Between Your Letter and My Reply

Chapter 74

[Translated By Divinity]

He deliberately struck a shooting pose with both hands and said to Lilliana,

“Since you’re not very strong, recoil control is the most important thing. The bullet’s trajectory is off because of the recoil. Spread your legs a bit, bend your knees slightly…”

Damian adjusted her posture, and she found it much easier to hold the pistol. Confident that she would hit the target this time, Lilliana pulled the trigger.

Bang!

Even though she had fired a few shots before and knew how loud it was, the sound still made her ears ring. Lilliana quickly looked at the target, but it remained unscathed.

“Why?”

She had followed Damian’s instructions perfectly and was sure she would hit it this time. Disappointed, she slumped her shoulders when she saw that the bullet hadn’t even grazed the target.

“Your posture was perfect! Just keep practicing until you get used to it! Once you master the posture, your accuracy will improve! So, let’s not overdo it today and just focus on practicing your form!”

“What? More practice?”

Lilliana looked at Damian with a disappointed expression, and he checked his wristwatch and said,

“The sun will be setting soon, so how about we practice for about an hour?!”

Lilliana sighed deeply and nodded. She wasn’t interested in guns, but Damian had bought it for her with his own money, so it wouldn’t be polite to not do anything.

Lilliana fired a few more shots, then looked at the pristine target and slumped her shoulders.

“Why?!”

At Lilliana’s cry of despair, Damian scratched his head.

“It seems like you’re not good at controlling the recoil, Lilliana! Your upper body sways too much backward with each shot. Maybe you should try exercising.”

Lilliana replied with a sullen face,

“I can’t do much exercise because of my heart condition.”

“I’m not an expert, but light exercise might actually be good for your heart. Do you do any other exercise besides rehabilitation training?”

Lilliana shook her head.

“Then, do you have any favorite sports? Anything is fine.”

She shook her head again, and Damian looked at her with a genuinely puzzled expression.

“Have you never exercised in your life?”

Lilliana glanced away, observing Damian’s physique, which was still recovering its firmness despite the muscle loss from his injury.

“No… I haven’t never exercised… I’ve done some walking, occasional jogging, cycling… things like that.”

“So, your only form of exercise has been leisurely walks.”

Damian’s blunt statement, cutting to the heart of the matter, made Lilliana pout again.

“Well, I don’t need to have a specific exercise I can do, do I?”

“Lilliana, having muscles makes your body stronger and improves your stamina. And your heart is also a muscle. If your heart isn’t well, you need to exercise even more.”

It was a nagging she had never even heard from her mother, but every word was valuable, and Lilliana groaned.

“I can help you. I was thinking of starting some additional exercise besides my rehabilitation training anyway. How about we do it together, Lilliana?”

“Me, too…?”

“If we do it together, I won’t have to be away from you while I exercise. I am your bodyguard, after all.”

“Hmm…”

Lilliana still avoided Damian’s gaze. But he seemed to have made up his mind.

“It’s getting late today, so I’ll make an exercise plan suitable for you starting tomorrow.”

“Why does everything lead to exercise, from self-defense to guns?”

Lilliana finally couldn’t hold back and questioned Damian, but he replied in a nonchalant voice,

“I told you, I was a pretty good instructor.”

For some reason, Damian’s eyes sparkled with joy as he said that.

“I’m confident in training others.”

Lilliana wanted to run away, but oblivious to her feelings, Damian was already busy formulating an exercise plan for her in his head. Realizing that arguing with him would only lead to more training, Lilliana looked up at the sky instead. And her eyes widened in surprise.

“Ah, look at the sunset, Damian.”

At Lilliana’s words, he also looked up at the sky. The sky was painted with pink, orange, and purple hues, stretching over the meadow.

Lilliana looked up at the sky with a touched expression.

“It would have been even better if I had my camera! Then I could have captured this beautiful scenery! Right?!”

For some reason, those words reminded him of Lady Lintray. Damian couldn’t understand why his stomach was churning.

“Yes, it would have been nice to capture it in a photo…”

Damian’s voice trailed off as he unconsciously responded to Lilliana. He now understood why Lilliana carried a camera around. He also understood why people liked to record memories.

“If I had a photo…”

He regretted not accepting Lady Lintray’s photo. He wished he knew what she looked like. He knew it was meaningless now, but the regret lingered in his mind.

Lilliana looked at Damian curiously, noticing his voice growing weaker. His blue-gray eyes were gazing into the distance with a calm yet empty expression. He often had this look, though she didn’t know what was on his mind.

But Lilliana had never directly asked him what he was thinking. She knew she would only get a dismissive answer.

When Damian noticed Lilliana looking at him, he smiled again and asked,

“Shall we head back now?”

“Yeah.”

Lilliana and Damian walked side by side along the path they had come from. Every time Lilliana’s bag swayed with her steps, the heavy pistol inside made its presence known. It made her feel a bit uneasy.

“Can I really use this gun…”

Lilliana muttered to herself, and Damian replied as he walked,

“It’s okay, Lilliana.”

Damian stopped walking and looked at Lilliana with a steady gaze, speaking in his usual clear and articulate manner.

“The pistol is a gift from a friend who wants you to be safe, not something I gave you so you could shoot someone. So… I’ll be by your side, so do whatever you want.”

Lilliana stared at Damian. No one had ever said such things to her.

Her mother was gone, her father was absent, Casey was scary, and Pascal hid more than she revealed.

Lilliana felt like she had found a lifeline.

“Whoa!”

Damian stumbled slightly as Lilliana suddenly jumped into his arms.

“Lilliana?”

Damian looked down at the top of her blonde head, quite flustered. Lilliana rested her forehead against his chest and said,

“…Even though we haven’t known each other for long, I can’t be without you now, Damian. So…”

Lilliana hesitated, unsure of what to say. She pulled away from Damian and looked up at him. His blue-gray eyes looked purple in the glow of the setting sun.

“…Thank you.”

Damian’s eyes widened slightly. Lilliana smiled shyly, and Damian felt flustered, not knowing where to look. It was too embarrassing to meet her eyes. Before he could define this feeling, Lilliana stepped away from him.

“Shall we get a cake from Rabbit’s Garden?”

Lilliana casually changed the subject, and Damian simply nodded. She hummed a cheerful tune as she walked with a light step, and Damian followed, thinking,

‘What is this?’

His chest, where Lilliana had briefly leaned against, felt strangely warm. His head felt dizzy.

‘What is this feeling?’

Unable to identify this sensation, Damian glared at the back of Lilliana’s head as she walked ahead. But he couldn’t find an answer. A gentle breeze, neither cold nor warm, brushed against his face, tickling his skin.

And Damian’s confusion remained unresolved until they reached home.

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