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16.71% The Ocean Beneath Her Feet / Chapter 55: Silly! What Are You Thinking?

บท 55: Silly! What Are You Thinking?

Kyoya pursed his lips. He went silent, trying to gather his thoughts and calm the brewing storm in his heart. His eyes fell on their intertwined hands.

Shouko had already said that she would trust him, but he was still feeling unsettled.

A human heart was always like that. Once fear began to shake its core, it's inevitable to stop doubt from spreading.

He just didn't want her to look at him in disappointment.

"Silly! What are you thinking?"

Shouko's slightly higher voice startling him. Kyoya looked at her confusedly. Her cheeks puffed up as she glared at him.

"You're so silly! Worrying like that."

Kyoya was dumbfounded. He quickly added, "It's not that I want to worry but..."

"I've said it before, right? That no matter what, I would listen to you first before jumping on conclusions. She could say everything she wants. Anyone else can say everything they want but, they won't succeed. If I don't trust my own husband, who else should I trust?"

Shouko continued to nag without giving him any chance to interrupt. It was obvious she wasn't happy to see him looking so down.

"Don't be too worrywart, alright? I'm not so easy to be deceived, okay?"

Kyoya was caught in a daze. He blinked his eyes a few times before slowly, his lips curved up. Then, a series of laughter came out of his mouth. His shoulders shook as he tried to contain his laugh.

"What..." Shouko was baffled seeing his reaction. "Why did you laugh?"

Kyoya laughed again, it sounded so pleasant to the ears. He pulled her even closer to him as he wrapped her in a tight hug. Shouko blankly stared at the night sky behind his shoulders.

"Okay, okay. I will listen to you," Kyoya's voice was muffled against her shoulders, vibrating from the happiness he tried to suppress. The warmth of his breath fell on one side of her face. "Thank you, wife. I'm so glad to have you."

In an instant, Shouko felt her heart began beating loudly. She blushed again.

"Humph! You'd better listen to me. Don't think much about that woman," Shouko grumbled albeit she was bashful. Her small fist lightly hit his chest, further tickling his heart.

Kyoya's smile widened. A part of the weight within him had been unloaded by just telling her his worry.

"You said that you won't jump into conclusions," He ran his hand through her long hair, hooking her dark lock with his fingers. The tips lightly scratched his hand. "So, I'd hold onto your promise. Because... I still have a lot to tell and show you."

As he spoke, his voice turned quieter and quieter, until Shouko almost couldn't tell what he was saying.

Each of his words brought a sense of loneliness. The feeling was different from the time they shared when he was telling her about his bleak childhood.

At that time, there was anger accompanied his words but, right now, he sounded so much like he was afraid to lose something he held dear to him.

Shouko blinked her eyes, trying to hold back the tears that suddenly brimmed around her lower lids. She nestled closer to him, both of her hands were wrapping around his waist.

"Alright. I'll wait until you're ready to tell me everything. So, don't be afraid, okay?"

The answer to her question was a kiss against her temple. The heat exuded from the kiss diffused into her heart.

The warm feeling made her smiled sweetly despite her eyes were stung by tears.

The husband and wife left the lake as the night grew colder. Kyoya tightly hugged Shouko as they walked, he was unwilling to let her feel the cold. Shouko let out a series of giggles, she just let the man did whatever he wanted.

"Kyoya?"

He hummed softly, looking at her side profile. She was eyeing at the moon, awe and wonder gleamed in her crystal-clear gaze.

He had always thought that his dear wife viewed the world differently than him. Sometimes, he was intrigued to see how beautiful the world was through her lenses.

"This place is so majestic, so enchanting," Her soft voice got carried away by the wind. The end of her dark locks fluttered above her waist as the breeze blew past by. "I couldn't possibly get bored by its view. I was thinking did one of my books is based on this place? The night view is always exceptional here."

Kyoya nodded with a smile. "You wrote Aiko and the Moon after you first came here."

Shouko was startled. She turned to look at him. "What? Really?"

Kyoya nodded again, affirming his answer. His smile was tinged with longing and reminiscence as the old memory resurfaced in his mind. He unconsciously tightened his arm around her waist.

"Although the first time you've been here and drafted the book was five years ago, you only published Aiko and the Moon last year," Sadness flickered in his eyes yet it flashed away so fast until Shouko couldn't even see it.

Kyoya recomposed himself, he widened his smile in an attempt to hide the lingering sorrow. "You said you wanted to give the best for the book so you released the other books first. Only last year you agreed to publish Aiko and the Moon after drafting it countless times."

Shouko could only nod as she listened to Kyoya's story. Even though she didn't remember anything about it, she recalled that when she read the said book, it brought out a different kind of feeling compared to the four books before it. The way she wrote it was different too.

Happiness and grief. Two contradictory emotions came to her mind as she read the book.

Shouko was confused with herself. Why did she feel that way?

"I must really love this place if I acted that way," Ignoring the faint heartache that started creeping within her, Shouko spoke again. "Seeing how beautiful this place is, I would be silly to not fall in love with it," She laughed, the back of her hand lightly knocked her own forehead.

Kyoya silently smiled. The words he wanted to say were swallowed back down in his throat.

You loved it here because... This place only held beautiful memories of all of us.

The light in his eyes dimmed. If Shouko saw how he was at this moment, she could only see regret in them.

Fortunately, she was so focused on the moon hanging above the sky.

"Wife."

Kyoya paused his step, making Shouko stopped with him too. He still firmly held her in his arms as if he was unwilling to be apart from her even for a second.

Before she could ask him anything, he continued in a low voice.

"Do you want to go to the places where you got your inspirations?"

Shouko's eyes widened. The two brown orbs were filled with surprise and confusion before anticipation replaced them.

"Really?" Shouko covered her mouth, she almost thought she had misheard him. "Do you know about them?"

The first book, Aiko and the Sea was based on the little orphan Momo's fascination toward the vast sea near the orphanage she lived. All of the illustrations of the scenery were guided by the photos she took when she visited the orphanage.

As for the rest of the books, Shouko tried finding her old notes but she couldn't find them. She had a habit of jotting down everything and keeping them safe so it was confusing at first when she found nothing.

Since she was still feeling awkward with the employees in the Rosy Mansion, she was reluctant to ask them about the notes. Even to Kyoya, she didn't mention anything.

To hear him saying that, she was so elated until she had to suppress her giddiness.

Under her happy stare, Kyoya smiled and calmly nodded his head. "Whenever we have free time, I'll bring you there. All of the places are within the country."

And all of them were special to you.

"Alright! It's a promise then!" Shouko excitedly moved her right hand toward his direction, showing her pinky finger to Kyoya. "Let's pinky promise!"

Kyoya stifled a laugh. As he saw her pinky finger was waiting to be locked with his, another memory came to his mind.

It was supposed to be a happy and funny one but only sorrow spread within him.

As he hid the grief from showing in his eyes, Kyoya raised his hand and hooked his pinky finger with hers. Their wedding rings sparkled under the moonlight, they appeared even more dazzling than the stars twinkling above them.


ความคิดของผู้สร้าง
hansora hansora

I should have uploaded this chapter last night but I have family dinner outside so...

Enjoy!

บท 56: He Didn't Want To Bind Her To His Selfish Desire

While his dear wife was sleeping peacefully beside him, Kyoya was still awake. He leaned against the headboard, his eyes landed on the small thing in his hands. A foolish smile spread on his face.

It was the resin he made the other day. At first, he planned to give it to her while they were strolling near the lake earlier. Regretfully, he was too immersed in their conversation until he forgot about it.

Three dried petals of a blue iris flower adorned the piece of resin. He loved the meaning this flower carried.

"Nevermind, I'd give this to her later," He whispered quietly in the middle of the night. He turned his gaze toward the sleeping lady. The light in his eyes softened like a puddle of warm water.

This short trip was much more meaningful than the ones he had with her before. After all, this was their new beginning.

As the blue iris meant, he had hope and faith that they could return to how they used to be. Maybe, the love between them would be better.

Kyoya quietly placed the resin in the topmost drawer of the bedside table. He laid beside her, he lightly placed his arms around her waist. Her sweet and soft fragrant lulled him to sleep.

The moon outside the windows continued shining its light, illuminating the two people sleeping on the bed. Time passed by on a steady rhythm until the first light of the dawn dyed the horizon red and orange.

It was time to go home.

"Sleep, you're still sleepy."

Kyoya chuckled softly toward Shouko who kept on yawning until her eyes teared up. She waved her hand, indicating she was okay but her expression said otherwise.

They were currently in the departure hall, waiting for the flight to head back to the city. It was half-past seven in the morning. Shouko was still drowsy by the time they aboard the car but she refused to sleep for a little longer as she wanted to feast her eyes with the brilliant scenery of the morning.

She especially loved the view of the morning sun sprinkling its golden light over the surface of the lake.

When they finally reached the airport, she kept nodding her head until Kyoya had no choice but to tightly hold onto her, afraid of his wife being left behind.

Kyoya reached out one hand and pulled her closer toward him. The sleepy Shouko just went along with him.

He gently put her head on his shoulder, letting her lean on him. This time, she obediently closed her heavy-lidded eyes before the faint sound of her breathing filled their close proximity.

A small and tender smile curled up on his lips.

As Kyoya was gently stroking her head, a vibration came from the inside of his pocket. He brought out his phone, an unread message notification was displayed on the screen. Grandpa's name was written as the sender. He tapped the screen, revealing the full content of the message.

Grandpa: Good morning, my dear grandson~ Well, Shouko's father requested to meet her. I haven't promised anything. What do you think?

Kyoya frowned in displeasure, he didn't expect to be met with unfavorable news so early in the morning.

Although he threatened Father Yuasa and disallowed him from meeting his wife, they were still family. As Grandpa had stressed to him before, it was inevitable for Shouko to meet her father. Although he discouraged her from visiting her maiden home, sometimes she still was needed to go back. They had even met in a few banquets.

Yet, it was already a few months since the last time Shouko met him. For that man to request meeting her during this time... he thought it was nothing but bad news.

In the end, Kyoya typed a few words before he sent the message back to Grandpa. The creases on his forehead deepened, he stared at the screen with his eyes lowered.

His message was short and concise.

I'll ask her first.

Kyoya put the phone back without waiting for the reply. His mood became sour as he thought of how he had always disliked his father-in-law.

As much as he didn't want Shouko to meet that man especially when she was vulnerable without her prior memory, Kyoya knew he shouldn't act recklessly.

He could only ask his wife's opinion first while silently hoping for her to reject the request.

No matter what was her choice, he was here to shield her against anything.

Kyoya shook his head in helplessness. He took out a small gift box from the pocket of his trench coat. The pastel yellow gift box was wrapped neatly with a white ribbon. He quietly slipped the box inside Shouko's cross-body bag, placing it in the compartment with a zip.

A secretive smile spread on his face.

He wondered when would she realize the existence of the box? Thinking about it, his mood turned better.

They boarded the flight, heading straight to the first-class cabin. A few other passengers followed them from behind. By this time, Shouko was already wide awake. She hummed softly as she looked out of the small windows.

The white floating clouds look so cute ah! She was really tempted to find a pile of soft blankets and jumped on them, imitating the clouds.

A certain someone was sneakily glancing at her and the bag she put on a compartment in front of her seat. He pursed his lips tight, his brain was working hard right now.

"En, wife?" Kyoya coughed once, trying to direct her attention from the clouds to him. "Do you have a tissue in your bag?"

"Hurm?" Shouko blinked once, her eyes went to the box of tissue that sat silently beside her bag.

Did her husband not see the tissue box?

"We have tissue here." Shouko stretched out her hand, taking the tissue box and handed it to him. "Why? Do you feel discomfort anywhere?"

Kyoya stared at the tissue box in her hands. His expression went stiff before he reluctantly took it from her.

"Thanks..."

Shouko didn't think much of the man's weird facial expression. She sat properly in her seat. The seat was comfortable and the legroom was spacious. She didn't have to worry about having her limbs felt weak after this, Shouko thought happily.

Then, she began reading one of the books provided by the airline.

Kyoya inwardly facepalmed himself. If possible, he wanted her to see his gift before they reached home. What should he do next?

He kept his posture straight yet his eyes would always dart to his wife who sat beside him.

While he was silently looking at her, his eyes fell over her plump lips. Another idea struck in his mind.

"En, wife?"

Shouko tilted her head, her round eyes went to her husband. "Why?"

"En, do you have a lip balm?" Kyoya pointed at his lips. He kept his face straight as he continued, "My lips feel dry. I forgot to apply some."

"Oh, I have one," Shouko quickly took her bag. It was inevitable for lips to crack when the weather was cold and dry. In a second, she fished out a lip balm stick from her bag and gave it to Kyoya. "Here, use it. This brand is good."

Kyoya, "..."

Why can't she feel something new was added inside her bag? Didn't she feel the additional weight?

He was already close to slap his face hard.

Forget it, I should just let her discover it by herself.

They arrived in the city at noon. The chauffeur was already waiting for them. Both Kyoya and Shouko directly went home.

As Kyoya was replying to Ryota's message, he remembered what Grandpa had told him. He sighed deeply, feeling annoyed by the task.

"Shouko, Grandpa texted me this morning," He put his phone inside his pocket, his voice was low as he reluctantly spoke. "He wanted to ask you something."

"En? What is it?" Shouko retracted her eyes from the view outside the car's windows, paying Kyoya her full attention. From the way he appeared right now, she sensed something was off. "You sound upset, Kyoya. What happened?"

Kyoya chuckled softly, he shook his head. He locked his gaze with hers, trying to see her reaction once he said it. "Your father wants to meet you."

At the mention of her father, Shouko's entire body stiffened. She blinked a few times, her lips parted but no words came out. She was surprised to hear what Kyoya was saying.

Her father wanted to meet her?

"My father..."

Seeing how her face changed within a second, Kyoya felt terrible. He scooted closer to his wife, one of his hands rubbed her head. With a shallow smile on his lips, he continued in a gentler voice.

"Your father mentioned it to Grandpa," Kyoya sighed helplessly. "If you don't want to meet him, I'll tell Grandpa to reject his request. We won't force you."

Shouko lowered her eyes. She was mindlessly staring at the hem of her long jacket as she repeated his words in her mind.

Ever since she woke up without any prior memory of what happened within the span of five years ago, she had never thought of meeting her parents. If not because of Ono and Aunt Masako, she would probably have cut her ties with her maiden family.

Her father wanted to meet her. The same father who loathed her existence.

Why did he want to meet the daughter he despised? For what reason?

A cold light flashed in her eyes.

Shouko took a deep breath. The brewing storm inside her began quietened down, leaving small ripples behind its wake. She had made the decision.

"Kyoya."

Shouko lifted up her eyes. Her gaze was resolute when she firmly threw out her words.

"Let him meet me."

Kyoya opened his mouth, wanted to persuade her to withdraw her decision yet, he couldn't say anything when he saw how firm she looked right now. In the end, he smiled with tenderness in his eyes.

"Alright, I'll tell Grandpa."

He would always pave a way for her but she herself needed to walk on the path and even created a new one according to her own views.

He didn't want to bind her to his selfish desire. He wanted her to soar high up in the sky, letting her wings brought her to wherever she wished to go.

Even if she fell, he would always be there to catch her.


ความคิดของผู้สร้าง
hansora hansora

I am so sleepy~ Good night every one

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