"Ash!" She groaned as I paced well ahead of her in the garden.

The past few weeks towards recovery were more pleasant than I had expected. Evelyn's concern for me seemed to accelerate the healing process. I laughed as she struggled to catch up to me in her dress. My strides grew shorter and slower as the distance between us disappeared.

She grabbed onto my elbow, "What did the physician say about physical exertion?"

I smirked, "I'm perfectly fine, what does that old bat know?"

She frowned at me, creating adorable furrows between her eyebrows.

I smoothed those wrinkles with my pointer finger, "You might want to change your expressions. You don't want to look like an angry old lady when you age."

Immediately her face fell flat, "Well even if I do, you'll be stuck with me regardless."

"You say that as if it was a bad thing." I smiled while looking at her.

She laughed and pulled me closer to her. The warm summer breeze brushed against our skin while bringing the sweet aroma of the garden with it. Flower petals drifted down from the bushes, a few of which landed in her silken hair. I paused, allowing the scene to overwhelm my senses. I carefully plucked the sparse petals from her hair as she looked up at me with bright eyes. Instinctually, I leaned down and caught her lips with mine, indulging the warmth and sweetness that came with her kisses. She broke it off quicker than expected, breathless and blushing. I couldn't help but let out a low chuckle at her shyness.

"W-we should head back." She stuttered while looking up at the setting sun.

After hearing incessant complaints from me about how stuffy it was inside, Evelyn suggested that we go for a walk. It eased my restlessness to some extent, and I admit that the mood couldn't have been anymore romantic.

"I can't wait to be back." I sighed.

Her grip around my arm instinctually tightened, "Ash, I spoke with the Royal Guard, and Sir William suggests that you stay inside until they arrest the culprit."

My nose scrunched, "I don't like that man."

She laughed, "If it weren't for him, who knows what would've happened to me on our wedding night."

I scoffed, "Well if you didn't run away in the first—" I paused after seeing her sour expression and cleared my throat, "Anyway, I'm not going to cower behind these four walls because the perpetrator is still out there. If I do, what would that say about my manhood?"

"Ash!" She hissed, "Don't rank pride over safety!"

My expression softened at her protest. If this had happened just over a month earlier, her dissent would have only fueled my desire to do the opposite. Much has changed since then. Even my mother wouldn't have expected me to enjoy leaving the luxuries enveloped by the castle walls to do rounds and interact with the peas—er, common folk.

"Fine, but I'm losing interest in this monotony." I whined.

"But there are so many distractions around you."

I stopped and turned to address her—only to be interrupted by Adele's quickly approaching figure.

She was gasping for breath, "There you are! We've been looking everywhere."

Concern coated Evelyn's tone, "Why? What's the matter?"

She shook her head, "Nothing serious, it's just that grandmother visited after hearing that Ash was hurt and she's... well, to put it nicely, extremely disappointed that neither of you were there to greet her upon arrival."

I groaned, "That old hag will never learn to be pleasant, will she? She does understand that it's her disagreeable nature that forces her to spend most of the year in Trephine rather than the main castle, does she not?"

"Ash! Mind your language, she's still your grandmother!" Evelyn scolded.

I let out an exasperated sigh, "Fine, let's go make that hag's day. After all, she probably doesn't have many left."