Between Your Letter and My Reply

Chapter 24

[Translation By Divinity]

Asher shook his head with an air of arrogance.

“No prosthetic craftsman can match the skill of Asher Olon. Go look elsewhere. You can’t find anything like this anywhere else. That’s why it’s expensive.”

“I… see.”

Damian should have known when Paul praised him as the best prosthetic maker.

While he appreciated his cousin’s thoughtfulness in recommending the best for him, Paul hadn’t considered Damian’s financial situation at all.

A few hundred thousand Hirks might seem like pocket change to that wealthy young master, but Damian didn’t have that kind of money to throw around.

“I-I understand. I’ll think about it a bit more and look around.”

“What’s there to think about? I told you, mine is the best.”

“Still, I need to do my own research…”

As Damian fumbled to get up, Asher clicked his tongue.

“You’ll end up coming back to me anyway. You’ve already tried mine on. Go try on similar models elsewhere, and you’ll see the difference.”

“Is that so? Then I don’t think you need to worry too much. If what Mr. Olon says is true, I’ll probably come back here after checking out other places.”

“Alright, alright. Come back when you’re done looking around.”

Asher said as he organized the prosthetics he had taken out to show Damian. Damian bowed to Asher and left his workshop.

He didn’t know how much other makers charged for their prosthetics, but it seemed he had underestimated the price. He felt faint.

☆

A week later, Damian visited his doctor again after finishing the medication prescribed at the hospital. After a few brief questions, the doctor nodded.

“It doesn’t seem like we need any tests today. If you haven’t had any problems for the past week, I’ll prescribe more medication.”

“Does that mean I’m healing well?”

“You are healing, but your condition could suddenly worsen, so please take good care of yourself. Avoid strenuous activities and be mindful of your diet.”

“I’m being careful.”

“Especially no alcohol.”

“Don’t worry about that either.”

“Alright, then I’ll see you in three weeks.”

“Doctor, may I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Could you recommend a good prosthetic maker?”

“For that, you should inquire at the rehabilitation medicine department. They often work with prosthetic makers, so… Come to think of it, it seems like it’s time for you to start rehabilitation therapy. I’ll write you a referral.”

Damian tilted his head at the doctor’s words.

“Isn’t rehabilitation already over?”

“What?”

“I can move without any problems.”

The doctor looked at Damian as if he were the biggest idiot in the world.

“Just being able to walk around doesn’t mean you’re fully recovered! Your body is a mess, your muscles are all out of whack! Have you even been seeing a rehabilitation specialist? Huh? It seems like you haven’t!”

He immediately contacted the rehabilitation medicine department and sent Damian there. So Damian, who had come for an internal medicine checkup, ended up having to visit the surgery and rehabilitation departments as well.

During his surgery consultation, he received another round of nagging. Damian couldn’t understand why every doctor he saw felt the need to lecture him.

Afterward, with referral letters from both his primary physician and the surgeon in hand, he sighed deeply and leaned back against a chair in the rehabilitation waiting room.

While waiting for his name to be called and reading a newspaper someone had left behind, he heard a familiar female voice from somewhere nearby.

“Oh, aren’t you Damian?”

He looked up to see who was addressing him and met clear, bright blue eyes.

“Lady Lilliana.”

Lilliana smiled brightly when Damian remembered her name. She was wearing a hospital gown again today.

Meeting someone hospitalized wasn’t particularly unusual. But Damian had thought he wouldn’t see Lilliana again, so this situation felt a bit sudden.

Lilliana approached Damian with the same bouncy steps as a week ago.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m waiting for my rehabilitation therapy.”

Damian replied, neatly folding the newspaper he was reading with one hand and placing it on the empty chair to his left. Lilliana sat down to his right and chattered away.

“Wow, what a coincidence! Me too. I’m here every day for cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. What about you, Damian?”

“My surgeon said my muscles and joints are a mess, so he dumped me here.”

“Dumped you? If you’re not feeling well, you need treatment, right? Are you in bad shape?”

“I can move around fine, so I don’t really feel it. Honestly, I’m not even sure if I need rehabilitation…”

“Why are you deciding that, Damian? The doctor is the expert, so you should listen to them! I don’t know how bad your condition is, but complications from major accidents can arise even after some time has passed. You need to get treated early!”

Lilliana spoke in a somewhat stern tone, and Damian stared at her.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Instead of saying her tone reminded him of someone he knew, Damian changed the subject.

“So, how are you feeling, Lady Lilliana?”

Lilliana ran her fingers through her thick blonde hair and mumbled,

“Well, I’m gradually getting better, but…”

Damian sensed an unspoken continuation to her words. But Lilliana didn’t seem inclined to say more, so he just nodded without prying.

“That’s good to hear.”

“Thank you for your concern, but… Could you please stop calling me ‘Lady’ Lilliana? There’s no need to add ‘Lady’ in front of my name.”

Lilliana said, narrowing her eyes, and Damian readily agreed.

“Alright. What should I call you then?”

“Lily. All my friends call me Lily, so you can too.”

“Ah… Were we friends?”

Lilliana’s eyes widened in shock.

“What?! What do you mean? You don’t want to be friends with me?!”

Damian was also taken aback by her reaction and stammered,

“Th-That’s not what I meant! I didn’t mean that I don’t want to be friends with you or anything like that. It’s just that we’ve only met twice by chance, and it’s surprising that you want to form such a close relationship with me…!”

He felt like he might bite his tongue as his explanation grew longer, but Damian did his best to defend himself.

Lilliana burst into laughter and waved her hand.

“Alright, alright. I can’t even tease you!”

“Were you teasing me?”

“It seemed like you weren’t the type to bluntly say you didn’t want to be friends with someone, so I tried to tease you a little. I didn’t expect you to get so flustered.”

Lilliana’s laughter made Damian scratch his head in embarrassment.

“Anyway, as you said, Damian, rushing into a close relationship might have side effects. So, you don’t have to call me Lily, just drop the ‘Lady.'”

At Lilliana’s suggestion, Damian averted his gaze and said,

“Then you can call me comfortably too. Since you’re older than me… You can also speak casually.”

“Is that okay, Damian?”

‘Oh, wow. This person is really good at being friendly and approachable.’

Damian couldn’t help but chuckle at her casual tone, as if she was genuinely asking for permission.

“You smiled!”