Chapter 259: A Game of Love

Liana’s mother’s lips trembled, but no sound came out—outrage and sheer shock had completely robbed her of speech. She could only dart her bewildered gaze back and forth between Iron and her daughter.

​Meanwhile, Elizaveta, still leaning against the checkout counter, broke into a genuine smile.

​"So, where did you two meet then?" she asked with undisguised curiosity, tilting her head slightly.

"About a week ago, in a little cafe," Iron said calmly, looking at the manager. "I saw Liana, and honestly, I don't even know why, but I just found myself walking toward her. I sat down at her table, and she didn't seem to mind at all. That's how we met."

​Internally, Liana just let out a panicked sigh.

​Meanwhile, Iron smoothly shifted his gaze to Liana’s mother. His voice sounded measured and respectful:

​"Could I have a word with you?"

​Liana’s mother, still struggling to snap out of her shock, blinked heavily a few times and barely managed to say:

​"Ah... yes, of course."

​"Then maybe we could go to a restaurant?" Iron suggested. "Liana and I were actually at a place just yesterday, and she really liked it there."

​"Well... um... ah..." Liana’s mother started.

​Noticing her confusion, Iron gently cut her off:

​"Don't worry, it won't take much time."

​Without waiting for an answer, he slid his hand down from Liana’s shoulder, confidently took her hand, and pulled her toward the store’s exit. Liana hesitated for a split second, but immediately stepped after him.

​Stepping out of the store onto the morning street, Iron tilted his head slightly toward Liana and whispered barely audibly into her ear:

​"Just play along."

​Liana only gave a quick, hesitant nod.

​At that moment, the store door opened behind them. Iron caught the sound, turned around, and noticed Liana’s mother and Elizaveta stepping out after them.

​Damn it... why is she coming with us? Iron thought with annoyance, watching the manager walk out alongside Liana’s mother.

​However, without showing it, he simply gave them a friendly wave, indicating the direction, and continued on his way.

​A couple of minutes later, they reached the very same restaurant. Walking inside, they made their way to the back of the dining hall and settled into the soft, comfortable booths.

​Soon, a waiter approached their table, handed everyone leather-bound menus, and politely stepped away to give them time to decide.

​Iron skimmed the pages, then nudged the menu with his chin, looked at Liana’s mother and Elizaveta, and said confidently:

​"Before we begin, I'd like to say that I'll be paying for everything, so please, don't hold back."

​Liana’s mother immediately looked at him in bewilderment:

​"Seriously...?"

​Elizaveta, on the other hand, didn't waste a second, enthusiastically clasping her hands:

​"Excellent!"

​She shifted her gaze from Iron to Liana and added with a smile:

​"Liana, I think I just figured out why you picked him!"

Liana’s mother immediately nudged her in the ribs with a stern jab of her elbow, but Elizaveta just waved it off, laughing quietly:

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!"

​They made their choices and called the waiter over. After taking their order, the guy was about to leave, but Iron added at the very last moment:

​"Oh, and also, could you just bring a whole pitcher of water right away?"

​The waiter smiled politely but shook his head sympathetically:

​"I apologize, but that is not our policy. Water is only served by the glass."

​"Ah, fair enough," Iron shrugged calmly.

​The waiter nodded and quickly headed off to the kitchen.

​A tense silence fell over the table. Liana lowered her head, staring at the floor. Elizaveta continued studying the dessert page with interest. Liana’s mother, meanwhile, felt extremely awkward and lost, having no idea how to even start this conversation.

​Finally, she took a deep breath and opened her mouth to say something, but Iron smoothly cut her off:

​"Like I said, we met in a cafe about a week ago. And honestly, right from our very first meeting, I wanted to marry her."

​At these words, Liana’s head snapped up, and she stared at him in absolute shock, nearly choking on her own breath.

​Iron, however, continued in a completely calm tone:

"But I fully understood that she had no idea who I was. So I did everything I could to let her get to know me better, and I tried to learn as much about her as possible, too. And so, a week later, we started dating. I felt it was only right to tell you in person. And believe me, I will make Liana the happiest girl in the world."

​Having finished his speech, Iron took a sip of water from the glass that had been brought earlier.

​Liana’s mother’s facial expression changed noticeably—all her previous bewilderment gave way to absolute seriousness. She carefully looked Iron up and down and said slowly:

​"I understand your position... You can just call me Diana. And as for you... what do you do?"

​"Oh, right!" Iron tilted his head slightly and spread his hands a bit. "I was just so happy to meet you that I even forgot to introduce myself. My name is Iron Everfall. I'm just an ordinary traveler."

​"Show me your card," Diana demanded, strictly folding her arms across her chest and glaring intently at Iron.

​Without another word, the engineer reached into his pocket, pulled out his traveler's card, and calmly placed it on the table. Diana took the card, carefully examined the seal, the name, and the details, after which she exhaled silently and gave a reserved nod:

​"Alright."

​She shifted her gaze to her daughter, and her voice regained its severity:

​"But if you two knew each other and have been dating this whole time, why didn't you say anything to me?"

​Liana squeezed her fingers guiltily under the table and quietly lowered her eyes:

​"I... I just didn't want you to find out. If I had told you, you would have immediately forbidden me from even talking to him..."

​"Well, even if I had said that, so what?!" Diana threw her hands up emotionally. "Why would you be afraid of your own parent?"

​Iron smoothly reached out, wrapped an arm around Liana’s shoulders, and pulled her slightly against him.

​"Now, there's no need to pressure your child like that," he said calmly, looking Diana right in the eyes. "On the contrary, you should be happy for her."

​Diana looked at his hand on her daughter’s shoulder and asked with disdain:

​"And where do you live? What do you do?"

​"I live in a village called Stella Primaria," Iron replied with a barely noticeable smile. "It's quite far from here. And as for me, like I said, I'm a traveler. I travel through different countries and cities, reselling goods and handling other business."

​"And how did you end up here?" Diana interrupted him.

​"I came here because of my father, but he recently left the country," Iron explained in an even tone. "And today I'm leaving as well, so I wanted to ask if I could..."

​"No!" Diana snapped, not even letting him finish his sentence.

​"Mom, come on! Why not?!" Liana immediately exclaimed in protest.

​"You know exactly why!" Diana cut her off. "He's just going to start stressing you out, loading you up with work, and..."

​At that moment, Iron mentally tuned out of her lecture for a moment and sighed to himself:

Yeah... looks like I'm going to have to do it.

​"So what's the problem with letting Liana go?" Elizaveta chimed in curiously, propping her chin on her hand.

​"What do you mean, what's the problem?!" Diana flared up, turning to her. "I know guys like this! There isn't a single one among them who would court a girl sincerely and without an ulterior motive!"

​While Diana was distracted by Elizaveta, Iron leaned in slightly toward Liana and whispered right in her ear:

​"Just smile and laugh a little."

​Liana didn't quite understand the point of the request, but trusting him, she let out a quiet chuckle and smiled shyly:

​"Are you serious?"

​"Yeah!" Iron replied loudly with feigned emotion, pulling back from her slightly. "That really was such a bizarre situation!"

​As he said this, he pulled a coin from his pocket and dropped it on the floor. The gold coin landed with a clink right by Liana’s feet. She immediately reached down to pick it up, but Iron stopped her with a gesture.

​"No need to strain yourself, sweetie," he said softly.

​He held out his palm. At that exact moment, the dropped coin lifted off the floor, shot upward, and landed smoothly right in his open hand.

​Iron moved even closer to Liana, looked at her with tenderness, and said in a quiet voice:

​"Just know, I am ready to do anything for you, and I will never let you overwork or strain yourself."

​Diana froze in surprise, her stunned gaze shifting back and forth from Liana to Iron himself.

​At that moment, the waiter returned with a tray and carefully set out the ordered dishes on the table.

​Iron’s gaze slid over Liana’s portion. He gave a genuine smile and looked her straight in the eyes:

​"So you ordered the exact same thing...? That's so cute."

​"Mm-hmm..." Liana replied bashfully, burying her gaze in her plate.

​Iron grabbed his fork and calmly started eating.

​"Don't worry, Liana is in safe hands," he added quietly, casting a brief glance at Diana.

​Everyone ate in silence, but the atmosphere was tense. Liana was heartily devouring her potatoes, and at one point, she accidentally got some sauce on the corner of her lips. Iron, noticing this, took a clean napkin, gently lifted her chin, and carefully wiped the smudge away. Liana froze in embarrassment, then gave him a grateful smile.

​They began chatting quietly and laughing together. Diana, sitting silently across from them, watched their every move with thoughtful, sharp attention.

​Soon, Elizaveta’s dessert arrived—a pastry garnished with fresh berries. Running her spoon through the glaze and taking her first bite, the manager closed her eyes and let out a delighted sigh of pleasure.

​An hour later, breakfast was coming to an end. Iron asked for the check, paid in gold, and soon received his change from the waiter—about three silver coins.

​Elizaveta, putting away her napkin, looked at him:

​"Listen... does this mean you're rich?"

​Iron let out a quiet chuckle and shook his head:

​"No, not really. But my dad is actually very rich. And I'm doing everything I can to become just like him."

​Leaving the restaurant, they took a leisurely walk back toward the "Shemis" store. Iron and Liana walked arm in arm, half-turned toward each other, whispering about something and exchanging quiet smiles. Diana walked slightly off to the side, lost in memories of her daughter’s childhood and mentally weighing everything she had seen over the past hour.

​Stopping near the store entrance, Iron turned to her:

​"Like I said, I'm leaving today. And I would really love it if Liana came with me. I assure you—"

​"No..." Diana shook her head hesitantly.

​Liana immediately hugged Iron’s arm tightly and looked at her mother:

​"Mom, come on! Please! I really, really want to go with him!"

​Elizaveta placed a hand on Diana’s shoulder and said quietly:

​"Maybe we really should let them go, Diana?"

​Her mother hesitated, her gaze roaming over her daughter’s face. Liana, seeing her mother waver, realized this was her chance. She abruptly turned to Iron, got up on her tiptoes, and right in front of everyone, kissed him on the cheek.

​Caught off guard, Iron’s eyes widened ever so slightly. Instinctively, he wanted to pull back and push her away, but instantly realizing this was the perfect moment, he stayed perfectly still.

​Liana pulled back, bashfully covering her lips with her hand, and holding her breath, exhaled:

"Well... have I proved to you that I love him now?"

​Diana was literally at a loss for words from absolute shock, staring at them with wide eyes. Elizaveta, meanwhile, threw her hands up in amazement and exclaimed enthusiastically:

​"Wow! That really was unexpected! Did you see that, Diana?!"

​A few seconds later, Diana snapped out of her stupor, let out a deep breath, and after processing what she had just seen, finally managed to say:

"Alright..."

​Liana’s eyes lit up with joy:

​"Seriously?!"

​"Yes..." her mother sighed heavily, looking sternly at Iron. "But on one condition. I hope all your words are the sincere truth. And if they are... please take care of Liana."

​"I will," Iron replied calmly and firmly.

​"And also, you must visit here at least once a month so I don't worry, otherwise..."

​"Yes, okay!" Liana interrupted her happily.

​That's already a second condition... but whatever, fine, Iron chuckled mentally.

​Liana grabbed his hand and said her goodbyes with a happy smile:

​"Alright, we're off! Don't miss us too much!"

​"See you," Iron nodded.

​Diana and Elizaveta began waving after them. The moment Iron and Liana’s figures disappeared around the nearest corner, Elizaveta sighed and gave Diana a light pat on the shoulder:

​"Time to get to work."

Diana nodded silently, and together they headed back into the store.