An Early Engagement - Chapter 26

“……”

His voice, damp as if soaked in moisture, brushed against Shirley’s ear. Her ear tingled, and she instinctively shrank back.

“How do I look, Shirley?”

At his cautious question, Shirley finally came to her senses and took in his appearance.

She had been so preoccupied with how she looked to Damian that she hadn’t even noticed what he was wearing.

“You’re…”

Damian was dressed no differently from any other young man in the village.

A shirt with a couple of buttons undone and a pair of pants—that was all. But his face was so dazzlingly handsome that his clothes didn’t matter at all.

In fact, dressed like this, it only highlighted just how good-looking he was.

“Damian is so handsome.”

Amy’s words kept echoing in her mind. Not just Amy, but other girls too—they couldn’t hide their admiration when they looked at Damian.

But it didn’t matter how much they admired him. Damian was a fool who only had eyes for her.

“Damian only cares about you, so what’s the point?”

Even Melissa had admitted as much.

Thinking this way made her feel much better. Holding the admiration of everyone in her hands was such a satisfying feeling.

It was hard to believe she had been so down about Damian before. Shirley had to fight to suppress the smile that kept creeping onto her lips, filled with a sense of pride she couldn’t contain.

“Shirley, what’s wrong? Do I look weird? Should I change? Does it not suit me?”

“Ah, no, it’s not that. It’s just… it really suits you. You look like… you belong here.” *Thump, thump.* Her heart strangely raced as she said that.

“That’s a relief.” He smiled in response.

“Let’s go quickly. I really want to see the festival.” Shirley held out her hand, and Damian didn’t hesitate to take it.

***

After helping Shirley onto the horse, Damian swung himself up behind her.

The arm wrapped around her waist and the hand holding the reins felt strangely unfamiliar.

As if they belonged to someone else.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t ridden with Damian before, but today felt different.

*Why is that?*

Shirley was startled by the sudden wave of unfamiliarity. Then she realized it was because everything about Damian, who was holding her, had changed.

The arm wrapped around her small body, the hand holding the reins, the broad, firm chest pressed against her back.

Had Damian’s body always been this big?

She knew he had grown much taller, to the point where catching up was impossible, but feeling how much his body had grown was a different matter entirely.

“……”

Shirley took a sharp breath, startled by the arm tightly wrapped around her waist.

“Are you nervous because it’s been a while since you’ve ridden?”

Damian’s laughter came from above her. It was much higher than she was used to hearing.

“Yeah, uh-huh.”

Shirley answered vaguely. Damian seemed to think her stiffened body was due to fear of riding the horse. That was a relief.

She could blame her racing heart and flushed cheeks on that.

“Let’s just get going already.”

“Got it.”

Damian tugged on the reins, and the horse kicked off the ground, galloping forward.

“Ah!”

The sudden jolt made Shirley’s body lean back. The body she had been so conscious of was now completely nestled in Damian’s embrace.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let you fall,” Damian said, looking at Shirley, who was clutching his arm tightly.

Then, he tightened his arm around her even more. Shirley was trapped between Damian’s chest and arm, unable to move.

It was a perfectly natural position to keep her from falling off the horse, but it was unbearably distracting. The problem was that she seemed to be the only one feeling this way.

Behind her, Damian’s breathing was calm and steady, unlike her own heart, which felt like it might burst out of her chest at any moment.

As the horse picked up speed, a cool breeze blew through, tousling her hair.

Shirley’s eyes widened as she watched the scenery rush by.

The two of them didn’t speak as they crossed the open field. Then, Shirley tilted her head, feeling something unfamiliar.

“This isn’t the way to the village.”

“Right. I found a different path.”

When Shirley glanced back, she saw a smile on Damian’s face.

“A different path?”

“Yeah. You’ll like it.”

While Shirley was puzzled by Damian’s cryptic words, he began to slow the horse’s pace.

“Close your eyes, Shirley.” A large hand covered her eyes.

“Huh?”

*Clip-clop.*

With her vision blocked, her other senses seemed to sharpen. The sound of the horse’s hooves, Damian’s body heat as he held her tightly, the strength of his arm, his breath brushing against her ear. And then…

The scent of roses?

Suddenly, the strong floral fragrance filled the air, and Shirley instinctively tilted her head back, taking a deep breath.

“Damian, where are we? The smell of roses…”

In an instant, the hand covering her eyes moved away, and the surrounding scenery came into view.

“Ah…”

Shirley was left speechless, sitting dumbfounded at the sight before her.

The place he had said she would like.

It was a path lined with lush pink roses on both sides. Everywhere she looked, summer roses were in full bloom. The air was thick with their intoxicating fragrance.

“It’s beautiful…”

As Shirley murmured, Damian jumped down from behind her and spread his arms toward her. Shirley hesitated for a moment before letting Damian help her down from the horse.

Once on the ground, it was even more breathtaking. Endless rose hedges, rose-covered arches forming tunnels, and sculptures of deer, rabbits, and foxes made entirely of roses. It felt like stepping into a small paradise made of roses.