"Jakob…"

"Yes, milady?"

Corrin stifled a sigh. "Never mind."

Jakob didn't turn around as he poured the tea into two mugs, adding honey and lemon, with a little extra honey for her. She watched his back, feeling a little lonely. His clothes were pristine and unwrinkled, his hair neatly tied with nary a strand out of place. It made her feel lonely and disheveled. And she had tried so hard to look pretty and tidy.

"Here you go, milady."

He set a mug in front of her and slid in the opposite chair with his own. Jakob seemed content to let the silence stretch on, sipping his tea while gazing thoughtfully out the window. There was a calm, soothing air about their tea time, and it didn't appear to be anything but an attentive butler serving his lady…which was the entire problem. They weren't just a butler and a lady!

Corrin set her mug down a little harder than necessary. "Jakob—"

"Yes, milady?"

"Is that all I am to you?"

He looked taken aback at her sharp tone. "I beg your pardon?"

"Am I just your lady? Am I not your—your—uh—"

Well, now she was too embarrassed to say it. She stared down at her mug, her cheeks burning. Why couldn't he be as silly and giddy as she was? When she snuck a peek, he was still staring at her with a small, concerned frown.

She took a breath and blurted out, "Am I not your lover?"

It was very quiet between them until, incredibly, Jakob started to blush. "L-L-Lovers?"

"We aren't?"

"No, I—I suppose we are, it's just—you're too—frank."

"Well, pardon me for being frank. I can't help it! It's not fair that I'm always thinking about you, and how good you smell, and how your smile makes my heart beat, and all these other stupid little things, while you don't seem to care at all. You haven't even said you loved me after that first time, much less kiss me."

"Kiss you? Such a thing—the thought—"

Incredibly, Jakob was even redder than she was now. "I wouldn't—wouldn't dare—to sully milady's honor—"

"Good heavens, Jakob, if you keep worrying about my honor we'll never get any further than tea time."

"F-F-Further? We're going further?"

They stared at each other equally bewildered, though Corrin suspected it was for entirely different reasons. She wondered whatever happened to the impeccable, composed butler who had served her tea just minutes before.

He cleared his throat. "Milady, I do love you. More than anything. But people are already gossiping about us, saying I seduced you, that you are courting beneath your station. I don't care what they say about me, but I won't allow anyone to say a word against you."

"I don't care what people think, and neither should you. I care what you think. So say my name, Jakob, and show me you love me like a man loves a woman, not as a butler loves his mistress!"

Jakob's mouth twitched upward into a smile both exasperated and bemused. "You truly are a remarkable person, surprising me at every turn. Very well."

He reached out to cup her cheek. His hand was unexpectedly warm, and she realized he had taken off his glove. Such a simple gesture was nonetheless strangely intimate.

"Corrin," he said, and his voice was so soft, heating her up from the inside out like the richest tea. "I love you, and this time I swear I'll show it to you from now on."

And then he kissed her, sweetly, tenderly, like a man should kiss a woman. It was everything she dreamed of and more, and she wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him in closer. Corrin didn't realize how much she craved his touch until she couldn't get enough.

Jakob finally pulled away, covering his mouth with one hand, though he couldn't hide his pink cheeks. He looked a little tousled now, even bashful. It was a side she had never seen before. She hoped no one else had, either, for this was something for her and her alone.

"You are going to be the death of me," he muttered, but he reached for her again and pulled her against him. "But a sweeter death I couldn't imagine."

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