Sorry 15

Chapter 15

    ****

    "It's a warehouse for junk."

    Euris could feel his hot breath against her ear, and she nodded. Outside, the adults of both families were talking about the engagement.

    "Is your ankle okay?"

    There was silence for a moment, then he asked again in a whisper. Euris moved her ankle and said, "Yes, it doesn't look too bad," in a low voice.

    "Were you exploring the greenhouse by yourself?"

    He whispered again. Euris answered yes, in a crawling voice, and then fell silent.

    ‘To think that you wandered about without the landlord's permission, a rude young lady.’

    In the darkness, Euris couldn't tell what he was thinking.

    Suddenly, she realized that her muddy dress was soiling his clothes.

    Euris squirmed and tried to escape his embrace, but Chaint’s grip on her arm stopped her.

    "If you move, you might bump into something, and then you might make a loud noise."

    "I don't want to get your clothes dirty."

    "It's okay."

    "..."

    "I just need to change after."

    He whispered in a soothing voice. She sat quietly, agreeing with him.

    They sat like that for a while longer. It was hard not to feel nostalgic as she sat there in silence in Chaint's arms.

    When Euris was slumped on the couch, staring blankly out the window, he would quietly come over and hold her like this.

    At first, it was so awkward that she would purposely pull away. She would often do it as long as it wasn't hurtful, and she didn't feel overwhelmed. Over time, Euris grew to love his embrace.

    'I never said I liked it, but............. how much I regretted not expressing it more.'

    He had a nice scent to him, and she suddenly realized that he still smelled the same. The scent was enough to make her suddenly feel overwhelmed by memories.

    "I miss you......."

    Euris muttered to herself, and then quickly covered her mouth. The man, who was so close, must have heard it, Yuris was sure.

    She sat there, mouth agape, but thankfully Chaint didn't say anything.

    The two’s names began to come up in the adult conversations outside; they had been gone long enough.

    "I don't see the children."

    "Yeah. Chaint said he was going to look for the young lady, do you think they met?"

    "Maybe they're having some alone time, haha."

    But listening to the conversation, they didn't seem too worried about the two of them. Euris breathed a sigh of relief.

    Now that her eyes were fully adjusted to the darkness, she could just barely make out the space they were hiding in.

    It was literally a warehouse. It was a small space, crammed full of junk. It was probably dusty.

    Euris was sure her clothes were even dirtier. And his, too.

    "It's uncomfortable."

    And there it was again, the man's voice whispering in her ear. Her legs felt like they were going numb from all the crouching.

    Euris shook her head, knowing Chaint must be much more uncomfortable than her. Then Chaint added kindly.

    "They’ll be moving into the garden soon, and they won't take long to see the greenhouse."

    True to his word, they could hear the adults outside chatting for a while before they exited the greenhouse, and it wasn't until they were long gone that they were able to get out of the cramped space.

    "Ha......."

    After being in the inky darkness, even the yellow lights of the greenhouse seemed as bright as the sun.

    After sitting for so long, his legs didn't even go numb, so he stood up first, then helped Euris up.

    One of her ankles was a little sore, but it was bearable. The bigger problem was her clothing.

    Her ivory dress was embarrassingly smeared with dirt.

    "Since the adults don't seem to be worried about us yet, do you mind if I help you a little more, young lady?"

    Chaint asked politely, and Yuris, realizing he was referring to her clothes, nodded.

    "If you'll excuse me," he added, scooping her up again.

    "I, I can walk!"

    "Well, that would take too long."

    Euris had to admit that he was right. Even with support, it would take a long time with her limp. Even if the adults weren't worried, it would be rude to be too late, so she was persuaded by his words and held on for dear life.

    The feel of his arm around her waist reminded her of the last time she had felt it before he went off to war. It was hard from keeping the memories coming back, but there was nothing she could do about it.

    After leaving the greenhouse, he took her to his room. He sat her down on the sofa, removed the shoe from her injured foot, and examined it carefully.

    He was careful not to hurt the swollen area.

    "I don't think it's anything serious, but I'll need to give you first aid."

    With that, he pulled a string and called for a servant. He instructed her to do what was necessary from a position where the servant could not see Euris inside.

    It wasn't long before a bag of ice and bandages appeared.

    He knelt down on one knee in front of Yuris on the sofa and applied the treatment to her ankle himself. Euris looked down at the top of his head.

    Pale brown hair with a hint of curl cascaded down his head in a downward slant.

    His touch on her ankle felt unusually gentle.

    'Honey..............'

    She almost stroked his head, intoxicated by the thought. If she didn't look at his face, she could have sworn she was living in her last life.

    "Who do you miss?"

    And then, with his gaze fixed on the woman's ankle, he blurted out. Yuris hastily snapped her outstretched hand back into place, and paused, wondering what he meant.

    Then she realized it was a question about what she had said to herself earlier in the warehouse.

    His voice sounded strangely lonely. She didn't say anything back. She didn't know what to say, so she decided silence was better.

    He didn't ask any more questions, either, and  continued to bandage her foot in silence. An awkward silence ensued.

    "Thank you for your help."

    Euris barely opened her mouth to break the silence, and then Chaint looked up and smiled.

    "The dress.... I can't help it, I'll have to call a maid with tight lips and ask for a new one."

    He pulled the string again and sent the maid a list of demands. Soon enough, the maid came back with a dress that Euris could wear.

    Chaint led her to a dressing room attached to the room, where Euris changed.

    He was quick on his feet. In an instant, all of Euris’ crises were resolved.

    He held out his hand affectionately to her as she emerged from the dressing room.

    "Now, let's go back to the dining room, shall we?"

    Chaint deliberately tried not to squeeze the woman's thin hand in his own.

    He could tell that Euris was definitely not the same woman she had been.

    'For some reason, it was almost like she was telling me that she missed me................'

    He knew it was a delusion, but it worried him that he kept getting his hopes up.

    He knew he was delusional, but he was worried about his expectations, because he wasn't sure he would be able to handle them if they hurt him later.

    The sound of scuffling shoes echoed down the hall.

    ***

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