Only Realized After Losing You

15. Even Prettier Than Usual

I was quite surprised to learn that Lebrado was a knight of the Duchy of Hills.

The three men who came to see me to reveal their secrets were all connected.

There was a subtle connection between them, the Duchy of the Hills.

It felt like too much of a coincidence.

Fortunately, Lebrado didn’t seem to notice my surprise.

His gaze was still somewhere on the Duchy of Hills.

I thought about what Lebrado said.

‘Besides Miss Ellie, my other master is a very playful and sly man. But when he was cold, he was really cold, and as soon as I did something wrong, he suspended me.’

When it came to playful and sly men, there was one person who immediately came to mind.

Lennon Hills.

Was Lennon Hills really Lebrado’s lord?

Lebrado’s gaze, which was on the Duchy of Hills, landed on me again.

“Yikes, let’s go somewhere else. I don’t want my lord to notice that I’m with Miss Ellie. It might cause misunderstandings.”

I nodded.

Maybe it would be better for me not to run into Lennon or Hayden.

We walked away from the Duke’s neighborhood at a brisk pace.

Soon we were lost again, and Lebrado turned to me.

“Master, is there somewhere you want to go?”

No, I’m not sure where to go. I’m not sure what I’m longing for.

I shook my head.

Lebrado smiled brightly.

His face looked amused.

“If not, can we walk a little further? I like walking.”

I responded with a smile.

We walked and walked, shoulder to shoulder.

I thought as I looked at the wide open street.

How far do I have to walk before I can live my own life?

* * *

We walked around until sunset.

Of course, we weren’t just walking mindlessly.

I spent a few minutes meaninglessly looking at the fountain in the central square, and Lebrado licked the back of my hand as water from the fountain splattered on it.

“…Droplets of water splashed on your pretty hands…”

He wanted to openly lick them because he had a good reason.

Even though I knew his true intentions, I pretended not to know.

I thought, what’s the harm in letting him lick the back of my hand once?

After finishing licking the back of my hand, Lebrado apologized as usual.

“Sorry. Because I can’t control it well… I licked them for too long, didn’t I?”

I decided to let it slide this time too.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, there were traces of Lebrado all over my hands.

I wondered if this is what it would feel like if I actually had a puppy.

By the time I returned home, the sun was setting beautifully.

The overwhelming red light dyed Lebrado’s appearance red.

Only then did Lebrado let go of my hand, which he was holding so tightly that my hands were sweating.

He didn’t just let go, he kissed the back of my hand briefly.

“Thank you. It was the happiest day I’ve had in a long time.”

He kissed the back of my hand again and took a deep breath.

“I’ll never forget it.”

“… … .”

“For the rest of my life. Until I die.”

Lebrado whispered, then gave me a slow smile.

It was a wonderful smile that would have made the hearts of many women flutter.

At that moment, he didn’t look like a puppy left loose in the yard.

He seemed like a grown man, a sensual man with bronzed skin, and a man who could love a woman with all his heart.

He left me a message before he left.

“I’d love to see you again tomorrow, Master… but there is a banquet I have to go to tomorrow. When I was suspended from work, my lord told me to participate and I hate banquets.”

A banquet.

Are Lennon and Hayden also attending the banquet?

I bobbed my head up and down in understanding.

“In that case, I should really get going, my master. Goodbye.”

Lebrado looked back several times as he walked, as if he still had some regrets.

I waved every time he turned around.

Lebrado looked back until he was out of sight.

Maybe he kept looking back because he was curious how long I would keep waving at him.

* * *

When I went back into my house and up to my room on the second floor, I saw something I hadn’t seen before.

It was a letter from someone on my bedside table.

I picked up the letter.

The letter’s white envelope had a colorful stamp on it.

I tore off the adhesive and picked up the letter inside.

⌜My Lady, have you thought about why I gave you the dress?

I’ll tell you why tomorrow.

Oh, by the way, when we meet tomorrow, be sure to wear the dress I gave you.

– Lennon Hills⌟

The person who left the letter was Lennon.

Although I could not read elaborate sentences due to my limited education, I was able to read the letter Lennon left without much difficulty.

He chose very simple words to write his letter.

There wasn’t a single word I couldn’t read.

I didn’t know why, but I felt like he cared about me.

I wonder if Lennon saw something awkward in the way I wrote for him in the past.

He was the most articulate man I’ve ever met.

But for some reason, he also seemed to be the sharpest.

Lennon, a man with an uncanny ability to read between the lines.

I pressed the tip of my nose to the letter.

The letter smelled faintly of Lennon’s cologne.

* * *

My father, who hadn’t been seen since yesterday morning, wasn’t home the next day either.

My mother was the one who stayed out, while my father often came home late but never stayed out.

In other words, my father staying out overnight was not a common occurrence.

Thus, I felt anxious about my father staying out.

Where is my father and what is he doing?

I couldn’t think about my father for long.

Because the carriage sent by Lennon was waiting for me.

I wore the luxurious dress that Lennon gave me, and I also wore small pearl earrings that I rarely wore. The pearls were counterfeit.

That was all I did to prepare.

I put on my worn-out heels and got into the carriage.

The carriage crossed a familiar street.

That road was the one where I walked with Lebrado yesterday until my legs went numb.

Nothing had changed.

The streets were still cheerful and beautiful.

The smell of summer wafting in through the carriage windows was still there, but without the warmth of another’s hand on mine.

I was somewhat disappointed about that.

“… … .”

It’s a shame.

It was an ironic thought, hard to believe it came from me, someone unaccustomed to the warmth of others.

I opened my palm wide.

And for a moment, I remembered the feel of Lebrado’s tongue lingering there.

It was a feeling I would never forget.

The carriage stopped at the Duke of Hills.

It was a place I came across quite a lot in just a few days.

When I got off the carriage, there was someone there to meet me.

That person, of course, was Lennon.

Lennon seemed to have guessed that I would arrive at the mansion around this time.

“Hello.”

Lennon greeted me warmly as soon as he saw me, and his face was even brighter than before.

In reality, it might have been a mask he created.

If I didn’t know any better, I wouldn’t know.

I had already seen Lennon’s dark side.

He had told me, with a sickening smile, that he wanted to defeat his father.

I’ll never forget the way his face contorted as if he was about to cry as he told me his story.

The face he had back then was the exact opposite of the face he was wearing now.

I approached Lennon, who was standing a few steps away.

The whole time I was walking, I could feel Lennon’s red gaze following me.

It was a very intense gaze.

It seemed as if his gaze could see right through my every thought.

“Miss, you’re wearing pretty earrings today, aren’t you?”

Lennon immediately recognized my small change.

He was someone who had an excellent ability to observe others.

I nodded my head lightly.

“Have you thought about where I’m taking you?”

I nodded again.

Of course I thought about it.

But I had no idea where it would be, I replied in my head.

Lennon, unable to hear my answer, asked me another question.

“Where do you think we’re going?”

I glanced at Lennon’s outfit.

He was dressed in good-looking clothes whenever I met him, but today he was especially dressed, even better than the days before.

A black jacket with delicate gold embroidery, an ivory shirt, and black pants without a single wrinkle.

And just the right amount of accessories.

Perhaps he has something important to do today?

Is he really trying to take me along on that ‘important matter’?

I looked up at Lennon’s face.

He was smiling faintly.

By the time I realized it, he was holding my hand.

It was such a natural gesture, I didn’t realize it until after the fact.

My hand that briefly missed someone’s warmth.

It was Lennon’s warmth that now permeated my hand.

He started to lead me somewhere, so I followed after Lennon.

“I had arranged for a maid to dress you up, but… I don’t think it will be necessary. Miss Ellie is pretty enough as it is.”

Lennon, who was about a step ahead of me, tilted his head back slightly.

He locked eyes with me and continued.

“And today, you’re wearing some pretty earrings. I think that’s enough.”

“… … .”

“You’re even prettier than usual.”

His head, which briefly turned toward me, returned to its original position, and his gaze, which briefly touched me, also returned forward.

I touched my ear with the hand that was not holding Lennon’s.

To be more precise, I was fiddling with the fake pearls hanging from my ears.

The tip of my ear burned where I touched it.