For Romantic Superpowers - Chapter 73 - Important Matter

#73. Important Matter

Perth pulled a recommendation list from his pocket, saying he had asked his subordinates. The small piece of paper, neatly folded, seemed to have the names of a few stores and maps drawn on it. Lia tried to peek, but he deliberately held it higher.

“It’s no fun if you see it in advance.”

He gently pushed Lia’s shoulder away as she tried to get a look at the paper. His touch was careful. However, Lia felt that his touch was creating a distance. Since it was the weekend, the streets were crowded. Every time someone bumped into her, Perth would pull her by the shoulder or elbow. But only then. He soon let go and kept a certain distance from her.

Lia stared blankly at his hand instead of the street scenery. Today, since they were outside, Perth wasn’t wearing his white gloves. It made her want to hold his hand even more. It wasn’t as if she had never held his hand before. She remembered the warmth of his hand well.

But today, unlike the previous festival, he didn’t reach out his hand. She didn’t dare to ask to hold his hand first. She knew well that he originally disliked physical contact with people, so she tried not to touch him unless he extended his hand first. However, the more she suppressed it, the more disappointed she felt.

“This is the first store.”

Lia, who had been staring at Perth’s hand the whole time, didn’t realize they had arrived at their destination. When she looked ahead at his words, she saw a building entirely covered with ivy.

“Where is this?”

“Would you like to go inside?”

When she nodded, Perth opened the wooden door for her. Lia cautiously stepped inside, looking around.

“Is this a garden?”

“They said it’s a restaurant decorated like a garden. They said you would like it. Hmm. Hmm.”

He was looking at his memo again, and when Lia looked at him, he quickly folded it and put it back in his pocket. This time, instead of just famous stores in the capital like during the festival, it seemed he had deliberately chosen stores she would like.

“Thank you. It’s so beautiful.”

As they followed the staff to their table, Lia continued to look around. The restaurant was decorated like a really beautiful garden. In the greenhouse, they tried to grow plants in an environment as close to their natural habitat as possible, and since there were no flowers in the backyard, it had been a long time since she saw such an artificial garden.

Because of its unique atmosphere, the restaurant was full of women and couples. Perhaps because of the cheesy atmosphere, Perth kept looking around.

“Are you okay, Mr. Perth?”

“Yes, there are a lot of plants.”

It was a very typical answer from him. To him, any restaurant that sold food would probably look the same. To him, this restaurant was probably just ‘a restaurant Lia would like.’ His eyes were serious as he looked at the menu handed over by the staff. He was probably thinking about which menu had the best value for money. He was a person who valued efficiency.

“What will you have, Lady Lia?”

“I’m thinking of trying the most popular dish here.”

“Shall we go with the first course menu then? They say it’s the most famous.”

“Yes, that sounds good.”

Lia stared at Perth’s hand as he ordered from the waiter. His fingers were long and slender but thicker and larger than hers. It was almost a shame that such beautiful fingers were always hidden inside gloves.

“Lady Lia?”

Perth raised an eyebrow as he looked at her dazed expression.

“I ordered the recommended wine since it’s part of the course. Is that alright with you?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

In reality, though Lia was an adult, she hadn’t drunk much alcohol. Perth didn’t seem like the type to enjoy alcohol either. It appeared they were just going to drink it because it was included in the course.

“You’ve seemed a bit out of it since earlier. Are you alright?”

Unable to hold back his curiosity any longer, Perth asked. He was sure she would like the place. However, ever since they entered, she hadn’t looked him in the eye, seeming distracted. Just as Lia, startled by his question, was about to answer, the bread arrived. They both watched in silence as the soup and bread were set on the table.

“I’m fine. I’m just a bit hungry.”

Lia answered with an awkward smile. She had been staring at his hand the whole time. She couldn’t bring herself to admit it, fearing he might think she was obsessed with physical contact.

“I see.”

Perth pretended to understand, but he could tell she was lying from her demeanor. He watched her while pretending to drink water. She seemed restless as if she had something to say. Lia was usually quite straightforward, so it was easy to read her thoughts without having to hold her hand to sense her feelings.

Yet, today, he couldn’t understand why she kept sighing intermittently. He wanted to hold her hand immediately. However, he had decided it would be cheating to read her mind that way. He had left his gloves behind as a precaution in case something happened in the crowd, but now he regretted it since he couldn’t hold her hand.

Lia kept fidgeting with her fingers in front of him. Her delicate fingers looked like they could break with a little pressure. She had no idea that he wanted to intertwine his fingers with hers and kiss them.

“Your dishes are ready.”

The appetizer arriving broke the silence and awkward atmosphere between them.

“Wow, the dishes here are so cute and beautifully presented!”

In truth, Lia had been so distracted that she hadn’t looked over the course menu to see what was coming. When the appetizers finally arrived, she was pleasantly surprised by how cute they were, and it showed on her face. Seeing her honest reaction, Perth couldn’t help but smile slightly.

“I’m glad you like it.”

All he wished was for Lia to enjoy the food and the places he planned to take her.

* * *

Fortunately, Lia was delighted with every dish that came out and ate with gusto. The food was so delicious that she forgot whatever had been bothering her. She loved the desserts so much that Perth gave her his as well.

“I want to come back again. The desserts there were especially amazing!”

Although the interior was great, the taste of the food was even better. Seeing how much she liked the restaurant, Perth felt relieved. Her strange demeanor before the meal seemed to have been just awkwardness.

“I thought it was quite delicious too.”

In truth, he didn’t remember the taste. He had been too busy observing Lia’s expressions. It meant that he was uncharacteristically nervous.

“Where are we going now?”

He hadn’t told her their next destination, just kept walking. In response to Lia’s question, Perth smiled, trying to appear relaxed.

“You’ll find out if you follow me.”

There was no way he would take her somewhere strange. However, as they continued moving away from the city, Lia couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

“How far are we going?”

“We’re almost there.”

The surroundings started to look unusual. There were rows of trees that seemed deliberately planted. Going further might lead them to someone’s private property.

“Mr. Perth, it seems like this place belongs to someone.”

“Yes, it does have an owner.”

“Is it okay for us to just enter like this?”

“Yes, it’s fine. It’s my house.”

“What?”

As if to prove his point, a mansion began to appear.

“I thought you lived in the royal palace?”

“I do. I still live in the palace. But I thought it would be good to have a separate place, so I prepared a mansion outside the palace.”

Although it wasn’t as grand as the Count’s mansion, it was still quite large. It was spacious enough for Perth to live alone and then some. There was a wide open space in front of the mansion that would make a nice garden.

“So you’re living outside now.”

“There’s a path from behind the mansion that leads close to the palace. I’ll be commuting from here now.”

“How did you get permission for this?”

“Well, I have my ways.”

Even nobles who worked in the palace typically lived and ate there. Special permission was required to live outside the palace. But if it was Perth, she could imagine he’d find a way to get that permission.

“May I go inside?”

“That’s why I brought you all the way here.”

There were no servants to greet them yet. Perth opened the door himself and stepped aside for Lia to enter first. With no one else around, every step they took echoed through the mansion.

“Excuse me.”

“Are you greeting the empty mansion?”

Perth laughed softly at her cautious demeanor. Lia shot him a look before she began to explore the mansion in earnest. The lobby, dining room, and drawing room were all filled with new furniture, though it was evident that people had lived there before.

“Did someone used to live here?”

“It belonged to a minor baron who couldn’t manage his gambling debts, so it ended up at auction. I got it for a good price.”

“Did you buy the furniture too?”

“Yes, I took a lot of your opinions into account. What do you think?”

It all made sense now—the colors and the arrangement of the furniture. He had been asking her seemingly random questions with a purpose. The house was filled with things Lia liked, from her favorite colors to the textures of the covers and various decorations.

“This is…”

It felt more like her house than his. She felt both moved and confused.

“Is it not to your liking?”

“No!”

Unable to contain her emotions, Lia hugged Perth, who was standing next to her. He was surprised but gently wrapped his arms around her waist.

“I love it. I really do… but why did you decorate your house as if it were mine?”

“Because I wanted you to like it.”

It felt like a riddle. He was being deliberate.

“Why did you want me to like it?”

“So you would come here often.”

She wished she could. The house was filled with things she loved, including its owner, Perth.

“I want to, but… I just became a permanent employee at the palace. This time, I could come out thanks to your help, but it won’t be easy to do it often.”

Of course, she could use her name to get away more often, but that wasn’t what she wanted. Perth understood that. Before answering her question, Perth hugged her even tighter. She could feel his desire to not let her go through the strength of his embrace. Lia, too, held him tightly, leaving no space between them.

“There is a way.”

“What way?”

“We can get married officially.”