Chapter 29: First Date (2)
The meal was over.
Frederick, who had exited the restaurant alongside the married couple, hesitated instead of immediately turning away. It wasn’t that he wanted to leave—on the contrary, he didn’t want to. But even so, he couldn’t go as far as to follow them on a boat ride across the lake.
After all, he had his own plans for the afternoon.
He had barely managed to carve out time in his schedule to be here in the first place.
The reason? He had heard the rumor that Damian Vandermeer had reserved a well-known restaurant—a popular spot for weekend lunch dates. And it was obvious who his companion would be.
Frederick lifted his crimson eyes and wordlessly gazed at Aracila standing beside her husband. Despite being married, she hadn’t changed in the slightest from when she was single.
Of course, it had only been a little over a month since the wedding, so that was to be expected. Still, seeing his friend remain unchanged gave Frederick a small sense of relief.
As he thought—this wasn’t a marriage born out of love. There was another motive behind it.
“I hope you and His Grace enjoy the rest of your time together, Aracila.”
“Sure. Get home safely.”
Aracila lifted her parasol-wielding hand in farewell. In her other hand, she held her handbag, which meant there was no physical contact between her and Damian.
Frederick observed even this small detail with sharp attention.
“It was a pleasure meeting you today, Your Grace.”
“The honor was mine, Your Highness.”
Damian bowed his head politely.
Frederick gave him a brief, impassive glance before extending a hand toward Aracila.
“What is it? What do you want?”
“Your hand.”
“Why my hand?”
Aracila tilted her head in confusion at the sudden request.
Frederick curved his lips into a charming smile.
“To bid you farewell.”
His words implied a kiss on the back of her hand—a common social greeting in high society. Aracila had received such gestures before.
However, the men who had kissed the back of her hand in the past had all been strangers. Frederick was not.
There was nothing more awkward than having a friend do such a thing. Instead of offering her hand, Aracila took a step closer and whispered to him.
“You’re unusually cheesy today. Just go already.”
Her tone was comfortable and slightly rough—something she would only use with a friend.
Frederick let out an involuntary scoff at her outright rejection, but upon realizing Damian was watching, he quickly wiped his expression clean.
“Well then, we’ll take our leave.”
“Do as you wish.”
Aracila unfurled her lace-trimmed parasol and turned away with Damian.
The beautiful couple, a sight to behold wherever they went, gradually faded into the distance.
Frederick narrowed his eyes and observed the subtle space between the two as they walked side by side. It was an ambiguous distance.
He wondered whether he should leave it be or not.
—
“I’ll say this in advance—I have no intention of pretending to be jealous.”
As they neared the lakeshore, Damian suddenly spoke. Up until then, they had been making small talk about the weather.
The conversation had been meaningless, but to outside observers, it would have looked like a pleasant exchange between a couple. Aracila, who had been keeping up the act, was caught off guard.
“Oh? Okay. And why are you bringing up something so ridiculous out of nowhere?”
Who had ever asked him to act jealous?
She shot him a baffled look. Damian tilted his head slightly, gazing down at her. His expression was unreadable, but his posture showed he was listening attentively.
Underneath his neatly slicked-back hair, his striking features stood out even more in the natural light.
“I mean that you shouldn’t put me in situations where I have to confront another man over you, like today.”
The path from the restaurant to the lakeshore was strewn with fallen leaves. One of them crunched under Aracila’s shoe.
But that sound was soon drowned out by the laughter that burst from her lips.
“Hah! Are you seriously wary of Frederick?”
“Regardless of friendship, he is still a man.”
At that, Aracila shook her head. This wasn’t the first time she had heard such comments. Back in the academy, she had been questioned multiple times about her relationship with Frederick.
She never understood why—she had always hung out with both Paula and Frederick, so why was she the only one being scrutinized?
It was probably because Paula had a fiancé. But it was still frustrating.
She had never once thought of Frederick that way. They were just friends. That was all.
“Do you know what kind of man is the least attractive in the world? One who obsesses over and interferes in a woman’s friendships.”
This sentiment wasn’t limited to romantic relationships. There were plenty of people who doubted the existence of male-female friendships.
“Men and women can absolutely be friends. Close-minded people will always make a fuss and be suspicious, but honestly, they just look foolish.”
Damian quietly studied his wife’s defiant expression. The soft, round look she usually had was now slightly more cat-like.
At the very least, Aracila did not see the crown prince as a man.
And she never would.
With that in mind, Damian decided to let the conversation end here.
There were plenty of ways to explain why he needed to be wary of Frederick.
But he had no desire to make her realize it.
A Person’s Psychology Works in Mysterious Ways
Even if someone has no interest at first, a detailed explanation can spark their curiosity.
“Anyway, since we’re married now, I expect you to act with caution.”
“You should take your own advice. You insist on keeping your distance even on a date, yet you sure have a lot to say.”
Aracila’s remark was a direct jab at Damian, who was being extra careful not to accidentally brush against her as they walked.
Damian momentarily found himself speechless, his lips parting slightly before closing again. Aracila, seeing his reaction, turned her head haughtily and continued.
“If you keep acting like this, I’ll start getting annoyed too. Make sure you behave properly during the boat ride.”
Having given her firm warning, Aracila strode toward the lake dock, where boats were lined up.
Many of the small boats floating on the lake were occupied by couples. Among them, one pair stood out the most—the Vandermeer couple.
The eccentric mage and the ruthless knight.
No one had ever expected such a combination, let alone that they would not only date but also marry. The news still hadn’t lost the public’s interest.
Under the gazes of people who pretended not to be looking, the two leisurely rowed their boat across the lake.
The breeze at the tail end of spring gently brushed against their faces, bringing a pleasant sensation. With faint smiles, the couple began chatting in hushed tones.
To those nearby, their conversation was just a distant murmur. But from their expressions, it was clear they were exchanging affectionate words.
“Damian, do you think it’s possible to row from one end of the lake to the other in under a minute?”
Aracila, who had been staring at his strong arms as he rowed, suddenly threw out a random question.
“Are you mistaking me for a fisherman, Madam? Please ask something reasonable.”
“And you must think I’m a fool, don’t you? I asked because I can do it.”
Damian’s lips twitched slightly. He glanced around the vast lake.
Objectively speaking, completing the full distance in a minute was impossible. Even with his body trained daily through rigorous exercise, he wouldn’t be able to manage it alone.
And yet, here was a woman with legs slimmer than his arms, claiming she could.
“You must be thinking this is nonsense. Did you forget? I’m a mage.”
Aracila clicked her fingers together.
At that moment, a gust of wind seemingly from nowhere nudged their boat forward. She had used wind magic.
“Using magic feels like cheating.”
“People should use their abilities. If we only relied on our bodies, how would we be any different from mere animals?”
“A sound mind resides in a sound body. That’s what makes a human truly human.”
Despite the back-and-forth banter, both of them maintained their smiles.
Upon closer inspection, however, one could see the cracks in their expressions. Fortunately, no one dared to approach the Vandermeer couple.
There was something about their atmosphere that made even passing nearby feel burdensome.
“By the way, Damian, doesn’t our boat seem a bit too… lifeless?”
Aracila, having observed the other boats around them, pointed out the difference.
Other couples were holding hands, hugging, even sneaking kisses—being lovey-dovey in every possible way. But their boat was unnervingly proper.
“That couple doesn’t seem to show much affection.”
“True. They seem close, but… could there be a problem?”
A passing couple carelessly voiced their suspicions, which only fueled Aracila’s irritation.
We need to look the part.
Who knew when the Vandermeer Duchy might launch an attack on their marriage based on the intelligence Rosalyn had gathered? They couldn’t afford to sit idly by.
“So what do you want us to do?”
“Let’s at least show a bit of intimacy.”
Damian’s eyebrow twitched.
He wasn’t stupid—he understood she was suggesting they engage in some light physical affection like the other couples.
The problem was…
His sun-colored eyes drifted toward her small, pale hand. How was he supposed to hold that?
Then he glanced at her tall but slender frame. How was he supposed to embrace that?
His gaze traveled up her delicate, smooth neckline and landed on her perfectly shaped red lips. Those lips…
‘Crazy bastard.’
Damian snapped himself out of it, pressing his fingers to his temple.
Physical affection was definitely not his forte.
Just as he was about to suggest an alternative approach—
“…!”
Aracila had suddenly closed the distance between them.
The lips he had just been secretly staring at moved as if casting a spell on him.
“Stay still, Your Grace.”
Without realizing it, Damian held his breath and obeyed.
Aracila reached out toward him, her small frame tilting closer. His heartbeat tensed under the pressure.
The soft scent of flowers drifted from her wavy hair.
As her fingers neared his face, his patience finally snapped.
In a flash, Damian bolted to the opposite side of the boat. The abrupt movement caused the small vessel to lurch violently.
Aracila let out a startled “Ah!” and nearly lost her balance but managed to steady herself at the last moment.
They had unintentionally swapped seats.
After taking a deep breath to regain his composure, Damian looked up—and immediately froze.
The movement of the boat had caused the lake’s water to splash onto Aracila.
Ah, damn it.
A curse nearly slipped from his lips.
“……”
“……”
In the heavy silence that followed, Aracila slowly turned around.
Her soaked hair clung messily to her face, and her eyes burned with barely restrained fury—she looked like a vengeful water spirit.
She could no longer hold back the boiling rage inside her.
She had only meant to pluck a flower petal from his hair.
Well, to be precise, this entire incident had happened because her husband despised physical contact and had gone out of his way to avoid it.
“…You.”
Her voice was low, filled with suppressed rage and resentment.
Faced with this, Damian instinctively stretched both hands out in a pacifying gesture, like a trainer trying to calm a wild bear.
“Madam, please. Let’s not be rash…calm down”
─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───
