Chapter 5

As soon as April stepped out of the carriage, Kyle handed her the bouquet. Yellow roses.

April stared blankly at it, not even thinking to take it. Yellow roses. They were meaningful between the two of them.

Kyle had given her yellow roses on the day they first met. She’d loved them so much that, impressed by her reaction, he always gave her yellow roses after that.

So as soon as she saw them, she made a mistake. She wondered if Kyle’s memory had returned. But judging by his expression, that was not the case.

April held back her tears and accepted the bouquet. She tried to joke,

“Did Sir Joseph tell you to bring these?”

“He did advise me to buy flowers…”

At his calm answer, April felt a sharp pain in her chest, as if a knife had cut through her fluttering heart.

Right, what was she expecting? She should just be grateful that he agreed to meet her at all.

Feeling embarrassed, she bowed her head. She secretly wiped away the tears that threatened to fall with her sleeve. But now, tears of sorrow seemed ready to pour out.

She knew it wasn’t fair to resent him, but she felt a little hurt.

‘Why did you forget all our memories and make me suffer like this? Why am I lost alone in these forgotten memories? You’re right here in front of me, yet you feel so far away.’

‘Where did the Kyle Landen who loved me, whom I loved, disappear to?’

Kyle, looking down at the top of April’s bowed head, cleared his throat a few times and added,

“I chose the roses myself.”

At that moment, it felt as if everyone else in the world had vanished, leaving only the two of them.

“If you don’t like them…”

“No!”

April hugged the bouquet tightly to her chest.

“I love them. I really do.”

Kyle watched her smile and said,

“I’ll give you a bouquet next time we meet, too.”

April loved those words. It sounded like he was promising they would definitely meet again.

“Alright. It’s a promise.”

* * *

But contrary to those words, Kyle did not ask to meet again. April sat at the table, quietly recalling their second first date.

Everything had been wonderful. Unlike the first, the second first date went perfectly smoothly. It was only natural since April knew Kyle so well.

April deliberately copied everything from their real first date. The same restaurant, the same dessert shop, even similar lines. If things continued like this, it felt as if she could restart their relationship without a hitch.

But three days passed, and there was no word from Kyle. Not even a letter to ask for another date, or a note to check on her.

‘Why?’

She asked the maid several times today if any letters had arrived, but the answer was always the same. None.

April sighed so deeply she thought she might sink into the ground, and just then, Chloe and Layla, who had come to visit and were watching her, asked,

“Lily, what’s wrong?”

“Why are you sighing like that? Didn’t you say the date went well?”

April couldn’t bring herself to speak and just mouthed words.

Chloe and Layla were old childhood friends, their families close, and they’d played together in the garden since they were little, getting dirt all over their dresses. They could share everything from trivial gossip to secrets they wouldn’t tell anyone else.

Their bond was stronger than any other childhood friends, and whatever was said between the three was never shared outside, no matter how unbelievable it sounded, and they always listened without mocking each other.

When April first started dating Kyle, she told her two friends all about it and got advice. Their help was a big part of how she and Kyle became a couple so quickly. So it wasn’t awkward to seek advice about her love life now.

Still, it felt a bit embarrassing. She thought she’d finished asking for advice like a clueless young girl long ago. After all, she was engaged now. She’d even spent the last two years taking bridal lessons, expecting to marry Kyle as soon as he returned.

So, really, she should be the one giving advice on relationships, not seeking it herself.

‘But maybe I can’t help it.’

April hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

“Kyle hasn’t sent me a letter. It’s been three days.”

“What?”

“Really?”

The two friends, who had been arguing over whether April looked better in a chick-yellow dress, rushed over. Their eyes grew wide, as if competing to see whose were bigger.

“No way. Didn’t Sir Landen say he wanted to get to know you better?”

“You said you had your first date, right?”

In the kingdom, it was tradition for a man to ask a woman out. Unless they were formally courting, it was very rare for a woman to send a letter first. These days, some women did send letters or ask for dates first, saying it didn’t matter who showed interest first, but most still saw it as odd.

Kyle, being old-fashioned, would probably be shocked if April sent a letter first. Technically, since they were engaged, it wouldn’t be inappropriate, but April kept reminding herself that he’d lost his memory. Even if he’d heard she was his fiancée, in his mind she was just another woman.

“So that’s why you look so down. Just a few days ago, you were so happy to get flowers.”

Layla, sensitive as ever, sniffled as if she herself had been rejected, even muttering ‘poor Lily’. April hadn’t really thought she was pitiful, but hearing it made her reflect on her life. Maybe she was a little pitiful after all.

Chloe, more rational than Layla, crossed her arms and silently pondered something.

“I think I’ve heard this problem before.”

“Huh?”

“You know, back when you and Sir Landen liked each other but hadn’t started officially dating.”

April, who had confided in her friends back then, couldn’t immediately recall what she’d said, furrowing her brow to remember. But it had been over three years, so it was hard to recall.

“Don’t you remember? You cried in front of us back then.”

“Oh, I remember. You were upset that you’d made some mistake in front of Sir Landen and said it was all over.”

With Layla’s added explanation, April remembered the past she’d wanted to forget. Her cheeks slowly turned red, and soon her ears and neck were as flushed as a tomato.

“When did I ever make a fuss crying?”

“I didn’t say you made a fuss.”

“Sounds like you’re guilty.”

April coughed and looked away. Honestly, she had made a fuss crying.

“Anyway, back then you were worried because you hadn’t received a letter from Sir Landen for almost two weeks. You were afraid he’d lost interest after one date.”

“Ah…”

“But later you found out Sir Landen didn’t know how to write a love letter, so he hesitated and delayed, not knowing how to ask for another date. He finally managed with help from Sir Bear, didn’t he?”

“Ah!”

Layla, tears in her eyes, clapped her hands.

“That’s right, that’s what happened!”

“Maybe that’s why he’s late this time, too. For him, dating is new.”

“So what should I do?”

“What else? If waiting is too hard, you’ll have to reach out first.”

April was startled.

“But if I contact him first…!”

Chloe grinned.

“I know. You’re worried he’ll think badly of you. So you need an excuse to contact him.”

“How?”

“You have a party invitation, right? Go get it.”

April had the maid bring the invitations, and Chloe picked one out from the many.

“Here, this one.”

“Why?”

April and Layla blinked, and Chloe smiled even more slyly.

“Ask him to escort you.”

* * *

A letter arrived from April. In a few days, there would be a party at the Owen Earldom, and she asked if he could escort her as her fiancé.

Kyle, who hadn’t been able to send a letter for three days because he didn’t know what to write, was delighted.

Joseph, hearing all this, was exasperated.

“You still haven’t sent a letter?”

“……”

“You haven’t changed at all. Lost your memory, but you’re exactly the same. Fine, it’s my fault. I should’ve given you advice knowing you’d be like this.”

“So what do I do now?”

“What do you mean, what do you do? First, what do you want?”

Kyle thought back to the date three days ago. Everything had been perfect. The food at the restaurant April took him to was excellent, and the atmosphere at the café was good.

But what he liked most was the time spent with April. She fit him perfectly, as if he truly existed.

No, it felt as if he existed for her.

His heart didn’t race wildly, but he felt comfortable with April. Even after losing his memory, he’d always felt something was off, even with his closest friend Joseph, but with April, it felt like he’d finally found his place.

He wanted to see April again. To hear her gentle voice again. To see her beautiful smile once more.

Desires and possessiveness he’d never felt before settled in his heart.

But he hadn’t contacted her because he didn’t know how to write a letter.

Now that April had written first, his next step was clear. He would escort her to the party, just as she’d asked.

“I want to go to the party with Miss Myles.”

“Great. But first, you need to fix how you address her.”

“Her title?”

Joseph clicked his tongue again in disbelief.

“What do you mean, ‘Miss Myles’? Call her ‘April’. No, you used to call her ‘Lily’, so call her that.”

“But…”

“But what? Worried it’s too informal? April would much rather you call her ‘Lily’.”

Kyle, following Joseph’s advice, wrote the letter starting with ‘To Lily’. He didn’t know April would be so happy when she received it.