Chapter 35.2

Chapter 35 – Part 2

“Lily!”

Something like a groan was drawn out of my lips.

As my steps faltered, I raised my head to look. And there, I saw him in the distance.

From afar, he was running towards me. It was as if a ray of light had broken through the dark clouds, only to shine upon him.

When he smiled so brightly, he looked much younger than his actual age.

He usually looked indifferent and austere. However, this appearance was overshadowed by a now bright atmosphere that surrounded him, making him look like an innocent young man.

And, resentfully, my heart did not always follow my mind.

Regardless of my will, I felt my heart skip a bit. And at this, I felt a deep sense of helplessness.

Because of this feeling and because of that person, the urge to run away became more urgent—I felt more desperate.

I knew all too well what would pour out once the dam were to collapse.

I had no desire to drown amidst a torrent of emotions. No, never again.

Before I knew it, Theodore had come nearer. He was not less than ten steps away.

The moment our eyes met, I stepped back unknowingly.

This reaction was obviously a defense mechanism.

“…Lily?”

I turned around and started running. I continued to hear Charlotte and Theodore’s bewildered cries from behind me, but I didn’t stop.

I did not want to see him right now. Not until this emotion subsides.

At some point, I felt my eyes stinging.

Really, why am I so…

“Lily…!”

I ran with all my might, but I was caught quickly. In the first place, I was no match for him when it came to strenuous physical activities, so this was only natural.

But… Couldn’t you just leave me alone?

Why do you keep following me?

When I was feeling so desolate, you didn’t hold my hand.

“…Let me go.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Just pretend you don’t know me. Please.”

“It’s going to rain soon, Lily.”

Theodore pulled me into his arms and embraced me. Soon, I was enveloped in his warmth. In my mind, I wanted to shake him off, but for some reason, my body wouldn’t move.

I could feel myself trembling slightly. Then, I felt his arms gently tightening around me.

A comforting voice called me.

“Lily…”

“……”

“It’s going to rain soon, so I just came to pick you up. …Please don’t be frightened.”

Did he even know what I was so fearful of right now?

…No, he wouldn’t understand.

These scars. This emotion. They’re all just things I harbored alone.

“You haven’t fully recovered yet… The doctor said that your condition might get worse if you get rained on. Let’s go back home before it starts raining.”

“……”

A gentle voice full of affection. A delicate touch that felt as though it was reserved for something precious.

Everything I once hoped to receive from him.

Even though my wish was finally being granted like this—right in front of my eyes—why did it feel like this was all just a dream that would soon vanish into thin air?

I was suddenly overcome with the urge to ask.

Do you truly care for me?

If it was possible for you to be this good to me, why didn’t you do that before you lost your memories?

Why did you have to misunderstand my circumstances…

There was a flood of questions in my mind. And as I raised my head blankly, all I could see were his blue eyes, looking anxiously at me.

When was it again? A distant memory of the past, which had been buried deeply in my heart, resurfaced.

‘What’s your favorite color, Lily?’ my mother asked.

‘…Blue.’

‘Mom likes that color, too. The sky is always so, so blue during the day. That’s why I like blue as well.’

This was from a long, long time ago. I didn’t even know when exactly this happened.

Perhaps around the age of seven. No, I think I was eight years old?

In the conversation that took place after that, my mother promised that she would buy blue clothes for me on my ninth birthday.

However, in the end, she couldn’t fulfill that promise. Duke Everett adopted me shortly after that, and my mother took money from him and left me.

Along with my fondness of the color blue, I buried the memories of my mother deep within.

I didn’t want to think of my mother every time I saw the color blue.

…So why was it that it was now, of all times, that this memory resurfaced from my subconscious? Why were Theodore Valentino’s eyes so vividly blue?

Plik—

A single raindrop fell on the bridge of my nose. I knew that I should move to avoid the rain—it felt like there was going to be a rain shower soon—however, my body would not follow my thoughts.

And against my will, my lips instead moved. As though they were broken.

“…Do you truly care for me?”

“……”

Theodore stared at me in a daze, blinking slowly. A raindrop from the heavens fell on his eyelid and trickled down to the tip of his eyelashes. Then, barely holding on for that long, it soon fell down.

An earthy scent soon permeated the air as the rain started soaking the soil, the grass, the wildflowers. The dark clouds loomed above and turned the sky dark gray, and as the sun’s radiance was engulfed, the world around us became tinged with an achromatic shade.

As they fell down little by little, raindrops drummed down on the thicket’s leaves. Through the faint sound, his voice could be heard shaking.

“…When I woke up after injuring my head, and from the moment I first saw you…”

“……”

“I’ve always felt only affection for you.”

He gently took my hand and placed it on the left side of his chest. I could feel his warmth through the thin layer of his shirt.

…And so, too, did I feel the thunderous beating of his heart.

——