My Secret Flower - Episode 19

Holding his anxious hand, I entered the garden path and subtly probed him.

“Are you worried about them finding out you hate your younger brother?”

“…I can’t say I’m not.”

“Then is everything Pavilion said true?”

His light brown eyes wandered aimlessly, lost. Seeing him agonizing alone made my heart ache.

“Tell me honestly. If you lie to me, I’ll be very upset.”

“It’s true. But my feelings for you are genuine. From the moment I first saw you, I harbored special feelings, and that is the absolute truth. Please believe me.”

“I do. Affectionate feelings can never be faked.”

I stood there, facing him, and wrapped my arms around his waist. Then, I rested my cheek against his chest and closed my eyes.

Thump, thump. The sound of his heart, beating fast and loud enough to burst, echoed faintly. That intense, throbbing rhythm was enough for me to believe him.

The most honest parts of a person are their eyes, heart, and lower body.

“You didn’t steal me away. That’s not a valid term. I never had any interest in Pavilion, nor did I ever give him my heart or hold him in it.”

“Lishua…”

“You’re the only man I’ve ever held in my heart. As long as you don’t betray me, I’m confident that feeling won’t change.”

I still believe it now. He’s the person my mother sent for me. To protect him, I’m willing to close my eyes and ears, blocking out everything. Even if he came as an assassin to kill me, I’d be willing to give my life.

That’s how much his existence meant to my world. I can’t imagine a world without him anymore, and I don’t want to.

“Lishua.”

The way my name flowed from his lips was so pleasant to hear. Like a warm spring breeze gently embracing me.

He cupped my cheeks with both hands and looked straight at me.

“Never, even if my life is threatened, will I betray you. And I won’t die that easily. I’ll survive to the end and stay by your side.”

“I believe you. Everything.”

“Also, I haven’t lied to you in the past, present, or future. The reason I haven’t told you everything about myself is because I’m ashamed. It’s true that, as Pavilion said, I left everything I was carrying on my shoulders behind.”

Even if it was his own decision, the fact that it was because of me wouldn’t change. But I had no intention of resenting or blaming him for it. Rather, I was just grateful and proud that he had made such a difficult decision to keep his promise to me.

“Don’t think too deeply about it. I’m willing to accept everything about Ash, and my heart is wide open. Whenever you’re ready, I hope you’ll tell me about yourself. I can wait. As long as it takes.”

After all, there are no secrets in the world. If I wanted to, I could hear everything about him from Pavilion, but I want to hear it from him, not someone else.

Because I think that’s the right thing to do for each other.

“Ash. Tonight, I’ll go to your room.”

“…Tonight, you say?”

“Yes. Do you not want me to?”

“That’s not possible.”

His face, which had been a little gloomy, brightened as if he understood what it meant for me to visit him at night.

‘Really, why is this man so cute?’

Seeing him so flustered by the unexpected words, then quickly breaking into a smile, made me feel even more proud. Even the way he struggled to control his cheekbones and the corners of his mouth from rising was cute.

His excited heart mirrored my own, and a bright smile naturally spread across my face. I carefully placed my palm on his chest, feeling the firm body hidden beneath his clothes, and looked up at him with the most seductive expression I could muster.

“I’ll ask Bring for permission to go, so take a clean bath and wait for me. Okay?”

“That sounds like… it will be a long wait.”

His voice trembled slightly. Does he know that it makes my heart race endlessly?

I was bothered by the fact that we hadn’t consummated our first night perfectly. Ironically, even though it was so difficult and painful, my body ached and burned uncontrollably every time I touched him.

I was starting to feel like I was reaching my limit, and I decided that today I would firmly tie our relationship together. So that we wouldn’t be swayed by anything.

After making that shy promise, we continued our walk for quite some time to have more time alone. Thanks to my mother’s love of garden walks, the specially cultivated garden was completely green, nourished by the hot sun.

“Ah, Ash. Look over there.”

I casually looked up at an old oak tree at the edge of the garden and saw small, yellowish-green leaves densely sprouting at the ends of the wide-leaved branches.

It was mistletoe. Around the end of winter before this spring, the day Ash decided to leave me. After confirming our feelings for each other, we took what might have been our last short walk, and the mistletoe we saw then had grown as it was.

“Do you remember? We saw it together the day you left.”

“…I remember. The story that lovers who kiss under the mistletoe will be happy.”

He hadn’t forgotten either.

I smiled happily and stopped there, gazing up at the mistletoe.

That day he told me he was leaving for a while. After confirming our true feelings and being giddy from a light kiss, we continued our last walk. It was a moment when even the snow piled high and the biting wind felt cozy and warm.

[Huh? What’s that…?]

I thought I was seeing things, but I wasn’t. I never thought I’d see mistletoe, which usually grows deep in the mountains, in the middle of the garden.

I had only seen mistletoe growing on that oak tree once when I was a child. I remember seeing it in the spring when I was walking with my mother. I hadn’t seen it since then.

[Ash. It’s mistletoe.]

When I pointed to the mistletoe growing on the top branch of the oak tree, he looked up at it. I blushed shyly, looking up at his neat profile.

[There’s a saying that lovers who kiss under that mistletoe are guaranteed to be happy.]

[Is that so?]

[That’s what my mother told me, but it might be made up.]

Suddenly, a dark shadow covered my vision. A breath filled with a sweet scent landed on my cheek, and his soft lips overlapped mine.

It was a very tender and sublime kiss.

[If that story is true, I’ll be able to return safely with God’s blessing. When I return, I hope we can have a proper kiss here.]

That conversation came back to me vividly, flashing through my mind. We parted under that mistletoe, and we met again and returned to this place together. I was very happy that the events of that day hadn’t been forgotten as just a sweet memory.

“I will never forget that great decision you made to abandon everything and return to me.”

“Lishua, if it weren’t for you, that ranch would probably still be abandoned. Because I had a purpose, I was able to resolve everything smoothly.”

“Then give me a reward. That thing we promised.”

He didn’t hesitate for a moment and tilted his head to kiss me. I naturally wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him.

His rough breathing felt like he wanted to stir my damp flesh intensely right away. Nevertheless, he calmly enjoyed the moment.

“Haa, Ash…”

His moist tongue gently rubbed my lower lip, and I was the one who was getting impatient. A tingling sensation spread through the nerves of my entire body to the tips of my toes, making me dizzy. As he slightly bit and sucked on my saliva-soaked lower lip, my back straightened and a thin moan escaped involuntarily.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed his lower body against mine. I could feel the heat through the thin fabric of our clothes, and the space between my thighs became hot.

Soon, he parted my lips and pushed his tongue deep inside, licking and sucking every corner like a craftsman meticulously sculpting. It was still an unfamiliar pleasure, but I had no desire to escape from that blissful world.

I wanted to feel each other’s warmth and hold him right away. The sensation of being deeply connected came to mind, and my legs trembled.

“I think your plan failed? It seems like you’ve only fueled those two even more.”

Then, Evelyn’s indifferent voice startled me. I reflexively broke the kiss and turned my head, and Evelyn, who looked like she had seen something she shouldn’t have, came into view with her hands overlapping over her eyes. Next to her, Pavilion stood with an annoyed expression, sighing and shaking his head.

Why, why! Every time Ash and I kiss, do they know like ghosts!

I tried to calm my pounding heart and cleared my throat. Ash also glared at Pavilion, disappointed by the interruption.

“Lishua. I think I need to talk to that guy for a while. How about you go back with your friend and have dinner first?”

“I will. But he’s still my younger brother and blood relative, so I’ll be very sad if you hurt him. I hope you can resolve it through conversation without getting angry.”

“…I’ll try.”

Knowing that Ash’s swordsmanship was excellent, I thought he might hurt his brother if he really wanted to. The murderous intent in his eyes as he looked at Pavilion was real.

But since I said that, it wouldn’t go to the worst-case scenario. I wondered if I could leave those two unstable men alone, but I thought I couldn’t interfere in their brotherly conversation, so I left the place with Evelyn without regret.

‘By the way, I’ve shown Ash and me kissing twice. I’m so embarrassed.’

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