To My First Love, With Regret (Libenia) Chapter 15

“Thank you. Please come again.”

Becky returned carrying a bag of fruit. Before taking it from her, Ethan leaned toward Eve, who was rising with the support of his arm, and whispered quietly enough for only her to hear.

“I’m saying this as someone who’s known you for a long time—you’re the prettiest when you smile.”

There wasn’t a woman in the world who disliked being called beautiful.

But Eve hated hearing Smile, you’re prettier that way, and her expression instantly stiffened—

“Now that you know that, don’t smile at other men.”

The words added through clenched teeth made her smile again before she could stop herself.

“My lady, what’s so funny?” Becky tilted her head in confusion. “Ethan, tell me too.”

He didn’t want to let go of Eve’s hand, but if he kept holding it, Becky would start asking entirely different questions.

“Give it here.”

He handed the umbrella back to his sister and took the shopping bag instead. They resumed walking along the boardwalk, only this time Eve walked between the siblings.

Her round shoulder brushed against Ethan’s forearm again and again.

And beneath it, his hand was slowly losing its mind with impatience.

Now, there was no reason not to hold her hand.

Except for Becky.

Walking a step behind the girls, Ethan waited for the perfect moment. The instant Becky turned her head away, he secretly tugged at Eve’s wrist.

His lover didn’t miss the opportunity. Instead of turning around in confusion, she quietly reached back and touched his hand without taking her eyes off the road.

Ethan’s fingertips slid over her soft palm, ready to slip between her slender fingers—

Then Becky turned around.

He immediately let go.

Eve burst into unexpected laughter, and Becky tilted her head again in bewilderment.

After that, they kept secretly holding hands only to let go a second later.

At first, it felt serious.

But gradually, it became a game.

Next time—just a little longer.

A little riskier.

What began with simple intertwined fingers turned into playful tracing on each other’s palms. Then Ethan grew bolder and tried writing something against her waist, but Eve turned out to be terribly ticklish, and they nearly got caught.

“Ah!”

“What is it? Did a bug bite you?”

And just like that, Ethan became the bug.

‘Good grief, my sister is hopelessly oblivious. If she still hasn’t noticed, then we’ve got a serious problem.’

Completely unaware of her brother’s worries, Becky wandered from stall to stall before stopping in front of a jewelry stand.

“Wow, this ring is so pretty.”

“Pick one. I’ll buy it for you.”

“Oh my. One year at university and suddenly you’ve become a gentleman.”

“What, was I a thug before?”

“Ethan’s paying! My lady, you should look too.”

“No, I don’t need anything.”

When Eve declined, Becky shoved the umbrella back into her brother’s hands and turned to browse the accessories.

Ethan thought it was for the best.

He didn’t want the first ring he gave his lover to be some cheap childish trinket, even as a joke.

“I’ll buy you another one.”

He meant another ring, but he hoped Eve would take it as a promise for some other souvenir instead.

Because a man proposing on the second date was insane no matter how you looked at it.

Though considering I’ve already thrown myself into a romance that’ll definitely get me killed someday… maybe I am insane.

Still, being crazy for Evelyn Sherwood wasn’t exactly something to be ashamed of.

The problem was making sure he didn’t become a reckless fool.

He didn’t want to sound frivolous by bringing up marriage when he wasn’t remotely prepared for it yet.

Ah, but the duke could marry Eve off to someone else. I need to take her away before that happens.

Worrying about the future and making careful plans didn’t suit Ethan at all. He’d always been the sort to drift wherever life took him, living off instinct and impulse.

But apparently, when the woman you loved ended up in your arms—someone you absolutely refused to lose—even a man ruled by luck learned how to calculate.

Ethan, already constructing an entire scenario about secretly smuggling his lover back to the university with him, suddenly flinched exactly the way Eve had earlier when he tickled her.

Because Eve had quietly leaned against him and wrapped herself around his arm.

The muscles in Ethan’s tense forearm turned rigid, veins standing sharply beneath his skin.

Eve traced one of those deep lines lightly with her fingertip before looking up at him.

Her cat-like eyes were hypnotic.

The curve of her scarlet lips was downright lethal.

The soft touch he’d felt from her last night returned to haunt his mouth.

He wanted to kiss her.

“I picked one.”

He had already started lowering his head when Becky called out to him.

Suppressing a sigh, he moved to stand up, but Eve didn’t let go of his arm and followed him together.

What is she planning?

In the end, Becky saw them walking arm in arm.

Ethan waited for his sister’s reaction.

For the first time in his life, he became genuinely worried about his only blood relative.

Becky simply walked up to his other side and linked arms with him too.

…What was he supposed to do with someone this oblivious?

So he ended up walking with a woman hanging off each arm all the way to the beach bar where they rented lounge chairs and an umbrella.

And naturally, because Becky remained gloriously unaware, she sat directly between Ethan and Eve, sipping soda while staring absentmindedly toward the beach.

“I’m jealous.”

She was watching a couple sitting on the sand, sharing a single ice cream together.

When had this started? Probably sometime during her teenage years. There were barely any days when Becky didn’t have a boyfriend. The last one had looked like a complete bastard, and Ethan had disliked him immediately, so he’d honestly been relieved when they broke up.

“This time, find someone who actually values family.”

Becky was already of marriageable age, so he couldn’t help nagging a little.

“No, I’m jealous of the ice cream.”

“What kind of nonsense is that? Just go buy one.”

“Do you want one too?”

“No.”

“And you, my lady?”

“I’m fine too.”

Ethan watched his sister head toward the ice cream stand.

Then, as if he’d been waiting for exactly that moment, he shifted closer to Eve.

The woman pulled a cigarette from Becky’s handbag and glanced sideways at him.

Ethan plucked the cigarette straight from her lips.

It was a warning that he intended to kiss her.

He smiled with the confidence of a man perfectly accustomed to kissing.

But the tip of his tongue sweeping across his lower lip couldn’t hide his tension.

Did I look like that yesterday too?

For a moment, Eve saw herself reflected in Ethan.

His hand settled carefully against her shoulder.

He leaned closer without closing his eyes, his gaze shamelessly bold.

Their smiles, heavy with anticipation, blended together.

Their breaths mixed.

An unfamiliar warmth rushed through their bodies like an electric current, making him shiver.

Ethan pressed insistently against Eve’s lips as though tasting them first.

Then he parted his mouth and painfully, agonizingly slow, stole her breath away before finally pulling back.

It wasn’t as deep as the kiss from last night.

But somehow, it felt infinitely more thrilling.

Maybe because this was a kiss brazen enough to challenge the entire world in broad daylight.

Ethan smiled with lips stained by Eve’s lipstick.

Just one kiss, and he was already this shaken.

“If you like me this much, why were you keeping your distance before?” Eve asked. “I started thinking you were a coward trying to run away.”

“Hah. If I were a coward, I would’ve run the moment you pounced on me yesterday.”

“‘Pounced on you’?”

“What else would you call it?”

“…”

“So? What would you call it?”

“Be grateful a beauty like me pounced on you at all.”

“Of course. It’s an honor, my lady.”

He placed a hand dramatically over his heart and bowed like a jester seducing a queen.

Especially with those red-stained lips of his.

He licked his lower lip as though he wanted to taste the lingering trace again and muttered,

“I honestly thought you’d just pretend nothing happened. That you were the fickle type.”

“‘Fickle’?”

Eve flushed immediately.

Resting his cheek against one hand, Ethan leisurely admired the woman glaring at him while biting her lower lip like an angry toothless kitten.

“I already told you this love isn’t easy for me either.”

“I still can’t understand why you like me.”

He looked at her like a student begging for enlightenment.

“Just accept it. Why do you need to understand it?”

Feelings weren’t something meant to be analyzed.

They were simply there.

We’re together. My heart races. That’s all there is to it.

If anything, Eve couldn’t understand his need to dissect emotions instead of simply feeling them.

Why would someone like you love someone like me?

Ethan didn’t want to openly admit he thought so little of himself.

But perhaps he’d already exposed it the moment he asked whether her love was real.

Trying to cover it up, he casually draped an arm across the back of the chair and puffed himself up arrogantly.

“Well, I do know I’m naturally charming. Even when I’m just breathing. The ladies of Richmond personally confirmed that for me.”

Eve, who had been checking the state of her lipstick in a small mirror, darkened instantly.

“From now on, if someone flirts with you, tell them you already have a girlfriend.”

“You should do the same.”

Eve blinked at the obvious demand.

“And what if that reaches my father’s ears? Are you planning to dump me after only three kisses?”

“No, absolutely not…”

Eve fixed her makeup before handing him the mirror.

Ethan immediately understood why.

Using the handkerchief she’d used to wipe away her smudged lipstick, he cleaned his mouth and nodded toward the distance.

“Becky’s coming back.”

Carrying an ice cream cone, Becky returned completely unaware that her brother and her employer had just been kissing moments ago.

Watching the oblivious girl, Eve smiled slyly.