Letting Go

Letty's POV:

After dinner, I wrapped up my duties around the mansion and headed towards Aria's room for our scheduled talk.

I used Perception to cheat my way through it, but all it's given me is: 'Be obedient'. What does that even mean? I always listen to her.

Knock knock

"Come in", she replied.

She was sitting on the bed, waiting for me.

"Have a seat first", she said, patting the bed beside her.

As I sat, she held my hands and said,

"Letty, I know I've made it weird already by talking about it like this, but this is something that we should have done a long time ago".

"What is 'it'? You are making me nervous", I replied.

"Remember a long time ago, we had a chat regarding your duties? At the company, being my assistant and my maid. Isn't it tiring?" she said.

I took a deep breath. I know where the conversation is headed, but I don't want to acknowledge it. Aria must have sensed the turmoil in my heart as she traced the patterns on my palms, her touch both comforting and electrifying.

"Yes, I remember", I whispered, my voice barely audible.

"We've been together for such a long time now", Aria continued, "and I can no longer bear to see you so burdened for my sake. It's about time you let go of your responsibilities as my maid".

My heart clenched. It's really not all that much work. I can handle it; I have to. But how can I explain that being her maid isn't just a duty? Aria is brilliant, destined for greatness. If I want to keep standing beside her, I have to give it my all. If I lag behind, I fear she'll leave me behind forever.

Seeing my lack of response, she hugged me and said, "I won't understand what you are thinking if you don't tell me". She murmured against my hair, "From my perspective, isn't it obviously a good thing that you don't have to work as my maid? Isn't it good to have me take care of you as well? Heck, we are going to be engaged soon; even my parents agree. So tell me, Letty, what is on your mind".

Why do I want to keep being your maid despite being your lover? That's simple—so that I'll become an indispensable part of your life. And so that you'll keep being the Aria that everyone admires without having to worry about all the trivial things.

And frankly, it's such a big part of my life now that I don't want to let it go.

"I have to give it my all", I confessed, my voice trembling. "I feel like I don't deserve to stand on the same level as you; I'm just someone lucky enough to have found you—who took care of me and gave me all these resources to climb up in life. If I start letting go of these responsibilities, won't I just end up dragging you down? I want to give it my all so that you won't have to worry about anything and keep shining brightly".

Aria's eyes softened. "Letty", she said, "don't ever say that you don't deserve this. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me; you deserve all the happiness in the world. So don't put yourself down".

She pulled away from the hug, held my shoulders, and said, "Listening to your words, I should have realized it sooner. I'm sorry, Letty, I made you feel like that".

"No, it's not your-", As I was refuting, she held her finger against my lips and said, "I'm hardly as brilliant of a person as you think I am. But that ends now. I want you to enjoy your life without worrying about me all the time and think about yourself. And in turn, I promise to take better care of us and try to live up to your expectations".

"Trust me, Letty, you have nothing to worry about. You are my family, and I can't even think about living without you. So just believe me when I say that you deserve all of this and more. Just look at how well our company is doing. I've hardly put any effort into that area; it's all you. Do you think just anybody can achieve that?" she said.

Hearing her praise me, I'm feeling a little embarrassed. "It's not a big deal…".

"It is! So don't put yourself down. Have more confidence in yourself", she said.

'You are my family…', I repeated her words in my mind.

I understand what she wants. She has always talked about her past life as a normal teenager with a small, loving family. 

Before I came along, she didn't allow any maids in her room. The head maid had also warned me to stay prepared for a possible rejection from my lady, as she doesn't like to rely on maids. 

But she didn't reject me. I was happy to do something that no one else could. And ever since then, this has been an integral part of my life. And asking me to let it go just like that...

I don't know what to do… But maybe I shouldn't let my stupid internal conflicts affect our relationship. If she doesn't want this, I should respect that. Plus, I know she is doing this for my sake. 

Sigh

Seeing her so adamant about this, I've decided to listen to her. We are a family, after all.

"Okay, I'll do as you say and take it easy. And I'm sorry I said those words before".

She smiled brightly and said, "Now that's more like it. I don't want you to be restrained; I want you to do whatever you want, ask for whatever you desire, and not feel burdened by it", while slipping her hand behind my head and pulling it closer.

As our lips met and we lost ourselves in each other's arms, I realized that simply being with each other might just be enough. So I let go of that fear and obligation and decided to cherish the time that I get to share with her.

***

Aria's POV:

As our lips met, my mind swirled with a bunch of emotions. Relief that Letty finally understood my intentions, fear about having to live up to her grand expectations, and the sweetness in front of me that is Letty—like the taste of ripe strawberries on a summer afternoon.

For the moment, I put my other thoughts aside. Letty, who is practically melting in my arms, became my sole focus. I took the opportunity to re-instill my assertiveness and kissed her even more fiercely.

Her expressions—her warm gaze, the way her lips are responding to mine, and the rapid beating of my heart—are awakening something inside me. Something new, something that whispered, Yes, this is right. This is what I want.

Unlike earlier, I'm not feeling afraid. I know I won't lose her, and she'll always be here with me. I feel like I'm ready to take the next step—to finally make Letty mine.

Once that feeling struck, I felt like I was finally ready to respond to Letty's desires, as she had expressed them in the past. But is this the right time? She must be dealing with a typhoon of emotions like mine. If I rush things, maybe I'll ruin the moment.

As I was hesitating, Letty slowly pulled away. 

Never mind, let's take it one step at a time. Since I've come this far today, I'll leave the rest for some other time.

"Letty", I called out, "thank you so much for this. I'll make sure you'll never regret today".

"I won't… Even though I've lived this way for as long as I remember, I understand that it's time to move things forward. I promise to be the best partner you can ask for". She planted a final peck on my lips before getting up.

"You already are, Letty", I smiled, my heart swelling.

"The mood has gotten quite tense; how about I pour us a cup of wine? You also must be exhausted dealing with that guy and now me", she asked.

"Yeah, let's do that".

She sent Lumen, who is currently shining bright pink due to the atmosphere in the room, with instructions to bring wine and glasses to our room. It's quite embarrassing to see the bird roaming around the mansion when it's this color. Thank God my friends or parents are not in the mansion, or they would have teased me about this.

The eventful day finally came to a conclusion as we raised our glasses to our love and future together.

***

AN:

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