For Romantic Superpowers - Chapter 72 - Outing

#72. Outing

The courtyard of the royal palace was as beautiful as ever. It was filled with lush green leaves without a single flower. Even the dull scenery felt refreshing to Lia. While the climate of the palace remained constant, the plants seemed to thrive even more, knowing that summer was approaching. Just looking at them made her feel better.

“Are you enjoying yourself that much?”

Though they hadn’t made any specific plans, after returning to the palace, Perth and Lia once again had their meal together in the courtyard. The menu in the dining hall wasn’t particularly special. Yet, Lia couldn’t stop smiling with joy.

“Hehehe. Because I’m with an honest employee!”

Her giggling expression was incredibly lovely. Perth pushed aside his food, forgetting to eat, and brushed Lia’s hair behind her ear.

“You keep doing that, and your hair will end up in your mouth instead of bread.”

“But it’s nice, isn’t it?”

Seeing her narrow her eyes, Perth couldn’t help but smile too. He pushed aside the meal on his lap, took the bread from Lia’s hand, and held it himself.

“Eek!”

Unbeknownst to her, Lia had ended up sitting on Perth’s thigh. Only then did Perth smile satisfactorily.

“What if people see us…”

But despite Lia’s words, Perth only hugged her tighter around the waist.

“If they want to see, let them. Do you know how cute your face has been since earlier? You should be grateful I’ve endured this much.”

He was good at saying embarrassing things. If anyone were to see this, how shocked they would be. Lia, too, reached out her arms around Perth’s head to protect him from others. As they leaned in closer, the scent enveloped them. It must have been a familiar smell, yet her heart raced rapidly.

“You look even more handsome up close. The attire of Lady Lia.”

“It’s just a little bit of gold embroidery.”

It was a subject that had made her feel buoyant all morning because of that little bit of gold embroidery. Lia couldn’t be honest. Perth noticed, but he pretended not to, it was a compliment after all.

“It’s been revealed that Lady Abigail was the one who ordered it from the investigation department.”

Their abilities were there, but above all, the evidence Perth provided played a significant role. He read through all the traces left by the departing staff of the palace and handed over any evidence related to the case to the investigation department. When they asked how he found out with a surprised expression, Perth just laughed boldly and replied, ‘I thought I was the culprit, so I moved, and I happened to stumble upon it.’

“I see.”

“She admitted to the part she ordered obediently, but she said it was because of Prince Alfonse.”

She was summoned to the investigation department and shed tears with a sorrowful face.

– Prince Alfonse kept meeting other people and leaving me behind, which hurt my feelings. He even met another Count’s daughter. She could become his fiancee instead of me!

Although it wasn’t a direct cause, it was accepted as the official motive. Upon hearing those words, Alfonse slammed his desk in anger.

– Who dared to instigate this?

“But it seems the punishment ended lightly after all.”

“It’s okay. I’ve been reinstated, and I can revive the Miracle of the Desert.”

Lia genuinely thought it didn’t matter what happened to her. If anything, she wondered if she could have become an official employee if the incident hadn’t occurred.

“Just in case, even if the young lady didn’t sabotage the Miracle of the Desert, Lady Lia would have become an official employee.”

Perth said firmly. Lia widened her eyes, then smiled softly.

“How would you know that? Even I didn’t.”

“It’s my intuition.”

“Hmph.”

“Don’t laugh. People often find intuition amusing, but in reality, it’s about drawing intuitive conclusions based on information in one’s conscious and subconscious mind.”

His plausible words were more amusing. Lia chuckled softly. Even if Lia forgave her, Perth didn’t fully forgive her. He made sure the acquaintances spread rumors in social circles. Given the penchant for sensational rumors in social circles, they would spread quickly. Perhaps for a while, she wouldn’t be able to show her face in public due to embarrassment. For her, who valued her reputation, it was a punishment more severe than fines or other penalties.

“The former staff member also had his ill-gotten gains confiscated.”

Of course, Perth had subtly made it difficult for him to find new employment. Even if his circumstances were difficult, his actions were still wrong. Lia buried her face in Perth’s shoulder. Everything was back in place, and they had even become lovers. She was in a state of utter happiness. The malice she saw in others still scared her. Just the thought of who could hate her so much kept her up at night. But as long as she was in this embrace, it seemed like she could overcome anything.

“I’m happy right now. No matter what happens to other people, as long as I’m happy, it’s enough. Isn’t that selfish?”

“Well, what’s wrong with that? As long as you’re happy, Lady Lia, that’s all that matters to me.”

“Mr. Perth, you surprisingly say heartfelt things.”

“I’m not doing it on purpose; I’m just speaking sincerely.”

Perth was adept at touching Lia’s heart. Where did the person who once claimed not to understand what love was gone? With a slightly sullen heart, Lia remained silent without replying.

“Lady Lia.”

“…”

“Lady Lia?”

As the silence persisted, Perth realized it was deliberate. But he wasn’t one to just accept it quietly. He whispered into Lia’s ear.

“Lia.”

He hadn’t used any pet names or said anything strange, but in an instant, Lia felt like her whole body was engulfed in flames from his calling her by her name. Just by him dropping the honorifics and calling her by her name, it felt like her blood was boiling in reverse.

“…Can I call you that from now on?”

Lia nodded her head as if she were possessed, without even realizing it.

“Lia, I have a suggestion.”

As soon as he spoke, Lia nodded her head again. If he kept calling her by her name like this, she probably would have accepted anything he said. Perth looked down at Lia trembling with embarrassment in his arms. There was a mischievous smile on his lips. It was a smile that knew Lia would agree to anything just by him calling her by her name. He was confident.

“How about we continue asking each other questions and answering like we used to?”

“Did Prince Alfonse order you to do this again?”

When they first met, Perth questioned her about various things under Alfonse’s orders. It also allowed him to get to know her better.

“No, this time it’s because I want to.”

“But I’ve already told you so much, haven’t I?”

He had investigated everything from her taste to her hobbies. Thanks to him, Lia learned about her likes and dislikes that she didn’t even know about.

“At that time, I just roughly filled out the questionnaire. I only asked superficial questions that didn’t delve deeper or properly understand you.”

“Was that so?”

“Yes, since Prince Alfonse wasn’t sincere, I didn’t intend to expose the lady’s private details either.”

Indeed, from the beginning, Lia hadn’t misjudged him. Even while carrying out Alfonse’s orders, he tried his best to protect her information. He knew he was a kind person.

“Then what do you want to ask?”

“I’d like to ask about your deeper and more detailed preferences.”

He whispered, lowering his voice for no reason. Deeper and more detailed preferences? She wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but Lia’s ears turned red for some reason.

“W-What…?”

Perth replied slowly, still caressing Lia’s hair.

“For example… What colors do you like?”

“But I’ve already answered that.”

He asked for deeper and more detailed preferences, but in the end, it was a simple question.

“Your favorite colors may change depending on your mood. White? Yellow? Blue? What color do you like right now?”

“Um… Yellow?”

“I see. I’ll keep that in mind.”

What does he mean by “keep that in mind”? She wondered, but seeing him smiling playfully, it seemed he had no intention of telling her.

“Then…”

He continued to ask questions she couldn’t fathom. Each one seemed deep and probing. Still, Lia did her best to answer. Perth’s questions, ones she couldn’t understand, continued for a while after that.

* * * 

“An outing?”

“Yes, how about we go outside the palace for the weekend?”

It was their first official outing as lovers, a so-called date in the outside world. Within the palace, their activities were limited to dining together or taking walks. Frankly, there was no reason to hesitate.

“But leaving the palace requires permission.”

“If that’s the case, just fill out the application form and submit it. I’ve already taken care of everything to ensure permission is granted.”

He smiled brightly, but he was still thorough. If it meant creating time for just the two of them, he handled the abuse of power as effortlessly as breathing. Lia, who was about to say something, just nodded silently. Whether the outing permission was truly granted, Kevin didn’t even look at the documents and simply told her to leave it on the desk. The dormitory supervisor, Marie, had already known and even said it was okay to spend the night outside. Where exactly was the line drawn? Lia clicked her tongue at Perth’s thoroughness.

Perth was waiting in front of the gate where they had met during the festival. Although she had seen him before, he looked even more different in casual clothes compared to his work attire.

“Lady Lia, why do you have luggage?”

“Marie said it’s okay to spend the night outside. Didn’t you deliberately get permission?”

Suddenly, Perth’s face turned red. It was a rare occurrence. He even started stuttering, showing how flustered he was.

“M-M-M-Marie was too much. I only asked to think positively about the outing permission.”

Her consideration was too much. Of course, he appreciated it, but unfortunately, they weren’t in such a relationship yet. Since they hadn’t thought about staying out overnight from the beginning, his luggage was minimal. 

“Well, how about this? I’ll cover the inn expenses. I just got paid yesterday!”

Lia smiled brightly, proudly tapping her chest. Even though her salary was just a probationary salary until this month, it wasn’t much, as she didn’t spend it elsewhere due to being provided accommodation at the palace. What Lia didn’t realize was that Perth’s embarrassment wasn’t about the money.

As a prince’s chief aide, he received considerably more. He had saved a lot of money because he didn’t have any separate expenses. It might be less compared to the inheritance she would receive from the Count’s estate. Perth sighed as he looked at her, realizing she didn’t fully understand the implications of staying at an inn. Ignoring the issue of accommodation for now, he stepped out of the palace gates first.

“Shall we go then?”

“Yes!”