Raindrops splashed onto the ground, dampening their ankles, while the humid air gently smoothed down the carefully styled hair.
Despite her meticulously prepared appearance being ruined, all of Etricia’s attention was focused on her lover’s dazzling and radiant beauty.
“When did you arrive? I wanted to come early and wait for you.”
“I just got here as well.”
Oh. Etricia blinked. Up close, she noticed that Edmund’s neatly groomed hair and the shoulders of his coat were wet.
It didn’t seem like he had been in the rain for too long, but the drop-in temperature worried her—what if he caught a cold?
Etricia took out a handkerchief and gently wiped his damp hair.
“Why did you come so wet?”
“I left the carriage in the plaza and walked over.”
“I see.”
As she tucked the handkerchief away, Etricia glanced outside the awning at the rain steadily falling.
“What should we do? It’s raining. Our date—”
Before she could finish, Edmund held something out in front of her. Naturally, her gaze dropped to it.
A single red tulip was wrapped in damp craft paper. Mesmerized, she accepted it, blinking in surprise.
“How…? It’s not even the right season for tulips, and they’re quite a luxury. It must’ve been difficult to find.”
Avoiding her gaze, Edmund covered his flushed face with his hand.
Raindrops trickled down his neck, contrasting against his silver hair, which somehow made him look even redder today.
“I grew it in the duke’s greenhouse. The way the flower stands tall, maintaining its vivid color—it reminded me of you.”
And…
He trailed off, stealing a quick glance at Etricia before furrowing his brows in embarrassment.
“The flower’s meaning is nice too.”
Etricia’s eyes widened.
She knew what it meant. It was incredibly cheesy, a bit exaggerated, and so romantic it made her arms itch—completely unlike her usual sentiments.
‘A declaration of love.’
Back when she studied abroad, she never understood couples who gifted flowers based on their meanings or used them as symbols of their relationships. Yet, deep down, when she saw them smiling happily, she sometimes felt envious.
It seemed like an emotion she would never experience herself.
And yet… here she was, receiving a flower.
Her jade-green eyes, which had been staring blankly at the tulip, slowly lifted. She studied the man in front of her—his wet clothes, his soaked sleeve heavy with water droplets, and the parts of him she hadn’t noticed before.
She bit her lip slightly.
‘So that’s why he got so wet…’
The thought of him running to her while protecting a single flower made her chest ache.
Etricia closed her eyes tightly and buried her nose in the tulip.
Moisture gathered beneath her eyelids.
Ah, this feeling… it was nice. A faint smile spread across her lips.
“But… didn’t you say something about our date earlier?”
Edmund, his face slightly less flushed, asked curiously.
“Oh.”
Etricia blinked slowly. If he had gone through the trouble of preparing a flower, he must have been looking forward to today. And she, too, didn’t want to return home just yet.
“It’s nothing. Let’s go on our date as planned.”
“Is that so?”
Hearing her words, Edmund wiped a raindrop from her cheek with the back of his hand.
A man pretending not to hear and a woman subtly changing the subject.
“Then let’s go.”
“Where to?”
“I reserved a place famous for its salmon steak—you love it, don’t you?”
“Oh, that sounds wonderful. But…”
Etricia gestured towards the steady drizzle, making Edmund take her hand.
“Just wait a moment. I’ll call for a servant using the communicator.”
“A servant…”
Her sentence trailed off. She wasn’t too keen on that idea.
Today was just one of many dates to come, but there was a special excitement in experiencing a ‘first.’
There was a certain thrill in doing something unusual, something she would normally never do, just to make this day more memorable.
The moment she had given up on looking perfect—when her hair had been ruined by the humidity—had likely influenced her decision as well.
“Edmund, if it’s just a walk to the carriage in the plaza, why don’t we run through the rain?”
Edmund hesitated as he reached inside his coat for the communicator. He blinked at her, his lively eyes filled with curiosity.
“You’ll get soaked.”
“You’re already wet.”
“I don’t mind. But you only recently recovered—”
“I’m fine too. And flowers need rain, don’t they?”
Etricia playfully held the tulip next to her face.
“Hah.”
Edmund let out an amused chuckle, as if she were being absurd. Taking his reaction as permission, Etricia lowered the flower and steeled her resolve.
“Alright. On the count of three, we run.”
“Are you serious?”
“Of course! And no leaving me behind just because I’m slow!”
Edmund placed a quick kiss on the back of her hand.
“Why would I ever leave the person I plan to walk beside for life?”
“Oh? Is that so?”
Etricia snorted playfully, rolling her eyes. Just as their gazes locked, she suddenly let go of his hand and flashed a mischievous grin.
“Then I guess I should be the one to run away.”
“…?”
The moment Edmund blinked in confusion, Etricia bolted into the rain.
She used the hand holding the tulip to shield her head. The vibrant red flower swayed dynamically with her energetic movement.
Lifting the hem of her dress, she kicked against the wet petticoat and ran. A refreshing exhilaration filled her as she turned to look back at Edmund, laughter bubbling from her lips.
“Hurry up!”
With rosy cheeks and playful eyes, she waved at him.
“Hah.”
Edmund, who had been momentarily stunned, finally relaxed his rigid expression and let out a sighing laugh.
After a brief glance at the sky, he ran a hand through his wet hair, pretending to be annoyed. His hands rested on his hips, as if scolding her, but his expression was more amused than angry.
Seeing this, Etricia slowed her steps, lowering the hand she had been waving.
Her dress, heavy with rainwater, clung to her legs as she took cautious steps back toward him. Her jade-green eyes darted around, gauging his mood.
“Edmund… are you mad?”
“….”
Edmund, ignoring her sheepish voice, kept looking elsewhere.
His silence made her shiver, suddenly aware of the cold.
“I was too much, wasn’t I? Don’t be mad.”
She hesitantly grabbed his sleeve—
But before she could react, his strong hand grabbed her wrist.
“Huh?”
In the blink of an eye, her world tilted as Edmund lifted her off the ground, supporting her by the thighs.
“Ahh!”
A thrill, like riding an amusement ride, rushed through her as she clung to his shoulders.
“Edmund! That scared me!”
Edmund grinned at her.
“How could I ever leave my fiancée behind?”
“W-Wait a moment.”
Seeing the mischievous glint in Edmund’s eyes, Etricia panicked and wrapped her arms around his neck. She remembered the time he dropped her in the vineyard.
Even in the chaos, she kept her grip tight on the tulips in her hand.
“D-Don’t drop me!”
“Hold on tight.”
Right after Edmund gently cupped her head with his large hand, he dashed into the rain.
Etricia gasped sharply, but within seconds, as the cool raindrops soaked her back and her body bounced slightly in his arms, she burst into laughter. Edmund let out a deep chuckle from his throat in return.
As he turned into the central alley of the shopping district, he slowed down and gently kissed her temple, slicing through the rain.
Her clear, dewy laughter echoed through the air.
People inside the shops lined the windows, watching the lovers cross the street.
But the couple had no idea. Lost in their world, they whispered sweet nothings.
The road toward the plaza. The sound of rain. The splashing of puddles. The sound of two lovers laughing.
All the sounds of love formed a gentle harmony that rang softly, as if only the two of them existed in the world.
The rain grew heavier, so the two couldn’t make it to the plaza. They took shelter under the awning of a building to catch their breath.
Their clothes and hair were soaked, and as they brushed the water off, their eyes met.
“What a mess we are.”
“A real mess.”
Then, as they gazed at each other, they both broke into fresh laughter. They looked like a couple of kids who had just finished playing in the water.
The date hadn’t gone according to plan—it wasn’t the elegant, ideal outing they had imagined—but that was perfectly fine. Even if it wasn’t romantic or stylish, just being together made them laugh for no reason. So much so that they couldn’t help but smile, even as they tried to keep their mouths shut.
Then a gust of wind blew, and Etricia shivered, hugging her arms. After getting soaked in late autumn rain, her body temperature had dropped, and the wind now felt like sharp blades.
Frowning hard, Edmund glared into the air as if scolding the wind. Then he took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.
It was soaked and heavy, and that made it all the more pitiful.
“I’m sorry for pushing you too far. I should’ve thought about your condition instead of getting all excited like a fool.”
“Don’t say that. I had so much fun. Besides, I was the one who said we should walk in the rain.”
“Well, you did let go of my hand and ran off.”
“Oh please, and who was it that tricked me afterward?”
While teasing and giggling with each other, a man stepped out of the building and approached them.
“You don’t have to stand out there—come inside and warm up for a bit.”
The unfamiliar kindness made the couple blink in surprise and glance at each other. In a society based on class, commoners usually didn’t even make eye contact with nobles.
But since it was a dark alley and they looked like two drenched stray cats, the man probably hadn’t realized they were of noble status.
An inn, huh?
Etricia flicked her eyes thoughtfully as she pulled a wet strand of hair from her cheek.
Not a bad idea.
She was cold and hungry, and the plaza was still a long way off. She didn’t have the physical energy to get into a carriage and ride all the way to the restaurant Edmund had reserved.
Besides, back during her time studying abroad, she once had to sleep curled up like a shrimp in a tiny, dirty five-pyeong room with sky-high rent.
An inn? Nothing to fuss about.
Etricia raised one eyebrow slyly and gave Edmund a signal.
