89 Love. Trust. Commitment.

"Ivan what do you want from me? Because you only have 30 minutes more to answer me. I don't mind standing all day for an answer. I'm a stubborn but proud woman."

'I wanna ask if you playing with me! If you are don't come near me! So I can forget about these feelings now. I would rather not have anymore feeling so I can feel better!'

Ivan watched her face with a delighted but confused face. He was in the middle of thinking about her words. And didn't notice how his silence had made her worry and anxious about the fact that he wasn't answering.

Step. Step. Step.

He eyes narrowed at the sound and watched Angelica taking another step away from him and not towards him. He followed her and called out her name.

"Angelica, where are you going? I thought you weren't running away?" Ivan said anxiously.

"Ivan. I said before won't runaway. That was until you went quite on me and didn't say anything. Tell me. Why should I stay when I haven't heard your response?" She asked and didn't stop walking out of the forest.

Ivan suddenly found that it was his fault again and finally understood what he had done. He quickly caught up to her and grabbed her wrist but all he touched was air.

"Angelica!!!" He glared at the woman who left an illusion behind as she continued walking forward without sparing a glance at him. He followed her to the open fields were a bunch of white flowers illuminated underneath the moonlight. It was a magical view but Angelica had no time to appreciate such a thing since her mind was mad at the man who was following her.

Yet she stopped at his words.

"I said I love you!" He yelled and finally saw her pause for a moment before she started walking again. But this time he didn't let her escape.

"Angelica wait! Listen to me! It's my fault! Just wait!" Ivan said and finally caught the really thing and not an illusion. He held onto her wrist tightly but not enough to hurt her or even let her escape.

Angelica glared at him with such intense eyes that he really did make him guilty for not speaking earlier.

"Your surrendering?"

"No I am not now!" She struggled and tried to make him release his hold but she couldn't win. So she decided the glare at him.

She was being like this because she don't understand this man anymore! One time he would say something and the other time he would go completely quite as if she wasn't there!

"You- Angelica. I said just listen to me." He said patiently. He won't let go until he gets his point across. No, actually he'll never let go.

He'll never allow her to leave him.

Angelica sighed and looked at him. This was his chance. She is confused and unsure about the topic of love but hearing a few people talk about it gave her an idea.

Love. Trust. Commitment.

Thought were some of the major things she learned about it and Alina said that she probably in love with Ivan but her heart and rational brain are saying two different thing.

The heart constantly saying that she should be honest and tell him what she thinks about him. How she trust him and finds him an amazing person in the kingdom. And maybe this beating in her heart would finally feel at ease once she says the words in her head.

While her brain, saying not to do them. Not to let out her vulnerable thoughts and emotions. To not trust this persons who could betray her in the future. To not entrust her heart to him because it could break.

"I saw a woman for the first time from an inn window." He started making her completely confused.

"That woman was you." He said looking into her blues eyes that were confused and suddenly the place they were at changed or it was more like they were covered in his barrier.

Angelica: "....??" She looked at the barrier and started frowning. What is this man up to now?

"At the time, I thought your were just a really pretty woman that came from a noble household and causally brushed it off. Then we met in the alley." He laughed remembering the ridiculous name she gave him and how she even said he could make a living with just his voice.

At the time he never thought much until he saw how strong and beautiful she was.

"You stepped on my shoulder and even threw me down. I can only say your the first woman who has ever done that to me. It was really... fun experience." Ivan said and noticed her weirded out expression that had received the shock of her life.

Angelica in the other hand looked at him with a concerned expression. Was he a masochistic or something? Who would even like to be thrown down like that?!!

Ivan coughed and noticed that it did sound funny and a bit creepy. But he still continued on. He hand gently rubbed circles on it making Angelica a bit tense by the sudden slowly rubbing.

"At the time I wanted to do nothing more than get revenge on you for throwing me down. But then the accident happened." His gaze suddenly turned dark and deep making Angelica wonder what exactly was running in his mind.

"After capturing a few men responsible for the damage. They confessed that they were ordered by an unknown man to cause chaos in the town. Even Lance had reported that he had a suspicious encounter with a man before the explosion."

"Right...? So what are you saying?" She asked making him smile. A soft smile that had a complicated look of some sort.

"At the time I was attacked by wooden puppets infused with explosion magic in one of the alley." He paused and continued, "then Lance reported that there were may casualties in on of the major streets. So I quickly went there and saw that most of it settled down and that you and Lance were the ones who mostly controlled the situation. That was when I felt something strange in me." He put his free hand around his chest and pulled his shirt. Holding it tightly as if he were in pain.

"At the time I didn't know what it was." And his grip on his chest loosened and so did his grip on her wrist. He moved to cup her face in his palms and slowly spoke.

"Then I met you at the Witch Forest. All in your glory and power. It was breath taking and beautiful, I couldn't keep my eyes off you- - because that's how much I was enthralled by you. Who knew I would met you again. It was like fate brought us their."

Ivan words made her heart shudder and feel something warm bubble in her chest. Angelica eyes who had always been guarded for all her life felt those words hit her hard. She didn't even know that the locks that she out around her heart had slowly begun to unlock itself.

All because of this one man.

"Then you were ordered to follow us. I was thrilled! I mean even the chance I was looking for fell into my hands do you think I would let go now?" He asked but the question wasn't for her to answer.

"I was never gonna let go."

Ivan slowly let go of her face, he had his attention focused on her eyes that showed all her emotions and knew that his words had affected her greatly and he could feel a sensation inside him saying that he was close to opening something but yet a little far.

"I knew you tested me various times. Maybe it was for your assurance or peace but I passed them flawlessly right?" He grinned.

Angelica only avoided his eyes making him chuckled and take down the barrier that was put up originally so she couldn't leave him.

"Then you got injured." He became serious all fo sudden making her freeze. He seemed hurt and lost, or that's what his voice sounded like to Angelica.

"At the time it felt like your were really gonna slip away from my finger just like that. I was s-scared. I was terrified of the unknown. What's happened if you never opened your eyes! I- I couldn't take that!!" Angelica went and hugged his waist for some reason making Ivan freeze. He didn't even move.

"I didn't want to lose you Angelica." That was one thing was for sure. He didn't want to lose this woman who could play with his heart and even make it beat faster with just one look.

Such a strong and intelligent woman... he could only hope that she would accept him.

"I've had never want anyone to enter my hellish life. I'm not a good man and I have many things that make me dangerous. No matter what, I just think that love and liking someone is not in me. No one told me what it was or how it works." He paused and looked at the woman who was trembling with her arms around him. He wrapped his arms around her and said slowly. "I also thought I didn't deserve love."

Angelica rubbed her face against the fabric of his suit shirt. She felt in pain and that she wanted to cry. So he felt the same,huh? A bit of warmth flowed in her heart.

"But that all changed. Your the one who changed that Angelica." He said and squeeze her in his embrace and she looked up to meet his scorching golden sun eyes.