Chapter 148

He felt lost. He would do anything for her. But he constantly felt worried about whether what he did might burden her unnecessarily. He worried about every little thing. He sighed and turned away.

The garden was neatly arranged for easy maintenance. There was an old tree and small wildflowers that were blown away by the wind. It was difficult to manage the flowers, so briefly it felt neat and modern but if you looked closely, it felt too simple. It looked completely different from the garden they used to take a walk together in Acrab.

The black roses must have bloomed in Acrab. He remembered Angel working hard with his small hands. He used to watch Dalia, who sat on the bench and watched Angel do his work.

The black rose will become a new symbol of Alshine County. It has not been used for a long time, but the original emblem of the Alshine Family was the black rose. Dalia knew this but her words had a different meaning. Rather than her family, she wanted Acrab to prosper; rather than the glory of the family, she hoped that all of Acrab’s territories would enjoy a prosperous life. So, she used the black rose, the symbol of her family, as a symbol of the whole of Acrab.

Dalia was not greedy. Although she claimed to be one, she was the least greedy person he had seen in his life. She was a giving, and sometimes naïve person.

Kaichen sighed. Even when I have nothing to think about, I think of her. Is this a disease? It was funny how natural and normal it felt. Just before his thoughts drifted in another direction, a carriage arrived. It was a one-of-a-kind carriage in the whole Empire made for Dalia by the artisans of Acrab.

The carriage was engraved with the coat of arms of the Alshine Family. The black carriage, which was beautiful enough to turn people’s heads, matched with the mansion. It suited Dalia perfectly, too.

“Teacher, have you been waiting for a long time?”

He had been looking at the carriage while thinking everything suited Dalia when he heard her voice. He hadn’t heard her voice for a week. His heart raced.

He wanted to ask her if he had done something wrong for her to avoid him for so long. He turned round to face her and ask her that when he was rendered speechless.

Kaichen bit his tongue involuntarily. He was so startled that he thought he would end up saying something stupid.

Dalia usually wore shirts and trousers. She said she liked feeling comfortable. She would usually sit on the floor crossed-legged and trousers were more comfortable to do that. She looked completely different today. She smiled at him, and his mind went blank.

Have I ever seen her in a dress? No, did she ever wear a dress ever before this?

“It’s the first time I wore a dress in two years, so I feel a little awkward.”

Kaichen forgot to blink. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“Teacher?”

“…”

“What do you think? Is it weird? I knew it looked weird!”

“No!” The voice that answered was heavy.

I’m going crazy. He was mesmerized by her. He forced himself to look away and chewed the insides of his cheek. Dalia looked dazzling. Even if it was his first time seeing her in a dress, it was pathetic to be so stunned.

Is it because I haven’t seen her for a week?  She looked pretty. His back was stiff. His throat was dry.

Dalia blinked and looked up at him. “Then is it pretty?”

Do you even need to ask that? Kaichen could hardly respond. He wanted to tell her she looked beautiful, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t form coherent words. He clenched his jaws.

Damn it. He felt like the blood was flowing to his face. He felt panicked. He felt himself heating up. He felt flustered. He wanted to keep looking at her, but he couldn’t even make himself stare at her directly.

“Is it not pretty?”

“No, I… um…”

“Then is it pretty?”

“…”

“Teacher?”

“We are late, just get on.” He couldn’t even tell her that she looked pretty because he felt flustered and hot. Dalia only stared at the carriage door he had opened and did not move. He felt her gaze and he tried hard not to lose his footing.

Damn, am I going crazy?  Calling himself a madman, he tried to calm himself. Dalia suddenly approached him.

“Teacher, are you blushing?”

“What?! No!”

“I think… your face looks redder than usual. Do you have a fever?”

“…”

He could feel the heat on his face. It was somehow a relief to him that all the blood and heat flowed to his face and not to the lower part of his body.