Chapter 250 Date

One hour later...

Kurt walked through the outer wrought-iron gates of the estate, expecting a quiet afternoon. Instead, he walked straight into an unbelievable power dynamic.

Standing near the manicured front gardens was Nichole. Despite her fiery personality, she was currently sweating bullets. She was dressed in a maroon housemaid outfit with a white apron, holding a long wooden broom as if it were a sword.

Standing in front of her, tapping a tiny leather boot on the ground with her hands on her hips, was Hope.

Her face was puffed up in utmost authority, thoroughly enjoying the fact that she finally had a "junior maid" to boss around.

"No, no, no! Junior Nichole! You are holding the broom with way too much force! Look at this dirt! You almost scattered the leaves! A proper maid cleans up beautifully!"

"I–I am trying to control my strength! I’ve never held a broom in my life!"

"That is no excuse!" Hope declared cutely, puffing out her tiny chest. "Now! Re-do it!"

From around the corner of the hedge, three figures were watching the spectacle.

Sadie was giggling uncontrollably behind her hands, watching the high-and-mighty noble girl get bossed around by a child. Isabel stood beside her, looking deeply worried that Nichole might blow up the garden, while Yuna had her palm pressed firmly against her forehead in utter disappointment.

As if sensing watchful eyes, Nichole’s head snapped over. The second she locked onto Kurt; her face exploded into a violent shade of crimson.

"K-KURT?!"

She dropped the broom, tried to stand up straight, crossed her arms to look dignified – realized she was wearing a maid apron – freaked out again, and began nervously fiddling with her newly styled hair ribbon.

"N-N-Nothing to see here!" Nichole stammered frantically.

Then, she ran over to him with nervous excitement.

"Junior Nichole! Where are you going?!"

Her eyes darted everywhere except his face. "I am simply... familiarizing myself with the estate! I am doing my duties with perfection! Don’t look at me like that!"

’Oh shit! The tsundere’s attacking!’

As if coming to the rescue, Hope angrily waddled on over to them. "Junior Nichole! Why are you chatting with Kur– Master Rossana while on duty?! Back to work!"

"Y-Yes, Senior Hope!" she squeaked and hurried back to the garden, snatching her broom off the ground.

Hope’s face broke into a sweet, overly familiar smile as she tilted her head, acting cute. "Hehe! Don’t worry, Kurt~! I am training your new maid super well–"

"Hope."

A cool, terrifyingly calm voice echoed from behind them.

Wendy came out of nowhere.

"Did I hear you addressing Master Rossana without proper formal titles?"

"Eep! I-I’m sorry, Head Maid Wendy! I’m going back to work!"

Hope sprinted off after Nichole as fast as her legs could carry her.

Kurt couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at the chaotic scene. He shook his head fondly and stepped past Wendy into the warm interior of the mansion.

.....

It was time for his first date with Diana.

He smoothed down the front of his fitted black button-down shirt, leaving the top two buttons undone to reveal the subtle line of his collarbone. Rolling his sleeves up past his forearms, he adjusted his white trousers and slipped into a pair of clean black dress shoes.

From across the room, Diana was standing before her vanity in a bath robe. She was busy with the finishing touches on her makeup while Wendy helped her.

As Diana reached into her hair to fasten a pair of diamond studs, Kurt caught her hand. "Wait."

Her eyes widened slightly as he showed her a small box. He popped the latch, revealing the crimson crystal drop earrings he had purchased earlier.

"I figured it was best to give these to you before we left. That way you can wear them properly for the rest of our date."

When she slowly put them on and stared at her reflection in the mirror, her breath came to a stop.

"Haha. I knew it." Kurt stood behind her while looking over. "They match your eyes. And guess what? They double as a communication device. I already poured my mana inside. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, you can always reach out to me."

"Kurt... I-I love them," Diana gushed softly, turning to look at him with a radiant glow on her face. "This... this is the very first present you’ve ever given me, Rosie."

"And there will be plenty more to come."

Diana wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, pulling him into a lingering embrace.

Wendy cleared her throat politely. "Pardon the interruption, but the sooner you two finish admiring each other, the sooner your date can officially begin."

Kurt stepped back first. "I’ll wait for you downstairs."

"Mmhm~ I won’t be long."

.......

While waiting in the foyer, Kurt spotted Isabel walking through the hall.

"Isabel."

"Y-Yes, Master Rossana!" She hurried over.

"Are you free for the next few hours? I was hoping you’d drive the carriage for Diana and me on our date today."

Her face lit up with immediate excitement. "I would be honored to! I’ll go prepare the horses right now!" She practically skipped out toward the stables.

A moment later, a soft rustle drew Kurt’s attention toward the main staircase.

Diana descended the steps, taking his breath away once again.

She was wearing an off-the-shoulder black mini dress with sweeping, flared sleeves that highlighted her gorgeous legs and collarbones. Her hair was gathered into an intricate, high ponytail that gave her an extraordinarily bouncy, youthful, and striking allure.

"You look way too good in everything, Ana."

Diana’s cheeks flushed a delicate pink and her smile bloomed with pure satisfaction. "Keep the compliments up and who knows, you might just get lucky tonight, Rosie~"

Wendy walked them to the main entrance, smiling. "Have fun, you two."

As they stepped out onto the driveway, Diana’s caught a strange sight by the side gardens. Nichole Firestar was sweating profusely, wearing their estate’s maid dress, holding a mop this time, and getting lectured by Hope.

"Rosie... why in the world is Nichole Firestar of all people here, wearing our maid’s uniform?"

"Uhm... You see... the thing is..." Kurt gave her a quick, dry summary of the hospital encounter, the Saintess’ miracle, Everett’s big mouth, and her arrival at the front gates.

Diana let out a melodic, amused laugh, watching Hope happily boss the redhead around. "That is so ridiculous. I almost feel sorry for her."

Meeting Isabel at the carriage, Diana gave the maid a polite nod and Kurt gave her the directions. "Take us to Evergreen Park, Isabel."

"Right away, Master!"

The moment they stepped inside the enclosed carriage, Kurt made room on the cushioned seat next to him. Diana didn’t even look at the empty space. Instead, she stepped right over, turning around and sitting directly onto his lap.

She leaned her head back against his shoulder, her fingers lazily twirling through the dark strands of his hair as the carriage began to roll. Kurt slid his one hand around her waist and the other rested against her exposed, smooth thigh.

They spent the rest of the ride like this. Talking about small things, learning the little details about each other, and telling silly jokes to keep the light-hearted vibe alive. Today was only about the two of them.

......

They soon arrived at Evergreen Park. Stepping out into the bright afternoon sun where hand-in-hand, they strolled along the winding paths.

Stopping at a small stand, Kurt bought two cones of fresh cream ice cream. They sat side by side on a secluded park bench under the shade of a tree, casually taking turns to feed each other.

"You got a bit right there," Kurt leaned in to wipe a stray smudge of sweet cream from her lower lip with his thumb.

Diana smiled warmly, grabbing his wrist and gently licking the sweet cream off his thumb before leaning over to wipe a spot off his own chin.

Passing couples and townsfolk looked over, whispering admiringly about what an extraordinarily gorgeous couple they made.

However, whenever bold young men in the park tried to linger, staring too long at Diana’s bare legs or striking beauty, Kurt’s territorial, protective instincts would flare up. His arm would wrap tightly around her waist to pull her close, making it unmistakably clear that she belonged to him. If they didn’t take the hint, he would shoot at them the glare of death, which made them hurry away.

Diana loved every single second of his possessiveness. She purred softly, leaning her full weight into his side and resting her cheek against his shoulder, deliberately flaunting her total affection for him in broad daylight to stake her claim.

However, it didn’t stop at Kurt.

Whenever any woman walking past tried to catch his eye, Diana matched his possessive aura with a lethal glare of her own, sending them scurrying away in terror. They shared a quiet laugh at their mutual possessiveness.

From the park, Isabel drove them to a massage parlour, where they enjoyed a long, deeply relaxing massage.

"Aaah... Goddess above... this was exactly what my body needed," Diana sighed happily as the female employer rubbed her back.

"Yeeeah... You can say that again." Kurt sighed delightfully as well while the male employer went to work on his legs.

Next, they visited a designer boutique. They tried on various outfits, posing playfully for each other behind the dressing curtains.

While fitting an evening shawl behind a curtain, Diana called out, "Rosie, come help me with something~"

The moment Kurt stepped behind the curtain; Diana yanked and pulled him into a passionate kiss.

By the time the shop clerk returned to check on them, Kurt was already out, looking slightly disheveled with his shirt collar pulled. He maintained a straight face while Diana innocently talked to her about buying the shawl.

....

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting deep purple and orange hues across the sky, Isabel drove them up the long, winding cliffside road to their final destination: the Starlight Terrace.

"No reservation is needed, Ms, Valentine, Mr. Rossana. We’d be honored to have you."

’Nice. Privileged, but nice.’

Mia’s recommendation was, as expected, flawless.

Perched high above the city’s upper district, the venue offered a breathtaking view of the glowing city below. Their private terrace balcony was completely secluded, surrounded by blooming night-roses and illuminated by floating mana lanterns.

Over fine, aged red wine and a dinner of seared venison and spiced fruits, Kurt and Diana exchanged quiet banter, completely immersed in their own private world.

This would’ve been the perfect end to their date. However, just as the waiter brought out a plate of delicate tarts for dessert, a quiet commotion stirred near the terrace entrance that neither of them noticed before it was too late.