Chapter 267: You Will Leave

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Reiji scanned the room with his gaze.

In the simple tatami room, the lamp in the corner swayed gently, blown by the evening breeze seeping in through the half-open wooden window.

The thin white curtains danced slowly, spreading the scent of damp wood and wildflowers carried by the wind from the backyard garden.

"What about you, Karina?" Reiji finally asked, breaking the silence that had been pressing on their chests.

Reiji's voice was almost a whisper, but firm enough to make Karina look up.

His tone was not loud, but there was a slight tremor at the end of his words—a tremor from someone who knew that the question would lead to an unavoidable answer.

Reiji's eyes were now fixed directly on Karina's cheek, which was pale under the glow of the twilight.

Keito, Karina's father, sat cross-legged across from them.

Keito's body was upright, his strong hands resting on his knees, and his jaw appeared tense.

Kasumi, Karina's mother, sat beside Keito, her back straight, her fingers tightly clasped in her lap as if they would fall to the floor if released.

Karina did not answer immediately.

The girl took a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling slightly.

Karina's eyes gazed out the window, staring at the orange sky that was beginning to fade behind the treetops.

"I..." Karina murmured softly, her voice nearly drowned out by the rustling leaves outside.

The sound of crickets began to emerge, faint, as if they were just gathering the courage to fill the silence.

Slowly, Karina turned her head.

Her eyes now met Reiji's, piercing through the narrow space between them.

The light in Karina's eyes trembled, but behind that doubt, there was a small flame igniting.

"I don't want to."

Just three words, but the space around them seemed to freeze.

The breeze that had been cool now felt like a slap on their cheeks, cold and biting at the nape of their necks.

Reiji held his breath.

Both of Reiji's hands rested on his knees, his fingers gently stroking the folds of his hakama calmly.

Reiji said nothing, only gazing at Karina, as if searching for another answer behind her gaze.

Keito blinked slowly.

Keito's stern face softened slightly, but it remained difficult to read.

Kasumi took a restrained breath, her chest rising and falling quickly.

Kasumi's gaze flickered back and forth between her daughter and Reiji.

"I am very happy..." Karina spoke again, her voice hoarse, as if holding back tears that had accumulated behind her eyelids.

"I am happy... because I will marry you, Reiji." Karina swallowed hard.

The ticking of the clock in the corner of the room suddenly became clear—tick... tick... tick... adding to the tension of the silence.

"That's why... I don't want you to have another woman. I want it to be just me, Reiji. Just me by your side." Karina's eyes appeared slightly red, but she seemed to refuse to blink.

That gaze pierced Reiji sharply, as if wanting to penetrate his skin, reaching for the heart that was pounding in his chest.

Reiji took a slow breath.

His eyes then briefly shifted to Keito and Kasumi.

Keito lowered his head slightly, his cheeks tightening as he held back his expression.

Kasumi seemed to cover her mouth with her hand, as if afraid her voice would break if she spoke.

"But..." Karina bit her lower lip.

Karina's fingers now clenched the fabric of her kimono in her lap tightly, her knuckles turning white. "I know it's selfish. I realize that... But I don't care."

Karina's head hung down for a moment, then she looked up again, her gaze burning. "I have always felt... that one day... you would leave. Leaving this village. Leaving me."

Those words made Reiji's breath catch in his chest.

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