Violet Detours (BOOK 2) : Badly, Madly, Deeply

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She let out a sigh. "Could you please stop talking about responsibility and just consider how you truly feel?!"

Vermilion halted in his tricks upon her outburst.

She immediately caught herself and felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry. It's just that... your selflessness is too much for me."

Vermilion smiled, and this time it was genuine, with his eyes having this glint she didn't see in them before.

"What I truly feel, Lady Guinevere? What I truly feel is that I am certain I will grow to love you at some point after the marriage. I'm a beginner at love... but even I could feel it starting to bloom inside me as I look at you right now."

Guinevere stared, not knowing what to do with such a genuine confession from a real gentleman.

"So please... don't run away from me again."

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With the wedding set in a couple of weeks, Lancelot and Odette were casted back to Azure Lake.

The Lord Baroque said the Reginas wanted to see their daughter for awhile, but Guinevere knew all too well it was her father's scheme to keep them from helping her.

Guinevere had been growing uneasy.

The sleepless nights of longing for Gusion wss making her irritable at the daily activities Melly was making her do.

She was forced to choose the banquet for her wedding and supervise the decorations that will be used that day along with the boring embroidery lessons she had been getting from the woman.

"What has your witch done now?" Vermilion asked during one of his visits.

"Ugh..." Guinevere groaned impatiently.

He had been visiting often, too, and along those visits he made sure she wasn't forced or bored.

So he would walk her in the gardens filled with winter roses, or in the courtyard if the weather was intolerable.

That day they were at a bench at the highest balcony of Castle Gorge. It was so long and vast that the other end leads to another tower of the Castle and it had its own garden.

Upon those visits he would ask her questions to bring her guard down around him.

With his sincere efforts, she actually started talking about how bsd her day went.

And later she just found herself complaining to Vermilion how wicked Melly was about the tasks she was making her do.

It seemed to be like s boring subject, but Vermilion listened and laughed as if it was the most interesting subject in the Land.

"She made me finish an embroidery piece that my fingers felt thick." She said, looking down at her victimized fingers.

Vermilion chuckled. "Really?" He reached out for her hand and brough it closer to take a look. "This is basically her own way of torture."

"I know!" She blurted out. "One day, I'm going to get my revenge on that woman!"

"You'll let me be there, right?"

"Huh?"

"When you get revenge?"

Guinevere couldn't help but chuckle. "Sure. I'll give you a pass. As long as you won't tell on me."

"Of course I won't. I don't want you to get your revenge on me."

Guinevere smiled at him and glanced at the horizon. "The sun's getting down."

"Yeah. Beautiful, isn't it?"

"It is."

"Are you more of a sun person or a moon lover?"

"Definitely a moon lover."

"Right." Vermilion agreed and stared back at the setting sun. "There's just more magical things that happens under the moon."

"And one of it is?" Guinevere asked, wondering what he could have encountered in one of his travels to make him say such a thing.

He looked at her intently. "Like how it never fails to make your eyes sparkle in a way that takes my breath away."

Guinevere never expected such answer, and she could've sworn she felt her heart skip a beat.

With that, she looked away.

"I'm sorry." He said the moment he noticed her reaction. "I... didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

She forced a smile.

He had been so considerate of her that she did not want to be rude towards him.

"You didn't. Don't worry about it."

The air between them got heavy and awkward as they both fell into silence.

Guinevere couldn't wait for it to be over.

But it just stretched longer and longer and longer until night has completely blanketed the sky.

"I know you still have your doubts about me..." Vermilion finally said.

"No. You misunderstood. It's not that, Lord——!"

"You don't have to hide it, Lady Guinevere. You don't have to pretend."

"No... Really..." She mumbled. "You're easy to be around with..."

"I'm glad to hear that." Vermilion replied. "But I hope someday... you'll really open your heart for me. I'll wait for that day. Patiently."

Guinevere tried so hard not to flinch when she felt his hand ever so gently touched over hers which was on the bench between them.

"...no matter how long it will take you."