𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐀𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 (𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝)

36. The end

That night, when the wedding chaos finally subsided, Aiore and Arielle found themselves alone in their room. The air was thick with unspoken emotions, and the moment Aiore stepped inside, he enveloped Arielle in a tight embrace, his arms refusing to let go. Arielle stroked his back soothingly, like a mother calming her distressed child.

"You said you wouldn't fall into my tricks and you wouldn't love me, right?" Arielle teased, a playful smile dancing on her lips.

Aiore pouted, burying his face deeper into her shoulder. "I thought you were someone else," he muttered, his voice muffled. "A lady plotting against us to snatch your position."

She hummed softly at his words, a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. "By the way, what have you done to our son?" she asked, pretending to be angry.

Aiore's eyes widened in panic. "What?" he asked nervously, his heart racing.

"You named him 'Whatever'!" she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No, Arielle!" he exclaimed, his grip on her tightening. "I was waiting for you to wake up and give him a name. I always dreamed of you naming our baby."

Arielle's heart melted at his words. The weight of her choice to return to him was reaffirmed; she would never find someone like Aiore, who loved her so deeply. But as the thought crossed her mind, she became serious. "But Aiore, what if I never woke up? What would you do?" She gently pushed him away to look into his eyes.

"I'd continue waiting," he replied confidently, his gaze steady. "I'd wait for you to wake up until my last breath."

Arielle's eyes filled with tears at his unwavering dedication. "Why?" she sniffled. "Why do you love me so much?"

He paused, searching for the right words. "I... I don't want to talk about it," he said stubbornly. "Otherwise, you'll leave me again. That time, you left me when I said I loved you..."

Arielle planted a soft kiss on his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath her lips. "Aiore..." she called softly.

"Mmm."

"Will you believe me if I tell you something?"

"You can tell me anything. I'll believe everything you say." He looked into her eyes with sincerity, ready to absorb her every word.

Taking a deep breath, Arielle shared everything about her life as Su Mi-the moments she had with Lu Wei, how he confessed his love for her, and how he brought her to this fantasy world. She kept one thing hidden, however: her past crush on Lu Wei. That was in the past, and she didn't want to hurt Aiore by bringing it up.

Aiore's eyes widened in surprise. "You're saying someone created this world? This isn't a real world?"

Arielle nodded hesitantly, unsure of how he would take the revelation. But to her surprise, Aiore simply accepted it. "Okay," he said, nodding. "I believe you. From the beginning, I realized how different you were from everyone else. I just couldn't understand why until now." His voice softened. "It was because you came from another world."

He urged her to tell him more about the story, and as she recounted the original plot, Aiore's expression shifted to one of realization. He understood now why she had been hurt when he brought Freya to the palace; Freya was the female lead in the original story! The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, as he had never viewed Freya as anything more than a helper to expose the queen's true nature.

"Wait, wait, hold on," Aiore interjected. "The mission was to make me fall in love with you? That's why you passed out the moment I confessed?"

Arielle nodded, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "I forgot about the mission when I fell in love with you. But without it, I wouldn't have even gotten close to you because I always thought you were destined to be with Freya. I would have let you gain a happy ending with her and watched it like a bystander if it wasn't for the mission. I wanted to go back soon, that's why I tried to make a bond with you. But the moment I started liking you for real, I forgot about the mission completely."