Outside, the rain poured down in sheets. Mia Grant collapsed in the downpour, her helpless eyes looking up at the figure standing before her.
It was this single glance that Kian Keller relived in countless dreams, endlessly grateful that he had ultimately reached out to her.
Another spring arrived, and the carefully tended crabapple tree in the courtyard was finally about to bloom.
Kian Keller stood in the courtyard for a long time before taking a photo of the flower buds for Mia Grant, who was far away in Englaria.
He didn’t say anything, just sent the picture.
But he knew she would understand what he meant.
There was a time difference between them, so several hours had passed by the time Mia Grant saw it.
A single glance at the photo was all it took for her to understand Kian Keller’s intention.
When they had parted, they had made a promise: she would return when the flowers bloomed.
But Mia Grant’s coursework was heavy, and she delayed her return trip until the end of April.
She kept it from Kian Keller, wanting to give him a surprise.
A while ago, she had told him she wasn’t sure when she could come back, and Kian Keller had been a little unhappy about it.
’Well, maybe not just a little... He just didn’t show it to me too obviously, I guess.’
Mia Grant wasn’t entirely sure.
Of course, hiding things from Kian Keller was no easy task. Fortunately, the one "monitoring" her recently was Zelo.
When she mentioned wanting to return secretly, Zelo understood instantly. The two of them hit it off.
Mia Grant was incredibly glad it was Zelo. If it had been Aaron or Zero, her chances would have been slim to none.
Only Zelo would have dared to agree.
On the way back, Zelo seemed even more excited than she was.
Mia Grant couldn’t help but smile. "You’re this happy, huh? Excited to get back to your wife?"
"Heh." Zelo waved his hand with a smile. "There are other reasons, too."
Mia Grant gestured for him to elaborate.
"I think the Master will be really, really happy to see you."
Mia Grant looked at him, feigning composure. "Is that so?"
"Of course," Zelo guaranteed.
Mia Grant nodded without saying anything. Inwardly, however, she was starting to look forward to Kian Keller’s reaction.
It was already 10:30 PM when they arrived at Jynsia International Airport.
Even after starting her journey of studying abroad, Mia Grant still hadn’t gotten used to such long flights.
Fortunately, she had fallen asleep on the plane, so she wasn’t too exhausted now.
Mia Grant had slept through the in-flight meal, so after landing, she just bought a few combo meals at a fast-food place in the airport.
She got a hamburger and a coffee for herself and gave the rest to Zelo.
She knew Zelo wasn’t the only one with her, but he was the only one operating openly.
So she could only have Zelo distribute the food.
Zelo didn’t refuse, thanking her with a smile.
Luckily, the drive from the airport to Kian Keller’s house wasn’t long.
His siheyuan-style courtyard house wasn’t in the city center.
The coffee perked her up, and Mia Grant felt much more awake during the drive.
When she got out of the car, she was greeted by the butler, who had also been informed of her arrival in advance. He took her bag with a gentle smile. "The wind is a bit strong tonight, Miss. Please, come in quickly."
Mia Grant asked, "Is he asleep?"
The butler shook his head. "The Master usually doesn’t rest until after midnight."
"That late?"
Mia Grant frowned. "Can his body handle that?"
The butler sighed as well, saying there was nothing to be done about it. "You must try to persuade the Master later, Miss."
Mia Grant suddenly felt the weight of responsibility. ’Me, persuade him? As if Kian Keller would listen.’
She waved her hand, claiming she wasn’t up to such a great task.
The butler pressed the elevator button and chuckled. "You are the mistress of the house, Miss. The Master will naturally listen to you."
Hearing "mistress of the house," Mia Grant’s mind went blank for a moment. Only then did she remember that she and Kian Keller had gotten their marriage certificate before she went abroad.
It was a long story.
She was going abroad, and Kian Keller had wanted to accompany her for her studies.
’Just listen to that. How ridiculous does that sound?’
She disagreed, and the two had an argument.
To call it an argument wasn’t quite accurate. It was more like her venting one-sidedly while Kian Keller refused to engage at all.
He had always been good at using the silent treatment.
The two of them started a cold war.
It didn’t last long, though. Later, when she asked Kian Keller if he remembered, he gave a very precise number: six hours, thirty-two minutes, and seventeen seconds.
That was the exact amount of time they had gone without speaking during their cold war.
’Does he carry a stopwatch in his pocket all the time?’ Mia Grant wondered.
The cold war ended prematurely when Kian Keller compromised.
The two of them sat down to talk again.
She said there was no way she would give up on going abroad.
He was silent for a moment before accusing her of misunderstanding him. He claimed he didn’t want to keep her caged by his side.
She pouted, retorting that him following her abroad was no different from being caged, just in a different environment.
He fell silent again.
She thought he was about to give in.
Who would have thought his final words would be: "I don’t feel secure."
It wasn’t surprising that he felt that way.
Their relationship had begun as a carefully orchestrated deception.
But even after it was exposed, he didn’t seem to care.
Back then, his leg hadn’t healed yet, and he had desperately needed her by his side.
It was only later that she realized the extent of his obsession with her.
All along, it seemed like he was the one in control, but in reality, she was the one pulling all the strings.
When he said he felt insecure, Mia Grant couldn’t help but reflect on her own actions.
Knowing it was inconvenient for him to travel back and forth with his leg, she finally proposed returning regularly to see him.
They could set a schedule.
Kian Keller gave no reaction.
’He’s not satisfied with this solution,’ she knew.
But she couldn’t think of a better way to resolve it.
In the end, it was during dinner that the butler casually mentioned they had been together for a long time and should think about the next step.
That comment was a wake-up call for her.
They didn’t have a wedding because getting their marriage license had also been a hasty, spur-of-the-moment decision.
One was afraid they would regret it, the other was afraid the other person would regret it. So, they both agreed instantly, with no objections.
The day after getting their license, Mia Grant flew to Englaria.
Leaving a certain someone behind to wait alone in their marital home.
With their new relationship status, Mia Grant stopped indulging him. Naturally, she didn’t keep her initial promise to return regularly.
When she got busy, she wouldn’t even look at her phone. When Kian Keller missed her, he would contact Zelo and the others and have them ask her to call him back.
Zelo and the others could usually only catch her after class, and she would find time to call Kian Keller back on her way home.
Because of the time difference, he almost always answered her calls instantly.
He wasn’t very talkative; it was basically her doing all the talking.
It was all just trivial little things, like what she had for breakfast, what she ate for lunch, what she planned to eat for dinner, and what classes she had that day.
She didn’t think much of it while she was talking, but afterward, she’d feel like she had just rambled on about a lot of nonsense, a complete waste of time.
But Kian Keller never interrupted her and would chime in with a word or two from time to time.
She thought back carefully and was certain that he didn’t mind her nonsense—he even seemed to like it.
After that, Mia Grant’s nonsensical ramblings on the phone became more and more frequent.
At night, after washing up and getting into bed, she would continue her rambling with him.
The calls would last all night. Of course, she would have long since fallen asleep, but the person on the other end never seemed to learn how to hang up.
They had spent more time apart than together during this period, so much so that she still hadn’t gotten used to her new status.
[Author’s Note: Individual character routes will blur the presence of other male leads. This is considered a one-on-one route from the main story onward. The extra Chapters will be ordered according to the male leads’ appearance in the main text.]