“Thank you for having me here for dinner,” she replied smoothly.
“You’re welcomed here any time, you know that. Please send my regards to your mother. I hope that she will get well soon,” Queen said.
“Of course. Thank you, Queen,” Rachael thanked the older woman politely.
“Thank you, Rachael. Knight, please take care of her,” Queen said before smiling at them both and taking her leave.
Reiner watched as his mother walked gracefully out of the dining room, leaving him alone with Rachael once again. He felt tired after spending his entire day entertaining her or more like letting her try to entertain him. He glanced at his watched and wondered when Rachael would go home. Just as Reiner was about to suggest that Rachael should head home, the younger woman spoke up.
“The weather is so nice. What about an evening stroll in the garden with me?” Rachael suggested in a pleading voice.
Reiner remembered how she would beg for him to play with her when she was younger too. Whenever her father came to visit his father here, she would tag along to play with him. He would spoil her by catering to her demands like lifting her up on his shoulder so that she could see a bird nest on a tree. Rachael had always been a very energetic girl and he found that very adorable about her.
“Sure. Let’s go,” Reiner replied as he reached out a hand to pat her head adoringly.
Rachael got out of her seat and urged Reiner up to his feet so that they could head out to the gardens. It was dark and Reiner wondered how much longer Rachael would hang around for. They both made their way out to the garden on the side of the mansion.
“It’s dark. Watch where you’re going,” Reiner warned.
“Don’t worry, I won’t fall on my face,” Rachael replied confidently.
“You did that a lot when you were a kid,” Reiner said with a small laugh.
“Stop saying that…” Rachael muttered in embarrassment.
They arrived at a sitting area that was well lit in the middle of the garden. Reiner hadn’t been here in forever and was surprised that it was still there. He remembered that Queen liked this spot a lot and liked to put her roses on display here. During sunny days, she would have afternoon tea here with her friends when they came over.
“Can we sit here?” Rachael asked as she approached a seat.
“Sure...” Reiner replied casually.
He took the seat opposite her and found Rachael staring at him like she had something that she wanted to say.
“Knight…umm…about our wedding…” Rachael began saying hesitantly as her eyes darted around in her nervousness.
“Oh, that. You don’t have to worry about it,” Reiner replied casually like it was nothing.
“What…do you mean?” Rachael asked as her eyebrows drew together in a frown.
“You don’t have to worry about it. This engagement is temporary, we’ll be calling it off soon,” Reiner stated decisively.
“Calling it off? Why?” Rachael asked in disbelief.
“Why? You’re like a little sister to me. How can we possibly get married?” Reiner said like it was supposed to be obvious.
“No…that’s not…When will you stop seeing me as a little girl? I’m a woman now…I’m not that little girl anymore!” Rachael cried out desperately.
“To me, you’ll always be a little girl,” Reiner replied with a kind smile.
“No, I’m not a little girl! We’re engaged! We’re going to get married!” Rachael yelled hysterically as her emotions started taking over.
“To me, you’ll always be a little sister that I love very dearly,” Reiner replied calmly.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Forbidden Heat