Chapter 9: She Can Say No
850 Words
Reximus's POV:
This young lady was very funny indeed. I teased her so much at the tea room that now her cheeks were blushing terribly. It's pink all over her face. She looked so cute like that. Like a little kitten who's trying to scratch your hand.
Now we were in the dining room, getting ready for lunch. I could see that my parents and her parents got together so well. They were still having their small conversations without looking at us. The food was being served, but Nara and I currently were having another staring contest. She sat next to her mother and father. While I sat next to my mother. My dad as always sat in the middle, at the end of the table.
"Okay, let's enjoy our lunch." My dad said happily and everyone started eating.
Nara stopped staring at me and she started eating her lunch. I also did the same too. There were a few moments when we glanced at each other and our eyes met but we quickly looked away to avoid each other. What kind of situation is this? Is this what they called 'Butterfly in the stomach'?
As we were eating, my father suddenly asked Nara out of the blue, "So young lady of the Wilson, have you made up your mind yet?"
Nara was shocked. She didn't expect that. The Supreme Leader was asking her. She was frozen for a moment and then her mother patted her shoulder to get her back to reality.
"Of course..." she answered but it seemed like there was some unsure tone on her voice.
"So?" My mother was waiting for her, to hear the next sentence. "Do you agree?" She asked her gently with a very big smile on her face.
Nara was hesitant. She looked at her mother, then at my mother, then finally at me. I was still staring at her. Actually, everyone was staring at her, waiting for her answer.
"Yes. Definitely. Of course." She said.
Everyone looked glad on their face except the one who was cornered just now, Nara. She looked a bit confuse and a bit unsure of what she had agreed.
***
She was about to take her small pink pouch at the tea room when I approached her carefully from behind. When she turned around, she was so startled that she almost screamed. Luckily, I covered her mouth with my hand as fast as I could.
"Don't do that. You keep scaring me to death!" She whispered-yelling at me.
"I'm sorry."
I apologized to her simply like it was not really such a big deal. Well, it was not a big deal after all.
"I want to talk about something with you," I added.
"About what?"
"About just now in the dining."
"Everyone cornered me. I have no choice, haven't I?" She let out her frustration.
I kept silent, trying to find the right word to reply to her. But before I could...
"Why aren't you saying anything? Do you really agreed to marry someone you don't love?" She asked. Her forehead furrowed a bit.
'Don't love? What is love exactly?' How can she be sure that I didn't have feelings for her? Was it because I didn't say 'I love you' or maybe because of the way I treated her before? There's not a single romantic gesture that I had shown to her. But still, it wasn't really my forte to be a romantic person. I am a man who didn't like to deal with emotions and I'm sure as hell didn't show my emotions to anyone. So how would I possibly know that she knew my feelings? Of course, she didn't know.
"How long they gave you time to think this over?" She asked again after seeing me still silent.
"Two days."
"Then give me two days too."
"But I gave my I answer in just one day."
"Fine. Then just give me one day to think it over. I can't say no, can I?
"Of course you can. You can say no if you wanted to."
I am trying to give her a chance to choose but hell no deep down in my heart, she would never be able to reject the offer.
"What happens if I say no?"
"Then we'll just simply go to the next candidates."
"You mean I am not the only one?"
"Yes."
"So you mean to say that if I say no, your family will just choose another woman for you to marry?"
"Exactly."
"Wooww... just wow..." she looked at me in disbelief.
"Nara, this is a very important matter to my family. I won't delay it just because I have some kind of love for someone. I will still get married, whether it's with you or another woman." I explained to her with a stern look on my face.
"Take this," I handed her a card, containing my private phone number.
"Just one day. And I won't wait any longer than that." I said seriously.
She was taken aback but she did take the card and nodded slightly.
- Writer
