Chapter 17 – Part 12

The morning sunlight poured through the slanted ceiling.

Waking up, Liese groaned and wriggled her shoulders. She blinked her bleary eyes and came to her senses when she recognized the arm wrapped around her waist. Her eyes met the blue ones staring at her from up close.

“…!”

“Did you sleep well?”

Marcus greeted her leisurely with his husky morning voice. Liese’s eyes widened in shock. The man who had clearly gone to bed with his shirt on the previous night was now showing his bare upper body.

When the flustered Liese tried to get up hurriedly, Marcus, who got up even faster, held her tightly.

“Why are you so surprised when you’ve seen it before?”

His voice was still groggy.

“If I had taken off my pants too, you would’ve fainted.”

“Why did you take off your clothes?”

“It was warm holding you.”

Still holding Liese, Marcus rested his cheek on her shoulder. When she glanced at the clock, the man who knew her work schedule by heart added,

“Let’s stay like this a bit longer. We still have time.”

Liese couldn’t reply and kept silent. His winter sky-blue eyes gazed at her steadily.

“Don’t you want to?”

Liese, who had been biting her lip, changed the subject instead of answering.

“I’m sorry for making you wait in the room yesterday.”

“If you’re sorry, spend the evening with me. What’s your schedule today?”

Marcus responded casually and asked abruptly. Liese rolled her wide-open eyes.

“I have to attend a small business owners’ party in place of Mrs. Morgan tonight.”

“Perfect. Let’s go together.”

“…”

“Don’t you need a partner?”

A partner wasn’t necessary, but it wouldn’t hurt to have one. It was just surprising how he accurately pinpointed it.

“Liese.”

Taking her silence as agreement, Marcus buried his face in her shoulder again. Snuggling up to her, he whispered softly,

“Didn’t you miss me?”

“…Pardon?”

“I’ve never forgotten you for a moment. I consoled my longing with just my imagination since I didn’t have any photos of you to reminisce over, and I endured with the belief that we would meet again soon.”

“…”

“How was it for you while we were apart?”

Liese quietly looked down at his golden hair that tangled every time it touched her.

Everything that had happened since Marcus appeared in Raum felt like a lie. Among the many images she had imagined of Marcus, had she ever pictured him like this?

She had never envisioned him not hiding his neediness and longing for affection or begging her to come back to him.

‘Didn’t I miss you…? .’

Even while she was busy all the time, Marcus would suddenly invade her daily life. There were countless days when he would come rushing back with summer memories and linger in her mind all day, and he would even appear in her dreams, disturbing and confusing her.

“I left because I wanted to end this relationship and forget each other…”

Liese did not avoid the unwavering blue gaze that met hers.

“But it was hard for me to forget you too.”

As she confessed, she could feel the heartbeat of the man in contact with her gradually quicken. The silent, intense emotion in his gaze also became apparent.

“But thinking about whether we can start over again and if we are right for each other scares me. It’s not so much your fault as it is my lack of confidence.”

“Take all the time you need to think, Liese.”

“……”

“I’m not asking for an immediate answer. It’s fine if it takes time. But in return…”

Liese couldn’t hide her dismay at his shameless request.

“Let me stay by your side in the meantime. I promise to behave.”

Liese didn’t know how to respond, her expression turning blank. She lowered her gaze to his bare chest and then closed her eyes, turning her head. It wasn’t the kind of conversation suited for the bright morning sunlight streaming into the bedroom.

“…It would be best if you left for now.”

His arm around her waist tightened slightly.

“No. We still have some time.”

“Abigail might come into my room suddenly.”

The quietness of the house suggested that Abigail’s friends had left and she was still in her bedroom. Now was the perfect time to sneak Marcus out.

“Does she usually come into your bedroom without knocking?”

“Sometimes.”

“That must be troublesome.”

Marcus muttered, looking displeased at whatever he was thinking.

“What if you were changing clothes when she barged in like that?”

“It’s not exactly rude among friends…”

“How about shocking her so she never barges into your bedroom again?”

“Shocking her, how?”

Suddenly, they heard footsteps thudding up to the attic. Before Liese could react, Marcus hugged her tighter, burying his face in her bosom. After a few polite knocks, Abigail brightly opened the door.

“I felt bad for not waking you last time, so I came to wake you up today! Did you sleep well… huh.”

Abigail gasped. She saw Marcus holding Liese tightly in the small bed. Covered only by a blanket from the waist down, he seemed completely n*ked. Abigail’s eyes widened as she slowly backed away.

“I guess I interrupted a good moment without realizing.”

“No, this is a misunderstanding…!”

“Sorry!”

Abigail hurriedly turned and slammed the door. Liese couldn’t even lower her hand, which was stretched out in shock. She could vividly picture Abigail’s mischievous expression even without seeing it.

She had to apologize for having a man in her house, but it would probably be after a round of teasing. Despite acting like she would never reunite with a lover, Abigail would gleefully interrogate her about what happened.

Liese’s head throbbed. It might have been better to show Marcus and her eating bread together the previous evening.

“We got caught.”

Marcus’s face showed a playful expression as he muttered.

“She won’t come into your space uninvited now.”

Liese, who had been stunned for a while, sighed in resignation. She never believed that life would peacefully flow after he barged in.

“I can’t prepare breakfast for you.”

“Why? There’s no rush now that we’ve been caught.”

Liese glanced back at Marcus, who had replied cheekily. An unadorned smile spread across his handsome face.

“That’s disappointing. Are you really going to kick me out?”

“Yes… I’m sorry, but could you please leave now? I need to get ready to go out.”

Marcus stood up nonchalantly despite her clear request for him to leave. He grabbed the black shirt draped over the chair and put it on. Picking up his coat, he looked remarkably tidy for someone who had just woken up. Liese was the only one disheveled inside and out, just like before.

Liese came out of the attic to see him off at the door. Before stepping out, Marcus looked down at her intently.

“Liese.”

“Yes?”

“Can I hug you before I go?”

Liese almost burst into a wry laugh.

“We’ll see each other this evening… such a goodbye is unnecessary…”

“Alright then. See you this evening.”

Despite Marcus’s tactful rejection, he turned with a casual smile. Liese felt so conflicted that she found it difficult to move even after he left.

Had Marcus bewitched her? Liese couldn’t comprehend how her day had passed after she went to work. Fortunately, she didn’t make any foolish mistakes like before. Although she occasionally stared blankly into space, she diligently tended to the flower pots and made the ordered decorations as usual.

As dusk settled outside, Liese checked the clock. It was just past her usual quitting time. Noticing her glance, Mrs. Morgan, who was sitting at the counter eating a cookie, spoke up.

“There’s still time until the party, right? Finish up what you’re doing and then you can leave.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Liese nodded obediently and returned to her work. There was enough time before the merchants’ association meeting. She planned to finish her tasks, change clothes at the shop, and head straight to the meeting place. She had promised to meet Marcus in front of the banquet hall.

…But how did she end up taking him as her partner?

Since the man who had only existed in her memories appeared in front of her, she hadn’t been able to keep a clear mind. Whenever she got involved with Marcus, time seemed to slip away, and she only realized what had happened after everything had already unfolded. Feeling the same unchanging reality, Liese sighed softly.

Just then, the bell on the door jingled, letting in a rush of cold air.

Both Mrs. Morgan and Liese turned to look simultaneously. They both gasped in surprise.

Marcus, who was supposed to meet her in front of the banquet hall, had stepped into the flower shop.

Already attracting attention with his appearance, Marcus had dressed impeccably, causing Mrs. Morgan to quickly put on her glasses and scrutinize him. After a moment of admiration, she muttered to herself, as if realizing something.

“Isn’t that the customer who was in front of the shop over the weekend…?”

“Liese.”

Marcus smiled at Liese, who was sitting at her workbench making floral decorations.

“I came to pick you up.”

Mrs. Morgan looked at Liese with curious eyes. Feeling flustered, Liese quickly stood up, conscious of the two pairs of eyes on her.

“What brings you here… Weren’t we supposed to meet in front of the banquet hall?”

“I wanted to spend even a minute more with you, so I changed my mind. But it seems I misunderstood your closing time.”

Marcus glanced at Mrs. Morgan, who was making her continue with her work, and nonchalantly pulled out a pocket watch from his inner pocket. Liese’s eyes widened at the familiar silver watch.

It was a gift Liese had left for Marcus, along with a letter, before she left the Duke’s mansion.

Unlike the stirred Liese, Marcus showed the watch with a calm face. Liese, regaining her senses, looked at Mrs. Morgan.

“Sorry for the late introduction, ma’am. This is my…”

What should she say? Liese’s mind went blank for a moment.

“So, my partner for today’s event…”

“A friend of Liese’s from Rosen.”

Marcus smoothly took over for Liese, who couldn’t come up with an appropriate answer. Liese felt like she wanted to facepalm. Mrs. Morgan, switching her gaze between the two with contrasting expressions, soon smiled meaningfully.

“A friend…? Hoho! I thought your accent sounded like someone from Rosen. Nice to meet you.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Although Rosen and Burns shared a common language, Rosen’s accent was clear and strong compared to Burns’ softer tones. Marcus, with his rather formal Rosen accent, was unmistakably from Rosen.

“Were you the one looking for Liese over the weekend as well?”

“Yes. I happened to be on a business trip and thought I saw Liese, so I came to the shop. I apologize if it caused any inconvenience.”

“Inconvenience? Not at all. It’s nice to see such a polite young man.”

Mrs. Morgan then looked at Liese with a playful smile.

“You used to just go back and forth between home and work, and now you have a man coming to pick you up.”

“Ma’am…!”

Ignoring Liese’s embarrassment, Mrs. Morgan winked at her.

“Why don’t you finish up and leave? You should enjoy the evening with your handsome partner.”

“…Thank you. Marcus, could you wait a moment?”

“Of course.”

Liese walked to the back room to change clothes, feeling her cheeks flush with emotions she couldn’t quite identify.