Please Forget Me - Chapter 194

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

What’s this now? I wondered, only to hear that though the family held no noble title, he himself had been knighted. For his deeds in this war, the King had bestowed upon him a medal and the title of knight.

“Wow… So from now on, should I call you ‘Sir’?”

“Just call me by my name—no need for titles.”

Though I understood why he said that… or rather, I understood it all too well, I avoided using his name and changed the subject instead.

“So you’re a knight, but I’m not a princess…”

“No, not at all.”

His brisk reply was almost charming, if not a bit infuriating for a moment…

“Because you are my queen.”

His words cracked the proud princess mask I’d been wearing, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Why are you laughing? I’m serious.”

He stopped walking, turned to face me, and knelt down. Then, like a true knight before his queen, he reverently kissed the back of my hand.

The reverence didn’t last long. When I didn’t push him away, his lips slowly moved up from my hand to my wrist, then to the inside of my arm. His warm, soft lips teased my skin, making not just my arm but even the space between my legs tingle.

“Dana…”

He suddenly wrapped me in a tight embrace, but I didn’t push him away. Having been denied this closeness for days, he buried his face against mine like a puppy, softly rubbing and whispering my name with a voice full of emotion.

“Ah…”

Though he knelt, his head reached my chest. When his weight pressed down on me, I flinched. It’s not the time for this, I told myself, holding back. But if he kept it up, I might do something regrettable. I barely pushed him away.

“Calling your lord by her name—that’s disrespectful.”

Hearing my clumsy queen act, he laughed softly with his nose nestled in the gap of my blouse. It was summer and I wore only a thin blouse over a corset, so his breath spilled warm across my delicate skin. I twisted to escape the tickling sensation, and he finally let go and stood up.

Before my face, flushed as red as cherries, was exposed, I pulled my hat down lower and started to walk ahead. But he gently cupped my cheek with both hands, bowed his head, and leaned in to kiss me.

‘That’s not happening.’

I sharply turned my head away, and he hesitated, surprised, withdrawing his hand carefully from my face. I slipped away without looking back, and he followed like a puppy, uncharacteristically talkative for such a quiet man.

“The Ackroyd family has an estate in the countryside. You might not remember, but you really loved it there. You said you wanted to live there forever… The estate should still be there, so you’ll like it just as much. Now you can live there forever, just as you wished. Once we get home…”

He seemed worried I might close my mouth again.

“First, we’ll have our wedding.”

“Our wedding? Why?”

I wondered if this was because he feared I might leave him.

“You don’t remember, so we’ll have a new one.”

“That’s not really necessary.”

Though I wanted to do it, I pretended not to care and acted indifferent.

“I need it. I want it badly.”

Like he said a few days ago, our first wedding was only a painful memory for him.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event, and you deserve the grandest celebration in the kingdom. It still pains me that we had such a humble ceremony.”

“We couldn’t help it back then.”

“But not anymore. When we return home, I’ll call the best tailor in the kingdom to make you a new wedding dress. We’ll make new rings, symbolizing happiness and longevity. On the day, we’ll have photographers and a band…”

Weddings are usually the bride’s dream, not the groom’s. Men tend to be indifferent while women get excited. But he planned our wedding with more enthusiasm than me.

“The chapel and reception hall will be decorated with your favorite flowers…”

As he spoke, he picked red and white clover blossoms from the roadside and tucked them into my hat.

“Loads of music and food… Oh, and of course, plenty of your favorite drinks. You won’t have to hold it, so I won’t tell you to stop drinking.”

I failed again to keep up my proud act and burst out laughing.

“We’ll dance all night to your favorite dances…”

Feeling encouraged by my laughter, he took my hand again. Suddenly, he lifted it high and twirled me around like we were at a grand ball in the middle of the country road.

“But…”

Reluctantly playing along, I asked,

“So then, am I not Dana Loveridge, but Mrs. Ackroyd?”