Rowena, who was staring at him silently, suddenly murmured.

“You seem to have changed a lot.”

“Should I not change?”

“Yes…  no.”

It had to be the same as then. He had to be the same brazen, arrogant, terrible man he had been when they had met again.

Killian stopped eating at her meaningful reply.

“What do you mean?”

“It means I want to be the same man you used to be, the man you were five years ago.”

“Why?”

The peaceful atmosphere hardened like ice. Rowena avoided the piercing blue eyes that were staring at her questioningly.

“Just because, there is no deep reason behind it.”

He was a man who would point out things unexpectedly at the most unanticipated times. It seemed that if she had made more eye contact with him now, he could even read what she had hidden deep in her heart. Rowena was busy feigning her nonchalance while playing with the food on the plate in front of her, trying to ignore the obviously uncomfortable air, when Killian suddenly reached his hand out to her. Hesitantly, she flinched and tried to back away, but his long fingertips brushed against her mouth, wiping up the red sauce that got there and then wiping his hand with a napkin. The sudden action caused Rowena to touch her mouth, where his fingers grazed hers as she continued to look at him.

This kind of behavior was what she meant by the change she had mentioned earlier! If this had been before, he would have just pointed at her mouth, but now he’s taking the initiative to wipe it personally.

Feeling confused, Rowena looked down and held her fork again, and he moved to change the topic.

“I know there will be a dinner party today.”

“…… yes.”

“Don’t take off that necklace.”

Rowena unconsciously placed her hand on her neck. This was the necklace he had put on her in person prior to their arrival in this place.

Although following his request obediently would have been fine, to be frank, it was only natural that she would wear what he gives her and do what he tells her to do. Rowena raised her moisten gaze, which was lowered for some time now to the man in front of her.

….The man who acted contrary to what he claimed made her want to suddenly act a little more stubborn.

“I only tried to see if it would go with my dress.”

“What dress are you going to wear?”

“That’s-..”

Shit… she hadn’t decided yet. Hesitantly, Rowena quickly shook her head.

“Just an evening dress with an open back. Made of black satin fabric.”

“That’s way too revealing, though. We’re in the woods, so it gets chilly in the evenings.”

“But I wore even more revealing dresses before? Don’t you remember?”

“Rowena.”

Killian ended up lowering his voice in response after the continuing argument. To be honest, Rowena was rather relieved to hear the sudden change in his voice.

She wanted him to get angry and force her to act the way he wanted. She wanted him to be able to prove to herself that he hadn’t changed, no, that he was unable to change to begin with.

She continued to eat her salad with a nonchalant expression on her face and waited for the cold threat to come back at her, but instead, she heard him pull his  chair back.