Chapter 2
The way Iver’s fingertips traced her skin was hauntingly similar.
Still, she surrendered herself to that familiar sensation, even knowing the man touching her was not the one she had once loved.
Kyle was someone she had tried so hard to forget. Yet every time Iver’s nose brushed against her skin as he breathed in her fragrance, the memories resurfaced.
Annerose gently drew his hand toward her lips and kissed it.
Her small tongue lightly traced his fingers. Tickled by the sensation, Iver smiled faintly and stroked her crimson hair in return.
At that moment, a tear slipped from Annerose’s eye.
She had been thinking of the man she had loved long ago.
“…”
“Iver…?”
Despite Annerose softly calling his name, Iver remained silent for a long moment before lifting his eyes to hers.
“You’re not focused on me at all. It’s as though you’re thinking about someone else.”
“Iver?”
“You’re thinking about another man instead of me, aren’t you, Annerose?”
“…”
“…You still can’t forget him, can you? That mage… Kyle, or whatever his name was.”
The instant she heard Kyle’s name from his lips, Annerose’s body gave a guilty start.
She had thought of her former lover while lying in another man’s arms.
Worse still, he had noticed.
Desperate to cover up the terrible mistake, she reached out with trembling hands and clutched Iver’s arm.
“N-no…! I…”
“Why do you love a man like him? After all this time, how can you still not forget him? A fool who reached beyond his station and meddled with ancient magic until he lost his sight. A man with no title, no standing — someone who did nothing but bring you suffering!”
His voice echoed through the greenhouse, breaking with something perilously close to tears.
“That bastard has been tormenting you all this time! Please, please forget him…! He’s gone from this world now…! It’s already been hundreds of years…! Isn’t it finally time to let him go?!”
“Forget him? No matter how much time passes, I never could.”
Her voice trembled.
“Because I was the one who killed him.”
Drip, drip. Tears fell one after another, darkening the fabric over her chest.
Even as she quietly shook, Annerose’s fingertips continued to stroke the back of Iver’s head, where he had buried his face against her.
“How could I ever… forget Kyle?”
“Is that love? Or is it guilt?”
“…I did love him. But when all that remained was guilt, I suppose it’s become an obsession now.”
At Iver’s question, Annerose fell silent for a moment before reaching out to cup his cheek. Her quiet answer made his crimson eyes widen, his expression crumpling as though he were on the verge of tears.
“Am I not enough for you? How much longer are you going to keep him in your heart…! I only ever wanted you to look at me… So why is it always Kyle and never me…?”
“…No. It’s not that.”
Annerose bit her lip. Every clumsy word she spoke only seemed to wound Iver more deeply.
“I…”
In the end, she fell silent.
Looking into his eyes, she could no longer deny the truth.
No matter how many nights they shared the same bed, they would never truly understand one another.
“How much longer will it take before there’s room for me in your heart? How long do I have to wait before you finally forget him?”
“…”
“How many more times do I have to hold you… before I’m the only one you think about?”
“…”
“…I’ve gone cold. Hold me again, Iver.”
Avoiding his questions, Annerose reached out to him instead.
She wanted this moment to pass as quickly as possible. If it did, she wouldn’t have to keep looking into those sorrowful eyes.
She leaned forward and kissed him.
The arms that drew her back into his embrace tightened with such desperate force that she almost couldn’t breathe.
“…You still won’t tell me you love me today, Annerose.”
“…”
“It’s all right. I’ll keep waiting. As long as it takes.”
At his words, Annerose’s breath caught for a moment.
How long could a mortal man wait for someone as immortal as she was?
Time would continue to march forward without mercy. And one day, Iver, too, would leave her behind. When that day came, would she be able to bear the grief?
Annerose closed her eyes.
She didn’t want to think about anything else right now. Not even Kyle.
“Iver, I want to sleep soundly tonight… Without any nightmares. So please, help me.”
How many more times would they have to share each other before she could finally cast off her lingering feelings for the man she had once loved?
At Annerose’s fragile plea, so faint it sounded as though it might break apart at any moment, Iver silently lifted her leg.
As the warmth of his body enveloped her once more, Annerose let out another quiet breath and closed her eyes.
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