61. Rejection

61. Rejection
Inside the spaceship that had long been camouflaged in the hillside area, Liuz was busy inserting the Luminox Core crystal.
The ship was pitch dark; its engines weren’t running, and there were no lights at all because its previous energy source had completely run out.
“Will that actually work?”
“It should! But the engines have been cold for a long time, so we need to wait,” Liuz replied.
Rose watched anxiously, hoping the energy they had just found was truly compatible.
Liuz finished installing it, but nothing had happened yet.
“So we really do have to wait?”
“Yes, but according to my calculations, it won’t take long,” Liuz answered with a smile, faintly illuminated by the dim light from Earth.
“Okay, I’ll just sit and relax then!” Rose said, immediately plopping down on the floor.
“Oh no, my poor girlfriend! Come here, let me hug you!” Liuz laughed as he sat beside her and pulled her into his arms.
“Your appearance is back to normal now. You don’t look like an Aetherin anymore,” Rose said.
“Yeah. I took the medicine I brought from my planet. My body feels much healthier now,” Liuz explained.
“That’s good! Come here, hug me again!” Rose said, wrapping her arms around him.
They stayed in each other’s embrace for a while—until a sound began to emerge.
Wuuung!
A soft hum echoed through the ship, and Rose thought it was an engine powering up.
“That sound! Is the engine starting?” she asked.
“No. That’s not the engine,” Liuz corrected her.
“It’s not? Listen again—how can you not hear it?” Rose asked, confused.
“I can’t hear it immediately, but I can feel it. That’s my heartbeat,” Liuz replied.
“Your… heartbeat?” Rose leaned closer and pressed her ear against his chest.
“Oh my gosh, it really is! But why can I hear it so loudly?”
Liuz smiled, then pulled Rose into another embrace. Now that he had returned to his true form, it seemed his metabolism and strength had also returned to normal.
“The closer you get, the louder it sounds in your ears. Do you know what that means?”
“What?”
“It’s beating for you.”
“For me? Does that mean I’m the only one who can hear it?” Rose asked.
“Exactly.”
Rose looked up at Liuz’s face—just as his eyes locked onto hers. He leaned in slowly and kissed her.
Rose’s eyes widened; she hadn’t expected Liuz to kiss her. She was flustered, yet their heartbeats seemed to sync perfectly with each other.
Rose no longer cared that the person she was kissing was a man from another planet. All she felt was something she couldn’t control inside her heart.
Liuz cupped Rose’s cheek gently with one hand, continuing the kiss, while his other arm held her tightly as if he never wanted to let her go.
“Liuz! Stop! Liuz…!” Rose finally spoke, her voice sounding worried.
“Why? I want you…! We could create a new human species! Isn’t that a wonderful thing?” Liuz said, shamelessly straightforward.
“Stop! That’s way too fast!” Rose refused.
“Too fast…? Is that just an excuse because you don’t want me? Didn’t you say you loved me too? Don’t you want to observe something? I’m an alien to you, aren’t you curious about anything…? Make me your specimen! I don’t mind…!” Liuz whispered, still holding her incredibly close.
Rose’s face turned bright red. It was now obvious that the heartbeat she heard earlier was just the beginning of Liuz’s growing desire for her.
“I’m not ready. On Earth, couples have to get married before having children!” Rose explained.
Liuz’s face was still very close—he pressed his nose gently against hers.
“Married? Yes! I agree!” Liuz answered without hesitation.
“That’s not what I meant, Liuz! It’s not that simple!” Rose protested, still scrambling to find an excuse.
“I understand—wait a moment…!”
Liuz quickly checked something, opening a small compartment built into the wall like a drawer and taking something out.
Rose was confused, but suddenly the spaceship’s energy system came back to life. A soft humming filled the air, and the dim cabin lights brightened until the room was fully illuminated.
“The ship’s power is back! This is great!” Rose said happily.
Liuz didn’t comment on the ship at all. Instead, he walked toward her with a soft smile—an expression that clearly showed how deeply he cared for her.
He stopped right in front of her, lowered himself onto one knee, and extended his hand. In his palm lay a beautiful ring adorned with a brilliant diamond-like stone.
“Marry me, Rose,” he said.
Rose couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
Liuz was proposing to her—in the exact way Earth men proposed. Something ordinary for humans, perhaps, but extraordinarily surreal when done by an alien.
“When did you learn something like this?” Rose asked.
“I watched a lot of romance movies on Earth! A man has to be sweet if he wants to ask his partner to marry him!”
“Those dramas have corrupted you!”
“Marry me, Rose! Say yes… please!” Liuz begged, his expression adorably pleading.
Rose lifted her hand to her forehead, rubbing and massaging her temples as if overwhelmed by too many thoughts. She remained silent for quite a while, unable to give any answer.
Liuz watched her gestures carefully, then slowly rose to his feet and slipped the ring back into his pocket.
“You don’t want to… Alright. I understand. I won’t force you,” he said, his face falling into sadness.
Rose was speechless.
Marriage was a crazy idea in her mind—something she had never seriously considered, not even with an Earth man. But now an alien was proposing to her, and, of course, she was completely thrown into confusion.
Liuz turned away and went back to inspecting the ship’s engines, working quietly to get everything running properly.
He said nothing. He simply fell silent.
Rose watched him with mixed feelings, but this time she couldn’t bring herself to comfort him. Both of them stayed silent, making the spaceship feel unbearably quiet.
The next day, the two still didn’t speak to each other. Liuz focused on working with the ship’s engine, while Rose and Earth busied themselves gathering food supplies for the journey.
“Lady Liuz! Everything is ready! We can leave this planet now,” Earth announced.
“Yes, go tell your master.”
“Alright, but… why aren’t you speaking to him, Lady?” Earth asked innocently.
“That’s none of your business! Just go tell him the supplies are ready, and that we can visit the others before leaving this planet,” Rose snapped.
“Yes, ma’am!”
Not long after, Liuz approached. He was already wearing his outer gear, clearly indicating they were going outside.
“The others are waiting for us. Let’s go,” Liuz said.
Rose nodded.
It was the first time Liuz had spoken to her since he went completely silent the day before.
They flew together toward the palace, where something lively seemed to be happening. Music filled the air, and guests in elegant clothes gathered everywhere.