64. Old-fashioned but Romantic

Rion approached my father, and my father welcomed him with a warm smile and both hands open.

"Welcome to my strawberry farm, Mr. Rion; what brings you here?"

My father didn't want to make small talk, nor did I. I remained silent and waited for Rion to speak. The man glanced at me momentarily, then returned to my father.

"I'm here to talk about your daughter, sir. If you don't mind, we can find another place to talk about this," Rion said with a severe look. He hoped my father would comply with his wish to talk elsewhere. My father turned to me and gave me the signal to follow him. I reluctantly followed him, even though I wanted to look around the strawberries and enjoy the atmosphere.

My father walked first with a worker from his farm, while I walked a little slower with Rion.

"How did you know I was here?" I asked as we passed a path that was only wide enough for two adults. Rion grabbed one of my hands and held it; it felt warm because he was wearing a knit t-shirt.

"Your hands are so cold; why are you so careless? It's cold, and you're going to the mountain dressed like this; what were you thinking?"

Rion grumbled instead of answering my question. I smiled, almost laughing, like a child in his eyes.

"Why are you so grumpy these days? You're like a hungry lion."

"Yes, I'm hungry and also annoyed that the lioness I've been eyeing keeps rejecting me, and then she dares to lie to me," Rion snapped quickly, which made me pause by folding my lips into my mouth.

"Sorry for this matter." I apologized, too, but I didn't want to be entirely at fault here.

"I need to know what I mean to you. Even today, I still wonder if our relationship happened because we are Alpha and Omega or because we fell in love and zing! Because both will create different reactions."

Suddenly, Rion stopped walking, which automatically made me do the same. Then, he turned his body to face me. I followed him again so that we could face each other. Both of his hands clasped mine.

"I love you, Amelia. Ever since my eyes fell on you the night I became your owner, I didn't know why I was so strongly attracted to you. I was surprised to discover who you were and where you came from. You were so alluring among the other candidates. I'm sure back then, your blood was not as active as it is now in reacting to me. Then, when I let you go, it was as if I stabbed myself in the heart. You don't know how frustrated I was back then; for the first time again, I drank so much that Varia almost set me up."

Rion paused his words momentarily; I just stayed silent while enjoying his handsome face and beautiful amber eyes. I wanted to hear his confession.

"I'm here to ask for you with your father; I'm here to get your father's permission to take you."

My eyes rounded in surprise. How ancient this man was but so romantic. If he wanted to marry me, he could have done it straight away without telling my father. Still, he was so honorable and upheld the manners of the royal family, which many people nowadays ignore because civilization has changed.

"Come on, you have to hear how I asked you to your father."

Rion turned his body around and pulled me gently to follow him. I just obeyed, and suddenly, my heart was pounding with nerves. We arrived at a chic and elegant wooden house. Typical of a mountain house. The atmosphere around it was very soothing and spoiled the eyes with the green mountain scenery and a slight mist covering it.

"Come on, get in; everything is ready," my father ordered at the entrance of the wooden house. Rion and I obeyed. When I saw the inside of this house, I was amazed again; it was neat, cozy, and elegant.

"Nice house, Mr. Sullivan," Rion complimented, precisely what I wanted to say about the house. My father smiled and said, "I'm too introverted to have a house in the middle of the city."

Then my father turned to look at me and winked at me with one of his eyes. I laughed and understood what he meant; we were father and daughter. I glanced at Rion, who chuckled.

"Now I know where Amelia's attitude of not wanting to be the center of attention comes from."

Rion's words embarrassed me. My father invited us to sit on the long sofa where hot chocolate, delicious snacks, churros, croissants, and sweetbreads with strawberries were laid on the table. The aroma of the hot chocolate made me want to drink it immediately.

"So, what is your purpose here, Mr. Orion?"

"I am here to ask for your daughter, sir. I will marry her and take full responsibility for her life until my last breath."

Hearing Rion say that, I almost choked, but fortunately, I quickly overcame my situation. I knew he wanted to propose, but I was still nervous. I looked at my father to see his reaction.

"Are you sure you can guarantee her life? You must know the circumstances that could happen if you marry my daughter. You might fall out with your father," my father said, looking at Rion seriously.

"It was precisely because of my father's encouragement that I had to marry Amelia. My father thought Amelia could solve the disputes between the several clans and kingdoms."

My mind thought of King Alarick. I didn't have any idea about his figure. Still, hearing Rion's reasoning, I assumed that Rion's father wanted to marry me off to his son out of interest.

Could I trust Rion's words from back then?

My pessimistic self wondered and began to feel anxious.

"Does your father know about Amelia completely?"

I knew the meaning of my father's question. He was emphasizing more about me being a human.

"Marriages between werewolves and humans are not uncommon, sir. Even my grandfather did it, only this time Amelia is special from other humans," said Rion without hesitation. Meanwhile, I'm currently starting to be overwhelmed by uncertainty.

If I wasn't an omega, would King Alarick approve of us?

My other self shook her head weakly with a sad look. I bit my lip on the inside and drank back my hot chocolate.

"Amelia?"

My father's reprimand distracted me from my thoughts. I was so wrapped up in my assumptions and debates with myself that I didn't listen to my father and Rion's conversation.

"Yes, Dad," I said to make my father understand that I wasn't listening to him.

"Are you willing to accept Mr. Rion's proposal?"

I slowly placed my mug of hot chocolate on the table.

"I have some conditions for accepting your proposal, Mr. Rion," I said. Rion looked at me with a faint frown on his forehead, but I could tell he was surprised by my words.

"After we are married and you replace your father on the throne, give me authority beyond that of a queen, especially the safety of my baby."

Everyone was silent for a few seconds. I had to prepare for all possibilities, for the worst. Not that I wanted the situation to be wrong, but I couldn't help but think everything would be fine when I sat on the throne as Rion's queen and wife.

"How is it? Do you agree?" I asked as I looked back at Rion.

"Alright, I agree," Rion said without blinking as he said that while looking at me. I smiled and then turned to my father. I saw my father raise his forehead while looking at me. He agreed and understood the conditions I put forward for Rion.

"Set the date, and I ask that the wedding is not only held in Cardinia; I also want it to be held here to invite the Noden clan and my business colleagues and workers."

I smiled at my father's wish, which meant I had to invite Miracle Law's people, my college friends, and Karina.

Ah, Karina....

I have been waiting to hear from her for a long time. After graduation, she returned to her parents' house and settled there in the southern part of Loxen. Karina's contacts have also disappeared since I changed my number to avoid Rion. I unfortunately forgot about it before breaking my chip card that time.

Karina must be very angry with me. I need to find the girl's cell phone number; maybe Thomas can help me.

Thomas....

It feels strange to mention that name again, the only man who witnessed my old life before I met Rion. Unfortunately, I couldn't give him a chance to inhabit my heart. There are things in this world that cannot be forced too much; if forced, it will hurt the people who do it.

Since it was Saturday, my father let Rion and me stay overnight in this wooden house. At first, I wanted to go home. Still, my father said that tomorrow morning, he would take me to Rion to explore the mountain, visit the protected forest, and camp and fish by the lake. It sounded like fun, so I decided to stay the night.