Only with Your Heart

Lukrov lifted Chizuru’s upper body carefully and placed some pillows behind her back so that she could sit up, and after a while, the weight she had felt all over her body eased.

Chizuru let out a sigh of relief, but as expected, it was still strenuous to move.

“I don’t think you’ve recovered all the blood you lost yet,” Lukrov explained while looking into Chizuru’s eyes.

“You’ll have to stay in your bed for at least several more days. Let me know if you get tired. I’ll put you to sleep.”

“Okay…”

Since she could sit upright, Chizuru was able to look at Lukrov straight in the eye. 

The face of the large knight approaching closer to her was breathtaking. The shadows under his eyes from lack of sleep did nothing to decrease his attractiveness, along with his masculine jawline, chiseled features, jet-black eyes, and overflowing vitality.

Chizuru couldn’t help but feel her heart flutter when she faced him.

‘I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it……’

Perhaps Chizuru would be bewildered by Lukrov’s charm for the rest of her life. His every move made her heart skip a beat, every touch made her tremble with joy, and every smile made her the happiest woman in the world.

A lifetime spent with him sounded like a very attractive idea.

“I feel like I’ve been dreaming for a long time. I still don’t understand what’s real and what’s not, and I feel a bit weird.”

Chizuru expressed her current feelings honestly.

“You’ve done well. You had a terrible fever for five whole days. You must’ve dreamt a lot and had many nightmares. You occasionally let out whimpers in your sleep.”

“Nightmares?”

“Yeah.”

His voice was low and hoarse, and his eyes remained fixed on Chizuru with a caring, teasing look. However, his leisurely, sincere smile made Chizuru relax.

“I wanted to do something for you, but all I could do was wipe your sweat off.”

Chizuru opened her mouth slightly, trying to tell him that there was no need for him to worry about her, but Lukrov saw right through that and gently placed his index finger on her lips.

“Every time you cried out in pain…”

His gaze was filled with fiery heat.

“I prayed to the heavens. To God, if it meant that you would not be in pain. I would gladly go to hell for that.”

“Lukrov.”

“….And then I regretted my actions. When we reunited, I wondered why I couldn’t have been nicer to you! Why didn’t I hug you honestly from the beginning and say thank you for coming back? Why didn’t I continue loving you just as I did in the past?”

Chizuru held out her uninjured right hand to touch Lukrov’s face.

At first, her hand went to his cheek, then to his forehead where the scar ran across it.

Why couldn’t they just love each other like they used to? There was a reason for that. It wasn’t Lukrov’s fault. He did the best he could.

“I’m sorry, Lukrov.”

“It’s not your fault, Chizuru. I was just being stubborn.”

“No… Lukrov, you are kind. You had every right to be angrier, but you took good care of me and cherished me.”

The miracle of reuniting after fourteen years of separation.

Beyond time and space, overcoming sorrow and anger, the two of them faced each other here and now. 

The past was harsh. She was hurt and cried many times and suffered between giving up and being hopeful. There was bloodshed and even the loss of precious lives.

But still.

Still.

They didn’t give up.

She couldn’t give up on this person. Even if she was told to wait another hundred years, she would continue to love him.