Mirror Therapy

Was this hallway always this long?

That was the thought running through Kyle’s head as he headed to the greenhouse in the castle where he first met Sylvia before the regression.

More than that, what the hell is Sylvia thinking, coming all the way here?

Thinking that if she came to find him to slap him across the cheek, even belatedly, he could take it, he moved his feet.

Ttokttok.

“…It’s Kyle Lionheart. May I come in?”

– Yes, come in.

Soon after, he carefully knocked on the door in front of the greenhouse and announced himself, and a familiar voice replied.

Kkieeek, the thin scream of a door that wasn’t well oiled echoed, and the scenery inside the greenhouse unfolded.

There, just like when he first faced her before the regression, was Sylvia, leisurely drinking tea with the warm sunlight streaming into the greenhouse as a halo.

“……”

How on earth should I start?

Kyle couldn’t even offer a normal greeting, standing blankly in front of the door, endlessly staring at Sylvia.

Eventually, Sylvia’s eyes of different colors, which had been leisurely tilting her teacup, turned to him, and the moment their eyes met and Kyle’s body trembled faintly.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Sylvia of the Eleanor family.”

“…Excuse me?”

As if they were meeting for the first time, Kyle’s consciousness stopped for a moment at Sylvia’s action of revealing her name with a short greeting.

He widened his eyes, wondering what kind of prank this was, but Sylvia’s attitude was more calm and peaceful than ever before.

As if to say, I’m serious.

“Please, sit down, Lionheart-gongja. It’s awkward for a guest to be sitting alone, leaving the host behind.”

“Ah, yes…. Then, excuse me.”

But before he could even question it, Sylvia gestured, and Kyle approached with a dumbfounded expression and sat across from her.

Contrary to his utter bewilderment, Sylvia’s attitude was only nonchalant.

“Thank you for seeing me, even though I came to visit you so suddenly.”

“Ah, no. The young lady of the Eleanor family came all the way from afar, so it’s only natural.”

He wondered what kind of farce this was, but anyway, since she was treating him like someone she was meeting for the first time, Kyle decided to respond to it and barely opened his mouth.

At that, Sylvia covered her mouth with an exaggerated gesture, saying, ‘Oh my,’ and pointed out his words.

“I’m not a young lady anymore. I’ve officially inherited the position of head of the family, you know.”

“Th, that’s right. I’m sorry. I’m stuck living in my room, so the news is slow to reach me…”

Strictly speaking, the word “young lady” is just a respectful term for a daughter of another family, so even if she inherited the position of head of the family, it’s not really something to point out.

But Sylvia said it as if to draw a line, saying, ‘My status is different from the me you knew.’

Only then did Kyle realize his mistake and correct himself with an “Ah!”

“You could be. By the way, you say you’re stuck living in your room, but that’s a little different from what I’ve heard.”

“Different, in what way…?”

“Recently, I heard that you went on trips here and there with a close young lady.”

“Keulkeul…!”

Kyle’s hand, which was trying to drink tea while pretending to be nonchalant, stopped at the word containing a bone.

It was fortunate that the tea wasn’t in his mouth, otherwise a major disaster would have occurred.

“Why are you so flustered, Lionheart-gongja?”

“N, not flustered. It’s nothing.”

“Is that so? That’s a relief. I was almost mistaken that Lionheart-gongja was the kind of person who heartlessly kicked away the young lady he had become so close with and lived well on his own.”

“……”

On the outside, she was smiling and talking, but the words contained not only bones but also daggers.

Kyle had to feel like he was walking on thin ice, with the feeling that something would be stabbed into his neck and heart if he made a single mistake.

“…Gongnyeo, let’s stop here. There’s nothing fun or interesting about this.”

On the one hand, it was quite enjoyable to exchange such silly jokes with Sylvia, but he couldn’t continue this situation any further.

So Kyle lowered his eyes slightly and ended this farce.

However, Sylvia’s attitude was still leisurely.

“Yes? What are you talking about?”

“Enough, please tell me why you came to find me. Or did you come to slap me across the cheek because you’re angry?”

At her actions of shrugging her shoulders and playing innocent, Kyle deliberately opened his mouth in a cold tone and glared at her.

Immediately after, a short battle of nerves took place as their eyes met in the middle for a while.

Usually, when Sylvia played around like this and got an earful from him, she would stop around this point, but instead, she went one step further.

“Slap across the cheek, what are you talking about? You don’t think I’m such an impolite woman that I would lay a hand on a man I’m meeting for the first time, do you?”

“Gongnyeo.”

Kyle gave strength to his voice and called her quietly, but Sylvia was still nonchalant.

“The reason I came to see Lionheart-gongja today is not for anything else. As the head of the Eleanor family, I have something I want to propose to you.”

“A proposal, you say?”

Kyle’s eyebrows twitched at her actions of emphasizing her position as head of the family and speaking with strength.

A proposal, what is she suddenly talking about?

“Since I inherited the position of head of the family at a young age, my mother is very worried. She says I should quickly find a partner to stand by my side and support me.”

“That’s understandable.”

“Yes, but unfortunately, I’m not interested in marriage proposals yet. But I can’t ignore my mother’s constant urging.”

It’s a reasonable statement.

However, that’s only if the two people are really meeting for the first time.

Kyle, who knew Sylvia’s situation better than anyone else, could easily tell that all the words she was uttering were lies.

In the first place, how many mothers would tell their daughter, who had suddenly inherited the position of head of the family after such an incident in the family, to find a partner right away?

Moreover, he also had a connection with Sylvia’s mother, Marian, so he also knew that she wasn’t the kind of person who was so eager for marriage proposals.

Of course, she would know better than anyone else that such words wouldn’t work, so why is she telling such a ridiculous story?

Overcome with anxiety, Kyle unconsciously repeatedly clenched and unclenched his hand on his thigh.

“But as it happens, I heard that there’s a wonderful man in the Lionheart family who isn’t considering marriage yet.”

“You must be mistaken. That’s probably my brother.”

“No, it’s Lionheart-gongja.”

“How are you so sure?”

“It’s a woman’s intuition.”

“…Fucking hell.”

Kyle couldn’t hold back the curse that came out unconsciously and muttered it quietly.

At least in the past, she would stop talking nonsense if he was pricked, but now he had to helplessly suffer from her, who was recklessly pushing in as if she had nothing to fear.

“…Yes, it’s true that I’ve been rejecting marriage proposals left and right. But so what’s the point?”

“If Lionheart-gongja is okay with it, I was wondering if you would be willing to enter into a contract relationship with me.”

“A contract relationship, you say?”

What is it?

The moment he expressed his doubts, Kyle stopped his hand that was reaching for the teacup at the encroaching sense of déjà vu.

Contract relationship. It’s a word he’s heard a lot somewhere.

No, he couldn’t possibly not know.

Only their positions were reversed, but it was virtually the same as the conversation the two had before.

As his eyes flashed, Sylvia narrowed her eyes like a snake aiming for its prey, as if saying, ‘You noticed?’ and quickly added.

“Yes. I was wondering if we could have a superficial dating or engagement relationship. That way, we wouldn’t have to be tired of marriage proposals, wouldn’t that be nice?”

“Yes, it’s not nice. In the first place, as a child, I can’t just put aside my parents’ wishes and decide on such a big matter…”

He had long since thrown away his duty as a child, but Kyle acted like a filial son and passionately spoke, knowing that if he mentioned this, the other person wouldn’t be able to dig any deeper.

No, to be exact, he was about to.

If it hadn’t been for Sylvia’s words that followed, asking, ‘Is that a desperate struggle from the heart?’

“That’s a relief. Actually, I just came from getting permission a little while ago.”

“…Excuse me? Getting permission, from whom?”

His eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.

And Sylvia’s face, looking at that figure, still has a bright smile.

But somehow, Kyle felt that the smile was different from the bright and refreshing smile he had seen so far, as if a flower was blooming.

To put it bluntly, it was similar to that of a hunter who had confirmed the prey caught in a trap.

“Of course, it’s Lionheart-gyeong and Lionheart-buin, who are Lionheart-gongja’s parents. I just greeted them in advance and got permission.”

“……”

At the relentlessly harsh reality that followed, Kyle rubbed his forehead and stared blankly at the ceiling.

Perhaps because he had cut off ties with her so coldly, she had a serious mental problem.

Sylvia’s actions were so bewildering that such a guess suddenly came to mind.

‘It’s the path you chose, Kyle.’

And looking at that figure, Sylvia licked her lips, showing a bitter smile that a villain would make.

In the first place, it was him who unilaterally declared that all the relationships he had built up until now were gone and left.

Then, she can also comply with it and pretend that the relationships up until now didn’t exist, and instead, rebuild the unilaterally disappeared relationship from the beginning.

For her, who had already experienced a regression once, that level of choice was not that difficult.

The only thing that matters to her is whether she can get him or not.