Chapter 37: Chapter 29: A Frustrating Confession.

Echoes of Fire and Shadows

Chapter 29: A Frustrating Confession.

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“Finally! I caught you!” I shouted with excitement as I stopped running. I was carefully holding a small white-haired fairy in my hands.

“Oh no! I’m gonna get eaten by a monster~! Help!” Leaf let out some exaggerated pleas for help while in reality, she seemed like she was having the time of her life. 

She immediately wrapped her arms and legs around my fingers once again. She was hugging my hand quite tightly…

“Jeez! What are you even saying?” I looked at her with an amused expression. Sweat was trickling down my forehead because of the fact that I had to put quite a bit of effort to catch the tiny rascal that is currently hugging my hand…

“I thought that I should play the part of a damsel in distress to make things more interesting!” She smiled warmly at me. Her cute smile almost melted my heart once again.

“There’s only the two of us, you know? Who is going to save you if I am the monster?” I replied while patting her head with my finger.

“Hmm… I guess that’s true… It is a bit of a bummer that we don’t have any more people to play with…” Leaf nodded to herself while looking a bit disappointed. “I really had a lot of fun, though! I never expected you to be fast enough to catch me at my top speed!” She looked at me with genuine admiration.

“I should be the one to be saying that… I never expected you to be able to fly so fast…” I smiled wryly.

I do remember that I said that it would be good training to play tag with Leaf (and it was), but I seriously underestimated her… At some point, she was flying so fast that she almost seemed to be a big blur in the corner of my eye…

I cannot deny that I had a lot of fun with Leaf, but dear gods it really felt frustrating whenever she was able to dodge when I was about to finally catch her… It was not as frustrating as chasing Auntie, who is the only person who comes to my mind that is faster than her, but Leaf definitely pushed me to give my all during our little game…

I think I have been running behind her at full speed for at least an hour or so. Definitely fun, but also very tiring…

I quickly sat cross-legged on the ground with the little fairy still in my hands. I took a deep breath as my fatigue started to settle in…

"What do you wanna play now? I'm still full of energy!" She looked at me with excitement.

"Ahahaha… I can see that…" I muttered weakly.

Fighting my Auntie early in the morning and chasing Lead has definitely depleted my stamina considerably… I feel like I just ran a marathon twice with weights attached to my ankles…

I think I won't be practicing any techniques from my secret book today…

"Instead of playing another game… I was thinking of going back home to grab a snack and take care of some other things." I smiled at the fairy.

I have also spent enough time here already. If my assumptions about what time it is are correct, my sisters and Mia should be awake by now and surely looking for me.

And knowing how terrifyingly powerful Mia's senses of smell and hearing can be, I don't want the risk of them finding out about my hideout.

I DEFINITELY don't want Mom finding out about this place either… That would be a one-sided conversation (scolding) about my safety and well-being that I definitely do not wish to have.

Just like that time I fell off the roof…

Just as I was about to remember the look on my mom's face during that occasion, Leaf's cute high-pitched voice interrupted my train of thought.

"You can count me in for that too! I'll never say no to tasty food, especially if it is made by you!" Leaf immediately licked her lips and then showed me the most adorable of smiles.

For a moment, my eyes narrowed as I remembered that she had already eaten the cookies I had given to her a while ago. 

That is until I saw her cute smile and decided to ignore that fact and bury it in the back of my mind.

"Do you have any more cookies? They were really good!" She started drooling with an overjoyed look on her face.

"We should have. That is only if my sisters haven't eaten them yet…" I said awkwardly.

"Oh well! I'm not picky either, so as long as it is something tasty, I don't mind!" Leaf was acting very cheerfully. There was a wide grin on her face.

"More importantly, you have sisters!? That's so cool! It means that we have a lot in common! How many sisters do you have!? Can I meet them!? Are they younger than you!? Or are they older!?" Leaf was getting really fired up and bombarding me with questions…

I smiled wryly thanks to the overly excited fairy I was holding in my hands. I started patting her head before I opened my mouth to answer.

"I have two older sisters and since a certain little rascal is going to follow me for eternity, I guess it is only natural that I would let her meet them." I replied playfully while I kept patting her head.

I don't think there's a need to say this, but Leaf and I have become fast friends. I guess it was to be expected since she chose me to be her 'humie'.

She's pretty adorable and also a little childish, but I don't really mind that part that much since I'm a child myself… She's also capable of outrunning (outflying?) me, so she can help me a lot in my training by playing around with her.

"Oh! Is that my nickname? I love it!" She smiled warmly and nuzzled against one of my fingers.

"Well, you do seem like you can cause some mischief." I glanced at Leaf and simply chuckled in response.

Our conversations pretty much flow naturally and she's a really sweet and honest person, so I'm pretty happy that I met her. She does remind me of Mia considering how excitable this little fairy is. 

"Hehehe! You haven't seen anything yet, mister!" She pointed at me and stuck out her tongue. "You also need a nickname as well! Hmm…" Leaf fell deep in thought a few moments later.

I'm not much into nicknames, but I can't deny that I was curious about what she was going to come up with.

I simply observed with interest the tiny fairy in front of racking her brains to come up with a nickname for me. It was just after she started looking frustrated that her eyes widened and then looked at me with sparkling eyes…

"Juli! You'll be Juli! Jeez! It was so obvious! I don't know why it took me so long to come up with it!" She smiled from ear to ear.

I was immediately caught off guard. Not by the simple nickname she had chosen for me, but by the announcement of a certain mechanical voice in my head…

<SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: The user has gained the Titles: [Juli] and ['Humie' of the Fairy Princess]. The title has been added to the user status.>

Wait a minute… The what!?

"Do you like your nickname? I think it really suits you!" Leaf smiled innocently.

I could only stare at the little being in my hands with shock…

"So you really liked it! You liked it so much that you are speechless! I'm so glad, Juli! Hehehe~!" She nuzzled again against one of my fingers.

That sight made me recover from my shock. I couldn't help but let out a heavy sight before smiling wryly.

"Of course! Your naming sense is just that great." I caressed her cheek with one of my fingers.

So it turns out that it wasn't parentification, but the Fairy Queen was just preparing Leaf for the future when she would eventually take her place as ruler of all fairy-kind… That obviously doesn't make it better, but I think I can relate a lot more to Leaf now.

Sigh… I guess I'm destined to mingle with royalty, no matter what I do…

First Liliana and Luna if we consider the fact that Dad is a descendant of two noble houses that used to be royal families in the past although he is an illegitimate son, but he is a descendant nonetheless. Then there's Marina who is the Crown Princess of the Empire and now Leaf who is probably going to be the next Fairy Queen… I guess meeting so many royals is to be expected since I'm also a prince.

"I'm a box full of surprises!" She smiled confidently. "Now let's get going! I wanna meet your sisters!" She suddenly flew out of my hands up to my face and then winked.

She then immediately dived into my shirt pocket as if she was jumping into a pool… The thirty-centimeters tall fairy was barely small enough to fit in there, her head sticking out of my pocket and looking above at me with excitement.

"You really are still full of energy huh?" I said playfully as I stood up and then started walking back towards my workshop to recover my coat.

"Hehehe! I can play around all day long!" She said happily while looking forward with excitement.

"I hope I'm up to the challenge of being your humie." I scratched the back of my neck as I walked back to the workshop.

"Don't be silly! We are already the bestest of friends!" She turned around and nuzzled her head against my chest.

Well, it seems I got another self-proclaimed bestie… The more the merrier, I guess!

"I guess we are." I chuckled as I gazed at the small fairy.

The two of us quickly made our way back to the village, leaving my hideout behind.

I was a bit sad that I didn't have the time to work on my side projects or to train my secret techniques, but I quickly forgot as I started talking more and more with my new friend.

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-----Mia's POV-----

Liliana, Luna, and I were all hanging around the entrance of the village. I was crouching, looking for clues in the area…

"Have you found him yet?" Luna asked.

"Hmmm… His scent is lingering around here, but I don't know exactly where he is…" I said while concentrating on my sense of smell.

It was a little chilly and since it was snowing a bit, his footsteps had been buried in the snow, but I could still tell that he was somewhere around here.

"Sheesh! Just what is he up to!? Hiding from his beautiful older sisters and his adorable fiancée! This cheeky little brother is asking for some trouble!" Liliana crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. She was a little annoyed.

As usual, Liliana gets moody when she can't tease Julius... I can't blame her for that though, he looks really cute when he is flustered~!

I can't wait to see the face he'll have when both Liliana and Luna confess their feelings tonight during our usual family dinner in front of everyone!

Ah! The twins finally decided to confess their feelings after a bit of pushing on my part!

They seriously took a long time for something so simple… It was about time! I have been holding back my affection for Julius just so they can catch up with me and yet, it still took them almost three years after they told me they also liked him to finally decide to confess…

But now that they will tell him how they feel about him, I don't need to hold back any longer! 

This rabbit is in serious need of some hugs!

"I really wonder where he goes when we are asleep… Since we saw both Auntie and Dad back home, there's no way he is training and he wasn't working with Mom and Mrs. Renata at Lady of the Lake either… I think he is hiding something." Luna's eyes narrowed as well. She started rubbing her chin.

Sigh… I wish I could get up early like he does… That way we could spend a lot more time together, but I just can't help it… I can't stop drawing when I'm inspired! 

I need to give my all for his gift! His birthday will be in a few weeks after all! I'm gonna give him a painting!

"He really is a cheeky one, isn't he? I can't wait to annoy him a lot today! Especially after dinner!" Liliana's frown immediately turned into a warm smile.

"Sigh… I don't know how you can be so calm right now… I feel like my heart is going to burst out of my chest thanks to how nervous I'm feeling…" Luna placed both her hands on her chest right where her heart is and averted her gaze. There was a faint blush on her cheeks which made her look really adorable!

"Lili, are you sure you're not nervous about tonight?" I asked Liliana. I didn't forget to try to comfort Luna by patting her back.

"Me? Why would I? We roped in Mom, Auntie, and even your mom! You two need to have some faith in our plan!" She stood in front of us with an expression filled with both confidence and pride.

"If you say so." I shrugged and continued to comfort Luna. 

"The gods can be so unfair… Just a tiny little bit of courage would be so nice right now…" Luna sighed.

"There, there~. You just need to be a little shameless like I was!" I ended up hugging her.

"Thank you, Mia. That does make me feel better…" She immediately hugged me back.

"It will be fine! You two are just exaggerating things!" Liliana giggled but she started comforting Luna as well.

While I was enjoying a long warm hug with my besties in this chilly weather, my ears twitched… 

I heard a familiar sound… Laughter. That unique laugh that belongs to the one I love…

Found you!

"Ehh? Mia? Where are you going!?" Luna started shouting at me.

I had stopped hugging my friends and started running as fast as I could… He was close to where we were.

In just a few moments, I was able to gain a lot of distance from my friends.

"She found him! Let's get going, sis!" I heard Liliana's excited shouts in the distance.

"Ah! Wait! Don't run off just like that!" Luna complained as she started to run to chase me and her sister.

I was leaving white clouds of snow behind me as I ran across the forest. The scent of my loved one became stronger and the sound of his voice became clearer as I got closer to where he was…

It didn't take long for me to finally spot my loved one…

There he was, walking back to the village alone while having his usual beautiful and charming smile on his face. Wearing the red scarf that we had given him for Snowgiving.

He has barely gotten a bit taller than he was when we met three years ago, the only difference about his appearance compared to back then is that his hair has gotten a little longer, so he's still pretty much the cute and kindhearted boy who stole my heart~.

With that sight in front of me, I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold myself back… Before I realized it, I had already pounced at him to hug him…

The two of us quickly fell to the ground. The soft snow cushioned our fall after he landed on his back and I landed on top of him.

"Julius! Good morning! Did you miss me?" I immediately nuzzled against him.

"M-M-M-Mia!? Where did you even come from!?" He panicked. His cute tender cheeks were painted in a deep shade of crimson.

Cute… There was simply no other way to describe my embarrassed future husband.

"From my house, silly!" I poked his nose before I continued to nuzzle against him.

"N-N-No that's now what I meant…" He tried to look me in the eye but he quickly averted his gaze.

I was wrong… He is being extra cute today!

"Let's spend time together!" I couldn't take my eyes off him… Just looking at his adorable embarrassed expression made my heart beat wildly.

"O-O-Okay… I was going to look for you and the twins either way after having a snack…" He started looking at me and averting his gaze repeatedly as if he was too embarrassed to look me in the eye.

Hehehe! I really love him~! I might as well be eeeeeextra clingy today since the twins are going to tell him how they feel… Until then, he is all mine!

"What do you wanna do first?" I asked him with a smile.

"Umm… That's…" He hesitated.

"I wouldn't mind hanging out in your room like usual! Ah! Or maybe we could play around with magic again! I think I finally got the hang of that spell you were teaching me the other day!" I couldn't help it but I ended up getting even closer to him to get a better look at his face.

"Your face is close… You're too close…" Julius muttered in a low volume that I was barely able to hear. He was so embarrassed that his cheeks couldn't get any redder.

"Oh sorry!" His words made me smile from ear to ear. "Is this any better?" I asked him as I got as close as I possibly could… 

If I leaned closer to him, I could easily kiss his cheek as many times as I wanted… But I didn't… I simply chose to lay my head down on his chest and listen to his heartbeat.

His heart was beating almost as fast as mine, which meant that he was also happy to be together with me…

That fact made me immensely happy.

"You know, maybe we could stay like this for a while… It is a little chilly, but you're pretty warm, so it doesn't matter~!" I hugged him tightly.

"Y-Y-Yeah… I-I-I think… I think that would be cool too, yeah…" He suddenly looked at me, his whole face still painted red. He opened his mouth and closed it over and over again like he was trying his hardest to tell me something.

He suddenly then started taking deep breaths in order to calm his nerves. I simply waited patiently for him, enjoying his warmth.

"Mia." He said my name with a serious tone before gulping loudly. He looked determined, but there was still a bit of nervousness on his face.

"Yes~?" I answered happily as I raised my head to look him in the eyes.

For a moment, he hesitated again… but that didn't last long, as I felt a pair of arms wrapped around my back…

(Oh… It is happening…) I thought.

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"Mia, there's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while…" He stopped, his eyes seemed full of determination and nervousness. 

(Yes! It is finally happening!!!) My heart started racing…

I already knew what he wanted to tell me, but I didn't want to spoil his moment and I also wanted to hear those words come from his mouth…

"I lov-" In a terrible twist of fate, he was interrupted…

"Heeeeelp! Juli! Help! Everything is so dark! And squishy too…!" A muffled high-pitched voice came from underneath me… 

For a moment, Julius and I looked at each other with blank looks on our faces…

For a moment, I thought I was just hearing things or that the twins had arrived and were trying to play a prank on us, but very soon I realized that I was very wrong… I felt something beneath me moving restlessly…

"Oh gods, Leaf!" Julius looked at me with a panicked expression just before rapidly raising our upper bodies using his overwhelming strength.

I was then left speechless as I saw a very small person hiding in Julius' shirt pocket. A girl… That small girl had short white hair, was wearing a dress made out of leaves, and had a pair of butterfly wings attached to her back. She was a creature taken right out of a book… A fairy.

"Am I dead!? Is this the afterlife!? No waaaay! I was just starting to get to know Juli! I can't die just like that! Bwaaaaahahaaaa…!" The small fairy suddenly started ugly crying. She was clearly terrified…

Both Julius and I immediately panicked even more… He quickly picked her up from his pocket and tried to console her.

"Leaf! You're not dead! You're very much alive! Please don't cry!" Julius said to the fairy while rocking her in his hands in a desperate attempt to calm her down…

"Ehh? I'm not dead…?" She stopped crying and looked at Julius… She was clearing her tears and had a runny nose.

"No! You're alive, Leaf! It was all just an accident! I'm sorry!" Julius immediately apologized to her even though it was not his fault.

We both looked at each other again, both almost letting out a sigh of relief, but then…

"I'm shoooo glaahahaaad…!" The little fairy flew away from Julius' hands and then hugged his nose… She was crying harder than before… "I wass shoo scared, Juli…!" She was clinging to him as if her life actually depended on it…

"Everything is okay, Leaf! Please don't cry!" He tried to comfort her desperately. 

As I watched the pair, I started to feel increasingly guilty for making the little fairy cry, despite the multiple questions I had for Julius about her… Not only that, but I also ruined the moment I had been waiting patiently for months… I ruined Julius' confession…

"Sniff…" My eyes quickly started to water…

"Mia!? Why are you crying too!? Ah!  Look, Leaf is fine! It was just an accident! You didn't do anything wrong!" Julius once again panicked as soon as he saw me tearing up…

Despite Julius' best attempt at comforting the two of us, we simply continued to cry our hearts out…

"Oh! Look! There they are!" I heard Liliana's excited voice coming from behind. "Oh…" Her excitement immediately died down.

"Ummm… I think we might have arrived at a bad moment..." Luna said with concern.

The fairy and I were too busy to cry to even acknowledge that they were there…

After Julius was able to calm us down with the help of Liliana and Luna, we decided to head back to our home…

We were currently on the dirt road, right in front of the welcome signboard at the entrance of our village.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked with concern.

"Of course! I've never been better!" Leaf was flying around me with excitement.

"I'm glad…" I let out a sigh of relief.

Sigh… What a mess…

"Mia, it was just a harmless accident… There was no way for you to know that Leaf was hiding in my shirt pocket." Julius tried to reassure me. He was holding my left hand gently.

Due to the great difference in size between us (30 cm), he had to raise his head to look me in the eyes.

"It was a bit scary, but I don't blame you! Accidents happen, that's just how things are!" Leaf stopped right in front of me and smiled warmly.

"Thank you, Leaf." I smiled bitterly.

Normally, I would be happy that Julius would be worried about me and even overjoyed to be able to interact with a genuine fairy, but right now I can only feel guilty and crestfallen…

I can't believe I made such an innocent and friendly girl like Leaf cry inconsolably and that I ruined the moment where Julius was finally going to say clearly how he felt about me…

Sigh… All that long wait for nothing…

A few months ago, I was bored at home and decided to look for Julius to spend some time together… 

When I was led into his house by Ms. Tiria, I heard him talking to himself in his room… He was talking about me.

I know it was not a good thing to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help myself. My curiosity got the better of me…

Apparently, Julius was conflicted about the feelings he had for me and the difference in age between us… 

We are only three years apart, so I don't really care about the age difference. I thought he should know that by then.

But I was not prepared for all the things that he was about to say about me…

He suddenly started talking about all the things he liked about me… He said that he really loved my silky red hair, that my blue eyes were gorgeous and as pretty as the ocean, that my clumsiness only made me more adorable, that my laugh was one of the most beautiful things he had ever heard and my lovely smile…

I didn't know if he knew that I was eavesdropping or if he was simply trying to reassure himself, but that was probably one of the happiest and the most embarrassing moments of my life…

I just stood there… Listening to his endless list of things he likes about me… I simply couldn't leave after hearing him say all of those things about me…

I was then brought back to reality by the laughter of Ms. Tiria… She told me that my face was almost as red as my hair and asked if I was happy to hear what Julius thought about me and if I wanted to go give him a hug…

I am not proud to admit this, but I didn't even reply. I ran away as fast as I could to hide in my room… I was too embarrassed to face him after he said all those beautiful things about me…

I still vividly remember Ms. Tiria shouting at me, saying that she'd make Julius say all those things to my face eventually.

It took months… And now that he was actually going to tell me his feelings, I ruined it…

This is depressing… There's simply no other word to describe this situation…

"Sigh…" I let out a heavy sigh while my ears were hanging downwards due to my gloomy mood.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Mia! It will all be just a funny memory in a few hours!" Liliana patted my back to comfort me. She was walking beside me.

"It isn't like we are perfect either. Remember that time Julius fell off the roof? Or the time where Liliana burned all of our firewood for the winter with her magic?" Luna smiled at me. She was holding Julius' right hand.

"It looks like no one is going to let me live that one down…" Julius muttered while frowning.

"Me!? Do I have to remind you that you were there too?" Liliana was indignant.

"But you were the one who used that fire spell… I was the one who had to extinguish the flames before they spread to the houses." Luna retorted. 

"Ugh…" Liliana was swiftly defeated by her little sister.

Ah… I can still remember the panicked screams of the twins and then the look on Mrs. Lilia's face... It was hilarious!

A chuckle suddenly escaped from my mouth.

"See? It wasn't that big of a big deal! You look cuter when you're smiling!" Leaf landed on my shoulder and then complimented me.

Everyone nodded in agreement with her.

"Sulking doesn't really suit you, Mia." Julius nodded to himself. "I prefer to see you smiling with excitement like you always do." Julius gave me a compassionate look.

Ah… That's…

"Your smile is extremely beautiful. It is one of the many things I love about you." Julius said casually.

Silence… There was only silence after he said that… Everyone but Julius stopped walking.

"...!" I couldn't help but gasp and look at him dumbfounded. My ears immediately straightened up as soon as I heard what he said.

After a few moments, Julius noticed that we weren't walking beside him anymore and that we were looking at him very intently.

"I just said what I was thinking out loud, didn't I?" Julius' cheeks were painted red once again after realizing what he had done.

"That's exactly what you did." Luna said with a flat tone. I was able to notice that she seemed a bit jealous…

"..." Julius immediately averted his gaze and adjusted his scarf over his mouth and nose to hide his embarrassed expression.

"Hey! Hey! What do you think of my smile? It is not fair that you only compliment Mia!" Liliana suddenly ran up to him and smiled from ear to ear.

"That's…" Julius seemed to be struggling about what to say.

"Julius, I would also like to know what you think about my smile." Luna immediately walked up to him and smiled as well. Her eyes were sparkling…

"Umm…" He was panicking. He seemed to be too embarrassed to think about what to say to them.

"Oooh! That seems fun! Say something nice about me too!" Leaf flew towards him and joined the fray.

"..." Julius looked troubled.

I just stood there, silently staring at him. My cheeks felt hot and my tail was twitching uncontrollably… I was sure that I was blushing just as much as my loved one was…

My chest was filled with warmth and my heart was beating wildly once again.

The words he had just said were replaying in my mind endlessly… It was a moment I would never forget…

While Julius was being pestered by Leaf and my best friends, the two of us suddenly made eye contact… We stared at each other for a few seconds until…

"Hey! Don't ignore your older sisters! You aren't leaving this place until you say something you love about us!" Liliana stood in front of Julius, almost blocking my view of him.

"That's right! You have no say on this!" Luna nodded in agreement and stood beside her older sister.

"C'mon! We are waiting!" Leaf played along with them while standing on Liliana's shoulder.

"Alright! Alright! I'll do it!" Julius said with embarrassment. 

Julius took a deep breath before he quickly adjusted his scarf again, revealing a confident expression instead of the embarrassed one he had before.

"Luna, your smile is truly mesmerizing. I can't take my eyes off of you whenever you are smiling at me!" He looked at Luna and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Ehh?" Luna was caught off guard. Her whole face was painted red in an instant. "That's…" I knew that Luna was ecstatic, despite how red her face was.

He let go of Luna and then focused on Liliana.

"Liliana, your smile is charming and lovely. It always cheers me up seeing you smile whenever I feel down!" He said while looking at her dead in the eye.

"But is it beautiful?" Liliana asked with a grin. I could tell that she was already overjoyed. 

"There’s no way it wouldn't be." Julius said without any hesitation whatsoever.

"Hehe! That's better~." Liliana seemed genuinely satisfied.

"What about me?" Leaf raised her hand with excitement trying to get his attention.

"Your smile is jovial and full of mischief, and it is pretty cute in my opinion. It just makes me want to hug you and spoil you, you little rascal." Julius said with a smirk.

"Hehehe! Thank you, Juli!" Leaf giggled innocently before flying back to his shirt pocket.

Jeez… My Beloved Prince is really shameless, isn't he? Flirting with three girls at the same time in front of his fiancée… There should be a limit to his shamelessness~.

What an incorrigible guy… I love him~!

"Now then…" Julius and I made eye contact again. He then walked over to me.

The sound of my rapid heartbeats echoed in my mind as he approached me.

Julius stopped when he was right in front of me and raised his head to look me in the eyes. Leaf was peeking her head out of his shirt pocket while giggling.

"Mia." Unlike last time, he wasn't nervous at all... On the contrary, he looked quite confident.

"Y-Yes…?" This time, I was the one who was nervous and embarrassed.

Seeing me like that, he smiled warmly and grabbed my hand. I knew what he was going to say.

"I believe that I was going to tell you last time that I lov-" In yet another terrible twist of fate, he was interrupted again.

"Neeeeeeigh!" A few horses neighed loudly nearby.

"That carriage… It seems like Professor Tian is here." Julius pointed out with a bitter smile on his face.

Dammit! Of all moments, why did the professor choose to visit now!? 

Is the Goddess of Love messing with this poor rabbit maiden!? What did I even do to deserve this kind of treatment!? Was I such an evil person in my previous life that I-

Before I could continue focusing on all the rage and frustration I was feeling, my hand was pulled down by Julius, making me lean closer to him thanks to his astounding strength…

"I love you. That's all I wanted to say." He whispered in my ear.

I froze as soon as I heard the words…

"Well, I think we can talk about it later. I'm gonna go greet our professor, okay?" Julius smiled and winked at me before letting go of me and walking in the direction of the carriage.

He just left me there, with my heart beating as if it was about to burst out of my chest and completely oblivious of what was happening around me.

…

…

…

Dammit… I can't believe he stole my heart again just like that!

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Chapter 29: A Frustrating Confession.

END

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