CH 179

Lloyd’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, then narrowed between the gaps.

“You…….”

He, who was sitting down, pulled his chair and got up. And he approached Aria without hesitation.

In an instant, his face came closer. His breath touched her cheek. Lloyd reached out his hand, grabbed Aria’s back and pulled her.

“Do you mean the same thing as back then?”

His expression, which had softened in an instant when Aria said not to be angry, became more fierce than before.

“Back then?”

Oh.

‘Does it sound like I’m making one last request before I die?’

He seemed to have misunderstood that she had asked him to kiss her because Aria had given up her own life.

‘Well, I already have a record of doing it.’

She hid from him the fact that she was time-limited, and she forced herself from confessing her heart. With the current flow of conversation, it was easy to make it sound like that again.

‘No, it’s the other way around…….’

She asked because she wants to live. With Lloyd.

But she didn’t want to be honest yet, so she licked and chewed her lips, blushing without saying a word.

“I just want to…”

And she mumbled.

Seeing Aria’s embarrassed expression, Lloyd relaxed his hand little by little. Her fine hair fluttered between his fingers.

“I’m sorry. I misunderstood.”

He was rather intimidated by Aria’s courageous confession.

Lloyd sighed as he pressed his own forehead to her forehead lightly and then sighed away. Aria grabbed Lloyd’s hand that was leaving without a hesitation.

“Why are you leaving?”

“……”

“You can just concede to me.”

Aria whined and whispered in a small whisper.

“I’ll be an adult soon…”

Less than a month left now. What is so different now and then?

But she could no longer speak. When she said these words herself, she began to feel out of control.

‘I just looked very young.’

Aria opened her lips and closed it repeatedly, looking up at Lloyd with a trembling gaze.

“Ha… Listening to you, I remember more vividly the moment I almost touched you without patience after saying I would wait until you became an adult.”

Then he mumbled his words with a sigh. Those words sounded as if he was regretting what he was about to do to the little girl.

Aria shot back at him.

“That’s right. At that time, Lloyd tempted me first!”

“Tempted?”

As Lloyd said so, he clasped her cheek softly. He kissed Aria on her forehead and slid his lips down slowly, almost touching the lips.

“Uht.”

Her breathing got suffocated. Her toes were curled up, her fever was rising, and it was as if all the hairs on her body were standing up for no reason.

All of a sudden, her eyes got entangled. It seemed that she would be eaten by the gray eyes of his, which was flushed with heat.

Aria closed her eyes tightly without realizing it.

“I think this might be a temptation.”

Lloyd slowly lifted his head away as he pressed on Aria’s forehead, which continued to twitch whenever his breath touched.

“You’re too scared.”

“No, this is my first time…”

“It’s my first time too.”

It’s his first time, so why did he look so good? They’re both inexperienced, but why does his every action feel so expert?

Aria was genuinely curious.

It was the same when he came out of the bathroom without even wiping his hair and brazenly asking her to dry his hair.

He still doesn’t blink an eye.

“When I was young, even just kissing gave you murderous energy. When I said embarrassing words, you even cursed and turned red ….”

“Now you do.”

“Ugh.”

Aria looked up at him in protest for a moment with a red face.

“…does it change when you become an adult?”

Aria died as soon as she became an adult. And as soon as she died, she returned back to the time when she was a child.

Her days as a child were more than necessary, but her days as an adult were very short. So, she wondered if she was so different from Lloyd, who has been an adult for four years.

“Well, at least the rabbit at the coming-of-age ceremony will have the same reaction as now…”

Lloyd grinned and patted her hair.

“Then I won’t let you go.”

Even if you die, even your soul. Swallowing the words, he passed Aria and left the room.

Aria followed behind him with devastated eyes.

‘You will keep what you said until the end.’

She sighed and fell on the bed.

At this point, she got arrogant. And she became even more curious.

How will he react after she proudly declares that she will be with Lloyd on the day of the coming-of-age ceremony?

“- Lloyd.”

Aria suddenly called for Lloyd, who stood paused.

While walking escorting her, he paused and stared into the banquet room, he looked unpretentiously cute.

“What are you spacing out about?”

Aria poked her finger in his back with a smile in her voice.

And she said as she stretched out her hand, in front of him, who was standing still, asking for his escort.

“Come here. Today is my coming-of-age ceremony.”

“…..”

“What’s the matter?”

Lloyd answered, staring down at Aria’s hand.

“Somehow, I feel like I’ve seen a scene like this before.”

As he said so, he took Aria’s hand, kissed the back of her hand and let it go. Still, he did not take his eyes off her for a moment, and looked at her with a tenacious gaze.

While Aria was thinking hard about how to explain the yin-yang harmony to him.

‘In the end, I couldn’t find any other way but the freeze technique…….’

Of course, she reacted more sensitively than usual.

“The back of your ear is red.”

Lloyd looked down at her curiously as he fiddled with her earlobe.

“This is different from back then.”

“What are you talking about…”

Aria couldn’t stand his gaze and her face was about to burst. At the same time, voices resembling boos filled the banquet hall.

“How long are you going to monopolize the main character?”

“Yes, the little deer is in trouble because of the Grand Duke!”

“Descendants of Atlantis! May you live long!”

“Brother, I heard that you made this cake, did the employees get hit with an arrow in the head as a group?”

“…they weren’t in the vision of God’s hope that I saw.”

Lloyd muttered grimly.

It was the day of her coming-of-age ceremony.

Aria glanced at Lloyd with a slightly reddish face, then let go of his hand and joined the crowd.

Conversation with him is important for her, but she had to greet those who came to congratulate her coming-of-age first.

“Thank you all for coming all the way.”

Aria said as she grabbed the hand of the Angelo family head, who was standing in front of her.

“Father too.”

There was a deep crease in Tristan’s forehead, who was waiting for Aria to come running to him.

“Older Brothers too.”

Next were Winter and Luther. She shook hands with the Angelo sons in turn.

Vincent was watching it, figuring out how to effectively eliminate his competitor.

“Here, Little Deer.”

The Princess who appeared at Aria’s invitation held a long, thin glass in her hand.

“What is this?”

The golden liquid was shimmering in a more splendid shine under the light of the chandelier.

“Being an adult means you’re old enough to drink.”

“What are you giving to a person who is not even physically well?”

Lloyd cut in with a frown.

The cooks were startled and quickly retreated with the presents. The ‘mature gift’ requested by Aria was fruit wine made with a heavenly secret that has been passed down from generation to generation in Dunham.

“A little bit is fine.”

Natalie, already intoxicated, said waving her hand.

“Absolutely no.”

It was then. Aria, who was looking at the glass with a twinkling gaze, licked her lips and said.

“Pretty.”

In her past and present life, she had never tried alcohol. Because she had never even wanted to drink before.

‘It is said that alcohol is what makes you drunk in the atmosphere.’

She was surrounded by the people she loved, so she wanted to eat, drink, and have fun with them.

“Just one drink.”

Natalie said with a smirk, and Lloyd sighed and touched his forehead. And he looked at the Princess with a gloomy gaze for a moment.

The Princess shot back with a, ‘What?’

Meanwhile, Aria took a sip and swallowed the alcohol.

“It’s sweet.”

It tastes just like a normal drink? It wasn’t as bad as she was told. Although her throat and stomach tingle a little the moment the drink passes her body.

“Right?”

The Princess patted her hair. Aria nodded her head and took another sip of the alcohol.

“What is that?”

Then she asked, pointing to the bottles the cooks were holding. They were passing the bottles to each other, but then got surprised and looked at Lloyd’s eyes.

“It’s a gift for Young Madam, but I’m worried that it might harm your health…”

“Oh, is it alcohol? But I think I’ll be fine with one more drink.”

It seemed like the cooks made it themselves. Aria was going to drink just one more drink as a token of sincerity.

She wouldn’t have done that if she had known it would be the last memory of her coming-of-age ceremony.

Aria suddenly opened her eyes to the cool feeling that brushed her cheek.

In her vision was the full moon. The night was clear without a single cloud, and a brilliant feast of stars embroidered in the sky.

She turned her head, pulling her gaze from the window.

“Are you awake?”

It was Lloyd. When she woke up, his hand left her as she blinked her eyes.

Aria later realized that this was her room.

“What happened?”

“You suddenly fell asleep.”

“…Really? Did I sleep?”

Lloyd looked down at her. It was a silent affirmation.

Aria doesn’t know much about alcohol, but she’s seen people drinking and having fun countless times.

The gathering with Siren was depraved and debauched, but she had never heard of people who drank a couple of drinks and fell asleep.

‘Was I so weak in alcohol.’

Aria sighed and rubbed the corners of her eyes. Luckily, she didn’t have a hangover.

“Did I drink and do something strange?”

Aria thought of her biological father, who used to be violent when he drank.

“Aria.”

“Yes?”

“If you drink again, you will be in trouble.”

Oh, she must have done something very strange.

Aria had to nod her head meekly. Lloyd had been telling her not to drink and yet this mess happened.

“Did I hit you?”

“What?”

“Did I get drunk and hit Lloyd?”

The question sounded rather strange.

But Lloyd immediately understood the intent of her question, and held back, grinding his teeth.

“Come here.”

He looped his hand on the back of Aria’s head and pulled her into his arms.

“Lloyd?”

“I’d rather you hit me.”

“What?”

“You became talkative, chattered, talked longer, blushed, and kept smiling…”

“Is that my drinking habit?”

Doesn’t it sound normal?

“Never drink again.”

She doesn’t know what the problem actually is, but Aria meekly nodded her head again. As Aria bowed her head and reflected on herself, Lloyd opened his mouth.

“I’m glad. I had something to say, but I think you’re sober before the day ends.”

“Did Lloyd have something to say?”

Lloyd too?

“Um… Lloyd first then.”

He went silent for a moment, then said.

“Today, our contract is over.”

She completely forgot. As she focused only on what they had in common, she forgot that their marriage began as a contract.

“Are you going to divorce me according to the contract?”

Aria tried to get the words out of her mind.

Then the Devil Grand Duke, who had grown up, kissed her hair with reverence and said,

“Now that you’re an adult, you have to sign an adult contract.”

The terms of the childhood contract were unilaterally set by Aria, so now it was Lloyd’s turn.

“Let me be by your side.”

“……”

“Forever, I will be by your side.”

That’s all I need. Aria blinked her eyes at Lloyd’s words. He is saying what she wanted to say.

His fingers pressed against her lips as his lips were clenching, waiting for her to answer.

Telling her to answer her carefully.

Telling her this is her last chance to choose.

“Even if you regret it later and run away, it will be of no use. Even if you do something far beyond the acceptable range, I will never let you go.”

Aria just smiled without saying a word.

She then said, clenching his hand that touched her lips.

“I meant everything I said as a child. If Lloyd wanted an end, I would go to hell with you.”

And she paused for a moment and placed her own lips on his hardened lips.