CCTnovel Chapter 132: Ethea’s Final Gift
Chapter 132: Ethea’s Final Gift
"..."
Soren could only look down at the folder in his lap, letting the heavy silence stretch between them before meeting her gaze once more. Ethea’s expression remained unshakeable, her steady eyes locking him in place with an absolute certainty that left no room for negotiation.
Slowly, the tension drained from his shoulders.
A soft, helpless smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he realized he had been thoroughly defeated.
"...Alright," Soren said quietly, his voice carrying a mix of surrender and profound emotion. He tightened his grip on the folder. "I accept your gifts."
The helpless curve of his smile softened into something deeply genuine as he looked into her eyes, the faint blush still lingering on his cheeks.
"Thank you, Ethea," he said, his voice dropping to a low, genuine tone. "I’ll make sure it’s put to good use."
Ethea’s smile widened, a deep sense of satisfaction finally settling in her chest. For the first time in a very long time, she wasn’t just a bystander in her own life, and looking at Soren, she knew she had made the right choice.
With the heavy emotional hurdle cleared, the atmosphere in the room grew noticeably lighter. Ethea gave a small nod toward the documents, steering the conversation away from their sentiments and toward the reality of the assets.
"They are mostly a collection of local snack shops I purchased on a whim back then, along with a few potion boutiques and small apothecaries," Ethea explained, her tone turning practical. "We can discuss what to do with them later together."
Soren nodded in understanding. "That works perfectly. Actually, I’ve recently started studying business and investing. I figured it would be helpful in the future, so this is a good opportunity."
He happened to glance up at the wall clock and noticed the hands had already swept past 9:00 PM. While it wasn’t exactly late for a regular night, he knew Ethea needed every bit of rest she could get to preserve her fragile strength.
"It’s past nine," Soren noted softly, setting the folder down onto the nearby table. "You should rest now."
"...Mmm." Fortunately, Ethea didn’t protest.
Soren stood up from his chair and moved closer, bending down with practiced care to lift her gently from the wheelchair. Carrying her the short distance, he placed her onto the mattress and reached for the blanket, pulling it up over her shoulders with steady, natural movements.
"...Soren."
Ethea’s low voice cut through the quiet room, causing him to freeze instantly, his fingers still gripping the edge of the blanket.
’...Wait.’
A sudden wave of intense déjà vu washed over him. He blinked, the memory of the other night flashing vividly in his mind.
’This happened the other day too.’
In fact, it was the exact same setup.
The last time she had called his name like this, she had hesitated and simply told him goodnight. He had promised himself back then that he would just wait until she was ready.
’Then...’
Thinking she was finally ready to tell him what was on her mind, he forced his expression to remain entirely neutral before looking up to meet her eyes.
"...What is it?" he asked gently.
"...Well..."
Ethea paused. Her eyes darted toward the wall, her stoic mask completely failing her as a faint, unmistakable pink hue rapidly blossomed across her cheeks.
"W-Why... why don’t you... sleep on the bed too?"
"..."
The silence in the room stretched from a heavy, dramatic pause into an agonizingly long, frozen void.
"∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ?"
Soren remained bent over the edge of the mattress, one hand still mechanically pinching the corner of the blanket. His brain completely locked up, the gears grinding to a violent halt.
’...Sleep on the bed too?’
The simple request felt like an unsolvable riddle written in an ancient language.
His eyes slowly opened wide, then closed, then opened again, staring blankly at the fabric of the blanket. He didn’t move an inch. No, he couldn’t move at all. If someone walked into the room at that moment, they would have mistaken him for a perfectly sculpted statue.
This prolonged, frozen silence instantly backfired on Ethea.
As the seconds ticked away without a single word from him, she found herself deeply regretting the sudden impulse.
No, she was regretting every single life choice that had led her to this moment.
"₍₍⚞(⸝⸝>⸝⸝<⸝⸝)⚟⁾⁾!"
Her gaze remained pinned to a completely random knot in the wall, her chest tightening as the seconds ticked by without a response. The pink hue on her cheeks had escalated into a raging, fiery crimson that burned all the way to the tips of her ears.
The unshakeable composure she previously displayed had completely vanished, leaving behind a mortified young woman who wanted nothing more than for the floor to open up and swallow her whole.
’Urgh! Idiot! Idiot!’ she screamed in her mind, her fingers tightening under the blanket. ’Why did you say that! What were you thinking!’
She wanted nothing more than to reverse time by exactly thirty seconds. She had spent the last month carefully building a balanced partnership with him, and now she had completely shattered her own dignified boundaries with a single, impulsive question.
’Why did I have to open my mouth?’
The absolute lack of a response was making it ten times worse. Every second he spent staring at her felt like a direct judgment of her lack of self-control.
’No! He is obviously going to reject it!’
The realization hit her like a cold splash of water.
On their very first night, she was the one who had coldly demanded he stay away from her bed. She was the one who had drawn a sharp line between them. For him to suddenly hear this invitation out of nowhere would make no sense at all.
’He probably thinks I’ve lost my mind. Urgh!’
’If... If he refuses now, how am I even supposed to look at him tomorrow morning?’
’I... I have to say something!’
Desperate to pull back the invitation before the silence became completely unbearable, she forced her throat to work.
"I-I mean..."