When That Door Opens - Chapter 20

The sun had set. Yvonne sat at her vanity, watching the lights outside gradually brighten as night fell.

She had been very busy in the past days. She organized the items in her dress shop and sold the clothes she had made to local merchants and loyal customers at a discount. Now, the dress shop downstairs was empty.

A few days ago, she completed the dress for young Countess Alpen and sent it to her residence. The young Countess was very pleased and paid her double the agreed-upon fee. It was fortunate for Yvonne, who needed the money to settle in a new place.

“The moon is up.”

Yvonne muttered to herself, noticing the moonlight streaming into her room. When this moon set and the day broke, Jerome and Princess Amelia’s wedding would begin. The royal wedding was to start at dawn.

And she would leave the capital. The carriage to the small town where she planned to start anew would depart at noon the next day. She brushed her hand over the corner of a large box on her bed.

“He should be here any time now.”

Yvonne was waiting for Jerome. But unlike the nights she had spent staring at the door in vain, she was certain he would come tonight.

So she pushed her packed bags under the bed and dressed in her best clothes. She wanted him to remember her looking pretty. Yvonne checked her reflection in the mirror one last time.

The red hair she had inherited from her mother shone in the moonlight. But today, she did not avoid looking at herself in the mirror. She used to dislike this red hair because it reminded her of her mother, but he loved it. Especially on nights like this, when the moonlight shone on it, Jerome would tell her:

“You are beautiful, Yvonne. Then let this hair be mine. I will love it as much as you dislike it.”

Thinking of that low voice, a smile unconsciously spread across Yvonne’s lips. Her reflection in the vanity mirror showed this. She remembered a woman who once wore such an expression.

Mother, did you feel this way too?

She now understood the sad smile her mother had whenever she told Yvonne stories about her father. Now that she thought of it, her mother never resented her father. Despite having every reason to hate and despise the man who left her to marry another woman, she never did. Even when staggering drunk, she never spoke ill of him.

It’s a relief. Despite her warnings not to live like her, I ended up leading a similar life. At least, I won’t grow to hate Jerome over time. With that thought, Yvonne picked up her hairbrush.

Just as she used to comfort her mother by brushing her hair when her stories trailed off, she began brushing her own red hair. Swish, swish. At least my story has an end. The woman who hated her red hair will protect the beautiful man by leaving.

Knock, knock.

A soft knock sounded. Yvonne set down the brush, stood up, and looked toward the door. She then put on the smile he loved so much.

“Yvonne.”

“You’re here, Jerome?”

She didn’t say, “It’s been a while,” because she understood why he hadn’t come. Jerome approached, removing the hood that always hid his face.

“Did you wait for me?”

He smiled that shy smile that always embarrassed her. She often scolded him for smiling like that, but the moment he kissed her hand was always her favorite.

But tonight would be the last. To remember this moment, she kept her eyes on him and nodded.

“Yes, I waited. A lot.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy with work, I couldn’t help it.”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize, Jerome.”

She spoke with sincerity. As she felt his lips on the back of her hand, she realized that the time she thought was painful while waiting for him was, in fact, blissful.

Tomorrow, when she leaves, she won’t be able to wait for him anymore.

“I told you before, Jerome, you don’t have to feel sorry for me.”

“But this time, I couldn’t come for almost a month. I was worried Yvonne would be very upset.”

“There must have been a reason, so it’s okay.”

“Hah, I really missed you, Yvonne.”

Jerome sighed and pulled her into a tight embrace. Me too. Yvonne wrapped her arms around his body. She could feel his heartbeat thumping from his warm body. As she took a deep breath, his scent filled her completely. She wanted to remember all of this.

“But why have you lost so much weight?”

Jerome asked as he ran his hands over her noticeably thinner body. His blue eyes were filled with concern for her. Just seeing that made her laugh helplessly.

“I’ve had a lot of work to do.”

“Even so, were you not feeling well? You’ve lost too much weight. It’s upsetting.”

Jerome pulled her into his arms again, but this time, she didn’t stay in his arms for long. She wanted to see his face as much as possible.

“Jerome.”

Yvonne gently pushed against his shoulder and cupped his face with her hands, calling his name. He raised an eyebrow as if to ask, “Why?” She looked at him in silence for a moment.

When he comes back to this house someday and finds that she’s gone, will he be sad for a while? Will he miss her for a moment? Or no, will he be angry that she left without a word?