Mr. Kadan in the Deep Forest - Chapter 72 - Epilogue

Kadan explained that it took him a little longer to give Luna the gift he had wanted to offer her.

“This was the greatest gift I wanted to give you.”

Kadan gently tapped the golden ring he had placed on Luna’s thumb. It was the royal seal, hidden by the King of Brillan. It had come from the cousin of the king who had led the rebellion, and Kadan was offering this kingdom to Luna as a gift of marriage.

Luna stared at the ring and began to cry. In truth, the silver ring Kadan had given her before was far more precious to her than this golden one. The golden ring felt too heavy and burdensome for her.

“My finger feels so heavy, Kadan.”

“Is that why you want to refuse?”

Kadan pulled Luna close, wrapping his arms tightly around her. His body, pressing against her back, felt stiff, as if uneasy.

‘What a strange man.’

Even without this ring, even if he didn’t give her anything, Luna knew she would stay by Kadan’s side. She had said it before and had shown it through her actions.

But Kadan always acted this way—uneasy, as if she was something heavier than this kingdom, as if she was a fickle person who might leave at any moment.

“I would never refuse you.”

Luna placed her hand on top of Kadan’s, with a soft and sure voice.

“I love you, Kadan.”

The confession she had kept hidden so carefully slipped out more easily than she expected.

At her words, Kadan’s body tensed. His body heat rose in an instant, radiated through his pajamas, and even his lower body, which was rigid and stiff.

“Ha, haha.”

Kadan buried his face in Luna’s shoulder, and she could feel warmth on the back of her neck, as if he was on the verge of tears himself.

“Damn it, I was going to say it first.”

Kadan muttered softly, unable to lift his head. Luna, puzzled by his reaction, tried to recall their past moments together.

‘Now that I think about it, this is the first time I’ve told him I love him.’

How had she never said such an important thing before? Luna chuckled softly. After all, she had never heard such words from her parents, so it wasn’t surprising that she didn’t know how to say them.

“I love you, Luna.”

Kadan repeated the words, saying them with great care, as if he was shaping the most beautiful confession.

In that moment, tears welled up in Luna’s eyes and spilled over, dropping down her cheeks. Why is this happening? Startled, Luna quickly wiped her tears away.

It wasn’t like this when she confessed her love; strangely, her emotions were out of control. The tears wouldn’t stop.

“I love you, forever. I will love only you.”

Kadan whispered the confession again, with a calm voice in Luna’s ear. Hic, hic— Luna finally broke down. Kadan gently hugged her trembling shoulders and comforted her in his arms.

“Will you marry me, Luna?”

Kadan asked once more. Luna, choking on her sobs, couldn’t answer.

“Don’t cry, just tell me properly.”

Kadan kissed the tear-streaked cheek and comforted her. Luna nodded vigorously.

“Huh… yes, Kadan. I will… sniff… marry you.”

“Thank you, Luna. And just in case you’re wondering…”

Kadan paused for a moment, then hesitated.

“I’m not a liar.”

“Huh, what are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Kadan and a liar? It seemed like an odd combination. At his joking words, Luna let out a laugh. A mix of tears and laughter came out as strange sounds escaped her lips like “hahaha, hiccup.” But Kadan didn’t stop kissing her, as if all of it was lovely to him.

Luna hugged him tightly, resting her head on his chest. She closed her eyes slowly as she listened to the sound of his heart thumping.

Perhaps because of the calm and peaceful proposal, Luna had a sense that, with Kadan, a peaceful and happy daily life would unfold in simple moments.

Epilogue

About a year ago.

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Luna was washing the white linen cloth that Kadan had used as a blanket and hanging it outside their hut to dry.

‘The sunlight is nice today, so it’ll dry quickly.’

Luna looked up at the sky. The bright sun was shining down over the clear blue sky. She hummed a tune as she packed away the bucket she had used to wash the linen.

Kadan, who had gone to the village to buy supplies, was watching her from a distance, looking somewhat distracted.

“Come here, Kadan!”

Luna spotted him late and smiled brightly, waving him over. Kadan’s face turned bright red.

“Kadan?”

“Ah, yeah.”

Kadan coughed awkwardly and walked over to her, then said, “I’ll take care of it,” as he lifted the heavy bucket.

“Did you go to the village?”

“Yes. Gave the heart of the beast to Ruth. Made a lot of money.”

“Looks like you bought a lot of food.”

Luna peered into the basket Kadan was holding. Inside, there were sweet treats—custard creams, candies, and sugar-coated cookies.

‘Has Kadan’s taste changed?’

The man who used to dislike sweets had been buying a lot of snacks recently. Luna tilted her head, puzzled, when Kadan asked her a question.

“Do you know ‘wish’?”

“Did you learn that from Ruth?”

“Yes. Proposal, wish. Things like that.”

Kadan hesitated as he counted off his fingers, glancing at Luna’s expression with a slightly awkward look.

“Does Ruth have a woman he wishes to marry and is going to propose to her?”

“Ah, well, that’s, uh…”

Kadan mumbled an answer, then clumsily knocked over a pile of firewood he had stacked up.

Crash, the firewood tumbled to the ground, making the yard a mess in an instant. Kadan rubbed his forehead.

“It’s okay. Let’s clean it up together.”

Luna chuckled softly. This man makes mistakes like this sometimes. She began picking up the scattered firewood one by one.

Kadan, too, started helping to clean up the firewood. He kept glancing at Luna, as though he had something to say. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally managed to ask a question.

“Do you… have a wish?”

“A wish?”

“Pro, proposal.”

“Haha, that’s impossible. Who would propose to me? Unless they were a liar, maybe.”

Luna waved her hand dismissively, but she heard firewood clattering behind her. Kadan had dropped the pile he was holding. The man who usually had steady hands seemed off today.

“Are you okay, Kadan?”

“Ah, yeah. More than that, I want to hear your answer.”

It was the first time Kadan, who was usually so quiet, persistently asked for an answer. It seemed like Ruth had told him to find a proper way to propose.

“Hmm, if by chance someone were to propose to me…”

Luna looked up at the blue sky, falling into thought. As soon as she heard the word ‘proposal,’ images of extravagant scenes from fairytales flashed in her mind. The kind of scene that bursts like fireworks, dazzling for a moment before fading away in a puff of smoke.

That was why Luna didn’t want such a fairytale-like proposal.

“I think I would be happiest if I woke up from a peaceful sleep and was proposed to. Not in an extravagant way, but quietly, calmly.”

A proposal like the sunlight streaming down now would be perfect. This warm sunlight wouldn’t fade after today; it would return tomorrow, just like it promised.

‘I feel strange.’

Luna scratched her cheek awkwardly. After saying that, she realized she had never imagined a marriage proposal, and now those thoughts were swirling in her mind. Her fingertips felt strangely itchy.

She busied herself picking up the firewood from the floor, trying to cut off the stray thoughts. A few times, she wanted to check Kadan’s expression, but she feared that if she looked at him, she would be caught in an irreversible daydream.

‘Am I going crazy?’

After picking up a few more logs, Luna hurriedly entered the cabin.

It wasn’t until much later that Kadan followed her. He was carrying the firewood he had picked up, piled high in his arms, murmuring to himself, “Peaceful sleep, quietly, calmly.”