Michel nodded. "You should do the same."

Rushing out of the room, the nurse bowed to them, quickly taking the opportunity to disappear.


Surprised at the rapid turn of events, Rosabella turned to look at the leader.

"And you can't start with that?"

He shrugs slightly. "Not as much as I give you a chance. You flew off the handle there."


Rosabella let out another growl. "That damn nurse did a half job and I don't have it. So if she makes a fuss, I want you to threaten that bitch to shut up and let me do the job or have to deal with it. face the barrel of your gun."

He frowned at her. Even so, Michel knew better than to argue with her. Because for the first time, he understood how much she cared about his second-in-command.


And as he watched her act that way, unable to control the process she held, Michel finds himself speechless, acknowledging the fact that she is somehow a good fit for his family.

That woman was a lunatic - just like the rest.

---

A soft hand grasped his.

Charles opened his eyes, blinked a few times to clear his vision, and was surprised to find that he was in the hospital room and not in his own room or the infirmary at the mansion.

He recalls the feeling he had felt when he was shot at the playhouse, so he was aware of what had happened.

He just didn't expect things to turn out as bad as in the hospital.

However, that sentiment was soon silenced when he noticed his inability to move his body away from his head.

He felt a dull ache in his temples and midsection, though as his eyes wandered to the left, he knew that any pain he must have felt was mostly subdued by the medicine pumped into his vein through an IV attached to one of his hands.

Following his busy hand, he turned his head and saw Rosabella curled up beside him, clutching it in her hand.

Her clothes were wrinkled and her hair was completely messy as if she had been by his side for a while.

Her face is mostly obscured by her long hair.

Charles felt an irresistible urge to see her expression.

Slowly and carefully, he managed to free his hand from hers and brush a few strands of hair out of her forehead.

Rosabella looks too beautiful to be real.

Her thick lashes rested on her pale skin, causing him to bring a fingertip up to her high cheekbones, enjoying the softness of her skin.

Her eyes fluttered under her eyelids and then they opened.

She blinked sleepily until her gaze finally focused on him.

Charles who waited for her immediately jumped out of bed as if it were on fire, hoping she at least, came up with some ludicrous excuse for why she was here, sleeping next to him.

He's not even sure how she got to the hospital in the first place, as Michel doubts he will allow her to leave the mansion.

Maybe Rosabella has finally had enough, though, and is making a pit stop before leaving.

However, she did not do this.

Instead, she slowly sat up, blinking sleepily and rubbing her eyes with her free hand when the other took his hand again.

She searched the room for something.

"What time is it?"

Of course, Charles had no clue.

He's not even sure what day it is.

"Are you asking me?"

She let out a laugh, then her expression stiffened.

They stared at each other for a long moment, both silent as emotions hung thickly between them.

"You stupid bastard. You made me wait for hours."

"Is that how you greeted me when I just woke up?"

Rosabella didn't smile.

She was looking at him with an expression he had never seen on her face, vulnerable and open.

"The doctor came back twice to check on you. They weren't sure if you'd make it through." She paused, her fingers clasped over his.

He didn't say anything because he didn't know what to say.

"If you decide to scare me like that again, I'll kill you with my own hands."

Charles's general solution in emotional situations is to keep a poker face or make sarcastic comments.

But in this moment, he felt he was wrong and he didn't want to stop Rosabella from saying anything else she had to say.

She stared at the window, guilt spoiling her pretty face.

"All I could think about when I wasn't with you after I heard you got shot was what would happen if you died and all I ever did was act like a fool."

Charles sighed heavily.

"So sorry." Her breathing was rapid.

"You don't have to apologize for anything, Rosabella. You know, your bitterness added entertainment to my days." He smirked at her, receiving a smile in return.

"You should be angry, Charles. You should tell me now."

He shrugged slightly, unable to move any further than that.

Charles doesn't like to recall their last conversation where she told him she hated her feelings for him.

But now she is here.

It took a while but he eventually realized that Rosabella had to come to him herself.

She will never let anyone force her to admit her feelings.

Lifting one hand, he touched the back of her head and pulled her toward him.

She didn't resist and when her mouth touched his, she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened his kiss.

However, Rosabella didn't push too hard, wary of his state as she reluctantly pulled away.

Charles dropped his hand again, ignoring the slight pain in his stomach as he moved.

"I'm fine now. I'm not going to die. You can leave now without feeling guilty."

Rosabella looked at him for a long time without saying anything.

"I don't want to leave."

"You agreed to my offer when I made it."