Chapter 223

Extra 3. The End of First Love (1)

A fragrant wind blew in. Daniel ambled through the green path. What is at the end of this trail? As he approached the end of the road with some curiosity and anticipation, he saw a brown-haired lady standing under a big tree.

“Daniel.”

“Miss Maria!”

She smiled brightly as she ran, calling his name urgently. Even under the shade, her amber eyes were brilliant. The moment he met that gaze, his heart jumped hard. Emotions that might have been nice to see or missed filled his heart like a fountain. Daniel bent over and kissed her on the back of her hand, and she smiled a little shamefully. Blushed cheeks. Brown hair that’s a little messy. Even the shiny little earrings at the end of her well-formed ears were pretty.

“Miss Maria.”

When he called her name, she turned her head shyly. The wind marked a line from the thin neck to the collarbone. As soon as he saw her slender shoulders and exposed upper chest in an off-shoulder dress, Daniel quickly turned his head away as if he had done something he shouldn’t have done. The cheeks burned to the ground.

“Well, excuse me. I inadvertently… ”

“It’s okay.”

Her sweet voice tickled the ear like a breeze. Turning her head to her blushing face, she met her eyes. Her clasped hands tightened, and she grew closer to her like a flower blown by the wind.

The sight of her looking up at him from a distance was so close that her collar was charming. It was very embarrassing to see her red face reflected in those clear eyes, but he couldn’t turn his eyes away from her. The warm body temperature and the smell of fresh flesh made Daniel nervous. Like her man, like a gentleman, he had to lead her, but his head went blank, and he couldn’t think of anything.

“Daniel, do you like me?”

The sight of the pink lips moving and asking shook his heart. A dull, loud sound seemed to fill the body as if the drum were ringing. As he was out of breath, Daniel bit into his mouth not to breathe out. Perhaps because she was blindingly brilliant, her eyes kept closing.

When one is having a conversation, they have to look into the other person’s eyes. Nevertheless, Daniel could not calm down because his vision became blurred.

“I love… and I am.”

Gentleman’s words must be courteous and even more elegant when dealing with Lady. Still, Daniel stammered in a tearful voice. He could feel the redness from the back of his neck with the unseemly remarks.

“Really… truly, I love you. Miss Maria.”

He’s been shaking even though it’s not cold. He doesn’t want to look ugly in front of her, but why is he so stupid? His lower lip trembled, and he bit it casually. A thin finger touched his cheek, trying to calm down somehow.

Her face was close.

“Daniel…”

Just by being called by name, his heart was about to explode. Daniel plucked up his courage and hugged her. His whole body felt tense, but he was so happy that he thought he could die like this. The beautiful first love in his arms closed her eyes. The breathtakingly fragrant lips came closer. But before he could feel the warmth, a thunderstorm of eerie brought him out of his fantasy.

“…Gasp!”

Daniel gasped and looked at the ceiling, which had been extinguished. His head almost ached from the thumping sound of his heart. When he exhaled deeply, he could see the moonlight seeping through the window.

“Dream…”

He dreamed of her again. With a throbbing heart, Daniel squeezed his collar. He sweated so much that his pillow was wet. And the unpleasant feeling on the thigh.

“Oh, my God…”

Daniel covered his face with both hands. Dreaming about a woman with a husband. He couldn’t do this without being crazy. He felt dizzy even though he was lying down. Breathless again, Daniel chose to breathe. As the gasping breath died down, the vision became blurred again. He closed his eyes, and something hot ran down his eyes.

“Why…? Why the hell, why…”

She, Ezet, is not ‘Maria.’ She was a ‘Duchess of Jaxen.’ She was a woman who had a husband and loved her very much. She flatly rejected Daniel’s offer to be a social teacher.

She had to.

Ezet, who loves her husband, can’t afford another man.

But why.

Why does he keep dreaming of her? Why does he call her ‘Maria’ and embrace her, kiss her, and have the delusion of being happy? As if bouncing up into the sky and down into the abyss, self-hatred came with a dizzying feeling. Daniel covered his eyes and swallowed the rising emotion.

He got goosebumps from the disgusting sensation on his thighs. Daniel always thought that he had lived the right way. People can’t help but make mistakes, but they’ve never been rude on purpose. Once pointed out, he never made the same mistake again.

Everyone around him praised Daniel, saying he was a young man worthy of being an example. Daniel felt that if he were a gentleman, he should be, so he was not flattered by the compliments.

But now.

“Maria… no, Duchess of Jaxen…”

He dreamed of her, continuing to get her after rejecting Daniel’s heart for loving her husband. He felt himself no better than an animal. Choked earthenware rose and lifted. He tried to throw up his teary eyes by holding onto the narrow table, but nothing came out. Daniel didn’t eat at all these days, so he had nothing to throw up.

‘I need to drink some water.’

If one doesn’t receive it from the heart, they keep skipping meals and have these nightmares. He was so happy that he thought he could die like this in his dreams, but it was definitely a nightmare. It was very rude of Ezet to have such a dream. Daniel got out of bed feeling light dizziness. The kettle on the table was empty.

‘I’ll have to go to the kitchen.’