Between Your Letter and My Reply

Chapter 89

[Translated By Divinity]

“That’s not what I meant!”

“Then what do you mean?”

“I mean… just try to think about it without Lady Lintray in your mind!”

“That’s impossible, which is why I’m saying this.”

Damian retorted sulkily and turned away.

“I can’t be of any help, so I’ll be on my way. I have rehabilitation training…”

“Damian?”

Lilliana called out, hoping against hope, but Damian really did walk out the door.

“Damian!”

Lilliana belatedly called his name at the firmly closed door, but there was no reply.

He had deliberately canceled their afternoon plans because of the bad weather, so wasn’t the excuse of going to rehabilitation training too obvious?

Lilliana pouted and scratched her head, unable to understand why Damian was so upset.

***

Damian couldn’t understand why he was so angry. He was offended that Lilliana had refused his request, but he wasn’t so childish as to get angry over something like that. Yet, he was angry.

In Damian’s mind, Lilliana was already synonymous with Lintray.

He could somehow understand and overlook the similarities in age, perfume, and handwriting as coincidences. But…

[Oh my! When you said your rank was lieutenant, I never imagined you’d be so young! I naturally assumed you were a graduate of the military academy, so at least in your mid-twenties! To be 20 years old and a lieutenant, even a year younger than me… You’re truly amazing.]

“Wow! A lieutenant at that age?! You’re not even old enough to graduate from the military academy, and yet you’re a lieutenant?! And you’re a year younger than me! That’s incredible!”

[The perfume I sprayed is the one I wear whenever I go out. It starts with sweet pea and bergamot, then rose and peony, and finally white musk. It feels like being in the middle of a flower garden, doesn’t it?]

“Doesn’t this scent make you feel like you’re in the middle of a flower garden? It’s the perfume I usually wear when I go out…”

[Edenfallen may be a tiny place, but if I were to name the representative beauties of this village, I’d say I’m at least in the top two or three. It would be nice to aim for first place, but since humility is a basic quality of a lady, I’ll yield that spot to another lovely lady.]

“If I were to name the beauties in our town, I’d be in the top three, wouldn’t I? Of course, it would be nice to aim for first place, but since humility is a virtue of a lady, I can be satisfied with third place.”

[If I hadn’t had the picture, I would have felt miserable every time my memory of her face faded. It’s heartbreaking, but if I had to choose between being able to see her face, even if only in a picture, and having my feelings diluted and not even remembering her face, I would definitely choose the former. Forgetting someone might take away the pain, but in some cases, it’s more painful because you forget.]

“If I didn’t have the picture, I would feel miserable every time I felt my memory of her face fading. It’s painful, but if I had to choose between remembering my mother and my feelings for her, even if her face became hazy, I would choose the former. I hate the fact itself that I might forget someone. Why are you looking at me like that?”

To be honest, even up to this point, he was still unsure. But seeing the paintings Lilliana brought out today turned his suspicion into certainty.

‘A field of cosmos and daisies, a lake where swans swim, a valley where someone is fishing.’

Seeing the very landscapes Lady Lintray had mentioned made his head spin with confusion.

He was also bothered by the wooden box that Lilliana dismissed as nothing. He was sure that what was inside was the same kind of cloth and embroidery as the handkerchief Lady Lintray had given him.

Moreover, wasn’t the box slightly burnt at the end? It must have been because it was in the fire.

‘With so many overlaps, isn’t it normal to want to confirm at least once if she’s Lady Lintray?’

Damian stopped walking and roughly ran his hand through his hair. He concluded that Lilliana was the one at fault this time.

‘Why do we keep clashing?’

Not only had he upset Lilliana a few days ago, but he was also annoyed that their opinions didn’t align this time.

He had stormed out of the house because he couldn’t bear to see Lilliana’s face…

‘I don’t even have a hospital appointment, so what rehabilitation am I supposed to do?’

Damian found himself at a nearby riverside. Since it would be awkward to go back home now, he settled down on the edge of a bench.

He buried his face in his hands, and then he sensed someone sitting next to him. But Damian didn’t move, assuming it was just a passerby sitting next to him because there were no other seats available.

Then the person spoke first.

“If you’re going to run off like this, how are you going to do your job as a bodyguard?”

At those words, Damian lifted his face slightly, then jumped up in surprise.

Sitting at the other end of the bench, with his legs crossed, was a young man with blonde hair that reached his chest. He had brushed his long bangs to either side of his face, revealing his features.

Although Damian hadn’t seen his face properly in their previous encounter, he remembered the voice, so he reflexively called out his name.

“Ray…!”

The man smiled, his eyes curving into crescents, as if amused by Damian’s reaction.

“Ah, come to think of it, I did give you that name.”

Damian scanned the man he called Ray from head to toe. He was dressed plainly, but his appearance was strikingly handsome, far from ordinary.

His eyes, slanted upwards like a cat’s, seemed languid but exuded an air that made him hard to approach casually.

And the same shade of blonde hair and blue eyes as Lilliana.

Rather than handsome, the word “beautiful” seemed more fitting for him. With his slender build, he appeared delicate despite being a man.

This was why Damian had mistaken him for a woman at first glance. For some reason, the bits of exposed skin he could see were covered in bandages.

Damian swallowed hard and asked cautiously,

“Are you… Casey Carnell?”

“Ding-dong-ding. Correct.”

Unlike the wary Damian, Casey’s tone was quite calm. Damian reflexively drew the pistol from his jacket pocket.

He didn’t care if the surrounding pedestrians were startled by the sight of the gun. He spoke in a sharp tone,

“Why are you here?”

“Hmm… well, about that.”

Casey crossed his arms and tilted his head.

“I didn’t intend to appear like this either.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I was hoping to handle this alone if possible.”

Damian couldn’t fathom Casey’s intentions.

Just then, a raindrop fell from the sky and hit Damian’s nose. It had been a gloomy day, and now it was finally starting to rain. The raindrops, falling one by one, gradually increased until they couldn’t be ignored, but the confrontation between Damian and Casey continued.

Raindrops dripped from Damian’s hair, which was now soaked and appeared almost black.

Casey was also getting drenched. His thin muslin shirt clung to his body, but like Damian, he didn’t seem to mind.

“Are you after Lilliana?”

Casey let out a hollow laugh at the question.

“Why would I be after Lily?”

“You’ve targeted Lilliana’s power before.”

At Damian’s words, Casey’s face twisted in disbelief.

“Oh, what are you talking about, years ago? No, it’s not like that. I wouldn’t do that to Lily now. And if I were after her, I would have made my move long ago. It’s been days since Pascal fell asleep.”

“Then tell me why you’re here!”

“I told you, I was trying to handle this alone, but it’s not working.”

Casey shrugged, stood up, and approached Damian.