After the soft and warm kiss, Ren led Tsubaki toward the grand doors like a gentleman. Each of their step was slow, indulging in the sweetness that engulfing them. Ren's smile was so tender as he looked sideways to her face. Tsubaki followed suit with a small smile of her own. The golden lights coming from the rose-shaped bulbs illuminated their features in the dark of the summer night. Their wedding rings sparkled under the light.
Two men dressed in black swallow-tail coats opened the doors for them, displaying the lobby of the house. They didn't speak until they reached another door at the end of the lobby. Once again Tsubaki gasped in surprise.
She expected to see a majestic decoration as the old house but what awaited her was a room full of fresh flowers and green leaves as well as the same rose-shaped bulbs that lit the garden. The arch ceiling above their heads was made of see-through glass. The white moonlight fell on the golden lights of the bulbs.
"Let's seat first," Ren chuckled lightly, he was pleased with the surprise written in his wife's eyes.
"Oh... okay."
Tsubaki had just noticed that at the center of the room, there was a table with an exquisite display of food. She felt like whistling seeing this candlestick dinner that was lavishly arranged by her husband.
The two men retreated from the scene, allowing the two of them dined in absolute privacy.
"Darling," Tsubaki softly called out to him as she waited for Ren to slice the baked chicken for her. The meat was tender yet he insisted to help her slicing to so she just let him be. It was great to be pampered like this.
"En?"
Ren lifted up his eyes from the platter in front of him, his slender finger paused. His lips easily curled up into a smile for her. "Why, sweetheart? Do you need anything?"
"Well..." Tsubaki smiled shyly, she could tell if their surroundings were not illuminated with these golden lights, he would definitely see how red her face was. "Would you tell me... how did you confess to me before?"
Ren arched a brow in amusement. A low laugh escaped his lips. He took the plate and placed it in front of her. "I'll tell you once we've done eating, alright? Baby is starved, you should eat first."
"Okay~"
They enjoyed the scrumptious dinner with good feelings. Both of them didn't talk much, instead, they reassured each other with the way their lips curved up and their eyes crinkled into crescent-shaped moon as the warmth seeped into their hearts.
Ren gently indulged on Tsubaki from the start of their dinner until they began eating the dessert. Since the air was still hot even though autumn had slowly approaching, he chose strawberry granita for his dearest wife. The ice shaved was presented in a crystal clear bowl, slices of strawberry and grapes topped on the dessert as well as a drizzle of sweet syrup.
"It's yummy!"
Tsubaki exclaimed with a satisfied look in her eyes as the sweet and sour flavor of the granita burst in her mouth. She was still licking the dessert spoon, her antics brought out laughter from her husband's thin lips.
"You love it so much?" Ren reached out a hand and casually wiped the corner of her lips that was stained with the red syrup. "Eat slowly, sweetheart."
"Here, try it~"
Tsubaki scooped the granita a bit, she brought the spoon to his lips. Ren laughed again seeing her delighted expression. The twinkle in her eyes appeared so alluring, he was so tempted to kiss her smiling face. He leaned forward and savored the sweetness of the cool dessert.
"It's good," Ren let the ice melted in his mouth. "Now, I feel like eating cooled watermelons."
"We could eat them tomorrow!" Tsubaki laughed happily. "There's still one left in the kitchen. The watermelons sent by Grandma are so sweet. It's a waste to not finish them. We could make a sorbet with them! Or popsicles! Well, it'd be better to find some cherries or kiwis for the popsicles though and... "
Ren watched the happy face of his dearest lady as she kept talking about dessert. Her eyes sparkled and words kept coming out from her small mouth. He let out a helpless laugh, she could be easily satisfied even with small things like this. What to do?
Well, he could only keep indulging and doting on her.
"Wa~"
Tsubaki had stopped counting how many times she was surprised by her husband tonight. Once they finished their meal, Ren took her hand and brought her to the French doors located at one side of the room. Through the open French doors, she once again was greeted with trails of light formed by rose-shaped bulbs. In the middle of the garden, the bulbs were placed accordingly into a heart-shaped.
They descended the stairs one by one until their shoes stepped on the ground. Tsubaki gathered her skirt, she was afraid the long skirt would accidentally come into contact with any of the bulb. Ren saw her action and he couldn't help but smile wider.
Ren paused his steps once they reached the middle of the heart-shaped lights trail. He gently pulled Tsubaki to stand in front of him. Tsubaki quietly looked at her smiling husband, she raised her delicate brows in confusion.
What else this man want to do?
"Darling?" Tsubaki decided to just break the silence.
"En?" Ren waited for her to speak, his eyes never stray from her face.
"Well, it's not that I'm not being grateful for this surprise but..." Tsubaki bit her lower lip anxiously, she looked at their hands that were still intertwining together before her gaze returned to his. "Why do I feel like you go to this extent to make me happy?"
Ren was still smiling calmly. He tugged his hand, pulling her closer to him. "I love making you happy, aren't I?"
"Yes, you do but..."
"You would encounter more nasty thing soon," Ren softly cut her off, his gaze deepened before he took out something from the inside of his jacket pocket. "It's true that I want to celebrate today's occasion but once I received this card, I feel like going all-out for today's celebration."
"En?" Tsubaki's interest was piqued, she looked at the white envelope in her husband's hands. "What it is?"
"I'll show you later," Ren chuckled, he leaned down and bore a soft kiss on her lips. "Let's enjoy tonight first, shall we?"
Considering how her husband had made a really huge surprise tonight, Tsubaki agreed to relent to his wish. Both of them walked around the garden and had a pleasant daily life chat. In her heart, Tsubaki felt like laughing out loud when she remembered how they were dressed up to the nines yet they were just having a simple interaction.
After walking around the yard basked with the golden lights, Ren pulled Tsubaki to sit at the white gazebo placed not far from where they stood. Wisteria flowers trailed the roof and the pillars of the gazebo reminded Tsubaki of her fairy tale storybooks in childhood.
"Actually, I received this card yesterday," Ren showed the white envelope to Tsubaki. He let her took the black card out of the envelope. "It's an invitation to President Souma's anniversary with his wife."
Tsubaki was stunned, she blinked a few times before she read the card.
Sure enough, it was for the couple's wedding anniversary dated this incoming weekend. The card was specified for Mr. and Mrs. Fuse.
"Do you want to confront them?" Tsubaki asked worriedly. Her heart became uneasy with this sudden invitation.
"What do you think?" Ren asked her back. "Do you want to go?"
If he was to follow his heart, he would crash into the party and demand explanations from both President Souma and Mrs. Souma. They had reached this state so he didn't feel the need to sneak around conducting investigation as he did before. Moreover when he thought of how President Souma behaved every time the old man met Tsubaki.
But, that was not the right way. Tsubaki would be hurt if he did that.
The people from the upper class would ridicule her wife's background and made her a laughingstock for being born in an affair. Even though his mother-in-law, the real Fujioka Masami didn't have even an ounce of love for President Souma, her relationship with Mr. Saeki was outrageous enough. Especially with the fact she carried his child while being engaged to President Souma.
He had to protect her. It was his responsibility.
"We should go," Tsubaki decided after thinking seriously. "I want to meet them once again before we think of what to do next."
"Alright," Ren agreed. "Before that, it is wise if we meet Mr. Saito first."
"Mr. Saito?" Tsubaki was baffled. "Do you want to directly ask him if he was related to my father?"
"There's a few minor clues," Ren nodded. He rubbed her head, playing with the loose strand of hair that fell at the side of her face. She appeared extra demure under the soft light of the golden bulbs. "If he was indeed related to your birth father, he should be around 7 years old at the time your father died. How did he know about you?"
As she listened to him, Tsubaki understood from where Ren got his suspicions. Did the young Saito Hajime get to know the ruckus made by her mother and father?
"I'll meet him," Tsubaki said firmly. "I'll ask Kanako to help me. It's better to know what he would have to say before we go to the celebration."
Ren's smile widened. His eyes were imbued with proudness with the way his little wife conducted herself. She looked so determined when she voiced out her suggestion. His worry wasn't needed. While she pointed the sword to the enemy, he would become her shield.
"Err... darling?"
"En?"
Ren couldn't help but laugh when he noticed the contrast of her voice. Earlier, she spoke with such a resolution yet now, her tone sounded meek and coquettish.
"Tonight is so hot... Could I change out of this dress?" Tsubaki deliberately pouted her lips as she stared at her husband while fluttering her long lashes. She was afraid he would be offended since he had prepared tonight's surprise for her.
Even though this dress was made of high-quality cloth, the layerings of them made her sweat under this hot weather of summer.
Ren chuckled with a helpless look. He suddenly placed one of his hands at the back of her neck before he dipped his head in. He skimmed her lower lips with light kisses before he deepened it to savor her sweetness. Tsubaki instinctively clutched the lapels of his jacket and arched her back as he held her waist.
The air was quiet, occasionally they would hear the sound of cicadas singing in the quiet night. Sensing his wife's difficulty to breathe, Ren reluctantly let her go. He traced her lips with his index finger, he smiled in satisfaction seeing her eyes clouded with mist.
"Alright, let's head upstairs and take a bath," Ren gently pulled her hand to stand up with him. "We'll stay here tonight. The bedroom has been prepared."
"Oh? Okay."
Tsubaki didn't expect that they wouldn't return home tonight. As usual, her husband was so attentive. In the large bedroom, there was a small luggage filled with their clothes. Tsubaki took out her cotton nightgown and Ren's black pajamas, she placed them on the bed. Ren was changing out of his suit, the expensive jacket was folded on the table.
"It's a kind of pity," Ren said with regret behind her. He slowly unbuttoned his dress shirt, revealing his toned abdominal muscles.
"En?" Tsubaki turned around. "What do you mean?"
Ren swept a gaze to his wife's confused face. A glint of mischief twinkled in his dark eyes and his thin lips hooked up into a smirk. "If not for the fact you're pregnant right now, do you think we would just go to sleep tonight?"
Tsubaki was stunned. Her small face blushed instantly. She eyed him with contempt before she kicked his long leg. With a huff, she turned around and immediately headed to the bathroom without taking off her long dress first.
"Sweetheart! Let's have a bath together!" Ren took his bathrobe and quickly strode toward the bathroom.
"Who's going to have a bath with you?" Tsubaki pouted, she pushed the door in order to close it but Ren's strong arm had stopped her movement. She bit her lips and tried harder but to no avail. How could her strength be compared to his?
Ren laughed funnily seeing Tsubaki's angry face. His smile was so sly as he spoke, "Well, we should at least bathe together, right? Besides, it's hard for you to take off your dress by yourself. I saw that the zippers and knots are quite complicated to be undone."
Tsubaki was so mad she wanted to pinch his cheeks.
This man was a scoundrel!