Chapter 50
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Euris stared blankly at her interlocked hands. Resenting herself for nothing, she twisted her hand away, and felt eyes on her. She clamped her mouth shut and turned away from Kylan's gaze.
But Kylan grabbed her hand that had slipped from his grasp. With such force that she couldn't shake it off again.
"..."
Euris looked at him, somewhat puzzled. Kylan's expression didn't change. He didn't look hurt, or even angry, that he'd been swatted away. He opened his lips.
"You’re still here, right?"
It was a gentle voice. Like the peaceful days before everything happened.
He took her hand and led her away, but Euris sat still in her seat and shook her head.
"Don't."
Kylan looked at her.
"Think of it as you and I going to work as coworkers. Even if we go to Lepallon together, just as business associates................... nothing more."
Euris wasn't sure what exactly was coming out of her mouth.
Her mind was a jumble of regret and guilt for her husband, fear of leaving for Lepallon, and regret and resentment for Kylan.
She rambled on, and Kylan grabbed her by both shoulders.
"Look at me."
Her helpless eyes turned to him.
"Euris. You know I like you, right?"
When she didn't respond to his words, he continued.
"I'll say it again. I like you."
"..."
"I'm going to reveal all the affection I've been holding back from you, and I don't want to regret it, because it's been a longtime desire of mine to be with you."
"..."
"Maybe it's selfish. I shouldn't do it if I'm putting your heart first, but I don't care, I'll be selfish."
"..."
"So don't ask me to treat you as a coworker. Because I wouldn't die for that."
With those words, Kylan tugged on her hand again. Euris followed him, barely centering herself against the sudden tilt of her body.
She could feel him wanting her, and she didn't make a meaningless effort to pull her hand away.
When they entered the bar, Thompson greeted them. He looked at the hands they held without surprise.
"Lady, you've come again."
Euris made a quick bow at the words. The daytime tavern was still quiet. Kylan led her to a table by the window that caught the sun.
"Let's have lunch."
He grinned as he said it. Euris sat still, her face stony. Kylan called out a few familiar menu items to Thompson, as if he wasn't waiting for an answer in the first place.
Neither one said a word until the food arrived. Once the table was filled, Kylan graciously cleared the dishes.
"Thompson's good, as you'll see when you try it."
He acted as if he didn't remember what he had just said. Euris accepted everything he offered with resignation.
Everything on the table had chickpeas in it. Ever since childhood, Kylan had had a terrible aversion to beans, and now the man in front of her was shoveling them into his mouth without a care in the world. Normally, she would have poked fun at him for eating them, but she couldn't do that now.
Euris didn't have much of an appetite, so she munched and munched. Kylan didn't try to force food down her throat, nor did he urge her to eat quickly.
"When are we leaving?"
She asked suddenly, looking up at Kylan, who'd been looking in her direction earlier, so he looked up and their eyes met immediately.
"Probably this week."
The answer came back unclear. She set the fork and spoon she was holding down on the table.
"Are you finished?"
"Yes."
With that, Euris shifted her gaze to the window. The glass windows of the tavern on the first floor revealed the back streets of the capital city of Tolas.
The alleyway, which would probably be noisy at night, was quiet and peaceful during the day when the sun was out.
‘So there are places like this in Tolas.’
This place was unfamiliar to Euris, who didn’t travel much in her last life, so it felt like a different place than the capital.
‘I wonder what Lepallon will be like from here on out.’
"I have somewhere to go."
Kylan's voice cut through her thoughts.
"Where?"
"Follow me and you'll see."
With those words, Kylan rose from his seat.
Leading the way out of the bar and up the street, Kylan certainly looked more energized than he had two weeks ago.
‘I wonder if I could describe that look as joy.’
Euris thought as she watched his back. Kylan was trying not to show it, but he was genuinely happy to be here. There was even a fluttering excitement that seemed out of place in the atmosphere. Others might not have noticed it, but Euris, who had known him since childhood, could sense it.
The leaves on the trees of Tollas were turning red with autumn. People were wearing long sleeves, and it was a very seasonal daytime scene. Fashion in the capital certainly tended to change faster than in the countryside.
Euris was not naturally interested in dressing up. No fancy clothes, no jewelry, no makeup, she never knew what was fashionable and always left it to the hands of her maids.
In her last life, Chaint had given her dresses that he had personally ordered for her. They had fit her amazingly well.
It was the same in this life. Euris suddenly realized that everything on her body had been picked out or given to her by Chaint.
She let out a small breath. It would not be easy to live in a world without him. She glanced at Kylan, who was walking ahead of her. The sun glinted off his neat black hair.
Euris assumed he was taking her to a government office or a bank, but his steps were gradually moving away from the center of the capital's business district.
When she saw a panoramic view of the Linz River in front of her, she felt strange and asked.
"Where are we going?"
"The Linz River Promenade."
The Linz River was a beautiful, large river that ran through Tolas, the capital of the Alton Empire. The riverside was well landscaped with pretty flowers and trees, and it was a favorite spot for lovers to go on dates.
In her last life, while staying in a townhouse in the capital, walking along the river had been one of her favorite outings, despite her extreme aversion to going outside.
"Why?"
"Because it's so beautiful here, and I wanted to show you."
"Just for that reason?”
Euris stopped walking, and Kylan, who was ahead of her, came to a halt as well. She stared at him helplessly.
"Kylan, I know you want to get along with me, but I don't want to go for a walk by the river with you, smiling like nothing happened. Maybe it doesn't matter to you, but.................. .......I gave up a lot to follow you."
"So, you're just going to keep hating me like this?"
His expression didn't ripple. It was as if he'd expected this reaction, and he asked it out of pure curiosity.
"I don't hate you.................."
Euris trailed off and lowered her eyes.
"But I just separated from my husband today.”
Her heart sank. Any further conversation would be a pointless argument. Exhausted, Euris walked ahead of Kylan at a brisk pace. She could feel him following behind her.
These streets of the capital were very familiar to her. Not far from here was the townhouse of the Marquis of Eridov.
Her steps automatically took her to the place she visited most often. Her favorite place happened to be close by. Surrounded by dense shrubbery, it was hard to see, but it was a nice place to relax in the strong breeze.
Arriving there at a pace that was neither slow nor fast, Euris plopped down on a bench.
"How did you know about this place?"
Kylan asked in a slightly surprised voice as he sat down next to her, following a few steps behind.
"I used to come here a lot in my last life."
In response, Kylan let out a short sigh and didn't ask further. He didn't ask further because he knew who was in her last life.
The man from her previous life, the man who had stood by her during the long years he had been gone, and it was like dominoes falling to realize that she had lived with him (Chaint) in the capital.
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Write a comment
Toti (Sunday, 14 July 2024 10:11)
Did he also come back to life again?
Thank you Dora for the updates.