"I wouldn't care if he got hurt... By the way, are you alright?"
Charlotte tilted her head slightly and examined his face carefully. Her sudden gaze made Leonid raise his eyebrows in surprise before he leaned in a little and said with a crooked smile:
"Seriously? Is this the first time you've seen my face?"
He chuckled with light sarcasm, while annoyance appeared on Charlotte's face as she furrowed her brows.
"I'm just... trying to look closely!"
She replied quickly, then pouted and leaned her elbows next to him on the kitchen table.
"So, how many punches did you land?"
"Two punches. One to his face, the other to his stomach."
Her eyes lit up, as if a soft spark had ignited within them.
Only two? Maybe too few. But they were enough to soothe part of the wound Kaiser had left in her heart.
"What about you?"
"Me? He punched me once... on the cheek."
Leonid raised his hand and drew small circles on his uninjured cheek.
He added with arrogance:
"But it barely counts as a punch didn't even leave a mark."
"Wow... I'm glad you're okay."
Leonid smiled faintly at Charlotte's exaggerated yet sweet response, and said:
"Honestly, I planned to keep hitting him until the sun came up... but Daniel stopped me. He said, 'It's worth it, yes but not now.'"
"I'm glad he managed to stop you."
Leonid raised an eyebrow and stifled a small laugh; the situation wasn't funny, but he remembered how Daniel looked like a duckling standing between him and Kaiser, yelling as he tried to break up the fight.
"Anyway, are you done cleaning?"
Charlotte nodded and straightened up in her stance, her tied-up hair swaying over her hips.
Suddenly, she felt a soft warmth touch her hand. She looked down and saw Leonid's hand holding hers before he gently pulled it toward his lips.
Her heart fluttered with every inch that brought them closer, as if the space between them was just an illusion slowly collapsing.
"So, how about a walk around the cabin with me?"
Leonid whispered against her skin, then pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles, slowly lifting his eyes to hers waiting for more than just an answer.
Charlotte froze in place, staring at his face as if her mind had stopped functioning.
"You can go for a stroll~!"
A gentle voice suddenly chimed in from behind them. They both turned to find Lyudmila standing by the wall, elegantly dressed, her hair neatly styled and her dress sparkling like she had just stepped out of a fashion magazine.
Lyudmila smiled and gestured lightly toward the glass door:
"It's still early for the guests to arrive. You two can enjoy a few romantic moments while Daniel and I handle the final preparations before the party begins."
Charlotte's face turned red instantly at the word "romantic."
"Lyudmila! You're ruining everything!"
She pulled her hand from Leonid's fingers and stumbled outside, her heart pounding wildly under the weight of embarrassment.
Leonid kept his gaze on Charlotte's back as she walked away, her hair strands dancing lightly behind her. Then he turned to Lyudmila, crossed his arms, and said in a calm tone:
"You're very cooperative... unlike that boy."
"That explains why someone was upset."
Lyudmila offered a faint smile and added:
"Don't be harsh. Daniel means well for both of you, but you enjoy provoking him all the time."
Leonid shrugged indifferently.
"I know... but he still acts like her guardian. You, on the other hand, seem surprisingly supportive."
He paused for a moment, studying Lyudmila's calm expression with a probing look, before speaking more slowly:
"I just wonder... what kind of relationship do you have with Charlotte? I don't see her staying close to you very often."
Lyudmila's eyes shimmered briefly, then she nodded with quiet resignation.
"I've noticed that too, yes... and you're right. But it's a deeper matter than it seems."
Her voice softened a little, quieter now, with a tone that was hard to define.
She kept smiling, then took a step back:
"In any case, go after her. Take advantage of her flustered moment… like men who know how to turn flirting into an art."
The corners of Leonid's lips curled into a sarcastic smirk. He shook his head slightly, then turned and began walking after Charlotte.
Lyudmila watched his back as he walked away, then sighed deeply and turned toward the stairs. She climbed to the upper floor to continue with the rest of the preparations.
Leonid stepped out under the afternoon sky. The weather wasn't exactly warm, nor cold enough to feel comfortable.
It was stuck somewhere in between just like everything else in his life.
He let his eyes wander around the garden until they landed on Charlotte.
She was sitting on the same wooden chair he'd sat on yesterday, when she ruined his cigarettes and blew up his mood.
Same chair. Same stillness. But her presence now changed everything.
Leonid walked slowly, calmly, until he stood behind her. He leaned in quietly, resting his arms on either side of the chair close, but without touching her.
Charlotte had her legs drawn to her chest, her chin resting on her knees, as if she were curling into herself.
When she felt his presence, her eyelid twitched for a moment. Then she tilted her head slightly, her gaze slowly rising until it met his, fixed above her.
Charlotte froze, uncertain whether to pull away or stay. Her mind urged her to retreat, while her heart thudded so hard it kept her rooted in place.
Yet she didn't move. She stayed where she was, watching him draw nearer, until he stopped in front of her, his lips barely a breath away from hers.
Suddenly, Leonid gave a faint smile, rested his forehead against her head, closed his eyes, and whispered softly:
"You… How could you run off so boldly without taking me with you?"
Charlotte's lips trembled. She lowered her eyes, her face blushing a soft, shy pink that was even more vivid against her pale skin.
"Don't mention that… It's embarrassing."
She whispered so quietly it was almost inaudible gentle, flustered.
Leonid let out a short, warm laugh, sincere and disarming. Charlotte's lashes quivered from the sudden rush of warmth, as she tried not to flee again despite her racing heart.
"Even though I know you well, you always manage to surprise me, darling."
"Surprise you how? Stop embarrassing me!"
Charlotte mumbled, twisting her words shyly, then added in a lower tone:
"And... you don't really know me, just like I don't really know you."
Leonid lifted his forehead from hers and slowly raised his head. His smile remained, but his eyes had grown more serious, more serene.
He stood up straight, then took a few steps until he stood in front of her, and gently bent down to kneel on one knee before her.
"W-What are you doing?"
Charlotte stammered in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Was he... was he really going to do this?
Color surged up her neck and into her ears. Her hands froze atop her legs, waiting for an explanation, or maybe even for him to back out.
Leonid reached out slowly and took her small hand gently into his warm palm.
"I know we don't know everything about each other..."
He began, voice low but clear, in a tone she'd never heard from him before.
"And I know our relationship has always been this tug of war… between running away and drawing close..."
Charlotte's fingers trembled in his hand, her heart pounding wildly, beyond her control.
"But through all of that, you've always been the one constant in my mind."
He paused, as though the air in his lungs had grown heavier, then continued in a voice filled with a warmth he'd only ever shown to her:
"I'm not asking for a promise... or a confession... just… a chance."
Leonid raised his eyes to meet hers. This time, the look in them wasn't sarcastic or coldly teasing it was disarmingly clear.
"Will you give me that chance, Charlotte Smith?"
A long silence fell between them.
All the sounds around her faded, even her own breath felt distant… unreal.
Charlotte blinked, as if trying to return to reality.
Then she heard him add softly:
"Will you be with me?"
Leonid's words carried an unmistakable sincerity spoken from the heart, not dictated by reality or its harshness, and freed from all the restraints that had always bound him.
He was serious, in every sense of the word, as he declared his pure desire for Charlotte to be his life partner, regardless of how the world around them might respond.
His eyes remained calm, diving into hers those dark, shimmering eyes, like stars glistening in a dim sky. And when silent tears rolled down her cheeks, he smiled gently a warm, tender smile and gave her hand a soft squeeze, as if to say: I'm here… stay with me.
Leonid waited in silence, yet his plea screamed through his eyes. He wasn't in a hurry; he was ready to wait the rest of his life, if needed, just to be with her.
Meanwhile, Charlotte could feel the warmth flowing from his hand into her heart, wrapping around her with quiet gratitude.
She stifled a trembling gasp on her lips and tried to respond, but memories flooded her rushing back like waves from a distant time.
She saw herself in the very first moment her eyes met his: a cold man, arrogant, incapable of smiling.
She remembered how he introduced himself by name only, with a brief greeting, in a voice so dry it left no room for kindness.
His rare gentleness in her moments of need… the way he would glance at her, almost as if hoping she'd ask something of him…
He truly was the love of her life.