A week after officially dating Karl, the weekend ca when Marylin planned to visit her parents.
Her family didn’t live in Burg Eltz but in another city within the sa province. She had originally moved to Burg Eltz for university. The trip ho would take nearly three hours, and since it felt a little unsafe for a young woman to drive alone that far, she decided to take the train.
Of course, she’d already told Karl about her plans. The mont he heard she was going by train, he frowned and insisted on driving her himself.
Marylin refused right away. There was no way she could let Karl send her ho—that would basically an taking him to et her parents.
After spending so ti with him, she had co to understand Karl’s endless tricks and persistence. No matter how much he coaxed, she stood firm and kept him from following. Karl ended up looking a little dejected.
Still, she had to admit... he was a thoughtful boyfriend. He had gone out of his way to prepare a mountain of local specialties from Burg Eltz, along with health supplents for her parents. Marylin’s head ached just looking at it all. She hadn’t planned on bringing anything—her usual habit was simply handing her parents money when she went ho so they could buy whatever they needed.
After all, carrying bulky packages on the train was inconvenient. Every holiday she went ho, she barely carried anything except her luggage. But now, Karl had piled up a ridiculous amount of gifts for her to bring.
Marylin frowned instinctively. Karl caught her expression and quickly jumped in.
"See? That’s why I should drive you instead. We can just load everything into the car—it’s no trouble at all."
Standing in her living room with arms folded, Marylin glanced at the gifts, then at Karl. He really would try every trick just to follow her ho.
When she stayed silent, Karl pressed on, voice full of sincerity.
"I know what’s on your mind. You just don’t want eting your parents yet, right? Don’t worry. I’ll just drop you at the door and leave. That’s all."
Marylin shot him a sharp glare. Did he take her for soone that cold? If he really dropped her off at the door, how could she possibly stop him from coming inside? And knowing his scheming personality, he’d probably find so excuse to step into her house anyway. She wasn’t naïve enough to fall for that trap.
So she pushed the gifts back at him.
"I never bring ho a pile of stuff like this. For years I’ve just given my parents money, and they buy what they need. So, Karl, take these back."
The wounded look on his face made her falter.
"Habits are made, aren’t they?" he said softly. "From now on, every ti you visit your parents, bring them sothing. Little by little, you’ll get used to it."
Marylin: "..."
Unable to bear that pitiful expression anymore, she finally gave in a little. She picked out a few things she knew her parents might actually use.
"I’ll just take these. They can fit in my suitcase, so I won’t have to carry a dozen bags."
Since she was only going ho for a day, her suitcase was nearly empty anyway. Those few items could fit inside with no problem.
Karl didn’t get what he truly wanted—to drive her ho—but he had to accept it. He knew how strong-willed she was. The fact that she took even a few gifts was already her compromise. She had recognized his efforts, and in her own way, that was her respect for him.
So, in the end, Karl compromised. He told himself he needed to think about her feelings too. After all, being together ant learning to make concessions for each other.
But just because she wouldn’t let him tag along—did that really an he couldn’t go on his own?
For Karl, gaining her parents’ approval was no trivial matter. It was sothing he desperately longed for, a step toward pushing their relationship further. Engagent... marriage... those words burned in his mind like a fever.
The timing only made his desire worse. His mother had recently started planning his elder brother’s wedding, and the entire family was bustling with joy and festivity. Everywhere he turned, there were talks of flowers, ceremonies, and celebrations.
Karl couldn’t help but itch with impatience. Watching his brother’s wedding preparations only fueled his own yearning. He wanted the sa—no, he wanted it even more. To openly and rightfully claim Marylin as his, to see her standing beside him not as a secret girlfriend but as his future wife.
If only, he thought with a clenched jaw, if only this grand wedding was being prepared for him and Marylin instead.
Of course, reality was far from what Karl wanted.
While busy preparing his elder son’s wedding, Linda still found ti to jab at her younger one.
"Didn’t you once brag to that I should start preparing your wedding too? I thought you were so capable, that you’d win that girl over in no ti."
Karl: "..."
But Linda didn’t stop there.
"If you actually tried harder, maybe you could’ve held a joint wedding with your brother. Do you know how exhausting it is to organize one? If you two got married together, I could finish it all at once and be done with it."
Karl’s mood took a hit. Rolling his eyes, he shut himself in his room, refusing to deal with his mother any longer.
Of course, Linda’s sharp tongue was half intentional. She was deliberately poking at her younger son, hoping to light a fire under him and push him to secure that red-dress girl’s hand in marriage.
Anyone could see how smitten Karl was, but it was also clear the young lady wasn’t yet ready to take things that far. For years, her younger son had been buried in his research, and Linda had once worried he had no interest in won at all. Seeing him this devoted now was a relief—but also an urgency.
It wasn’t about convenience or holding two weddings at once. She simply wanted both her sons settled, married, and living steady lives. They weren’t young anymore, after all. What mother wouldn’t ache to see her children start families of their own?
Even though Marylin had firmly refused to let Karl take her ho, that Saturday morning he still showed up at her door right on ti, insisting on driving her to the train station.
That much, she couldn’t turn down. So she agreed.
She had already packed her suitcase, originally planning to call a car, but now Karl was here. She went back to grab her things, ready to leave.
He followed her inside, and just before they stepped out the door, Karl pulled her into his arms, stealing a kiss. His breath lingered against her ear as he sighed.
"What should I do? The thought of not seeing you for two days... it’s unbearable. I’ll miss you so much."
Ever since they made their relationship official, they’d been seeing each other every single day. That, of course, was thanks to Karl’s brilliant decision to move in next door.
They had breakfast together in the mornings before work, dinner together after coming ho, and even if one of them worked late, they always saw each other before bed.
Their lives, their routines—aside from not sharing the sa roof—were no different from a couple already living together.
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