Sophie''s voice was shaking but she kept herposure. She believed it was time to talk to Nichs and settled things once and for all. From what she could gather, Nichs must have remembered and now he came to seek closure.


    While Sophie and Lnd went on their getaway, Nichs hade every day to this manor with the intention of seeing her. He had told Lucas that he wouldn''t give up until he could see thedy of the manor and speak to her.


    Sophie assumed Nichs didn''te back for the past week because he was recovering from his injuries after fighting with Lucas. She could still see some of the wounds on his arms.


    Now, he came back after he had somewhat recovered. She could only guess that he still stubbornly wanted to talk to her.


    "Lnd, please..." Sophie looked at Lnd''s eyes pleadingly.


    Lnd was silent. He looked very bothered by her request.


    "Just a few minutes," Sophie approached Lnd and touched his arm gently. She spoke to him softly, but Nichs could hear her with his sharp hearing. "He is very stubborn and I believe he will keeping and sooner orter we will have to talk to him."


    The idea of seeing Nichs Hannenberghing every day to their manor, bothering his family made Lnd wince in displeasure. Finally, the man nodded in agreement. He gritted his teeth and threw a threatening look at Nichs.


    He was very unwilling to let Sophie speak alone with Nichs. However, he agreed with Sophie that they had to face this problem and should stop avoiding it.


    Meanwhile, Nichs was overjoyed that Sophie was willing to meet and talk to him. Gosh, hearing her sweet voice from this close made his heart flutter. He didn''t care she spoke to Lnd, he was happy to hear her voice.


    After Lnd left, Sophie invited Nichs to speak outside the gate and Nichs nodded in agreement. As he followed Sophie, Nichs kept smiling. He didn''t think that just looking at Sophie could make him as happy as he was now. However, unlike Nichs, Sophie actually felt the opposite.


    The woman didn''t know how to exin her current feelings. The husband she thought was dead was still alive and now he hade to see her.


    After arriving under a tree, Sophie stopped and turned around to find Nichs'' face smiling broadly at her. Instantly she remembered all the memories of their time together.


    Sophie remembered when Nichs caught her as she jumped off the academy walls...


    When she and Nichs had tea together on one fine afternoon...


    When they were looking for the wolfsbane together and Nics took her away when it started to rain.


    Sophie bit her lower lip and desperately tried to keep her tears from falling as all the memories with Nichs kept popping up but she failed.


    Her heart ached so much when she thought of all these things, especially when she thought of their marriage and the short time they spent together as husband and wife.


    After the death of her parents, Sophie''s life became very bleak. She was alone, lonely, loved by no one, and wanted by no one but even so, she strengthened her heart and tried to survive. Nichs suddenly came into her awful life and changed everything.


    Nichs made Sophie feel the joy of being loved again. It was a feeling she hadn''t felt since her parents died.


    "Thank you," Nichs said, starting the conversation.


    "What for?" Sophie wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.


    Seeing Sophie''s reaction made Nichs even more convinced that the woman in front of him was Sophia Hansley, his wife.


    "Because you''re willing to talk to me," he said.


    Lnd walked back and forth in the manor courtyard. He was very uneasy at the thought of Sophie and Nichs currently talking just the two of them.


    Lnd didn''t doubt Sophie''s loyalty to him but he was really unsettled. He was afraid that Sophie would change her mind.


    NO!


    Sophie would not leave him and go back to Nichs. Sophie had already chosen him.


    Lnd tried to convince himself.


    p Luciel who saw his father pacing like that became confused. He really couldn''t understand the current situation.</anda>


    "Father, what is going on?" he asked Lnd with his small voice what was wrong.


    Lnd shook his head and awkwardly said, "Nothing."


    Luciel knew that his father was lying. If there''s nothing, it''s impossible for Lnd to look upset like this. Gosh... Luciel didn''t understand adults.


    ***


    Meanwhile, outside the gates, Nics and Sophie stood face to face.


    "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Sophie asked after a long silence. She didn''t allow herself to get lost in the memories of the past with Nichs.


    Nichs stared at Sophie in silence. Hepared the face of the woman standing before him right now with the face of the little girl he had seen in his dreams.


    His eyes began to heat up as tears escaped from the corners of his eyes when he realized that Sophia Romanov must be the same little girl who helped him and now had grown up.


    Nichs who didn''t say anything made Sophie feel ufortable because the situation had be so awkward.


    "If… you don''t want to talk, I''m leaving because... my husband… is waiting for me," Sophie said, looking down. Hearing Sophie''s words, Nichs was a little surprised.


    His heart suddenly filled with jealousy. He looked at his hands firmly but his eyes were on Sophie sadly.


    "Then who am I to you?" he asked her. "You are my wife too. I married you first!"


    Sophie was stunned by his question. She looked straight at Nichs. was shocked. "Y-you….?"


    "Are you not Sophia Hansley? The girl I married six years ago in Hauntingen?"


    Sophie fell silent with her eyes fixed on Nichs without blinking.


    "Can I take your silence as an answer yes?"


    Sophie looked down, biting her lower lip. She didn''t expect Nichs to speak so straightforwardly like this. Ahh... how could she forget how open and direct this man was?