Chapter 36

The moment Leticia realized how narrow-minded she was, she let out a hollow laugh. She had always thought of herself as a good person, behaving like an older sister, and yet here she was. They weren’t children experiencing first love; at twenty-four, she’d thought she was mature, but her heart’s awakening made her feel like a child.

“……”

Leticia, exhausted, fell into a deep sleep. Listening to her gentle breathing, Enrique pulled the blanket up a little higher. He knew he needed to return to his own room, but the warmth nestled in his arms felt so good that he didn’t want to let go.

…Would it be alright to sleep for just a little and return at dawn?

He’d laid Leticia down and cleaned up thoroughly, so there was no trace of their intimacy left in the room. Even the bathroom had been tidied, so there was nothing to worry about. Still, if they were caught sleeping together, people would talk, so he decided to stay only a little longer.

Enrique closed his eyes, hugging Leticia close. Maybe because she carried his scent, he couldn’t help but smile. In the spacious room, only their even breathing could be heard.

When Leticia woke, she expected Enrique to have returned to his own room. But when she opened her eyes and saw him still sleeping beside her, she almost screamed. Seeing that it was already light outside, she checked the time—it was still dawn. Had they really slept cuddled together all night?

She wanted to stay like this forever, but since they weren’t even engaged yet, she had to send him away. Leticia sat up, reached out, and gently stroked Enrique’s cheek as she spoke.

“Enrique.”

“……”

Just watching his sleepy face made her happy. Maybe none of their friends knew this side of him—she wanted to be the only one who did. As she gently stroked from his brow to his cheek, his eyelids fluttered and his eyes, filled with light, focused on her.

She’d always liked when these eyes looked at her. She wanted to keep being reflected in them, always. Seeing the morning light, Enrique slowly sat up, hugged Leticia close, and then, still holding her, stood up.

“Eek!”

He carried her to the powder room, set her down in front of the washstand, and began to wash her face gently, just as he had at the villa. After cleaning her up, he dried her softly with a towel.

Then, lifting her again, he carried Leticia out of the powder room and sat her down on the sofa. Hesitating for a moment, he kissed her forehead.

“I’ll go now.”

“Okay… See you at breakfast.”

He smiled and nodded, then carefully slipped out through the balcony window. She’d never dated anyone before, but it felt like a secret rendezvous between lovers. Remembering the warmth of his touch, Leticia bowed her flushed face.

After getting ready, Leticia headed to the dining room. As soon as she entered, she froze. At the table sat not only Earl Roberts, but also the Duke and Duchess Keaton, waving at Enrique beside them.

Why hadn’t Hena told me? If I’d known, I would have dressed up more…!

“Uncle, Aunt, when did you arrive? If I’d known you were here, I would have come down sooner!”

“We haven’t been here long, so don’t worry. We’ve been busy and haven’t eaten together in a while, so we asked to be invited.”

Since childhood, their families had often invited each other for meals. But today’s invitation felt different—surely they had come after hearing about the engagement, marriage, or at least that Leticia and Enrique had become lovers.

Leticia was nervous, but Johan, who had followed her in, put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and walked her inside. They sat together at the table, ate, and chatted about various things. As always, the atmosphere was relaxed and peaceful.

During the meal, Leticia glanced up and met Enrique’s eyes. He was talking with Johan, so their gaze quickly broke, but the brief connection was warm.

Thinking of last night, Leticia bowed her head and took another bite. Just meeting his eyes brought back *rotic memories, which was a serious problem. She shook her head to clear her mind and tried to change the subject.

“By the way, Aunt, why isn’t Logan here?”

“He’s away at a relative’s for heir training. Logan is also curious about how you’re doing.”

“I used to see him often before I became an adult, but lately we haven’t met much.”

“He’s busy these days.”

As they talked, the meal soon ended. When everyone gathered like this, they usually had tea time together after eating, and Leticia’s heart pounded, knowing her relationship with Enrique would surely be discussed.

What if the Duke and Duchess absolutely opposed it? Even if they’d been close as family, what if they objected? Would she have to break up with Enrique? Or run away and live with him alone?

All sorts of worries made her swallow nervously and her hands sweat.

Soon, as expected, everyone moved to the parlor for tea. Through the open window, a cool breeze and laughter drifted in, but Leticia couldn’t bring herself to smile.

Teacups were placed before each person, clinking softly. Though it wasn’t hot, she was so nervous that even the smallest sound made her heart race.

Before becoming lovers with Enrique, she had imagined being in this kind of situation. She’d thought she could speak easily, but that wasn’t the case. Even after knowing each other for so long, it was nerve-wracking.

She wondered how to start, but since she’d loved Enrique for so long, she decided she should speak first. After steadying herself, Leticia lifted her head and began to speak slowly.

“Um. I’ve started dating Enrique. I want to get engaged and eventually married.”

All eyes widened and turned to Leticia. Then, the Duke and Duchess burst out laughing. They’d known Leticia since she was a ten-year-old child.

“Why not think about engagement or marriage after dating for a while?”

“Th-that…”

It was embarrassing to talk about this in front of the adults, but she had to. Blushing, Leticia bowed her head and spoke quietly.

“People see dating as just a passing relationship. Only engagement is considered serious…”

That was why she wanted to marry right away. Since casual relationships were common, only engagement was seen as more than just fun.

She’d finally gotten through to him…! She wanted to be acknowledged.

She knew it was a bit childish for a twenty-year-old, but her long unrequited love made her want certainty.

Laughter rang out around the room. Johan’s laugh was so loud that Leticia promised herself to hit him on the shoulder later.

When she looked up, she met Enrique’s eyes, his ears tinged red. It was funny that after everything they’d done, he was embarrassed by something so trivial.

Then, the Duchess, who had been laughing heartily and pounding the table, cleared her throat and sat up straight.

“Well, Leticia is so clever, she must have thought it through. Actually, I never thought she’d really do what she said.”

“What do you mean?”

“It was when Leticia was twelve, I think? Anyway, when she was young, at the ducal villa, she told me she’d definitely marry Enrique.”

“…Did I?”

She didn’t remember. She’d always kept her feelings hidden, so had she really told the Duchess? She tilted her head, not recalling, and the Duchess, resting her chin playfully, spoke again.

“You remember, don’t you? You said Enrique had been confessed to when he came back from spending the vacation at the villa.”

As soon as she heard that, forgotten memories resurfaced, and Leticia’s face grew warm.