The little witch Alice 2

chapter 109 - Tea, Titles, and Intentions

After months of preparation, Lucas finally found the courage to introduce Charlotte to his family.

He presented her as his future wife-though,

for the time being, he simply introduced her as his girlfriend.

His parents were over the moon.

His mother welcomed Charlotte warmly, but his father seemed especially delighted.

Perhaps he had been waiting for this moment longer than Lucas himself.

Lucas remained in Germany with Charlotte for several more months, trying to gather enough courage for what came next.

Meanwhile, Charlotte gradually formed a very close bond with his mother.

Their conversations became more natural with every passing day,

and Charlotte even began sending letters and messages to her father in Britain, informing him of what was happening.

Eventually, she gave him the news.

She would return on July 17th, a Saturday.

Their train would leave Germany on Friday, July 16th.

For Charlotte, the thought of returning home filled her with a quiet sense of happiness.

She wasn't particularly frightened by the idea of marrying Lucas anymore.

Perhaps she still didn't know exactly what their future would look like.

But she trusted his sincerity.

That mattered more to her than anything else.

Lucas, however, was another story.

Throughout the long journey by train, he was practically sweating bullets.

He had faced difficult negotiations, stubborn officials, and years of obstacles without giving up.

Yet somehow, the thought of standing before Charlotte's parents terrified him more than all of that combined.

Charlotte noticed.

She didn't tease him about it.

Instead, she simply sat beside him during the long journey, allowing the two of them to have those quiet hours together.

And somewhere during that journey, Charlotte finally realized something she had been trying not to acknowledge.

For so long, she had told herself that Lucas was simply a friend.

A business partner.

Someone whose sincerity she admired.

Someone she trusted.

But that wasn't the whole truth anymore.

Her feelings had changed.

She didn't know when it had happened.

Perhaps it had been during all those years of watching him persist when he could have given up.

Perhaps it was the way he respected her independence, or the way he never demanded that she become someone she wasn't.

Whatever the reason, she knew one thing.

She had fallen for him.

Charlotte lowered her gaze, keeping the realization quietly to herself.

Not yet.

She wasn't ready to tell him.

When the train finally arrived in Britain, Charlotte's parents were already waiting at the station.