Falling To Paradise

The place where the lips, warm to the point of being hot, landed was Anje’s right cheek.

 

“So, this is the only way I can express it.”

 

He wanted to return the favor in the same way she had done for him before, even though he wasn’t sure if she would feel the same joy he did.

 

“Ah.”

 

Anje let out a single sound and froze without moving, her defenseless cheek imprinted with a deep, lingering sensation.

 

He paused for a moment, then slowly pulled his lips away and stared down at her silently. He was curious to see how she would react to his kiss.

 

‘What kind of expression is this? She seems flustered, maybe embarrassed……’

 

Under the bright moonlight, he could tell that her entire face was flushed red.

 

He put off making any judgments about her expression and thought of another way to express his gratitude.

 

“Ah, right, and…”

 

One kiss was not enough to express his full feelings. He rummaged through his pocket and took out the ring he had just retrieved from the jeweler’s.

 

The path under the brightly lit moonlit night sky was far from romantic, but it seemed like a better time to give her the ring than in the bustling town square.

 

‘I’ll put this on her finger and ask her to stay with me as a married couple.’

 

While he was gathering his courage, clutching the box tightly, Anje suddenly jumped away from him. She then grabbed the reins of the carriage in a noticeably awkward manner.

 

“Ha, ha, ha. Th-Thank you very much. It was the least I could do. Oh, it seems like it’s getting late. You must be tired, right? I’ll drive the carriage.”

 

“No, wait―”

 

Before Aiden could stop her, Anje shook the reins up and down with all her might.

 

The horses, which had been walking slowly, sensing their master’s mood, raised their front legs as if to release their pent-up energy and then galloped off.

 

Aiden held onto the carriage ledge tightly to avoid falling out of the jolting carriage.

 

“I think it would be better if you slowed down a bit.”

 

“This is fine! I’m tired and I want to get home quickly.”

 

He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, worried that the light Anje might be thrown out of the carriage, but keeping his fists clenched so as not to touch her skin, lest she find his actions inappropriate.

 

It was out of his calculation that his embrace would make her speed up the horses even more.

 

“Neigh!”

 

Aiden, who missed the timing to give the ring, and Anje, who couldn’t contain her unfamiliar emotions, raced through the night like crazy.

 

The “reins-free” Dancer and Wind were simply having too much fun.

 

 

* * *

 

Monday, the start of the week. Meg patted the donkey’s rump as it dropped her off.

 

“You worked hard, here’s a carrot.”

 

News of Aiden and Anje’s visit to town had already spread like wildfire to Leslie.

 

The fact that Aiden was here meant that he had also come to find the ring. She hummed a cheerful tune as she left the stable, thinking of the ring on the new bride’s hand.

 

“Aunty.”

 

“Goodness!”

 

She was startled by a man calling her from behind a tree, almost dropping the basket she was holding.

 

Emerging from behind the weathered tree, waving at her, was a figure Meg knew well, the owner of this house, Aiden Fitzroy.

 

“Oh my gosh, I almost had a heart attack because of you, Young Master.”

 

She tightened her grip on her bag and checked its contents once more. The peaches she had picked for the first time this summer were intact, not a single one bruised.

 

Of course, there were peach trees at Dilton Farm as well, but they were harder than the ones Meg grew at home.

 

‘Some people don’t like mushy peaches, but they all have their own flavor.’

 

Meg wanted to show Anje, who was new to the area, the taste of Meg’s peaches, which were famous for their sweetness. She also told her the superstition that eating a lot of peaches during pregnancy will make the baby’s skin as smooth as a peach. It might be useful knowledge someday, even though they are still newlyweds.

 

“Shhh, don’t talk so loud and be quiet.”

 

Aiden, who was gesturing, looked a bit suspicious, but Meg, who was in a good mood, matched his steps and approached him.

 

“What’s the matter?”

 

“I have something to consult with you, Aunty.”

 

Consult? Could it be that something was going on between the couple?

 

“What’s the matter? The young lady doesn’t like the ring?”

 

“That’s…”

 

Aiden scratched his forehead. He thought Meg would be angry if he said this, but he couldn’t avoid it if he wanted to talk about his troubles.

 

“I haven’t given it to her yet.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

After keeping her waiting all that time, he still hasn’t given it to her? She flared her nostrils and glared at him.

 

“What are you stalling for?”

 

“Wait! Before you pinch my ear, hear me out, Aunty.”

 

Aiden was the first to strike before she could get angry, so she had no choice but to listen to his story.

 

“I was trying to give her the ring all day yesterday.”

 

“That’s good.”

 

But as soon as the carriage arrived home, Anje cried out that she was too sleepy to stay up and ran off to bed. By the time he had put the horses in the stable and gone upstairs, the lights were already off in her room, indicating that she was probably asleep.

 

He fell asleep, looking forward to tomorrow, and from the next day on, he kept looking for an opportunity.

 

While cooking, at meals, washing up, working, walking…. Even while climbing the stairs.

 

Aiden sighed again and again, unable to count the number of times he had sighed.

 

“But it’s so hard to get the right atmosphere. It doesn’t seem like something you can just hand over without any ambiance.”

 

Giving it to her in the kitchen, full of cooking utensils, didn’t seem right. The everyday scenery of the stairs or the backyard was the same.

 

At best, during the brief moments he walked among the daisies in full bloom, he thought, “Maybe this is it,” but Anje, who was unusually talkative that day, kept talking without a break.

 

“Well, young ladies do care about those things. Like a romantic atmosphere.”

 

Meg thought back to her own fantasies when she was young. Although she knew it was a futile dream due to her many younger siblings, there was a time when she had those thoughts

 

The fantasy of a romantic confession like those in the serialized novels in the newspaper.

 

“Like a moonlit night, a beach, or a ball.”

 

“A moonlit night…”

 

Aiden regretted not giving it to her on the way back from town. But he had no excuse, considering Anje was tired because of the ‘incident’ he had caused.

 

Meg smiled at him. Although his hesitation was frustrating, it was endearing to see that Young Master Aiden, whom she had known as a snot-nosed brat, was thinking about these things on his own.

 

“Oh, yes! I have the perfect thing to create a romantic atmosphere.”

 

She rummaged through her bag. Surely the flyer she received yesterday was here…. Found it.

 

Aiden raised an eyebrow when he saw the paper Meg handed him.

 

“「Leslie Summer Fair」?”

 

“The Diltons have never been, but it’s a big event every year.”

 

The event, which bore the pretentious name of “fair,” was actually more of a local festival that gathered all the residents of the surrounding area.

 

They would gather people who were good at riding horses and hold races, and they would also exhibit and judge food and handicrafts.

 

Then, in the evening, school students would come out on a temporary stage and perform poetry recitations, songs, and plays, and at night, they would gather around a bonfire and dance together.

 

“Young lovers love it. They hold hands and watch the sights. Especially in the evening, they say there are many couples who make eye contact while dancing.”

 

The fireworks bursting from all sides and the melodies of the wandering musicians must have fueled the youthful fervor. It was probably the Summer Fair that had a lot to do with the fact that there were so many autumn weddings in the Leslie area.

 

Even yesterday, as soon as the date of the fair was officially announced, there was a little stir among the young people. They must already be on edge about who to go with.

 

Aiden stared at the printed paper and came to a conclusion.

 

“I guess I should talk to her too.”

 

He was hesitant to go to such a crowded place because of the symptoms he had told Anje about.

 

But she was a social butterfly and would probably enjoy this kind of event. He wanted to see her happy face, even if it was a little hard on him.

 

Plus, even if he did have a seizure, he now had someone to turn to for help. That fact alone gave him peace of mind.

 

“You go and say something romantic while putting the ring on her finger. Got it, Young Master?”

 

“Ah, yes. I will.”

 

How beautiful she would be dressed in her new outing dress. How happy she would be to receive the ring.

 

He lost himself in his imagination and then came back to reality and asked Meg.

 

“Can you book a room at an inn in town for the duration of the fair? I think it’s better to do it early in case there are too many outside guests….”

 

If his health suddenly worsened, it would be good to have a room to rest in. Anje could tour with Aunt Meg while he could focus on recovering and then join them in the evening.

 

Meg covered her mouth with her hand and smiled mischievously.

 

“Ho ho ho. I thought you were naive,but you’re quite the planner, young master.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Better strike while the iron is hot. I’ll book the largest room with the thickest walls.”

 

“Oh, yes.”

 

A spacious room would be best for comfortable rest. A quiet, secluded room that blocked out external noise would be even better.

 

He answered, thinking of this, but he couldn’t understand why Meg’s mischievous smile grew deeper.

 

TL/N: LMAO.

 

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