Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!-Chapter 6 -: 5 She fell first?

Rosalina took out a sheet of art paper and set it on the frame.

She picked up her brush and said softly, with excitement in her voice, "Today’s painting will be the best one yet." Then she started to paint.

All around her, the walls were covered with paintings, just like in an art gallery.

Most of them looked very beautiful, but a few had the simple, childish style of a beginner.

For example, one painting showed a cartoon boy with stick-like arms and legs and big round eyes.

He was holding a flower out to a girl.

Even though it looked very basic, it was easy to see that the boy was Julius and the girl was Rosalina.

Their hair color and eye color were exactly the same.

There were also newer paintings on the walls.

These ones were much more detailed and beautiful.

In every single one, Julius looked like a very noble and heroic young man.

Some paintings even showed him helping old people cross the street or carrying heavy bags for them... even though he had never really done those things.

Rosalina had added those sweet details herself.

In all the paintings, one thing was the same: Julius looked more handsome and romantic than he did in real life.

His golden eyes shone brighter, his smile was warmer, and his hair looked perfect.

Rosalina focused hard on her new painting.

She moved the brush carefully. After the last gentle stroke on the eyes, a happy smile spread across her face.

"Yes, that’s right. This is perfect," she whispered as she stepped back to look at the finished work.

The painting showed Julius from just a few hours ago, when he proposed to her.

His face looked honest and full of love, exactly the way she remembered it in that moment.

Rosalina wiped a small spot of paint from her cheek with the back of her hand.

She kept staring at the painting and said softly, "Did you finally fall for me?"

She leaned forward slowly.

Then she closed her eyes and gently kissed the lips in the painting.

Her lips turned red from the wet paint, but she didn’t mind.

She looked at the painting and said with a small pout, "What took you so long?"

"I was giving you hints since we were children, but you never understood," she told the painting softly.

"Do you know how long I waited for you to realize my feelings?"

She stepped closer and gently picked up one old painting from the wall.

It was very old, probably from when she was a little child.

The drawing was simple, made with basic stick figures.

It showed a boy with blonde hair and golden eyes standing in front of a girl with black hair and black eyes.

Even though the shapes were childish and rough, it was easy to see who they were meant to be, Julius and Rosalina.

She held the old painting next to the new one and spoke to the fresh painting of Julius.

"Ever since that day... the day you saved me..." she said quietly, her voice full of old memories and soft warmth.

The gentle smile returned to her face as she whispered, "Finally... you said the words I always wanted to hear."

Whenever the urge to tell Julius how she really felt became too strong to hold back, she would come here, look at these paintings, and talk to them as if he were standing right in front of her.

Truthfully, she would have confessed her feelings to him long ago... if it weren’t for her family.

Her family was not like Julius’s.

The Hayes clan could be cruel, but their patriarch had only one child, Julius, and he gave everything to him.

Rosalina’s situation was completely different.

Her father had many wives and children.

That meant constant competition among the siblings.

And most importantly... her father hated the Hayes family with all his heart.

She let out a long, tired sigh. "My father detests your family... haa."

"I wanted to tell you so many times how much I care for you," she whispered to the paintings.

"But because of that senile old fox, I couldn’t. And there’s something else... I still need to take revenge on the Thornes who murdered my mother."

Her voice became quieter, but stronger. "I hope you will wait for me."

Her eyes filled with both determination and regret as she looked at every painting of Julius, one by one.

She gently touched the frame of the newest one, the one from today’s proposal.

"I will make everything right... somehow," she promised softly. "Then I can finally be with you."

She looked at the paintings with soft eyes and whispered.

"Just wait for me a little longer. After I grow strong enough to protect you, I will confess everything to you. But until then... please bear with my cold shoulder."

She gave a small, sad smile.

When Julius proposed to her earlier today, her heart had screamed to say yes.

She wanted to accept more than anything. But she knew what would happen if she did.

Her family would never allow it.

They would force her out of the race to become the next leader of the Valentina clan.

Worse, her father would see Julius as an even bigger enemy. He might even send people to hurt him.....or worse.

"So wait for me," she said quietly to the painting.

"Wait until I take full control of the Valentina clan... then we can finally be together forever."

She leaned forward slowly, her lips almost touching the painted ones again.

But just as she was about to kiss the painting...

"Miss Rosalina."