I Will Die for You, My Darling! - Chapter 21
Chapter 21
The workshop was cool and smelled strange. A boy, now much taller than Arietta, stood before the sandy-haired woman, his head bowed low. A box of finished products lay at his feet.
“Isaac, your mistakes have been frequent lately. I thought you were more reliable. Perhaps I misjudged you.”
The sandy-haired woman was Maud. Her husky voice lashed out at Isaac. The boy’s work was undeniably shoddy. Unable to argue even internally against Maud’s coldness, Isaac broke out in a cold sweat.
“I apologize. There’s no excuse. I won’t disappoint you again.”
The boy’s voice, deepening with puberty, was desperate. Always on edge, Isaac never glared at Maud with the same animosity he showed others. Like a well-trained dog who knew its master, he only obeyed.
A soft “hmmph” escaped Arietta’s lips.
‘He’s insulted me, yet he lowers his head without a bark?’
“Good. I’d prefer not to see any more wasted materials. I need to maintain a good reputation, and for that, I need your reliability.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Arietta watched the entire exchange. Feeling her gaze, Isaac glanced up at the top of the material boxes. Soft eyes, painted with a brush, sharp yet full of deep mystery, faint silver-grey irises beneath them, perpetually upturned red lips…
‘That infuriatingly pretty face.’ He gritted his teeth. ‘I worked so hard to get here, and now this girl is about to ruin everything.’
“Do better next time.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Maud clicked her tongue and left the workshop. As soon as the door closed, Isaac strode towards the stacked material boxes. For the first time, he approached Arietta on his own.
“Get down.” He grabbed her slender, pale wrist roughly.
“Ow!” Arietta cried out, twisting her wrist free. But his hand was larger than she expected, his grip surprisingly strong. Isaac mercilessly pulled her down. A struggle ensued, but Arietta ultimately lost. She was dragged down without a chance to resist.
Isaac opened the workshop door and shoved Arietta outside. Breathing heavily, he glared at her.
“Why are you doing this?”
“What did I do?”
“You were staring!”
“Why is that a problem?”
He was speechless. Lost for words, Isaac stared at Arietta in silence for a long moment.
“I didn’t talk to you, I didn’t interrupt you. I just looked.” Arietta tilted her head, looking up at Isaac. Her sleek black hair swayed. Isaac’s nerves frayed.
“You’re distracting.” He frowned deeply, turning his gaze away. “You being here makes me mess up. Get lost. I’m not here for your amusement.”
He spat the words out and slammed the door in her face. But it was useless. The moment she turned and took a step, the door opened again.
Isaac spun around furiously. Arietta was calmly walking back inside. He snapped. Grabbing her shoulder, he marched her out into the hallway.
“Please, just…” Isaac’s veins bulged in his neck. “If you like me enough to follow me around like this, then cooperate! You’re going to get me fired!”
“I like you?”
“Don’t you? Then why are you following me around?”
“…I never thought about liking you. Do I like you?” A somewhat ludicrous question followed.
Arietta certainly wanted Isaac. But did that necessarily mean she liked him? It was a genuine question.
Isaac’s face flushed crimson. Arietta couldn’t understand. She’d understood the shame he’d displayed before, to a certain extent. But why was he blushing now? What was so embarrassing?
“Damn… Fine. You don’t like me, got it. My mistake. I’m so, so sorry.” Isaac raked his hand through his hair. “I don’t care about your feelings anyway. Just don’t come near me. Stay away. Your presence is irritating.”
“Do you hate me that much?”
“Yes.”
With that declaration, he walked back into the workshop. The door slammed in Arietta’s face again.
‘What’s the point of closing it? I can just open it again.’ Her pale hand immediately went to the doorknob.
The purpose of a door is to open. If it doesn’t open, it’s not a door, it’s a wall. Arietta turned the knob and pushed with her shoulder. Through the crack, she saw Isaac approaching with a heavy box of materials on one shoulder.
“Ah.”
A thought struck her like lightning. She understood Isaac’s intentions. He was going to stack the boxes in front of the door to prevent her from opening it.
