This I Promise

XXXIX. Mistake

For the past month, (F/N) never failed to visit Elvis. She never failed to do so despite her very hectic schedule as Nile Dawk's assistant in the Military Police and as a Winter Season debutante with dance and etiquette lessons.

Somehow, something in this particular man eased her sometimes stormy mood and tensed emotions, with all the things and events that were happening around her. It somehow felt that within those cold, steel blue eyes lay a very thoughtful and kind person who could understand everything about her.

Sometimes, Ivanna would tag along with her, with the goal of having those heavenly sweets that Elvis could miraculously bake. All afternoon, they talked about a wide range of topics, from tea to politics, and sometimes from noisy neighbors to even shit.

It's shit, yes, but, in truth, something unexplainable had blossomed between the two.
On the third week of her visit, she found herself being shy around him, especially when he looked at her, or slightly smirked at her, since the man never really know the definition of a free - spirited and unadulterated smile. It's as if something was holding him back to crack one just for the sake of conveying a happy emotion.

Ivanna may not have noticed due to her cookie - eating sessions, but if she only had the time to put down the treat, she would definitely notice that her cousin would often blush whenever the man made a crude toilet joke that girls her age would never understand or even appreciate. She would notice that her eyesight never left his lean form and that she would realize that her (E/C) - colored eyes followed the man wherever he went. She would see that she was very attentive to everything he said to her, and she would see that whenever it's time to go home, her cousin would look so glum and depressed upon leaving the mansion, and that she would look as though she wanted to stay a bit longer with the man who bakes amazing cookies.

The little girl may not be entirely at fault for never noticing such things, for (F/N) had such ones, herself. If only she was not nervous or giddy around the engaged man, she would notice that he was also always looking at her. She would notice that those crude and rude comments regarding everyday life and the lazy nobles were made and uttered for the sake of impressing her, seeing that he never really had the talent to shower women with words as sweet as honey, or with phrases as romantic as poetry. If she was not busy preventing Ivanna from running around the room, she would notice that the man would stutter a lot in the first few minutes of their conversation. She would notice that he would stumble upon the simplest of words such as we, have, morning, and how are you. If she was not trying to suppress her happiness upon seeing the man, she would notice that he was really nervous around her most of the time, and yet excited upon seeing her at the same time. She would definitely notice that the man would sometimes brush his rough fingers upon her delicate skin whenever he had the chance to do so, like when he was giving her a cup of warm black tea or just handing her the basket filled with treats. She would realize that he becomes sad upon seeing her leave each visit. It's as if he wanted her stay longer.

And the cycle between the two didn't just pass unnoticed.

Rosemarie, Marie's eldest child, definitely noticed the change in (F/N)'s features since meeting Shunerman. Her skin developed somewhat of a glow compared to how it looked like since those almost two months when she first met her. She noticed that whenever she and Ivanna would visit their neighbor, she would smile broadly. And when she asked her regarding the change of mood, she just blushed and said something else to divert her attention.

Even moody Jonas noticed this. Despite facing his own problematic world each and every passing day, he noticed that (F/N) bullied him less, she annoyed him less, and challenged him less. She even let him win in one of their fencing sessions. Worse of all, she let him win in horseback riding one particular and lazy afternoon. Rosemarie noticed Jonas' confusion regarding the girl and offered him her own analysis.