𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 (𝐓𝐞𝐰𝐤𝐞𝐬𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)

𝐄𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

                     ✿ [Y/N] POV ✿

I walked through the garden path, slim and tall trees standing in the sidelines, creating the path I was walking through. The sun shined down on me as I walked, my round hat protecting my skin from the sun, the large blue ribbon wrapped around the top of the hat, trailing behind me.

A bright smile curved across my lips as I neared the end of the garden. This was my sanctuary. Wild, slightly overgrown, and rarely tended, it held a quiet kind of beauty—untouched and eternal. From here, the land fell away in a dramatic cliffside, giving way to the endless shimmer of ocean and the distant silhouette of England across the horizon.

This land belonged to no one. It sat between my family's estate and Tewkesbury's, a forgotten sliver that neither house claimed, and for the most part, neither disturbed. That's why I loved it—it felt like ours.

I paused, letting the quiet settle around me. With a deep breath, I stretched my arms wide, embracing the wind and sea air. A sense of peace bloomed in my chest as I closed my eyes.

Then—I felt them. A pair of hands, warm and gentle, cupping my face from behind me as if cradling something delicate. I didn't flinch. My hands rose instinctively, fingertips brushing over his, anchoring myself in the moment. With a soft smile, I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the palm I guessed was his left.

Slowly, I turned my head toward the boy I already knew would be standing there.

Lifting one hand, I tilted the brim of my hat upward so I could see him properly. My eyes met his, deep and brown, and impossibly familiar.

"My love?" I murmured.

"[Y/N]," he answered, smiling as though the sun had risen just for him.

I ran my thumb across the back of his hand, savoring the connection, the warmth. And then, with the gentleness of a whisper, he leaned in and kissed me.

Perhaps I should explain. It's been almost three months since the ball. Tewkesbury and I have been writing letters to each other and meeting in secret. This garden becoming the place we meet the most.

Phillip left for Italy, a week after the ball. He had to return for he is in training to take his fathers title, as his older brother Malcom decided to go overseas and join the navy.

He made high promises for me, I told him I would wait for him, out of pity and my mothers threats.

Tewkesbury and I have gotten rather close, the situation with my family and his unfortunately worsened. My mother has spat on their name and my father growing more stresssed as our money has only declined even more.

Despite my promise to Phillip, i never said I would wait for him romantically and I made it clear. It would've ruined my morals and I wouldn't have started something with Tewkesbury. I won't be in a 'relationship' while I'm interested in another. It's not who I am.