Brandon and Freya moved to a quieter, untouched part of the lake.

A gentle grassy slope stretched down to the water’s edge, shaded by a cluster of willow trees whose long branches swayed softly in the breeze.

Brandon lay on his back in the grass with one arm folded behind his head.

Freya was curled against him, pressing her body snugly into his side.

Her head rested on his chest, and one of her legs was draped lazily over his.

She lifted her head slightly, looking up at him with soft, half-lidded green eyes.

Without a word, she leaned in and kissed his lips.

Her full lips moved tenderly against his, savoring the warmth and taste of him.

When she pulled back just a second, she pressed another soft kiss to the corner of his mouth, then to his cheek, then along his jawline.

"Mmm..." she hummed contentedly, nuzzling her nose against his neck before kissing him there too.

She shifted higher, pressing her soft breasts against his chest as she captured his lips again.

With a soft sigh, she buried her face in the crook of his neck and kissed the skin there repeatedly with soft, affectionate little presses of her lips that slowly trailed up to his jaw and back to his mouth.

"I like this," she murmured between kisses. "Just lying here with you.."

Brandon’s arm tightened around her, pulling her fully on top of him so she was straddling his waist.

Freya let out a pleased hum, settling comfortably as her dress rode up her thighs.

"You’re surprisingly sweet when you’re not trying to seduce me," Brandon teased with his hand resting on her hip.

Freya giggled softly, "I can be both."

She settled back down, snuggling closer and nuzzling her face against his neck.

For a few moments, they simply lay there.

The lake water lapped gently at the shore nearby, and the breeze rustled the willow branches above them.

Then Freya suddenly remembered something and lifted her head again, "Oh, Kael... my brother knows about your relationship with Amelia."

Hm?

Brandon looked up at her in surprise.

Freya chuckled softly, tracing a finger along his collarbone as she continued.

"He has been aware of you sending Amelia letters and how much she is obsessed with you. And... I also sparked some things about it to him, even a year ago, talking about your relationship."

"He is still hesitant about it..."

Eh?

Brandon tilted his head slightly, "But I heard that he is looking for a groom for Amelia."

Freya let out a light laugh and playfully pinched his nose between her fingers.

"That was a rumor I spread. You remember Amelia’s maid? It was me who sent her to tell you that."

Her expression turned a little more sincere as she looked into his eyes.

"Since I didn’t see any real progress in your relationship with her, I wanted to check if you had actual feelings for her. Forgive me."

Brandon let out a deep breath and stared up at the sky for a moment, "So I got played, huh."

Freya’s eyes widened in panic.

She quickly sat up a little, leaning over him with a worried expression as she waved her hands.

"Wait, wait, wait- it’s not like that!" she hurriedly explained.

"I wasn’t trying to manipulate you or trap you. I just... I saw how happy Amelia was whenever she received your letters. She would read them over and over again with this dreamy look on her face. I’ve never seen her like that before."

She bit her lip, looking genuinely concerned now.

"I know my brother. He’s extremely protective of Amelia, especially after losing my sister-in-law. He would never allow just anyone near her. So I wanted to test the waters first and to see if you actually cared about her or if you were just being nice."

"The rumor about finding a groom was my way of pushing you a little. And sending the maid... that was me being impatient."

Freya leaned down closer as she looked at him with earnest eyes. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"I’m sorry if it felt like I was playing with you. I just wanted to make sure my niece wouldn’t get hurt. She’s already fallen for you quite deeply, Kael. If you were just toying with her feelings, I... I would have stepped in."

"But after seeing how you treat her... how you took her out and made her laugh, I’m glad I did what I did. Because you really do care about her."

Freya looked at his face anxiously, "Are you angry with me?"

Brandon stayed silent for a moment before he spoke again "There is another underlying plan in this plot, isn’t there?"

Huh?

Freya quickly glanced away, and her cheeks flushed deeper as she tried to avoid his gaze.

"N-No, what do you mean..."

But Brandon kept staring at her steadily with a smile, and the silence stretched between them until Freya finally let out a long, defeated sigh.

She buried her face into the crook of his neck, hiding her embarrassed expression against his warm skin.

"I-It’s embarrassing..."

She took a deep breath, "A woman named Freya also read those letters... and slowly began looking forward to his letters. She saw the genuine joy in her niece’s eyes every time a new one arrived. She watched how Amelia smiled like a fool while reading them over and over again."

Freya’s fingers curled into his shirt as she continued, "She still remembers the night she spent with this man named Kael. And slowly... she started falling for him too."

"That’s when she remembered the promise Amelia made for her years ago. So Freya thought... if she helped set Kael up with Amelia and supported their love, she could use that old promise as leverage to get into a relationship with him as well."

Freya stayed buried in his neck, refusing to lift her head.

Her ears and the back of her neck were bright red with embarrassment "I know it sounds selfish and scheming... but I didn’t want to lose the chance."

"I didn’t want to watch from the sidelines while my niece got to have you. So I... pushed things along."

"I spread the rumor about finding a groom. I sent the maid to test your feelings. I even came onto you so strongly this morning..."

She let out a shaky breath "I’m sorry, Kael. I really did want to help Amelia be happy. But... I also wanted you for myself."

Freya remained hidden against his neck, waiting anxiously for his reaction.

Brandon stared up at the orange-pink sky for a few moments, processing everything.

Then a soft, low chuckle rumbled in his chest "You really are something else, Freya Bleaufort."

He gently threaded his fingers through her blonde hair, tilting her head up so he could see her flushed, embarrassed face.

Brandon’s expression softened.

He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, then to the tip of her nose "I’m not angry, just a little surprised. It’s actually kind of cute how much effort you put into this."

Freya’s eyes widened slightly as relief flooded her heart "Really...?"

Brandon nodded, pulling her closer "You could have just told me you liked me too. You didn’t need to go through all that scheming."

Freya let out a small, embarrassed laugh "I know... but I was scared. What if you only wanted Amelia? I didn’t want to ruin what you two had... but I also didn’t want to be left out."

She kissed his neck softly, "So I became a little greedy."

Brandon smiled and hugged her tighter, "Greedy, huh? Well... I don’t hate that."

Looking at her embarrassed expression, he smiled "Also, I got to see this cute side of yours."

The sunset continued to paint the sky in beautiful hues as the two of them lay together on the grass.