Chapter 370: At Last
A long line of people stood outside the studio, and Charles didn't feel like waiting for their turn. He had the option to pull out his Governor card and skip the queue, but he thought of it as too cheap of a move for a governor to do.
Charles looked around and found an old man sitting in front of a drawing board.
"How about we go over to him? There are too many people in the line over there," Charles said, pointing at the old painter.
Lily tilted her head and pondered briefly over it before nodding. "Okay, then."
The old painter missing a front tooth was thrilled upon recognizing an opportunity to earn money. "Rest assured, sir. My paintings are definitely more realistic than photos, and my prices aren't as exorbitant. I charge only a hundred Echo."
Charles glanced at the old painter's drawing board and paintbrushes before nodding. Then, he pushed Lily over to the stool in front of the drawing board and signaled to the old painter to start painting.
However, Lily dragged Charles toward the stool and made him sit down on it before plopping down on his lap.
"You can start now, old sir," Lily said.
"Do we have to do it like this?" Charles asked while staring down at Lily on his lap.
"Shh, be quiet, Mr. Charles. He's painting us now," Lily said. She then placed one of Charles' hands on her waist and wrapped her hands around his neck.
As the paintbrush tinged with a variety of colors grazed past the canvas on the drawing board, the bustling street corner seemed to have turned silent. Lily and Charles were so close to each other that Charles could feel Lily's accelerating heartbeat.
The petite girl looked around briefly before her eyes looked up and eventually landed on Charles' face. Their eyes met instantly in mid-air, and the world seemed to have come to a standstill right there and then.
The two felt their figures becoming hot with each passing second, and Lily eventually weakened, becoming soft until she was completely leaning on Charles.
After an unknown amount of time, the old painter looked up and said, "It's done."
Lily immediately struggled her way down Charles' lap and rushed over to the drawing board. Then, she peeled away the canvas and ran away as if she were escaping from something.
"Pay for it, Mr. Charles! See you tomorrow!" Lily shouted in the distance.
The corners of Charles' lips curled up slightly as he stared at Lily's bouncing back.
Over the next few days, Lily stuck so closely to Charles that it seemed like the two were about to merge bodies. Whenever Charles had any free time, Lily would drag him away somewhere, and the two spent more and more time with each other.
Lily took a bite of the crab cake in her hand, and her eyes seemed to shine like stars as she exclaimed, "Mmm~ This is so good, Mr. Charles! It's really delicious, try it!"
Charles glanced at the crab cake and took a bite at where Lily had taken a bite of the crab cake just now.
"Sir, would you like to buy a flower for your lovely wife? This flower was just plucked from the farm district this morning, so it's guaranteed fresh," the owner of a flower stall said while holding up a rose with a smile.
Lily's steps abruptly came to a halt. She didn't correct the florist. On the contrary, her cheeks flushed red, and her eyes glimmered with expectation as she stared at Charles.
Charles stared alternatingly between the florist and Lily before reaching out to take the flower and handing it over to Lily.
Lily's eyes instantly curved up in joy. She held the flower gingerly while jumping about in excitement. Charles grabbed Lily's hand, and the two continued their stroll down the street.
For some reason, the two became even more intimate after Charles gave Lily a flower, and Lily clung to Charles as if she were a bird orbiting its owner.
Unfortunately, happy times would always go by quickly, and all good things were bound to come to an end. In what Lily felt was the proverbial blink of an eye, the two had to part ways again.
The two stood before the Governor's Mansion while staring at each other. Lily bit her lip and tightened her grip on the rose in her hand. Just then, she plucked out a strand of courage from somewhere and said, "Charles, can I live here again?
"My house is big, but it's so empty that it's lonely staying there. I can't get used to it at all."
Charles was stunned by Lily's remark. Eventually, he nodded and started walking toward the steel gates being guarded by two guards.
"Go back and pack up. We'll have dinner in an hour, so come here by then," Charles said as he disappeared behind the steel gates.
Left all alone, Lily was so excited that she spread her arms like a little bird and started cheering while making a beeline for her residence. Lily soon arrived at her residence, and she started changing into new clothes.
Unfortunately, Lily's clothes couldn't quite satisfy her. However, time waited for no one, so Lily had no choice but to make up her mind about her outfit for tonight's dinner.
In the end, Lily chose a milky white dress with a flowing skirt and waist belt adorned with pearls. She also decided on a light green sling bag that complimented her outfit and accentuated her adorable and lively nature.
Exactly an hour after parting ways with Charles, Lily arrived at the steel gates of the Governor's Mansion in her outfit and a small suitcase. Having visited the Governor's Mansion many times before, Lily was extremely familiar with the place, but she had never been so excited to visit the Governor's Mansion until tonight.
The sight that greeted Lily after walking past the steel gates astonished her: rose petals were strewn about the red carpet on the ground, creating a path toward somewhere in the Governor's Mansion.
Lily turned toward the white-gloved steward, who came to fetch her, but the steward acted as if he were blind and stared blankly at the ground.
Seeing that, Lily chose not to ask any questions and decided to follow the laid-out path covered in rose petals. Lily soon found herself standing inside a spacious hall upon reaching the end of the rose-riddled path.
The spacious hall had been cleared and contained nothing but a classic wooden table for two and a golden record player on a stand next to it. Charles was standing next to the wooden table with a wine bottle in hand; he was pouring wine into the crystal wine glass on the table.
Charles was no longer clad in his gray captain's uniform but had changed into a black suit. His fierce demeanor seemed to have gone as well, making him appear as though he were nothing but an ordinary gentleman.
There were steaks covered in a dark sauce on the plate next to the crystal wine glasses, along with a variety of fruits chopped into bite-sized pieces.
Charles looked up just then upon hearing Lily's footsteps. Then, he walked toward a nearby chair and pulled it slightly.
"Have a seat," he said.
Lily tossed the suitcase she was holding to the side and rushed over to Charles with joy painted all over her face. She sat down obediently, and Charles went back to his seat as well.
"The rules of etiquette say that we should drink first," Charles said and raised his glass.
Lily hurriedly grabbed her glass filled with wine and raised it with both hands.
"Cheers!"
The two clinked glasses and Lily struggled to swallow the wine in her mouth. She stuck out her tongue, revealing that it had been dyed in the same color as the wine; she started fanning at it and said, "Mr. Charles, I think banana wine tastes better than this. This wine is too strong for me."
"Oh, I'll remember that. Next time, we'll drink banana wine. Also, just call me Charles from now on," Charles replied.
An invisible tentacle stretched out behind him and tapped on the golden record player. The black vinyl record soon started spinning, and the spacious hall was soon filled with a beautiful harmony.
Just like that, the two started eating their dinner. Lily's seemed a bit too clumsy with the fork and knife in her hands. It wasn't a strange sight, of course, as it had been such a long time since she last used tableware.
A knife and fork suddenly reached toward Lily's plate, and they quickly sliced the steak into bite-sized pieces. However, that wasn't the end of it; the fork pierced a piece of meat and brought it over to Lily's mouth.
Lily stared wide-eyed in astonishment, but she eventually opened her tiny mouth and started munching on the steak. Just like that, the two became closer and closer to each other as Charles ate while feeding Lily at the same time.
By the time their plates were almost empty, the two were already sitting on the same chair.
Lily looked up at Charles and stared at him with a gaze full of affection.
"Mr. Charles, tell me that you love me."
"I love you, Lily."
"Hehehe, you finally said it!" Lily smiled sweetly. Then, she turned and knelt on Charles' lap with both hands around his neck. Slowly, she leaned down and pressed her lips against Charles' lips.
The two kissed passionately, and their actions became more and more intense as if they were desperate to merge into one.
All of a sudden, a tear slid from the corner of Lily's eye and fell onto Charles' face.
Charles pulled away and cupped Lily's face with his hands. He started wiping away the tears falling down her cheeks, but Lily's tears seemed endless.
"Don't cry why are you crying?"
"Sniff! I'm not crying I I'm just happy," Lily replied and sobbed as she took out a book the size of a human fingernail from her sling bag. As tears streamed down her face and as her choked sobs pervaded the air, she took out a pen and crossed out a line of tiny words at the top of the page.
She crossed out the last item on her wishlistto experience love.
"Mr. Charles, thank you. All my wishes have been fulfilled at last."
The corners of Charles' lips quivered ever so slightly; he pulled Lily into a tight embrace, and a tear slid down his original left eye as he said, "I'm sorry for being so useless. I'm so useless that I can't help you at all"
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