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As they walked through the gardens, Adeline couldn't help but stare at every flower she saw. Whether it was the arches of wisteria that hung over them in the entrance, or the rose bushes and all of their thorns, she'd stop and take a look. She was curious about each species and its distinctive scent. 

She didn't realize Elias had been observing her the entire time, with an intense gaze and occasionally standing towards the side.

Elias wondered if she knew how beautiful she looked. The sun danced upon her features, an ethereal glow to her petite figure. When she smiled down at the roses, despite its thorns, he felt a strange movement in his chest. She tucked strands of hair behind her ears and bent down to examine yet another flower.

"Why do you view our agreement as a marriage?" he finally asked. "We've never gone to the marriage bureau to have it properly verified."

Adeline straightened up. "I thought I was to be your Queen… so naturally, wasn't our agreement a marriage?"

"Yes, but we've never verified it."

Adeline blinked. "Did I overthink it then? Was I not supposed to think of it as a marriage proposal? If so, then I will view it as a contract of benefit."

The words came out of her mouth effortlessly, but pain spread through her chest. She didn't want it to be a contract. She… wanted more than that, but the words couldn't leave her mouth. Not when he looked at her like it was a mistake, with his pained expression.

Her mouth went dry. "N-nevermind. Let's just view it—"

"Do you want to be married to me, Adeline? Before the coronation happens, they'll expect an official wedding ceremony."

Adeline's lips parted. "I…" She glanced down and touched the flowers, their petals suddenly very distracting.

She heard his approaching footsteps. He touched her cheek, cupping it gently, his arm coming around her shoulder. He drew her towards him, until she was pressed against his chest.

Adeline could not understand him. Did he feel the same for her? His caress was tender and his embrace was passionate. He touched her as a lover would, and had the same patience as one. His lips gently brushed the top of her head, her heart instantly skipping, her stomach fluttering. She stepped closer to him, wanting more of his adoration.

"Do you love me, Adeline?"

Her eyes went wide. She tried to walk back and he let her do so. 

"Tell me you do, darling."

Adeline's heart began to race. She lifted her gaze towards him, her breath instantly leaving her lungs. He was so handsome that it hurt her. The sun haunted his face, creating contrasting shadows on his face. Cruel and devious, he had sharp features like the God of Death. There was something beautiful about his unconventional face.

"You have my affection unlike any other, my sweet." 

Elias grasped one of her hands and gently tugged her close. "I've never treated others with this kind of tenderness."

She was brought towards him again, her tiny footsteps dancing in his ears. He smiled when she naively looked up at him, awestruck by him. His arm slid around her waist, wanting to hear the three magic words he could never say.

"Tell me you love me, darling. Do it now," he murmured. His voice came out like a gentle whisper like feathers caressing her skin.

Adeline searched his gaze. Did he love her back? She was met with eyes like the summer sun, scorching and hot, it's warmth unbearable. She didn't understand what his stare meant, nor the curl of his lips when he gently kissed the tip of her nose and the corner of her mouth.

Adeline's heart was drumming in her ears. She couldn't hear above the rush of her blood. Her chest was squeezed. She closed her eyes when he placed a kiss on her left cheek, smiling into her skin.

Deep down, Adeline was certain he knew the truth. She didn't even have to say it, and he'd know. He had always known, didn't he, since their first night? That night, she was drunk, and so was he. 

He had tried to resist her seduction, but she tempted him and wanted more than his amiable smiles. She recalled they didn't go beyond simple touches. As a matter of fact, that night in the castle, with his fingers pressed into her womanhood was very similar to what happened, except his fingers had been replaced by his tongue.

"If I tell you," she muttered. "Will you tell me the same?"

"I won't mean it."

Adeline's smile slipped. "Is it because you're unable to feel love and compassion?"

"You're a smart one."

"That doesn't sound like you mean it," she retorted.

Elias snickered. "I do, my sweet. I just enjoy taunting about your occasional weakness."

Adeline looked up at him. He had his usual, lopsided smirk. Arrogant and cunning. He was a man to be feared, his presence enough to strangle a grown man. But she loved him. 

"Will you ever tell me you love me?" she asked.

Elias paused. "I don't know, my sweet."

"You said I was the Noble Flower—"

"Do you believe you are?" he returned.

Adeline blinked. She thought back to Elias's disgusted expression when Lydia was brought up. She thought back to the irritation dancing on his face whenever the twins spoke. And then his affectionate expression crossed her mind. He always seemed humored by her, entertained, but still annoyed. But sometimes, he was also amused by the twins…

She did not know if he had feelings for her, not until she felt the movement of his arm. His palm shifted to press into her lower back, his other hand tucking the hair away from her face. He touched her like a lover.

"I don't believe I am."

He raised a brow.

"I know I am."

Adeline leaned up and grasped onto his upper arm. She pressed her lips against his. He froze for a millisecond, before capturing her mouth. He kissed her softly and slowly, their lips getting to know each other again. He let her take the lead, tilting her head, forcing him to do the same. They kissed each other, as if it was their last, savoring each other for a little bit longer.

When she pulled back and rested her forehead upon his chest, both of his arms came around her. 

Adeline knew. She knew he loved her, even if he didn't say it. And she knew her heart beated for this man and this man alone. She closed her eyes. He'd learn what love was if she taught him. He'd learn compassion if she showed it to him.

Maybe that was why he had always been so patient with her—because he was learning from her. 

"You already know how I feel about you," she mumbled into his clothes. "Why do you want to hear it?"

"Just because."

Adeline could hear his grin. She snuck a peek, her heart jumping. He had been intensely looking at her the entire time. A garden of mesmerizing flowers, and he looked at only her.

Adeline pulled away to touch his face. She was standing on her tippy-toes and he held her firmly so that she wouldn't be uncomfortable. Her thumb stroked under his eyes, feeling the smooth, cold skin under her fingertips.

"Will you tell me one day, how you feel about me?" she asked.

"If you wish."

Adeline saw the slight troubled look on his face. Was it because he didn't want to? Or was it because he didn't know how to say it? Nonetheless the troubles, she smiled up at him. If he couldn't say it, she'd be the first to, until he eventually learned.

"I like you, Elias."

"Not love?" he teased.

"You already know the answer."

Elias softly chuckled. "But I want the full answer, not a half-hearted confession."

"You want too much, when you give too little."

"I'm greedy, darling. I want every part of you."

"I'll only tell you once you give every part of you to me," she confessed.

His grin became wicked. "You can have my entire body, Adeline. You already do."

Adeline felt like he was referring to something else… She pressed her lips together. She didn't want just his body, she wanted something else, but the thought of it was selfish, yet she was never a selfless person.

"Your heart," she muttered.

"What about it, darling?"

"I will only tell you if you give your heart to me,."

Elias loudly laughed, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "We've already established I'm quite heartless. Even so, I treat you as if my heart was beating for you."

Adeline blinked. She held his gaze, piercing and prominent. It struck right through her chest, as if he could read every thought in her mind. She had never seen such beautiful eyes, red like rubies, dripping with affection and amusement.

"Then I love you, Elias."

Adeline rested her face upon his chest. His grip tightened, as he hugged her even more. She felt her heart racing, in fear of his rejection. What he couldn't express through words, he did so with his tender caress, and affectionate embrace.

"Perhaps I feel the same," he whispered. 

"How so?"

"Sometimes, I feel like I'll miss you, even if we've never met before."

Adeline knew she could never go back to this moment. So she cherished it in her heart and remembered it deeply. He didn't need to directly tell her he loved her. She knew he did, long before he realized it.