Then, without looking away,
Yuuta quietly asked,
"Erza... do you love me?"
The question struck her harder than any blade ever had. Erza's violet eyes widened, and for a moment she simply stared at him as though she had forgotten how to breathe.
A deep blush immediately spread across her cheeks, reaching all the way to the tips of her ears as her heart suddenly began pounding against her chest.
Love...?
The single word repeated inside her mind while she struggled to understand why Yuuta had suddenly asked her something so direct.
For the briefest moment, the corners of her lips almost curved into a small smile, but then she noticed his eyes.
There was no embarrassment in them.
No nervousness.
No playful curiosity.
Yuuta wasn't asking because he wanted to hear something romantic from his wife.
There was a quiet seriousness behind his gaze, something far heavier than the question itself, and Erza immediately realized that this wasn't really about love.
