“By the time I realized it, I was already in love with you. And, I knew you would easily accept my heart if I told you about it. However, that wouldn’t have been because you love me, it would have been because of Arman.”

“Edgar…”

Rubica couldn’t deny him as she had just been looking for Arman in his smile.

“I just wanted you to love me for who I am now.”

There was a shadow on his face and Rubica gently stroked it. She had just been finding similarities between him and Arman, but now, she looked for the differences.

His clear and moist skin, his high nose, his dark and black hair, and his eyes that glistened arrogantly. They were different. Edgar and Arman were clearly different.

“Edgar, in the future a long time from now, I met you by the name of Arman. And the world had changed a lot by then. You were also different. A lot happened, but eventually, I got to love you.”

He took her hand. His blue eyes that pierced into her soul asked, “And what about who I am now?”

“I love you.”

She said so without a second of hesitation. It was remarkable. She had come back in time to meet him again, the past Arman. The time, the situation, their status, they were all different, but she had gotten to love him.

How did it happen? Unlike Arman, who was sweet and kind, Edgar was very arrogant, and he left the worst first impression on her. If such thing as fate existed, this was it.

“Then…”

He gulped hard. He looked like he had something to say, but he kept hesitating and couldn’t speak for some time. He inhaled a few times and spoke quickly.

“Do you love me more than Arman?”

“What?”

“It matters a lot to me.”

Sometimes, Rubica felt like he was a person hovering above the clouds, like when he professionally took care of things and when he made amazing inventions. But sometimes, she also felt like he was a stubborn little boy, such as now.

“But you two are the same person.”

“No, we’re not! We might look like the same person to you, but not to me. I want you to love me so much that you won’t ever think of Arman. I want you to think, ‘I can’t see why I loved such a fool when I had this jewel-like man here right next to me!’”

“But you are Arman. Why would I regret loving Arman?”

“I want to be the only man you love.”

Edgar pouted. He knew he was supposed to ask for her forgiveness but, for some reason, he felt like complaining. He wanted to protest that he had suffered as much as she had, and he had been confused as he didn’t know why his heart kept shaking.

“Edgar, but it all means I love only one man.”

Rubica tried to calm him down in front of that weird paradox. She wasn’t saying she loved Edgar more than Arman even though he was directly asking for it, and it hurt him, although he knew it was childish.

“So, is it me or Arman? Choose!”

Still, he wanted an answer.

“You…”

He had practically forced her to say it, but he smiled broadly at hearing that. His angel-like smile made her heart melt as well. Oh, she was so weak to handsome faces, and now she had the most good-looking guy on the whole continent? She had no choice but to lose to her husband for the rest of her life.

“I love you more than anyone else. I love only you.”

He held her tightly and confessed his love once again. His scent felt stronger than usual. His masculine but delicate, soft scent. It always made her blush and breath fast.

“Um, Edgar.”

She whispered and her breath tickled his ear. Her body was a little hotter than the usual.

‘I guess my body is hotter as well.’

He embraced her even tighter. He wanted to hold her without leaving any gap between them. He wanted to feel her warmth more. He wanted to… know everything about her.

“You know, something hard has been poking my legs for some time.”

But he let her go, surprised by what she said. If his legs had been fine, he would have gotten up to go and hide in a corner of the cave.

However, Rubica didn’t go away. She came even closer. This time, she embraced him.

“Why is this thing not calming down?”

Her voice shook. Oh, what am I saying? She buried her face in his chest, very embarrassed.

“That’s because you are too pretty.”

She smiled. It really didn’t sound convincing when coming from his mouth. She wanted to tell him if they stood together, people would be staring at him, not her.

But then, he would get mad and say there must be something wrong with their eyes.

“What should we do to calm it down?”

“It will calm down soon when I stop seeing you.”

He regretted saying it as soon as he said that. She probably wanted a bolder request instead of such a situation report.

They had been a married couple for months, but they hadn’t done it yet, so he wasn’t immune to such things. How did the others do miracles of arousing each other and doing the thing?

“Edgar?”

After a short silence, Rubica found the courage and called his name. She looked determined and his heart pounded. What was she about to say?

He didn’t want to have their first time in such a place, so he was going to politely refuse, but he couldn’t help looking forward to what she was about to say. The fact that she wanted him was always pleasant to hear.

“Yoooooour Graaaaaace!”

However, the hot mood inside the cave was cooled down in an instant by a voice that called them from afar. Edgar had to try hard to not curse out loud.

“Where are youuuuuu?”

The shadow of branches that covered the entrance of the cave had shortened. They could hear dogs barking. They were searching for them.

Rubica quickly went away from Edgar. Oh, was it necessary for them to come now, right at this moment?

“Maybe we should get rid of all this.”

“Huh? Oh, are you talking about this rope around my waist? There’s no need for that, I can undo it with my hands.”

However, he shook his head.

“No, I was talking about Carl. I know he hasn’t been obeying your orders, and I don’t like it. Stephen was able to abduct you because you were not guarded well. Maybe we should fire him.”

“What on earth are you talking about? Carl is always working so hard. He has come to save us.”

Yes, right when the mood was right, faster than anyone else. He could have come a little later.

Edgar gritted his teeth. He had already forgotten how he had promised himself to refuse if she asked for something more than kisses. He blamed Carl for making him lose this precious opportunity.

“About your legs, we should say you’ve been injured. And, um… you should really calm this down.”

What if the search party found them before he managed to do so? What would they think? They had fallen down a cliff, they were in a damp cave, and the husband’s legs had been wounded, and yet… her cheeks turned red again. Rubica stopped thinking there.

“That’s impossible.”

But he said no to her earnest plea and didn’t even seem to be embarrassed.

“Then I’ll go outside so that you can…”

“No, don’t go.”

She tried to leave, but he grabbed her hand. He couldn’t endure being away from her even for a moment. He recalled the feeling of loss that had woken him up in the middle of the night, and it tormented him.

“But what would they think if they see you like this?”

“We’re married. Why should we care?”

“What about your reputation?”

“Since when have I worried about my reputation?”

Rubica bit her lips. He was right. He was an inventor who thought more of practicality than reputation.

Actually, there was no need to be embarrassed so much. They were madly in love and that was something to be proud of. But with the situation being what it was, Rubica just couldn’t bear to endure the look they would give her.

“Just stay with me, always.”

She pushed his hand away to leave, but he pleaded.

“From now on, I want you to come to my office when you wake up in the morning.”

His eyes that glistened in the sunlight were unusually unstable. Wouldn’t a lost angel look like this? Rubica was impressed by her husband’s beauty once again.

“I’ll have them put a chair in there for you. You may knit or sew if you get bored. And you like Latte, right? It would be fine to bring in a dog to keep you company.”

He was desperate. He had missed her often as he worked in his office. If his two legs had been fine, he would have gotten up to disturb her while she was sewing or ask to take a walk together.

They were married, but he had been missing her so much. As everything had been made clear now, he wanted to compensate for the times they hadn’t been together. More exactly, he wanted to be compensated.