Raoul tried to comfort her, turning pale, but Diana kept repeating that she was fine.
In fact, she really didn’t think this was something to cry about.
“I’m not crying because of you. I just suddenly feel relieved.”
For a while now, her calm heart had been neither painful nor sad. It was just numb.
As she awkwardly smiled and wiped away her tears, a thunderous voice suddenly poured out from somewhere, shattering the silence between the two.
“My ladyyyyyy!”
Diana turned around in surprise to see Angela running towards her with disheveled hair.
Her forehead hair was all damp and sticking to her skin, as if she had been searching earnestly.
Diana stared blankly at that sight for a moment, then started running as if awakening from a dream.
“A-Angela…!”
As Diana ran with her arms outstretched, Angela pulled her into a wide embrace as if it were the most natural thing.
“…You even pinky promised me that you wouldn’t sneak out anymore! Do you know how much I’ve been looking for you…?”
Her voice, usually so strong and spirited, was now choked with tears.
Diana was about to apologize with a guilty heart when suddenly her voice trembled like a goat’s.
“S-Sorryyyyy…”
“It’s okay… I found you, that’s what matters. You’re safe, that’s what matters…”
As soon as she heard those warm words, her heart crumbled.
“Huuuuuuuh… An…gela… I was so scaaared… I thought I was going to dieeeee…”
Her body, which had been so tense until just now, relaxed, and the warmth of Angela’s body triggered her sorrow.
As Diana wailed loudly, her face completely contorted, Angela lifted her up like a baby.
“Shh, it’s okay. It’s alright. I’m here now.”
Only when Angela comforted her did it finally feel real that it was over.
She was finally safe. No one could harm her, and she had an eternal ally who would embrace her.
[This is the timeline separator]Raoul was wandering late at night in search of cherry blossoms. He knew they had all fallen, but he desperately wanted to find some.
‘I wonder if Diana would like it…’
He had set out with the same thought not too long ago.
While searching for flowers in the deep forest, he had caught the scent of Diana’s blood, and when he rushed there, he had only helped Ayla who was in danger of being eaten.
‘Why couldn’t I have gone faster…’
What was Diana’s expression like when Ayla had flung herself into his arms?
Raoul felt heavy-hearted, as if he had committed some crime.
And a kiss, of all things…! He was a lycan who served only one mate for life.
To casually perform such a sacred act that should only be done with one’s mate.
And in front of Diana, who wanted to be his mate…! It was an action worthy of condemnation.
To make Diana cry with something he couldn’t even dare to imagine…
It was no different from toying with Diana, who had always sincerely conveyed her precious feelings.
‘I’m sorry, Diana. I’ll make sure to make you smile today.’
He wanted to bring pink spring back to that firmly frozen heart.
Even though he had already entered deep into the forest, the pink trees resembling Diana were nowhere to be seen.
It seemed that the spring air had long since disappeared far away. But he couldn’t give up here.
As Raoul went deeper inside, sniffing for the scent of flowers, he saw a branch of flowers shimmering brilliantly under the moonlight in the distance.
‘Found it. It’s here after all.’
As he was about to approach with a joyful heart, the sound of fluttering wings came from somewhere.
Flap. Flap.
‘Ah, Diana would hate it if I came back injured…’
It seemed that it wasn’t only humans who needed the remaining sweet spring air.
[This is the timeline separator]The Ayla incident was resolved as in the original story.
The sentry who was attacked by Eledore near the duke’s castle came forward as a witness, and no one suspected Diana in his place. It was a perfect crime.
Moreover, the commotion about the gentle lady’s running away was only briefly a topic among the servants before being forgotten, so now she could really just focus on preparing for the ball without worry.
Diana was about to fall into a carefree sleep after a long time, pulling the blanket up deeply.
Tok. Tok. Tok.
‘I must have heard wrong?’
Just as Diana was about to close her eyes again.
Tok. Tok. Tok.
This time, a clearer sound came from the direction of the terrace.
She was about to ignore it with a tired face, saying she’d had enough of unpredictable events, when the sound repeated once more.
‘I’m someone who just had a brush with death yesterday!’
Diana finally got up from the bed.
‘How come there’s not a single day that passes peacefully?’
As she approached the window in her thin pajama dress, the rippling figure behind the white curtain seemed somehow familiar.
“What are you doing here…?”
As Diana carefully pulled the latch, she saw the figure of a boy leaning against the terrace.
It was just a few days ago that he had received a ban on going out as a consequence of his dangerous night walk.
He wasn’t supposed to be here right now. Diana looked around in surprise and said,
“What if you get caught. There should be sentries outside…”
“It’s shift change time, so there’s no one right now.”
Raoul moistened his lips for a moment, then said with a hint of complaint,
“Is it okay to post such a dangerous guy as a sentry?”
‘Is that something someone who invaded at will should say…?’
Diana shook her head at the somewhat absurd remark, when her gaze fell on Raoul’s swollen red hand.
“How did this happen…?”
Diana asked in shock, bowing her head, but Raoul hid his hand behind his back and pretended not to know.
“It’s nothing…”
“It’s not nothing. What about the medicine I gave you?”
As Diana looked up at him with concern, Raoul looked down at her and then quickly turned his head away.
“That…”
Judging by his trembling gaze, it seemed difficult to talk about.
Diana was about to change the subject, having guessed roughly what happened, when Raoul hastily added,
“I gave it to Ayla because she was hurt. I’m sorry. It was medicine you prepared for me. I shouldn’t have carelessly given it to someone else…”
For Diana, this was already one of the scenarios she had anticipated, so she just smiled gently, but Raoul’s eyes trembled as if he had committed a great wrong.
“I don’t know how to convey my apologies. For avoiding you all this time, for hurting your feelings and making a friend you don’t know, and for not being able to save you first… It’s all my fault…”
The more he spoke, the more his shoulders drooped.
Somehow, it was a cute and pitiful sight.
“What are you sorry for? I’m fine. I told you before. I don’t expect anything from you. You should do what you want.”
As Diana slowly shook her head and spoke, Raoul looked at her seriously and asked,
“…Do you really think that’s what I want?”
“Isn’t it?”
Diana was equally perplexed.
‘Why is he suddenly so serious…?’
Raoul, his ears reddening, tried to speak while looking straight at Diana.
“…No. I want to be by your side. I want to keep talking sweetly with you. I want to dance with you, and also…”
“…Also?”
“Alsoooo…”
Raoul blushed as if it was too embarrassing to say out loud.
Diana stared at him curiously, but he just lowered his head deeply, avoiding her gaze.
As Diana rubbed her arms in the still chilly night air, Raoul finally handed her the cherry blossom branch he had been hiding behind his back.
“You’re just like a cherry blossom.”
“Suddenly…?”
Diana startled at the unexpected comment, and Raoul awkwardly rolled his eyes but tried to continue speaking.
“…Not suddenly, always.”
“…Hmm… What do you mean?”
“You’re a cherry blossom, a peach, and a rabbit.”
“…Huh?”
He was saying strange things and his ear tips were turning red, somehow seeming odd.
Diana, worried, moved closer and gently took his swollen hand.
“Don’t tell me you got hurt trying to pick this?”
She tried to examine his hand more closely, pulling it up to check if he had been stung or scratched by something poisonous, when suddenly Raoul lowered his head.
Chu.
“W-What?”
Surprised, Diana looked up with wide eyes, and Raoul covered his mouth with the back of his hand and turned his gaze away.
His face was bright red as if it might burst.
“You asked earlier.”
“W-What?”
“What I wanted…”
“Huh? Huh?”
“I’m going!”
As Diana opened her eyes wide and cupped her cheeks, Raoul had already jumped over the railing.
‘Did, did he just kiss me?’
The bewildering incident that occurred on this moonlit night was a situation that was simply impossible to understand, no matter how hard she tried…!
.
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
