Chapter Text
After taking a deep breath, I cracked the bedroom door open just enough to see Wise standing there.
"Belle, what was that noise? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just fell off the bed. Nothing to worry about." I forced a smile.
"Are you sure? Do you want some painkillers?"
Cold sweat ran down my back. Only my face was visible—my neck and the rest of my body were still hidden behind the door.
"I'm fine, Wise. I'm going back to sleep, okay? Good night!"
I shut the door in his face. Not on purpose, but I had no choice.
I waited until I heard his bedroom door close, then turned back to Jane, who was still teasing me, holding my waist and kissing my neck.
"Did you see that? He almost caught us!" I said, trying to sound irritated, but she ignored me completely. Her tail now curled around my leg.
"You think so? I think you fooled him pretty well... Almost makes me wonder if you're fooling me too."
Her voice was soft and teasing as she leaned closer.
"Jane, you—"
"Shh, no need to say anything. I already know you don't want your brother to find out you're dating a DSP agent."
She didn’t give me time to respond before sliding her hands under my shirt.
"You still want to continue, even after almost getting caught?" I asked, already accepting my fate. There was no winning against the thiren in front of me.
"Yes, proxy. This time, I want to guide you down a path of pure pleasure."
I bit my lip, feeling heat rise inside me again. My need for Jane only grew stronger.
"I'm sorry... I really wanted Wise to know about us."
"But you're afraid of how he'll react..."
She stopped. Abruptly.
I was already shirtless, completely exposed to her, but somehow, my bad timing ruined the mood again.
Using her tail, she picked my shirt up off the floor and handed it to me before going to sit on the couch.
"Jane..." I tried to say something as I put my shirt back on and walked toward her.
Walking, talking, and getting dressed at the same time wasn't a good idea—I would have fallen if she hadn't caught me.
"You okay?" she asked, her gaze soft as she gently stroked my hair.
"No, I'm not. I didn’t mean to ruin the mood like that."
"Actually, you made me realize something I've been ignoring for a while."
I looked at her, curious.
"Yeah?"
"How long have we been dating, Belle?" Her voice was sharp, direct.
"A year and a few months…" I answered, already understanding where she was going. Guilt tightened around my chest.
"I think you still see yourself as the little sister. Not as a woman. And that's why you're so afraid of your brother's reaction—even though I’ve already offered to tell him I know your secret..."
And she was right. Jane found out I was a proxy just weeks after we started dating. She forgave me, as long as we had no more secrets between us. That was the moment I realized how much I loved her.
"But still, you keep refusing." She continued. "Look, I don't see a future if things stay this way. I don’t want something temporary, Belle. And honestly, what do you want? Do you plan to live with your brother forever? Don’t you want a family of your own?"
Those words... The way she said them. Jane had dropped all softness. She was sharp, blunt, and completely honest.
"Jane…" That was all I could say as tears welled up in my eyes. She was going to break up with me.
"Belle. I need your answer. It doesn't have to be now. But… will you marry me?"
---
Two days had passed since Jane asked me that question.
She gave me space. So much space it felt suffocating. No texts, no late-night visits, and every time I went to her apartment, it was empty.
"How does she expect an answer when she's running away like this?" I grumbled to myself, my head resting on the counter at the video store.
It was the end of the day. I was waiting for the last few minutes to pass before closing while Wise was outside buying dinner.
That’s when I heard a familiar voice in front of me.
"And who’s running away, manager?"
"Qingyi?" I lifted my head immediately, a smile slipping onto my face.
I stepped out from behind the counter and hugged her. She was definitely one of my closest friends. After all, she was the one who introduced me to Jane that day, saying she was "just a psychologist."
"Good evening, manager. I hope I’m not interrupting anything."
"No, you came at the perfect time!" I smiled, pulling her toward a quieter corner, just in case.
"Okay… What did you do?" she asked, as if it were a routine for me to mess up. Well, she wasn’t wrong, considering she’d witnessed my brief obsession with gachas.
"Actually, it’s about Jane and me." I spoke seriously, watching her eyes for any reaction.
"Alright… So what’s bothering you? Because I’m sure it’s all in your head. I've told you how obvious your feelings for each other are, right?"
"Yeah, but… I don’t think that’s true. Qingyi, I can’t bring myself to tell Wise I’m dating Jane."
"That worries me… How has he not figured it out by now?"
"Ah… That’s not the issue."
"No, the issue is that your brother is overprotective, and you're scared to grow up and step out from under his wing."
"Harsh..."
"But true."
"You know saying things like that doesn’t help me solve my problem, right?"
"Belle, my dear Belle… I’m not giving you the answer you want to hear, because that’s something only you can find for yourself."
I hated that she was right. I couldn't just wait for someone else to decide for me so I could feel at peace with my choices.
This was my responsibility. Something I had to figure out on my own.
"Belle…" The DSP officer broke the silence. "I get that you and Wise have always been together, but starting a new family doesn’t mean leaving the old one behind."
She finished her sentence by patting my head.
"It’s okay. Don’t cry."
I hadn’t even noticed, but her last words made tears form in my eyes.
"I’ve made up my mind…"
I caught the smile that spread across Qingyi's face.
"Well, I guess I should call Jane over later. No matter your decision, she needs to know, right?"
Those were the last words I heard as she walked out of the store. In the end, she didn’t even do whatever she came here for.
---
Wise showed up two minutes later, carrying a bag of food.
"Belle?" His voice sounded worried, and he even raised an eyebrow.
"Wise…"
Only then did I realize he was reacting to the way I was looking at him—probably anxious.
"What’s wrong?"
"I have to… tell you something."
He immediately straightened up. We went to the staff room, sat on the couch, and stayed silent for a few seconds while I gathered the courage to speak.
"I want to apologize… I haven’t been honest with you. I’ve been hiding something from you for almost two years."
He stayed silent, just watching me.
"It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I was scared of how you’d react. I… I’ve been dating a DSP agent for almost two years."
Still silent, he just kept watching me.
"I know we have some friends there, but even so, we weren’t supposed to risk more people finding out."
"Belle… It’s Jane, isn’t it?"
I looked at him, shocked. Surprised at how calmly he said it, just with a small smirk as he stared at me.
"How do you know?" I asked, my heart pounding.
"How wouldn’t I? You’re terrible at hiding certain things…" He chuckled lightly, ruffling my hair.
"And why didn’t you say anything?" Tears welled up in my eyes.
"I wanted to trust that you’d tell me when you were ready."
I hugged my brother, feeling a massive weight lift off my shoulders.
"It’s nice to see how much you’ve grown, Belle."
---
Later that night, I was sitting on my couch, waiting for a sneaky rat thiren to open the door.
I knew she’d come. I couldn’t take the anxiety and longing anymore after these past few days apart.
When the door finally opened, I caught her off guard—for the first time in almost two years. And I had tried a lot.
I jumped into her arms, hugging her tightly.
"I accept…" I whispered, burying myself against her.
"You…?" She seemed surprised.
"I accept marrying you!"