When that sentence dropped—"I hope this will be a good match"—32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDchek5bGI
it felt like a weight slammed down on Suzuran’s chest.
She lowered her gaze, quietly pulled her eyes away, and could no longer swallow even a bite of the dessert.
A moment later, she bit her lip and said, her voice as light as the wind drifting across the dinner table:
“…I’m full. I’ll head back to my room.”
“Huh?” Her father, Masaharu, blinked, a hint of concern in his voice.
But her mother, Kikyo, simply smiled gently and said,32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaqKDBFvQXW
“That’s fine. A young lady’s heart takes time to process things.”
Suzuran rose from her seat, the hem of her dress swaying gently with her steps.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVTnGZfmYq
She didn’t look back—afraid that if she turned around, all the emotions she’d been holding back would burst out.
Kimijima stood silently by the wall, watching her walk away. His expression remained calm—32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6diljoVtpm
but his fingers clenched slightly around the tray he was holding.
Back in her room, Suzuran locked the door and collapsed onto the soft cream-colored carpet,32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfz20LUVlr
finally unable to hold back her tears.
It wasn’t because she hated Amagi Yuto.
That cheerful, brilliant, well-mannered classmate was—on paper—impeccable.
Nor was it because of her parents’ expectations.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8ZMGj3fbk
She knew they had never forced her. They’d only said:32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7p5ayos8cb
“Give it a try. If it doesn’t work, that’s okay.”
But still, she cried—cried so hard her chest throbbed in pain.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQ8MRSvCvU
Because that sentence… had taken root inside her.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIkX2CXvs0
It coiled around her heart, tightening with every breath.
Because now, she finally understood—
The man she had secretly loved for so many years.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ImSWQjVZD
The one who had been by her side for nearly half her life.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlLGlrNxAAo
The one she thought—maybe, just maybe—might like her back, even a little...
Kimijima Koichi—
He had only ever looked at her with loyalty.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdBCFXq8pR
With gratitude.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM2I76he0qe
With unwavering duty.
There was never desire.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHELHrfB5lV
Never hesitation.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHAsPsctpX5
Not even the faintest sign of emotional conflict or regret.
He’d smiled and wished her a "good marriage."32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpiBhhX7yN7
Steady. Courteous. Perfectly appropriate.
Just like he did every morning when he laid out her breakfast,32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1rkkPUSHJE
pressed her school uniform,32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mf4chHiM1
or handed her umbrella in the rain.
She once believed she meant more than that umbrella.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgG0boBBTd
More than that ironed collar.
But she didn’t. She wasn’t.
She was only—
“My lady.”
Forever.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAc1bzHcmzL
Only.
“My lady, it’s me.”
A soft knock came at the door, followed by a familiar, steady voice.
Suzuran jolted upright on the bed, startled from her daze.
She quickly grabbed a handkerchief to wipe away the tear tracks on her cheeks. Her heart pounded wildly.
“…Koichi? Why is he…”
She hesitated, then quietly opened the door just a crack, making sure he wouldn’t see her swollen, tear-stained eyes.
Outside, Kimijima Koichi stood as calm and composed as always, dressed in his usual deep gray butler uniform, a tray in hand.
Seeing the door open, he spoke gently, with impeccable composure:
“My lady, I noticed you hardly ate dinner. I’ve made some sandwiches and light desserts… nothing heavy.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9dIOJ2d2F
If you’re not feeling well, perhaps you could eat a little.”
Suzuran lowered her gaze, unable to meet his eyes—32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxeAPeMYnqQ
the eyes she could sketch by memory, yet that showed not a ripple now.
His care was flawless,32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjo0lvE6hTf
his tone was gentle,32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbuaNDw1b7M
but the distance between them remained—chillingly unchanged.
She sniffled, her voice soft:32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu2EbJvrcTu
“…I’m fine.”
Kimijima paused, then replied:32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2223ZpZlG
“If you’d prefer, I can leave the tray outside. You can take it when you’re ready.”
That offer—so thoughtful, so proper—was also precisely the problem.
Even when he must’ve known she’d been crying, he refused to cross the line.
“No, Koichi. You can come in.”
Her voice trembled slightly, but she forced a calm tone.
He bowed and stepped in, placing the tray carefully on her desk.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4oL6jRKR6
The sandwiches were neatly cut.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8W00gw2iCj
There was her favorite apple blossom tea.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6y187tl84F
And a slice of soft whipped cream cake.
Everything—exactly to her taste.
“My lady… are you alright?”
He turned to her, his eyes calm, his voice soft like moonlight on a spring night.
Suzuran didn’t answer. She bit her lip hard. Her eyes burned again.
Kimijima hesitated, then asked:32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8FAjRttd1U
“Is it that you don’t like Yuto Amagi?”
He smiled gently—no pressure in his tone.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgmyt0LA3u
Like he was asking if she wanted Earl Grey or Darjeeling.
That calm smile—without even a trace of bitterness—32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIaoMHpvfQG
hurt more than anything.
“…No,” she finally replied.
“He’s wonderful. Truly.”
“I don’t dislike him…”
She looked up at him—only to find he was standing still, hands folded, keeping a polite distance.
Like a wall.
“It's just... some answers,” she whispered, “I’ve been waiting for... will never come.”
She smiled. And cried.
He didn’t speak.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2g011gmoI
Just bowed his head, silently.
“My body feels unwell... could you feed me?”
Her voice was soft, and her eyes pleaded quietly.
Kimijima blinked. “Me?”
“Yes.” She leaned back into the chair with a faint smile.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdExYFTIOio
“I’m feeling so weak… I can’t lift my arms.”
He glanced down at her, but said nothing more.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4SREJKEa8f
Instead, he calmly said:
“Then please lie down. I’ll feed you.”
Helping her gently, he guided her to bed with a steady hand—32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFgDSuisPJ
all done with flawless professionalism.
Suzuran’s heart fluttered, but she obeyed.
He sat by her bedside, picked up a piece of sandwich with a fork, and held it to her lips.
“Open up, my lady.”
She looked at his composed face and asked quietly:
“Do you… not think this is too intimate?”
He calmly replied:32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiTvvyeTkQY
“You’re my responsibility. I’ll take care of you.”
That sentence—
cut colder than any tea without sugar.
After the last bite, he gathered the utensils, as if nothing had happened.
Her heart pounded. She feigned calm:
“Koichi… one more thing.”
“My shoulders are sore… will you massage them?”
He paused.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBIEJfzdSt2
“That’s something Lady Sisimi can assist you with—”
“No.”
She suddenly raised her head, voice firm and stubborn.
“I want you, Kimijima Koichi.”
Her gaze held him.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8Oyg1WaZF
Raw, desperate, aching—with a touch of challenge.
“This is an order.”
Kimijima stared at her.
No emotion on his face.
Just silence.
Then finally—he knelt behind her on the bed.
“…As you command, my lady.”
He placed his hands gently on her shoulders.
Steady. Measured.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWPoBGsXwW
Every touch restrained by invisible lines.
And that—
was what hurt the most.
"How pathetic... I have to order you... just to be touched," she thought bitterly.
She bit her lip, then suddenly pulled her nightgown slightly off one shoulder.
Smooth, pale skin glowed under the lamp.
“If I can’t move you tonight…”32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy20majR2dd
“Then I’ll give up.”32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZGMbkPAj3
“But I want to be selfish. Just once more.”
She didn’t turn. Just waited.
Kimijima’s breath faltered—32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ58rfngkLru
his fingers stopped right at her collarbone.
A half inch lower—32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZAiZRGTnOt
and he would cross that forbidden line.
One second.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKI4wvLzVS
Two.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtR90lRjEj
Three.
Then—
he withdrew his hand.
“…My lady, what is this?”
“I want an oil massage. It’s more comfortable,” she said, pulling her neckline lower on the other side.
His hand hovered mid-air.
His voice came out strained—no longer calm, but clipped and trembling:
“…Please don’t joke like this.”
Suzuran didn’t answer. She turned slightly, lashes low, a strange smile on her lips.
She wasn’t joking.
She was gambling.
“If I don’t do this now… I’ll regret it forever.”
“I just want to confirm something.”
Her voice was light—almost lost in the silence.
“I want to know… if you’ve ever seen me as a woman.”
Kimijima froze. His eyes flickered.
“…My lady, I am a man.”
“But your father saved me.”
His voice cracked with tension.
“You doing this… I’ll lose control.”
“Then Koichi… does that mean… you’re shaken?”
Her voice trembled. Full of longing and fear.
Her heart beat wildly.
All she wanted—was a reason to stay.
Kimijima lowered his gaze. His breathing unsteady.
“Please… value yourself more. You shouldn’t—”
“I do value myself, Koichi.”
She looked him in the eyes.
Soft. Sincere. But unwavering.
“Exactly because I do…32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbz49MyhvH5
I want the first man who touches and kisses me—to be you.”
“Not Amagi. Not anyone else.”
That sentence—
like a key that cracked his last restraint.
His eyes widened.
Something inside him—
finally broke.
He reached for her—pulling her into his arms.
But not with force.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIDxVhj9zh
With aching gentleness.
His forehead rested on hers.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuV5ZM1LoKy
His breath trembled.
“…You don’t know what you’re doing to me…”
His voice was so low, it almost didn’t exist.
Not a confession.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlydusqcH7U
Not a refusal.
Just a fracture.
Suzuran’s eyes glistened.
She finally knew what she wanted.
“Koichi…” she whispered.
“I order you—”
“Kiss me.”
Silence.
He froze.
“Kiss my lips, Koichi.”
He shut his eyes tight.
Like he was battling a storm inside his own body.
“…I’m sorry, my lady.”
His voice was gentle.
But trembling.
“This… is the one order I cannot obey.”
Suzuran stared.
Then the tears came, like a dam breaking.32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPa915t51Us
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5iU3B4SKQ
32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVNHriF7Yb0
You made it this far—you're seriously the sweetest! 🥹💗32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9YFOrd8Rg
If you liked it, don’t forget to like 👍, bookmark ⭐, and drop a little comment 📝~32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVfWk7sZ9aQ
Your support keeps me going—and keeps the characters falling deeper in love 💞💭32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiI8bkxum5
