Spring in My Grasp - Chapter 25

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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(25) A First Date

When Rowan posed the question first, he fell silent for a moment, his mouth hanging open in bewilderment.
“Ah… no, why?”
His spirits had been low lately. Though he no longer treated Rowan with his former coldness, Alexis carried an unmistakable melancholy about him. So she had taken the initiative to suggest something, hoping to lift his mood.
“Then let’s go on a date.”
In truth, she needed someone to carry her packages. Rowan had no dedicated male servant—only Lea. And since Lea was now sharing the vegetable garden and household duties with her, Rowan saw no reason to drag her along.
“A date?”
Alexis’s eyes widened as though he’d heard some foreign word. His violet irises, which usually held the desolate chill of a frozen lake, trembled with sudden life. Rowan nodded and broke into a smile.
“Yes!”
She continued.
“Let’s go into town together, get something delicious to eat—we’ve never gone out together before, have we?”
At her words, Alexis folded his newspaper and set it on the table.
“That’s true.”
He nodded.
“Then I’ll get ready right away.”
Alexis moved like lightning, changing his clothes and returning in moments. When he descended the stairs again, Rowan’s jaw dropped involuntarily.
“….”
“What is it?”
Alexis asked with apparent nonchalance, though his demeanor betrayed anything but composure.
His silver hair gleamed, meticulously combed to a lustrous shine. Instead of the loose shirt he typically wore, he donned a pristine white shirt with delicate embroidered details.
Around his neck was tied a stiff lace-trimmed cravat that looked almost suffocating. Where he would normally leave a button or two undone and cradle a wine glass, today he was dressed immaculately—as though preparing for a formal state banquet.
Over his shoulders hung a black double-breasted coat with a subtle sheen, and his hands were clad in flawless leather gloves.
“…Ah, isn’t this a bit much?”
Rowan couldn’t help but laugh. To her eyes, Alexis looked less like he was going shopping in town and more like he was attending the opening ceremony of a royal ball.
“What’s too much?”
Alexis asked. A faint blush colored both his cheeks. Does he really dress like this for a date? Rowan stammered her response.
“It’s… more than just refined—it’s dazzling.”
“You said it was a date.”
At Alexis’s terse reply, Rowan blinked again.
“So that’s why you dressed like this?”
“Why. Don’t you like it?”
Alexis countered.
“Should I go change into something else?”
“Ah, no, no, that’s fine!”
Rowan hastily waved her hands. If he changed again, he’d end up looking like he was attending a crown prince’s celebration.
“You look amazing. Let’s go now.”
Before Alexis could change clothes again, Rowan hurriedly pulled him away. As we left the Annex and headed toward the Town, Rowan congratulated myself on bringing him along. Primarily because I could use the Glister Family’s proper carriage instead of a hand-drawn cart.
‘Ah, how pleasant.’
Rowan gazed out the window, savoring every moment of this smooth ride. A luxury carriage just to go shopping in Town—it felt like indulging in extraordinary extravagance.
‘I should have brought Lea along too.’
Whenever I went shopping with her, we used a hand-drawn cart, and both of us had to endure the aching pain in our lower backs and hips.
‘No, never mind.’
Rowan quickly dismissed the thought. Lea now enjoyed living with me and saving money, yet she still felt awkward around Alexis. The Butler, too, harbored a hidden loyalty to Alexis, but couldn’t treat him with ease either.
‘Well, I was the same at first.’
Rowan recalled my wedding night with him. Thinking back to then, the Alexis before my eyes now seemed like an entirely different person. And regardless, I needed to make a good impression on him.
If he suddenly changed his mind and grew cold to me again, and if the Glister Family cast me out, I’d have to make do with the money I have now. Since I hadn’t saved enough yet, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.
“Is there something on my face?”
Without realizing it, as Rowan gazed at Alexis lost in thought, a flustered Alexis asked. Rowan smiled brightly at Alexis, my lifeline.
“You’re just so incredibly handsome.”
Rowan said.
“My husband is this handsome. It’s wonderful just to look at you.”
At those words, Alexis suddenly inhaled sharply, then broke into a cough. His face flushed as he coughed, and he quickly turned his head away, avoiding Rowan’s gaze.
“Why would you suddenly say such a thing—”
Alexis couldn’t continue. With his face still red, he deliberately avoided her eyes, and Rowan smiled as she watched his profile.
‘That’s right. I need to keep him happy like this so he’ll show me mercy later.’
What man dislikes being told he’s handsome? Even if one heard it constantly, compliments about being handsome or beautiful never grew old. So Rowan freely showered Alexis with words that even I found cringeworthy. Perhaps, should he grow cold and cast me out later, he might show me one final act of mercy.
“….”
Because Alexis was overly conscious of her, the two sat in silence within the carriage for quite some time. Rowan was also lost in various thoughts, so the silence was actually preferable. Soon the carriage arrived in Town, and Alexis descended first to escort Rowan.
‘It’s not like we’re attending a ball.’
I hadn’t felt it so acutely before, but standing beside Alexis in Town, the gap between us was far too stark.
‘Like I’m not even a Maid attending a crown prince.’
Our appearances and the entire atmosphere we exuded were completely different.
‘No one would ever mistake us for a married couple.’
I should have chosen prettier clothes if I’d known. I came dressed comfortably for shopping, never imagining Alexis would dress so impeccably.
‘Sigh, never mind. Let’s just shop.’
We weren’t even a real couple anyway. Rowan dismissed the thought lightly and spoke to Alexis.
“Aren’t you hungry? Should we eat something before we continue?”
“Huh? Um….”
Alexis replied. In truth, he was somewhat bewildered. A daytime shopping trip through Town was his first experience. Until now, he’d always been passed out drunk, waking in the late afternoon to visit the Gambling House or place bets, then spending nights guzzling alcohol at Party Venues. Walking through the vibrant Town streets with a woman in broad daylight was entirely new to him.
“What should we eat? There’s a place I go to often—”
“I know a place. Let’s go there. I can eat without a reservation when I go.”
Still, he wasn’t unfamiliar with the Night Streets. There was a Restaurant nearby that he occasionally frequented. At his words, Rowan blinked.
“Ah… yes, then.”
She couldn’t simply follow wherever he led like a fool. Under Alexis’s initiative, Rowan trailed after him.
‘What on earth is he planning to eat?’
Upon arriving at the Restaurant, Rowan’s jaw dropped.
‘What is this place? I had no idea somewhere like this existed here.’
Just beyond the heart of the Town where one could enjoy a simple meal and tea, an entirely different world unfolded. Rowan had walked these streets countless times, yet had never set foot in—had never even known of—the restaurants that lined this hidden corner. They were all extraordinarily grand and opulent establishments.
“This place operates during the day as well.”
Alexis said, guiding Rowan forward.
“I came out in such a rush that I just picked somewhere at random, but….”
His face flushed with embarrassment.
“Next time, I’ll take you somewhere far better.”
Rowan stepped into the Restaurant alongside Alexis, her mouth hanging open in astonishment.
The interior of the Restaurant was suffused with an elegance that seemed impossible for daytime. Crystal chandeliers caught the weak afternoon sunlight and sparkled brilliantly, while the rays filtering through gracefully draped curtains scattered across the marble floor like an exquisite pattern.
Subtle incense permeated the air, creating the sensation not of merely entering to dine, but of participating in some sacred ritual.
“Welcome, Alexis.”
The moment their arrival was announced, the Restaurant Manager approached swiftly and bowed deeply before Alexis. A subtle tension marked his expression. It was extraordinarily rare for him to receive this guest during daylight hours—someone he knew only as a patron of the Night Streets—and even the staff stirred with quiet unease.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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