“WHAT…even is this?” Amelia muttered in a daze.
After their arrival at the Klein estate, she was led to a room overflowing with fancy and simple dresses in every color. She’d only worn unobtrusive colors until now. Her eyes almost ached just from looking at the collection.
“Can’t you tell?” Luke gestured. “These are your clothes, Amelia. Choose an outfit that you like.”
“Choose? That’s easier said than done…” She hesitated. “Wait, these are my clothes?”
She could understand if he was lending her clothes because visiting the Klein estate in a rustic outfit didn’t make sense. But what did he mean by “your clothes”?
His reply didn’t offer much of an explanation. “They’re clothes tailored based on the basic measurements we took a few days ago, so they should be your size.”
“Measurements?” She was taken aback—she didn’t remember anything like that.
Luke kept his warm smile as he gazed at her.
It dawned on her. “Are you talking about the people who touched my arms and body a while back?”
A pair of female servants, who’d accompanied Luke, had touched Amelia’s arms and back for some bizarre reason before swiftly taking their leave. Was he referring to that?
“That’s right.” He nodded. “The clothes are ready, and I was just considering sending them to the Fifth Palace soon. You have good timing. Give me a chance to thoroughly take your measurements on another day, all right?”
Amelia’s eyes widened. “Huh? Are you saying that you ordered everything here after that day?”
She didn’t know how long it took to tailor a single outfit, but evidently more than a dozen were lined up before her eyes. The time didn’t add up, no matter how she calculated it.
“Not quite. I arranged most of them for you beforehand. We didn’t know your precise measurements, so the tailors made them in a way that left room for adjustment.”
Would that mean they were already nearly finished products before he took my basic measurements?
Luke continued, “I’ve been sending you all kinds of dresses for four years—since you became my fiancée after our first meeting. I wrote letters as well, of course, and I also sent flowers and confectionery.”
A slightly sorrowful smile curled Luke’s lips. He gently pulled Amelia along by her hand, ushered her to sit on a sofa, and settled down next to her. “They told me that you were sickly,” he whispered. “I thought you were either feeble to the point that you can’t even see me, or that you hated every bone of my body. No matter what I sent or how many times I requested to meet, there was no response, and it was agonizing. But…that was the same for you too, wasn’t it?”
Ever so slowly, she placed her hand over his. Her loneliness and misery over the past four years revived in her heart at once.
There had been happiness—they were betrothed to each other.
There had been sadness—he might despise her.
There had been nurturing resignation—however she tried to garner a reaction, it had been fruitless, like shouting at a wall.
Even though she’d wanted to deny that Luke hated her, she didn’t have any foundation to stand on. Those years had been a period of pain and wistfulness, where she’d been left dangling on the single fact that he was her fiancé.
Luke gazed into her eyes. “But I can see your face now, Amelia. I can talk to you; I can touch you… I really can’t express how overjoyed I am.”
He tightly grasped her hand as he spoke, and feeling his warmth, tears prickled at Amelia’s eyes. She chewed on her bottom lip, determined to hold them in.
The corners of Luke’s golden eyes softened tenderly. “Even I thought that what I had for you was nothing but an unhealthy obsession… But when I saw you in the city—when I saw your smile and your strawberries—I fell for you for a second time. I love you, Amelia.”
Amelia swallowed. Her heart was overwrought with emotion. “M-Me too.”
His warm smile. His moving words. Tears threatened to overflow from her eyes. Perhaps his statement stemmed from the predetermined doting in Luke’s route—perhaps his true feelings lay elsewhere. Nevertheless, it didn’t change the fact that Luke was the love of Amelia’s life.
Anyone would be over the moon when their beloved professed love for them.
“So tell me, please,” Luke said in a serene tone and with an encouraging smile. “Why are you selling strawberries in the city? You don’t need money anymore, right?”
Her tears, which had been on the verge of spilling out, stopped immediately. Was it her imagination, or was this conversation heading in a wayward direction?
“Well, I…” She hesitated. “It’s because I really enjoy summoning strawberry desserts…?”
“If that’s the case, I will eat them all. You don’t have to go out of your way to sell them outside.”
Sensing an odd pressure from the young lord, she argued, “But I won’t be able to earn money like that.”
Luke slowly nodded. “What do you need it for?”
She quietly gasped. He had her cornered.
“If you want dresses, shoes, or accessories, I’ll gift them to you. If it’s because you’re in the middle of requesting an improvement to your meals, I’ll deliver various ingredients and food until it goes through.”
“Umm…” She felt a conflicting mix of remorse, gratefulness, and joy.
He inclined his head. “Is it something you can’t tell me?”
“No, it’s not that big of a deal…”
“It’s a big deal if it’s about you, Amelia. Remember what I said? I’ll protect you.”
She did remember—it was a fond memory. However, for some reason, she was a little intimidated.
Luke leaned forward slightly. “For the past four years, I have lacked the necessary power and clout to protect you. I was up against one of the king’s consorts, and I made a mistake in assuming a willowy attitude, thinking that taking action might earn your scorn. I won’t hold myself back from now on. If being in the Fifth Palace disadvantages you in any way, you can stay here in my residence.”
“No, I could never do that.” She shook her head.
Being under the care of House Klein before her marriage was improper, and more than anything, she doubted that her guardian—the fourth consort—would approve of it.
“But I’m your official fiancé with the recognition of His Majesty, you know?” He paused. “I can’t say it’s the most ideal scenario, but there is a way around it.”
Amelia blinked. “A way?”
Luke reached for Amelia’s cheek and caressed it. His fingers glided down to lift her chin. “I can simply convince them that I can’t let you go.”
His fingertips brushed over her lips, and her heart rampaged, threatening to burst. She told herself that she had to say something, anything, but just opening and closing her mouth took everything out of her in the rush of embarrassment, delight, and surprise.
As Luke watched Amelia, who acted just like a fish out of water, he curled his lips with amusement for some odd reason. “We can also go with the story that you can’t move because you fell ill. That’s the pretense she used to imprison you in the Fifth Palace—she wouldn’t be able to object. Even if she does, it’s our chance to make all her deeds public and diminish the fourth consort’s influence.”
This time, he started proposing a somewhat harrowing plan. She could hardly think of him as the same young man who’d wept a while back. Coupled with the fluttering of her heart from earlier, she was so overwhelmed that she didn’t know what she should do.
Then it hit her. It’s times like these when strawberries are here to save the day. You could do anything with strawberries. Therefore, it should be possible to defuse this situation with strawberries, too.
Amelia hurriedly summoned a strawberry on her palm before pushing it directly into Luke’s mouth. Startled, Luke chewed on the fruit before swallowing. Oddly enough, a warm smile played at the corners of his lips.
Yes! I knew I could count on strawberries. It had brought Luke out of his slightly unsettling atmosphere and reclaimed his smile. The results were stunning.
Amelia was in awe over the might of strawberries when Luke extended a hand to her. She immediately caught on—he was requesting more! Swiftly, she handed him another fruit.
Luke grinned. “I didn’t think that you’d hand-feed me, but I’m very happy you did. I’ll feed you back in return.”
“Huh? You don’t have to— Mmph!”
As Amelia chewed on the strawberry he’d stuffed into her mouth, she analyzed the situation. She had summoned a strawberry and shoved it into Luke’s mouth. Basically, hand-feeding him. Which meant that she’d basically done what a lovey-dovey couple would do during a meal. Luke had returned the favor by hand-feeding her as well. Wait. Hold on.
Unfortunately for her, she arrived at that conclusion the moment she swallowed the strawberry. She choked on both embarrassment and the strawberry, resulting in a grand coughing session.
“Are you all right?” Luke asked with concern. “You must be careful.”
If you’re worried, then don’t hand-feed me! That was what she wanted to say, but she’d been the one to feed him first, meaning that all objections wilted in her throat.
He stroked her back, and she gradually steadied her breathing. Her wayward emotions spilled out from her mouth in the form of a sigh.
“Amelia,” Luke began, “personally, I’d be overjoyed if I could have you by my side. But I don’t intend on forcing anything upon you, so please don’t worry.”
“G-Got it.” Amelia nodded. Her heart was still pounding.
Luke flashed a tender smile at her. “So please, tell me. What’s the source of your distress?”
Under the earnest gaze of those golden eyes, Amelia couldn’t bring herself to look away. Something was telling her that her struggles were futile. Trying to hide her situation from him wasn’t going to work.
Luke’s feelings might have been arranged by his route’s plot, or they might be genuine. But no matter which it was, she probably wouldn’t have any luck trying to run away from him—especially when she didn’t want to. If the alternative was causing a disastrous misunderstanding, confiding in him about everything seemed preferable.
Sucking in a deep breath, Amelia steeled her resolve. “Luke, there’s something I want to tell you.”
His golden eyes softened with satisfaction.