“Oh! Looks like the rumors are true! You two are very close!”
“Are you looking for wedding garments? There’s a row of shops at the crossroads with just the thing! Go on, Princess! Let him spoil you!”
“Tch…”
Once again, the bazaar’s relentless merchants snapped us back to reality.
That was close! I was so caught up in the mood that I almost kissed him right in the middle of the road!
And I’m pretty sure Lucas just clicked his tongue. Seriously, he’s the one who set the mood for a kiss. Why is his escort game so freakishly good? And how did we even get here?! I mean, I love that people are rooting for us, but it doesn’t quite feel like a normal date anymore…
Everywhere we went, someone would point us to a shop for lovers or some other romantic spot, and even Kate and Elsa had started chiming in with stuff like “Get closer!” and “Kiss her!” which only made it worse.
“You heard them. And didn’t you say I could have a kiss when I made you happy?”
And there Lucas was, with his smug little smirk, just feeding the fire. There was no way out of this one. It was time to apologize before it was too late.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy right now, and honestly, I was having so much fun I could die!
“S-sorry, but can we please not have our usual kind of kiss here?”
No matter how much I wanted to kiss him, I did have limits on how much embarrassment I could handle at once. I buried my face in my hands, blushing like crazy, until he pulled me close by the waist and hurried me along the road.
“Eek! Lukie?!”
“We’ll save the blacksmith for later. Let’s check out the clothing store first.”
“O-okay…”
It was unusual for him to want to look at clothes. He was incredibly picky when it came to my wardrobe, but barely paid attention to his own. All he wore was simple, practical stuff with as few embellishments as possible.
But now he wants to buy clothes in a foreign country? What could’ve stirred his sense of fashion?!
I was looking forward to watching him pick out weapons, but getting to see a living masterpiece of a sculpture try on clothes? Yeah, I was more than okay with that.
I’m feeling very motivated now!
My heart pounded as I ducked under the curtain of fabric hanging over the storefront. Jingle, jingle! A little bell tinkled above me, and I looked up to see a wide strip of purple cloth embroidered with gold thread. That meant the shop was already secured and reserved by our guards.
“Welcome, and thank you for coming. Please, take your time and enjoy browsing.” The elegant shopkeeper bowed gracefully, and just as she raised her head, clothing began arriving from the back of the shop and was quickly lined up in front of me. I couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed.
Wow, I’m getting the full VIP treatment! It’s not exactly something that would happen to a regular couple, but I guess even Majaar can’t just completely ignore guests of state.
This area must be where the nobility shopped. The clothing was definitely top quality. I should probably check out some dresses for formal events.
All the designs were completely different from what we had back in Bern, and I already wanted to buy everything I saw.
“All these dresses are so vibrant, with the embroidery and metal detailing…”
“Dancing is quite popular at Majaar’s evening parties,” the shopkeeper said. “The fabrics are made lightweight for easier movement, and the decorations on the arms, chest, hips, and hemline are made to accentuate the flow of the body.” She held up a dress to demonstrate, the little ornaments tinkling softly like wind chimes.
I’d heard that in Majaar, the royal harem’s women are always competing with each other, so they danced solos to catch their partner’s eye.
Even outside the harem, there was constant competition for attention, which probably explained why the dresses showed a lot of skin. The one she was holding wouldn’t bear the stomach, but some of the others were basically lingerie.
When would someone even wear that? It doesn’t seem like something appropriate for a public party…
“It’s beautiful. This fabric’s lighter than anything I’ve seen in Bern. Is it made from a farasha butterfly, the ones you only find in Aram?”
“You’re very well-informed. That’s correct.”
I lifted my hand and let the fabric float a little, and then it rose on its own like a feather. The shopkeeper seemed surprised I knew, and she also seemed a bit nervous, which confused me.
She’d known state guests were coming, and judging by her behavior, she wasn’t just a clerk. They would make her the owner and perhaps even a noble herself. Conversations like this should be completely normal for someone like her. So what was she reacting to?
Wait, is it Lukie’s glare behind me that’s scaring her? No way. Is he seriously pouting just because he’s the one who wanted to shop, and now I’m the one getting all the attention? Oh no, this is exactly what that man would do! Okay, I’ve gotta fix this now.
“Look,” I said, picking a shirt from those on display. “The colors remind me of you. Like sunrise with gold embroidery… Eep! L-Lukie, what are you…?!”
Just as I turned to show it to him, he swept me off my feet.
“I’ll be borrowing a fitting room,” Lucas said. “Finn, Anna, pick out anything that looks good.”
“Understood.”
“Please, take your time.”
Lucas didn’t even glance at the startled shopkeeper as he shoved aside the lavish curtain and marched straight into the dressing area. Was he that excited about clothes?
“What’s wrong? Did you see something you really liked? You don’t have to decide right now.”
“I want it right now.”
Oh wow, so he’s really planning on wearing it out of here, huh? I mean, I don’t know about going into the fitting room together, but if he’s feeling this bold, I definitely want to see him try on everything!
“Then how about those over there, too? The black ensemble with the gold and green embroidery was gorgeous,” I suggested nervously.
He was still holding me as he dropped onto the cushioned seat inside and gently set me down in his lap.
The curtain was made of deep violet velvet, and the glow of the colorful hanging lamps around us shimmered like stars across the fabric.
But Lucas’s golden eyes, locked onto mine, were brighter than any of those lights. That was when I saw it—the raw, swirling desire in his gaze. It hit me like a wave, and I froze up.
“I’ve been holding back.”
“Huh?”
“You looked like you were having fun, so I held back. I teased you a little, and then I let you go. But when you looked at me like you wanted to kiss me, but said, ‘Not here,’ I knew I couldn’t take it anymore. I’m doing it now. No more waiting.”
Oh god, when he said he wanted something right now, he meant a kiss!
“I-I mean, here? Really?”
“No one can see us here. We’re indoors, and as usual, I’ve already put up a barrier. So what’s the problem?”
He’d learned way too much from our Kastel-Kues date… Wait, don’t tell me he reserved this whole place for that?!
“I-it’s not like there’s a problem, per se, but springing this on me after that buildup is so unfair!”
“I already held back once, and if there’s no problem, then it’s not unfair. We can buy the clothes afterward, but if we drag this out too long, people might get ideas about what we’re doing in here, Cecilia.”
You’re absolutely not helping! And you totally didn’t let it go! You’re the one ambushing me right now!
But I knew if I didn’t respond properly here, I’d be in serious trouble later. I said what I said, so I’ll take responsibility for it, but still!
“F-fine, but you’re not allowed to put your tongue in, Lukie! Got it?”
“Ha ha… I know, I know. My sweet, sweet wife. No tongue, I promise. No tongue.”
That sounded so suspicious. If I didn’t get this over with fast, I had a feeling that things would turn in a direction I was definitely not ready for. I tipped my face up toward him, only for Lucas to just freeze altogether.
Oh no. You’re not planning on being even more of a tease, are you?
“Darling, I can’t reach you from there,” I said.
“But we agreed that you’d be the one to kiss me, remember?”
Wait, so because I’m the one who said I wanted to kiss, now I have to do all the work?!
“You’re seriously the worst!”
“Sorry, but you’re the one who got me all worked up, saying I couldn’t kiss you like usual, not here anyway. What else am I to do but hold myself back, hm?”