She’d be elated if that were the case. Sadly, reality wasn’t that simple. “But Luke…”
“It’s true that it’s hard to openly declare that I love you and don’t have a smidgen of interest in the fifth princess—in fact, I despise her—since at the moment, she’s a princess and is tentatively a Saint.”
Amelia blinked in surprise. “Huh?”
“I mean, think about it. Her mother chose to imprison you, while she’s a girl who snatched away your mother’s memento. What part of her even fits the description of a saintly woman? I only have doubts and more doubts.”
“Uh, I don’t think you have to go that far…”
Even if Luke rejected Prisca, Amelia felt that only trouble awaited if he made any uncalled-for statements. Seeing her bewilderment, Luke smiled wryly before tenderly placing his hand over hers. Startled, she looked up at his face to see that his golden eyes were soft with affection.
“I thoroughly and profusely expressed my passionate feelings to His Majesty four years ago to secure a betrothal with you, Amelia. That’s likely why they brought this new engagement to me as a proposal, not as a final verdict. No one can disregard the king’s decree, after all. It gives us room to take preventative measures before we elope, which is a silver lining in this mess.”
He spoke as if he was relieved, but unless Amelia misheard, there was a word in his speech that she couldn’t overlook. “Wait, elope?”
In Amelia’s dictionary, the word “elope” meant when a pair of lovers abandoned their families after receiving opposition to their relationship and ran away to a distant place. Don’t tell me… That’s what he’s talking about?
“Of course, I don’t wish to drag you into such a harsh life, Amelia, so I won’t do that. Don’t worry.”
“Um, that’s not what I’m hung up about.” It wasn’t about the hardship—it was more a surprise that Luke would choose Amelia to the bitter end, even if it meant abandoning his status as the heir of the leading ducal house in this country.
Honestly, she was giddy at his resolve. However, robbing Luke of everything he had wasn’t what she wished for.
Seeing Amelia’s conflicted frown, Luke added, “The fifth princess’s motives aside, what matters at the moment is the condition that a princess Saint has to marry into a family only second to royalty. Which means it doesn’t have to be me.”
Still, Luke was the only one who fulfilled that requirement in reality. Unable to make sense of his statement, Amelia tilted her head quizzically, and Luke reached out toward her face. He unfastened the knot on the scarf that she’d tied beneath her chin, and her silver strands flowed down like a waterfall.
“Oh, Amelia. Your hair is truly stunning.” After patting her head a few times, Luke smiled, satisfied. “You’re admirable for hiding your hair. You’re such a beautiful and adorable girl—people might get ideas and sweep you away with them. Your guard was accompanying you this time, and it’s an emergency, so I can understand your choice. But don’t come into the city by yourself ever again. Okay?”
Under his steady gaze, Amelia’s heart raced. She nodded. “O-Okay.”
Looking content, Luke grinned before scooping up a lock of her hair and pressing his lips against it. His mannerisms held such an allure that Amelia’s pulse shot up and went out of control. “L-Luke, um, you shouldn’t do stuff like that…”
“Do you dislike it?”
His eyes gleamed brightly, and Amelia’s heart threatened to burst out of her chest. “I don’t, but my heart pounds really fast, and it’s suffocating!”
“Hmm?”
Keeping their gazes locked, Luke kissed her hair again as if to make a display before her. She realized he was doing it on purpose, aware of her embarrassment, and felt somewhat miffed—she never stood a chance in front of this man.
“S-Separate it into parts with intervals! Don’t do it all at once; divide it into fractions!”
He inclined his head. “Then, are you saying it’s okay as long as I do it in fractions?”
“I mean… I’m really happy when you touch me, so yeah…”
Amelia carelessly let her true thoughts slip, and Luke, who’d been grinning mischievously until then, turned as red as an apple before her very eyes. “Oh… You are?”
“Huh? Am I asking for too much? Is it unacceptable unless it’s in whole numbers?” Amelia chewed on her bottom lip. “If that’s the case, I’ll do my best to work with you. I’ll endure it and hold myself back. Please go ahead!” She leaned forward and offered up her face.
After blinking a few times, Luke smiled with exasperation and fondly stroked her head. “You don’t have to push yourself. Just curious though, what’re you going to hold back?”
“It’s just that…you make my heart go crazy, Luke. I don’t want my affection to brim over—I might do something that’ll bother you.”
Amelia liked Luke, so butterflies flooded her stomach with his every touch. However, the rush of her pulse also brought fatigue. She didn’t want to impose her affections on Luke and become a burden to him either.
Luke sighed deeply, his face still bright red, before he gently gathered Amelia into his arms. It wasn’t the first time he hugged her, but no matter how many times she ended up in his embrace, she still got all tense out of shyness and elation. Because of that, she stiffened slightly, and the next moment, Luke’s laughter rained down from above her head.
“It’s the same for me, Amelia. When I touch you, my heart starts pounding.”
“Really?!” Overjoyed that they felt the same way, Amelia looked up—and her gaze crashed into his golden orbs.