“I’m so happy to find someone like you, Yuan,” Rose thought inwardly, her eyes filled with love as she gazed at him with a smile, wishing this moment would never end. ‘Despite having multiple partners, you still feel glad finding me, and I feel the same way. If this is just a dream, I don’t want to wake up from it.’ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘭．𝑜𝘳𝘨
Her heart swelled with happiness, knowing that it was all real. The kiss, the passionate moment they had shared, it was all real and wouldn’t vanish, which made her incredibly joyful in a way that words alone couldn’t describe.
‘I’m so glad that I decided to come here to wake up Rose from her sleep. Although my intention was only to make fun of her, it turned out to be a completely different scenario, but a blessing nonetheless,’ Yuan thought inwardly, still in a daze as he continued to stare at Rose’s beautiful face with her messy hair.
Having just woken up, Rose’s disheveled appearance gave her a different kind of charm that almost enchanted Yuan. She appeared like a sexy barbaric queen with this wild look, and he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
“She looks gorgeous like this, absolutely stunning,” Yuan thought inwardly, genuinely surprised by her transformation. Her professional look and demeanor had given way to a new side of her that left him speechless.
Feeling his gaze on her body, Rose felt a bit embarrassed, unsure of his intention, but at the same time, she was also happy. Various questions raced through her mind as Yuan continued to stare at her.
However, no matter how she tried to read his expression, she couldn’t see any lust in his eyes, which was reassuring, as she knew he wouldn’t do anything inappropriate.
‘Why is he staring at me like this? Does he have something on his mind? Or am I simply too beautiful for him to resist not to look at me?’ Rose thought in confusion, trying to decipher his intentions.
A moment later, Yuan complimented her, “You really look very beautiful with your messy hair. It gives you a wild look that suits you better than your professional demeanor. You’d look even better if you stopped clamping your hair and left it open.”
Blushing, Rose smiled, relieved that Yuan’s thoughts were innocent. Her love for him only grew stronger with this realization. “So he was only thinking about my looks and nothing else. I was right about him,” she thought to herself, pleased that Yuan didn’t judge people based on their background like some nobles did.
Her heart swelled with gratitude towards her mother for proposing the marriage between them. “This is the second reason I fell for him; he has a noble heart and doesn’t differentiate between commoners and nobles,” she mused, gazing at Yuan’s charming face as if time had frozen in that moment.
A minute later, Rose smiled warmly at Yuan and said, “If you think I will look good with untied hair, then from now on, I will leave it open just for you.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Yuan replied with a smile, happy that his future wife was so understanding, even though their marriage had been arranged.
In an excited motion, Yuan wrapped his arms around Rose’s waist, pulling her into a hug. Though taken aback, Rose welcomed his embrace, enjoying the warmth of his affection.
As Rose nestled her head against Yuan’s chest, she whispered softly, “I love you, Yuan.”
“I love you too, Rose. This is one of the best days of my life,” Yuan replied with genuine emotion, chuckling softly afterward.
Naturally, Rose felt overjoyed hearing his words, her small smile speaking volumes about her happiness. However, Yuan couldn’t see her smile as he held her close.
After a minute, Yuan gently broke the hug and reminded Rose, “Rose, we should head out to the living hall. Everyone is waiting for us there, and Ivy is preparing a meal for all of us since we haven’t eaten anything since yesterday’s dinner.”
Rose nodded, agreeing with Yuan. “You’re right, they must be wondering what took us so long,” she said, then asked curiously, “By the way, Yuan, how did you find my bedroom? I don’t remember ever showing you my bedroom before.”
“Well, your mother told me. She asked me to wake you up since you’ve been sleeping for the whole day, and she was worried about you,” Yuan replied, his voice slightly awkward.
He had lied about her mother showing him the bedroom, as he had promised Ava not to mention her name to anyone. How can he break the promise he made to Ava as a man?
However, Rose didn’t buy Yuan’s words. Her experience as the acting village head had taught her to discern lies from truths, and she knew he was being deceitful about her mother showing him her room.
‘From his voice and expression, I can tell he’s lying about my mother showing him my room. He’s telling the truth about her asking him to wake me up, but who could’ve shown him my room? Julie, Ava, or perhaps Ivy…?’ Rose wondered inwardly, trying to figure out who might have been the one to reveal her bedroom to Yuan.
Yuan noticed the pondering expression on Rose’s face, feeling guilty for lying to her so soon after becoming lovers. He regretted promising Ava not to mention her name, which forced him to lie.
‘Sigh! I shouldn’t have promised Ava not to tell Rose her name… She might be disgusted with me for lying just after we became lovers. What a mess…’ Yuan sighed inwardly, wrestling with guilt.
‘I hope our relationship doesn’t end now, just as it’s beginning…’ he thought to himself.
A moment later, Rose snapped out of her daze and locked her gaze with Yuan’s brown eyes, which had a hint of gold in them. She spoke up, expressing her feelings about his lie. “Yuan, I know you lied to me about my mother showing you my room. I won’t ask why you did it, but I felt a bit sad knowing that you lied right after we started our relationship. I didn’t expect you to deceive me like that.”
Yuan couldn’t make direct eye contact, feeling the weight of his actions. He took a deep breath, placed his arms on her shoulders, and finally met her gaze. Rose was puzzled, uncertain about what he would do next.
“Rose, I’m terribly sorry for lying to you right after we became lovers. It’s not that I wanted to lie, but I had no other choice. I promised the person who showed me your room not to mention her name to you, and as a man, I can’t break such a promise,” Yuan explained sincerely.
“How can I call myself a man if I can’t keep a simple promise? I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me this time, Rose…” Yuan pleaded, still looking into her eyes. Rose could sense the truth in his words, knowing he wasn’t lying about the promise he made.
‘He made a promise, so it’s not entirely his fault for lying. There’s no point in being angry with him anymore,’ Rose pondered inwardly.
After a minute, she smiled at Yuan and said, “Fine, I will forgive you this time. But remember, if you lie to me in the future, you can forget about receiving forgiveness from me.”
Since it wasn’t Yuan’s fault for lying, Rose decided to forgive him just this once. She realized that holding on to stubbornness would hinder the progress of their relationship. She didn’t want to give up on their love over something like this.
Upon hearing that Rose had forgiven him, a bright smile spread across Yuan’s face, as though he had won a hard-fought battle.
“Really?! You’re not angry at me anymore?” he asked, needing to confirm.
“Really. How could I stay angry at you when you told me the truth behind your lie? There’s no reason for me to be angry anymore,” Rose replied, playfully pinching his nose and smiling at him.
“You’re the best, Rose… I love you, and I’m sorry for lying to you…” Yuan said sincerely, gently kissing her forehead.
Surprised by the sudden kiss on her forehead, Rose couldn’t help but smile afterward, liking the affectionate gesture.
A minute later, Yuan reminded her, “Now quickly change your clothes. Others are waiting for us, and we shouldn’t keep them waiting.”
“Oh, right, I totally forgot,” Rose said, realizing the urgency. “Can you wait here until I wash my face and freshen up?” She asked, getting up from her bed and heading towards her connected bathroom.
“Sure, take your time,” Yuan nodded, waiting patiently.
A few minutes later, Rose emerged from the bathroom, looking refreshed. She approached her wardrobe and laid out some clothes on the bed. She then noticed that Yuan was still in the room.
‘Should I change my clothes before him? But won’t he see me naked if I do that? I can’t show my bare body to him just yet,’ she thought inwardly, feeling a bit flustered.
“Yuan, if you don’t mind, can you wait outside until I change my clothes? I’m not comfortable showing my body to you just yet. I hope you understand,” Rose said, her cheeks flushed.
“If that makes you comfortable, I don’t mind waiting outside. Take your time, Rose,” Yuan replied with a warm smile.
“Thank you, Yuan,” Rose said, grateful for his understanding.
Yuan then left the room, giving Rose the privacy she needed to change her clothes without any discomfort.