“Louisa.”

Louisa looked at her approaching husband, noticing his usually neat hair slightly disheveled. She walked towards Edward and asked,

“Did you run into anyone on the way?”

“No, I didn’t.” Edward replied.

“That’s good. Come here for a moment.”

Louisa reached up to his head.

Edward leaned down to make it easier for her to reach, saying, “I’m sorry I’m late.”

“It’s okay.”

“Really… I’m really sorry.”

“I’m telling you it’s fine.”

Louisa reassured him repeatedly amidst his continuous apologies.

Now, his wife was only saying it was okay, no matter what he did, which deeply bothered him. After a moment of silence, Edward inquired about her dress.

“What’s that on your skirt?”

“I spilled wine.”

“You did?”

“No. But I don’t know who did.”

Someone had spilled wine in the crowded party hall and managed to remain unseen.

It meant that nobody had stepped forward for her, despite hundreds of eyes present.

Edward clenched his teeth, realizing the rough context of the situation.

After Louisa finished tidying his appearance, she lowered her arms. Edward, standing straight, looked down at her and said,

“Come with me. Let’s go to my car for a bit.”

“Your car?”

“Yes.”

“Why all of a sudden…”

“Just come, there’s something I need to do.”

He firmly grasped Louisa’s hand.

Confused, Louisa let herself be led by her husband out of Glory Palace.

As they stepped outside, a cold wind swept between them.

Louisa deeply inhaled the chilly air, finding it refreshing after leaving the stifling atmosphere of the party hall.

While walking, she noticed something odd. “Edward, what is that?”

“My car.”

There stood a black car, nearly half-destroyed.

The car, which had been fine when he left home that morning, was now a wreck. Louisa, astonished, questioned him.

“My goodness, what happened?”

“Just curious, so I crashed it.”

It was an absurd excuse. Louisa stared at him in disbelief.

“Don’t look at me like that. Wear this.”

Edward pulled out a large box from the back seat of his car.

“What’s this?”

“Something you need right now.”

He unlocked the box, revealing a dress.

“A dress…”

Louisa gazed at the evening gown inside the box, a recent fashionable design adorned with ribbons, frills, and delicate lace.

“Why do you have this in your car?”

“It’s a hobby of mine.”

“Your hobby?”

A perplexed Louisa questioned him.

She watched him calmly lie, and although it was all pretense from start to finish, she didn’t mind. In fact, she felt quite delighted.

Edward, noticing her favorable reaction, became more cheerful. “There’s one more thing. Want to see?”

He squeezed back into the car, rummaged around, and handed her a small box.

“Here.”

“Could it be…”
The box was just the right size to contain accessories. Louisa opened the box she received.

Click.

Inside were a necklace and earrings, each adorned with lustrous, radiant pearls and finished in platinum, exuding an air of elegance.

“My goodness.”

Louisa looked at the box she was holding and then up at her husband. Embarrassed, Edward averted his gaze.

“When did you buy these?”

“It’s been a while.”

“But why did you keep them in the car?”

“You said you didn’t like flashy things.”

Edward spoke a bit sullenly, then blurted out,

“You insisted on maintaining your modest attire no matter what happened, using His Majesty as an excuse.”

He seemed quite upset about it. Watching her husband childishly sulk over past events, Louisa couldn’t help but smile.

“Why are you laughing?”

“It’s nothing.”

Louisa tried to suppress her emerging laughter with a cough. Still, as the corners of her mouth refused to go down, she just smiled broadly and said,

“Thank you.”

“Do you… like it?”

“Of course.”

Louisa said as she took the dress out of the box.

“You got it out for me to change into, right?”

“Yes.”

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll change in the car and come out.”

“In the car? It’ll be cramped.”

“It might be a bit uncomfortable, but it’s okay.”

She clutched the hem of the dress tightly in both hands and looked into Edward’s eyes.

“Thank you, really. It’s so beautiful, I love it.”

Feeling something swell deep inside his heart, Edward watched as his wife shut the car door and covered the windows with some cloth.

Soon, the rustling of fabric could be heard. She was earnestly changing inside.

‘She likes it that much.’

The memory of Louisa’s smile made Edward smile too.

‘Why then did she refuse it so vehemently last time?’

He surreptitiously adjusted the corners of his mouth that kept curling up.

He couldn’t let his wife see his foolish face. He quickly reset his eyes and mouth before she came out.

Louisa emerged, holding her dress’s hem and twirling around to check its condition.

“It’s really pretty. Fortunately, gloves of the same material were included.”

Her bright, smiling face reminded him of their early, fresh days.

“If you like it, try wearing such things more often from now on.”

“Hmm… I’ll think about it.”