Hearing these words, Colin was completely stunned, unable to utter a single word.
In stark contrast, Liyami, who had just been lowering her head in silence, now looked up to meet Colin’s gaze directly. Colin even felt a bit intimidated by the look in her eyes.
But now, Liyami was just like Colin had been a moment ago—her eyes unwaveringly fixed on him, hoping for a reply.
As for why Liyami had suddenly changed like this, it all began just a few minutes ago.
Liyami listened quietly as Colin rattled off all sorts of guesses. On the surface, she appeared unmoved, but inside, her mind was in utter chaos.
When Colin first started speculating, Liyami still tried to think of ways to get through the current situation or come up with some explanation.
But as time passed, the more Colin guessed, the weaker Liyami’s thoughts became.
By now, though she still entertained the idea of finding a safe solution to the current predicament, she no longer had the strength to think.
She simply listened to Colin in silence, unable to process anything else in her mind.
Until, in a certain instant, a thought suddenly surged up from within Liyami and quickly flooded her heart and mind, leaving her unable to consider anything else.
That thought was—confessing to Colin.
Liyami knew perfectly well that this idea was nothing like her original plan to safely resolve the situation; in fact, it was the complete opposite.
Yet she just couldn’t tear her attention away from this idea. It was as if, the moment it appeared, she became irresistibly convinced that this was what she truly wanted most.
Faced with this sudden feeling, Liyami was at a loss. Was she really going to confess to Colin? Right here? Right now?
Liyami hesitated. She had already accepted the fact that she liked Colin, but to confess right now—she really wasn’t ready.
However, aside from confessing, was there any other option that could resolve the situation?
Liyami knew there were certainly other ways to handle things, but she just couldn’t bring herself to think of any.
The moment the idea of confessing appeared in her mind, she had set her heart on it. Even if there were other solutions, she doubted she’d use them.
With that realization, Liyami felt a little relieved. Since she believed this was the best solution, why not go for it?
According to typical storylines, in a love triangle, the one who confesses first is highly likely to become the loser. But there’s another saying: The first to confess gains the advantage and has a much better chance at winning!
Besides, since she was going to confess anyway, why wait for some unknown time in the future? Why not just do it now?
Sure, there might be a better time in the future. But Liyami couldn’t wait that long anymore!
Things like her former identity as a man, Colin and Eleanor’s promise, whether Colin had feelings for her—none of that mattered anymore! She could no longer suppress her feelings!!!
Liyami made up her mind—she would confess! Today! Here! Now!!!
“…I,”
Although she had resolved herself, the moment she tried to act, she realized just how difficult this was. She barely managed a word before her courage faltered, fear creeping in at what might happen next.
But Colin was already drawn in by her voice; there was no turning back now.
Summoning her courage, Liyami, under Colin’s slightly confused gaze, finally spoke the truest feelings buried in her heart.
“………………I…like you.”
Back to the present.
Liyami had laid bare her true feelings. All that remained was to wait for Colin’s reply.
But although she had finally mustered up the courage to say those words, Colin’s answer still hadn’t come.
Liyami kept her gaze focused on Colin, who had fallen silent, as if quietly waiting for his reply. But in reality, she was so anxious inside she felt like she might explode!
Liyami always thought of herself as someone patient, even exceptionally so. After all, assassinations required patiently waiting for the right moment, so it wasn’t surprising that patience was one of her strengths.
But now, that strength had suddenly vanished! Although not much time had passed, she was growing unbearably restless, wishing she could just grab Colin by the tongue and hear his answer right away!
Seeing Colin’s silent expression, Liyami, though she didn’t show it, was dying to pry open his head and see what he was thinking, why it was taking so long to reply!
Of course, as impatient as she was, Liyami wouldn’t actually do something so reckless. She wasn’t stupid—this was an extremely important moment, and she couldn’t risk leaving a bad impression. What if this one misstep caused her confession to fail?
Besides, it was only natural to be this anxious. Who, after confessing, wouldn’t be nervous and worried? If someone wasn’t anxious at all, it must be because they already knew the answer, or they simply didn’t care.
But neither case applied to Liyami. She cared deeply, and she had no way of knowing Colin’s answer. That was why she was so desperate to know. Even if Colin might reject her, Liyami still wanted to hear his answer right away.
So the tense silence dragged on. Just as Liyami began to wonder if Colin hadn’t even heard her, he finally spoke.
“…Bro, brother? You, this, this isn’t… couldn’t be, that, meaning, right? I… I didn’t hear that wrong, did I?”
After all this silence, all Colin could manage was this awkward attempt at confirmation. Though Liyami was a bit disappointed, she wasn’t angry.
She looked at Colin’s hesitant, bewildered face and smiled, preparing to say it all over again. This time, her voice wasn’t faint or broken—it was steady and powerful, as if every word was an undeniable truth.
“I like you!!!”
Her words rang out loud and clear—not loud enough to echo through the room, but more than enough to pierce Colin’s very soul.
Colin, who had just begun to recover, felt his heart seize tightly once again.
And before he could react, Liyami, as if afraid Colin still didn’t understand, immediately followed up with several more sentences.
“That’s right! I mean exactly that! Romantic feelings! I like you! I love you! I want to marry you! I want to live with you! I want to raise children with you! I want to be with you forever!!! So, I like you! Did you hear me clearly?!”