth close to her ear.

“No, that’s, uh, that’s… You already know everything.”

As soon as she felt his warm breath on her ear, Leticia hurriedly covered her red face with the back of her hand. As she tried to take a step back, Enoch came closer.

“I don’t know if you don’t tell me.”

“Lies.”

“Hmm…. So my unrequited love isn’t over yet?”

“Oh, unrequited love!”

The mere mention of Enoch’s unrequited love made her cheeks burn hotter.

His misty grey eyes were full of love for her. Leticia nodded, unsure of how to face his gaze.

She didn’t want to hide her feelings anymore.

“I like you a lot, too. Enoch…”

It was almost a murmur.

She looked up at him, worried that he might not have heard her correctly. Her eyes met Enoch’s, as he smiled more happily than she’d ever seen before.

“I like you even more, Leticia.”

***

For Xavier, the Swordsmanship tournament was as easy as an eagle striking down a chick. Perhaps because of his ability, there wasn’t a single person who could compete with him.

Strangely enough, two voices alternately tormented him.

[Come now, Xavier Leroy. How great can you be? There’s a limit to how far you can cross the line.]

She was excommunicated, but she had no sense of shame and was holding her head high.

[You’re not confident? Well it happens, I understand.]

Then there’s the blonde woman, who’s been acting like a jerk ever since he first met her.

He felt sorry for her. She wouldn’t even be able to beat back his sword. What was she so proud of?

‘People need to face reality’

Xavier clicked his tongue, and swung his sword faster.

Maybe it was because he’d been training for so long today, but his shoulder felt stiff.

Just as he was about to put his sword down and take a break.

“….”

His sword suddenly broke in two before his eyes and fell to the ground.

“….”

Somehow, it felt ominous.