Althea and I didn’t stay at the petting zoo for long. While I hated to separate from the dogs I’ve made friends with, our reservation at the next destination might expire if we didn’t make it on time. Fortunately, with the help of the near two hundred grand car, we managed to reach the apple garden in time.

It was just like how Althea had planned our first date to go. We would go to the petting zoo to soothe our tired souls, and when we got hungry, we would go for lunch at the nearby apple garden.

The isolated, verdant land was truly a sight to behold. Due to its distance from the city, the apple garden was free of any polluted light. The lemon sun shone overhead, bringing a sense of warmth to this chilly Autumn afternoon.

As for the apple garden itself… Well, it was utterly beautiful.

Compared to the asphalt roads and brick buildings that dominated our neighbourhood, everything here was green and natural. When I’d first stepped foot in this garden, I’d felt like I was transported back to medieval times as farmers happily picked up the numerous red sweets that fell onto the grass.

“How’s your apple pie?”

Althea’s angelic voice beckoning me, pulling me out from my drunken stupor.

Currently, the two of us were seated on a raised terrace overlooking the entire apple garden. It was one of the highlights of this location.

I heard that many famous people from around the globe travel to our country just to experience the breathtaking experience of eating apple pie while watching the rows upon rows of apple trees. And watching this picturesque scene, I could understand why.

“It’s not bad.”

“Not bad? Is something wrong?”

“No, there’s nothing bad about it!”

I hurriedly shut down Althea’s worried plea. She was probably concerned about making this birthday date the best one I ever had. Just a slight frown on my face was more than enough to tick her off. Goodness, I didn’t want her to fret over it too much…

“The apples are fresh, and the pastry is cooked to perfection. I’d never had a better apple pie in my life, to be honest.”

“Oh, so what’s the problem?”

“Haha, it’s just a little too sweet for my liking...”

That was my biggest gripe about eating lunch here. Being an apple garden, most of the food items in their restaurant were based on their prized product. Apple pies, apple cider, baked apples, apple tarts, apple strudels… The list went on.

As someone who preferred to have some sort of meat in my meals, the dessert-based menu didn’t really appeal to me.

Althea, on the other hand, loved her sweet food. A little too much, in fact. I know how much she had been looking forward to finally trying out the desserts in this apple garden, and I couldn’t bring myself to deny her request for just one meal.

“Ah, you don’t really like sweet things, do you?”

“I can handle it in moderation,” I replied as I scooped another spoonful of pie. “It’s still delicious, though.”

“Mmmm, sorry I should have been more thorough when investigating the menu.”

“Nah, it’s fine. As long as we’re not having dinner at some cake shop, I can handle it.”

“Hehe, you don’t have to worry about that! Our dinner will be one that you’ll never forget!”

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… What the hell does that mean? Was she going to bring me to a place that served poisoned soup?

No, Althea wouldn’t do something like that. She would rather poison herself before she fed me anything that might upset my stomach. Still, why must our dinner location be kept a secret? Was it going to be that big of a surprise?

My mental turmoil continued, but I didn’t verbalise it. All I did was watch my gorgeous girlfriend silently nibble on her apple strudel.

With careful movements, Althea’s fork and knife danced with grace on the white plate. Her impeccable table manners were so immaculate that I couldn’t see any flakes of her apple strudel falling out of line. Scooping her long, black flowing hair behind her ears, Althea leaned in and directed the perfectly cut pastry into her petite little mouth.

All that happened in a span of ten seconds, but that was enough to draw numerous eyes from the crowd.

No, it wasn’t just that. Althea’s demeanour, grace, posture all contributed to the increased attention we were getting. They were probably thinking: ‘Who on earth is that beautiful young lady? Was she a Princess or an heir to a large conglomerate?’

And who could blame them?

Sometimes I would forget but… Althea was a bona fide high-class lady.

Whenever we were at home, she would behave like a spoiled girl or a regular young girl. However, when we were out, Althea would always have a dignified poise for her appearance. And it didn’t help that in recent weeks, she had gained this ‘mature aura,’ that was only available for women who had experience.

That charm was a huge problem for me.

When we were at home, and there was no one around, it was all good. But the moment we stepped outside, an ocean of eyes would be directed in Althea’s way. As her boyfriend, I had to protect her from those lascivious eyes lest some random asshole actually came up to harass her.

And more importantly… I just didn’t like other guys lusting over my girlfriend.

While I was busy thinking of a way to hold back Althea’s otherworldly beauty, the girl in question blankly looked at me and asked: “Is something the matter?”

“Hah… Why are you so beautiful?”

“W-What’s with that?! W-Why are you complimenting me all of a sudden?!”

“It’s not all of a sudden,” I sighed. “Just look around; you’re the centre of attention.”

“... That’s not true.”

“How is it not true?”

You would just need to take a quick look, and you could tell that our table was the subject of everyone’s attention. Guys were snapping quick looks at Althea, sometimes even blatantly in front of their significant others. Even the girls were mystified by my girlfriend’s ethereal beauty as they stared in our direction.

“... You are also getting some attention, Desir.”

“Me? Don’t be ridiculous.”

Yes, some eyes were directed at me, but they were primarily inquisitive gazes. Most of them were probably sizing me up as Althea’s attendant, and some of them were agnostic glares from men who wanted to have a go at my girlfriend.

“Again with this...” Althea held her head in suspension as she sighed. “Desir, how many times must I tell you… You’re an attractive man. And your charm has been amplified in recent weeks.”

“Recent weeks?”

“Don’t get me wrong, you’ve always been good-looking; it’s just… Your intense gaze and unapproachable aura have been pushing girls away.”

“And you’re telling me that this has changed in recent weeks?”

“Jesus, Desir... Why are you so oblivious?”

Once again, Althea held her head. She moved her chair closer to mine until there was no gap left and attached her hip right next to mine. Guessing her intentions, I adjusted myself accordingly, giving her space to nestle comfortably. Leaning her head into my armpits, she exclaimed:

“See? This is what I mean!”

“H-Huh?”

“Desir, you might not know this, but your actions have become far too sweet!”

W-Was it? I really couldn’t tell.

“Yes!” The girl proclaimed. “Let me ask you, have you been getting more gazes whenever you go out shopping?”

“Come to think of it...”

Althea and I weren’t stitched together or anything. There were plenty of times where we moved independently. Going down to the grocery store to buy ingredients was one of those times. And as Althea had said, there were more eyes on me than usual. I’d often shrugged it off as just blatant curiosity over someone who was far taller than the average human, but now that I reflected on it… Maybe there was something else in their stares.

“You probably can’t tell, but you’re getting many carnal gazes from women!”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah!” Althea cried out. “I’m a woman too, so I’m more sensitive to things like that. Even when we were at the petting zoo, there were plenty of older ladies looking at you like you’re a piece of meat!”

… Was that why I was being looked at?

I was always aware of the lustful eyes that men had directed at Althea. And while there were women who looked at us in a similar fashion, I’d always thought that they were eyeing Althea instead of myself.

This must be a woman thing. As a man, I could sense the lustful looks that other men had been giving Althea. It probably worked the same the other way around.

“Len was right… It’ll take time to change your perspective that has been moulded from years of neglect.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing!”

Althea pouted and linked her arms with mine. She nuzzled her face against my empty arm and rubbed her forehead against my shoulder.

Good grief, girl… We’re still in public!

“Althea, if you latch onto me like this, I won’t be able to eat.”

“I’ll feed you then,” my girlfriend’s perfect face blossomed into a smile. “It’s your birthday, so won’t you let me pamper you?”

“... Alright,” I sighed and reluctantly agreed.

I’ve known Althea for almost a year now, and when she got into the mood, there was no turning her back. If she wanted to cuddle, there was nothing that I could do to stop her, even if we were out in the open like this.

“This should show them...”

“Hmmm?”

“Nothing! Here, have some apple strudel!”

My words were drowned out by the quick movements of Althea’s fork. Munching on the sweet pastry, I could only watch helplessly as my girlfriend became clingier by the second, causing every other male patron in the restaurant to turn green with envy.