Between Your Letter and My Reply

Chapter 115

If asked why… simply put, it was to repay the debt he owed to ‘Lady Lintray’ for saving his life.

And more complexly, it was because the emotions he felt towards Lilliana had become quite multifaceted.

Lately, Damian had been troubled by these emotions.

Sometimes, they made his heart pound and caused him to smile easily without realizing it. But when he thought about it, those same emotions also seemed to bring him pain.

No matter how much Damian pondered on his own, he couldn’t decide if these feelings were good or bad.

In fact, he often wished he had someone to confide in over the past few weeks, but the person next to him was, unfortunately, Casey. And if it wasn’t him, it was Asher Olon, a misanthrope in the terminal stage who spent more days out of the house than in it.

The only other person left was Annette, but she was close to Lilliana, making it awkward to talk to her about this.

He had a feeling Annette was a kind and understanding person. However, as someone unskilled in social interactions, Damian found it difficult to open up to someone he wasn’t close to, especially someone of the opposite sex.

Damian truly missed Sergeant Nicole.

He had often complained about Sergeant Nicole bothering him, but she had taken on the role of an older sister, pulling out and solving even the worries Damian himself wasn’t aware of, thanks to her well-meaning nosiness.

While Damian was agonizing over this alone, Lilliana, oblivious to his troubles, was preoccupied with the question of who she used to like.

“Aren’t you yearning to live like other guys your age since you’re younger than me, Damian?”

“That’s not the case. What do you expect from someone who joined the military out of boredom?”

“Then…”

“Then let’s say what Lilliana wants to do is what I want to do.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

Lilliana furrowed her brows, but Damian continued speaking nonchalantly.

“Lilliana, I’m someone who doesn’t even know what makes me happy. But…”

Damian unconsciously rubbed the back of his neck.

“The moments I’ve spent with Lilliana have definitely been enjoyable. The amusement park we went to a while ago, the parade we saw… It was chaotic, but it was still fun because I was with you. I’ve never felt that kind of enjoyment before. Because I’ve never experienced such things, I had no way of knowing if I liked them or not. But you have so many things you want to do, Lilliana. Being by your side and experiencing those things with you, discovering what I like and dislike one by one, is enjoyable for me. I’m the one who’s being helped by you.”

He tilted his head towards Lilliana.

“Is that not enough?”

“Well, if you say so, I don’t have anything to say… but…”

Lilliana was at a loss for words. To be precise, she forgot what she was going to say while she was staring at Damian’s face in a daze.

Damian often made these kinds of comments that caught her off guard with his handsome face. Lilliana considered this a rather unfair tactic. When he appealed to someone with that handsome face, anyone would be swayed before they knew it.

She was relieved that Damian hadn’t gone down the path of a con man. And she was incredibly grateful that Pascal had quickly picked him up before anyone else could snatch him away.

There was no way that face wouldn’t be in high demand.

When he was actively looking for a job, he had been sickly and gaunt.

Moreover, his gloomy expression had masked his good looks, so people hadn’t noticed. But now, well-fed and well-dressed, he was shining brightly.

In his current state, even missing an arm wouldn’t hinder Damian’s employment prospects. Even if he couldn’t do anything, just having him stand in front of a restaurant would draw customers in.

“Ironically, the current situation seems fortunate for both you and me,” Lilliana muttered without realizing it, and Damian blinked.

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

“Just something like that.”

Damian walked beside Lilliana, who was walking with quick steps.

“Anyway, that’s what Casey and I think. So don’t worry too much. Everything will work out.”

“Yeah…” Lilliana replied hesitantly, but Damian smiled faintly and looked down at her.

“Trust me. Don’t tell me you can’t?”

“That’s not it. But it’s inevitable that I’m worried, regardless!”

As Lilliana spoke with a complicated expression, Damian’s feelings wavered between happiness and annoyance. He was happy that Lilliana was worried about him, but he hated being the cause of her worry.

Lilliana seemed to be worrying about Damian and Casey for a moment, then suddenly started to gauge his reaction and said, “Um… so, since you said I could do whatever I want, do you want to go to the hill by the upper Nell River tomorrow?”

“The hill by the upper Nell River?”

“Yeah, yeah. There’s a carousel there! I want to paint it.”

“There was a carousel at the amusement park too.”

“That was nice in its own way, but a carousel overlooking the river? Don’t you think it would make a great painting?”

“Alright. Let’s go.”

Damian readily agreed, and Lilliana beamed with excitement.

“I wonder if brother Casey will go? Should we ask Annette to come along too?”

“As you wish.”

“The weather is nice these days, so it would be nice to pack a lunch and sit there overlooking the river.”

“Yes.”

Damian replied obediently with a smile.

Lilliana felt a little shy, as if she was acting spoiled towards Damian, but she thought it wasn’t so bad.

***

On the hill by the upper Nell River was a place called Lahti Park, famous for being a picnic spot.

Of course, Damian had never been there before, despite it being in the capital’s suburbs, because he had never been interested. If it weren’t for Lilliana, he might never have visited in his life.

However, he had seen pictures. The carousel Lilliana mentioned was also a facility within Lahti Park.

Lilliana succeeded in bringing Annette, who happened to be free from classes. It felt like a boarding house family outing, though I won’t bother explaining what kind of response Asher gave.

Lahti Park was bustling with people despite it being a weekday. Damian, who didn’t like crowded places, wanted to go back home, but he didn’t show it and simply said.

“There are more people than I expected.”

“Indeed. But it doesn’t seem like it’ll be difficult to find a spot to paint.”

Annette looked around and pointed to an area that was relatively less crowded.

“How about over there?”

There were a few trees providing decent shade, and enough space for them to sit comfortably.

The four of them spread out a mat in the spot Annette indicated and took out the things they had brought. Freshly squeezed orange juice, sandwiches made by Lilliana, a cookie set from a famous bakery, board games to stave off boredom…

Things seemed to endlessly pour out of Lilliana and Annette’s bags.

It was the first time Damian realized that so many things were necessary for a picnic. Casey helped set up with a constant smile, while Damian walked around, familiarizing himself with the surrounding geography.

Returning just as they finished setting up, Damian pointed to a spot and asked Lilliana, “Is that the carousel you mentioned?”

A colorful carousel was installed near the riverbank. The carousel itself wasn’t that big, but people were lined up, waiting their turn.

It wasn’t that they hadn’t seen a carousel at the amusement park. If anything, the one there was probably prettier. But this one seemed popular because you could enjoy the magnificent view of the river while riding it.

Lilliana nodded.

“Yeah, yeah. That’s it. Isn’t it pretty?”

“Indeed. It is pretty,” Casey agreed with Lilliana.

They sat side by side, taking bites of their sandwiches, and Lilliana asked, “Everyone’s going to ride the carousel, right?”

Damian shook his head.

“I’ll stay here and watch our things. You all go ahead.”

—————

Please rate and review this novel on NU.

If you enjoy the translation, please consider buying me a coffee on Ko-fi. It helps keep me motivated!