Between Your Letter and My Reply

Chapter 152
『 Translator – Divinity 』

Lilliana noticed that Damian and Casey weren’t very interested in Eugene. So, to ease any discomfort Eugene might feel, she tried to initiate a conversation.

However, she had already exhausted all the usual topics during their phone call yesterday, so she couldn’t help but hesitate for a moment, unsure what to talk about.

In the end, the only thing Lilliana could come up with was a simple inquiry.

“Do you have someone you’re seeing now, Eugene?”

Eugene shook his head at Lilliana’s question.

“No, I don’t. What about you, Lily?”

“I don’t either.”

“Why?”

“Why? Well… I haven’t had the time for that.”

Lilliana rested her chin on her hand and said with a sigh, “I told you on the phone yesterday, I don’t have memories of the past two years. How can I have a boyfriend in this situation? It doesn’t seem like I had one during the time I lost my memories either.”

“That’s true. But are you really okay?”

Lilliana was a little tired of Eugene repeating the same question he had asked on the phone yesterday.

“I’m fine, that’s why we’re going to the beach, isn’t it? If I wasn’t feeling well, my brother and Damian in the back would have already made a fuss.”

“Still, you’re making me worry. If I had known about what happened, I would have… When you suddenly cut off contact and disappeared, I was so worried.”

Lilliana felt a little intimidated by Eugene’s prolonged nagging.

“Well, I’m sorry about that…”

Lilliana apologized half-heartedly and then asked Eugene playfully, “Why don’t you have a girlfriend? Come to think of it, I’ve never seen you in a relationship. Were you secretly dating someone?”

“Well, maybe it’s because my first girlfriend was so beautiful. There aren’t many who catch my eye.”

Damian almost tore the peanut package in half, which he was about to eat as a snack. Casey, who didn’t seem to understand what Eugene meant, whispered to Damian, “I don’t really know this kind of stuff, but is that what they call flirting?”

But before Damian could answer, Lilliana burst into laughter, covering her mouth with her hand.

“Ahahaha, why are you suddenly flattering me?”

“Actually, I thought Damian next to you was your boyfriend.”

Lilliana was flustered and quickly waved her hand.

“What? Damian and I aren’t like that, so don’t misunderstand. We’re really not.”

Damian, as if he didn’t care about Lilliana’s reaction, mechanically popped peanuts into his mouth. Seeing Lilliana’s denial and Damian’s lack of response, Eugene, feeling awkward, spoke to Damian.

“I’m sorry if I offended you. But you two seemed close.”

“We’re close. That’s why I came all the way here.”

It sounded as if he wouldn’t have bothered with them if it weren’t for Lilliana, and she felt a bead of sweat trickle down her forehead.

‘Be nice,’ Lilliana mouthed to Damian, turning around, and then spoke to Casey, “B-brother, don’t you have anything you want to talk about?”

Casey thought for a moment at her attempt to change the subject and then said, “What was Lily like in middle school academy? I was away from home at that time, so I don’t know much about Lily when she was younger.”

Damian’s ears perked up. But what followed wasn’t very pleasant.

“You know we used to date, right?”

“Yes, but you broke up after one semester.”

Eugene laughed cheerfully at those words.

“We were just kids playing at love and got disillusioned when we realized the reality of it.”

“We were better suited as best friends than lovers,” Lilliana chimed in with a giggle.

Eugene reminisced, “Lily was the prettiest girl in school. I remember seeing her on the first day and thinking, ‘Wow, how can someone be so pretty?'”

Lilliana laughed awkwardly at his compliment.

“Oh, come on. I was pretty, but not the ‘prettiest.’ He’s flattering me again!”

“That’s why the competition was fierce among the boys. I was grateful that Lily chose me, but honestly, I wasn’t confident.”

“Oh my, oh my. You’re such a smooth talker.”

Lilliana waved her hands repeatedly, embarrassed. Eugene continued to shower Lilliana with compliments.

“She was good at studying, bright, had good relationships with everyone, and everyone liked her.”

Damian was envious that Eugene knew a side of Lilliana that he didn’t. If only he had known Lilliana a little sooner…

“If you’re trying to get on my brother’s good side by complimenting me, you’d better stop,” Lilliana said.

Casey munched on a biscuit and asked, “Eugene, are you thinking of getting back together with Lily?”

Cough!

Damian had thought he had gotten used to Casey’s bluntness, but he hadn’t expected such a sudden question. He almost choked on the peanut he was eating.

Lilliana frowned at Casey and put her index finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet. Just as Casey was about to protest, Eugene spoke.

“Well, if Lily is thinking that way, I’d be honored.”

“Ha! Hahaha!”

“But Lily’s feelings are more important than mine.”

“Hahahaha!”

Lilliana laughed exaggeratedly, then covered Eugene’s mouth with her hand and said with a straight face, “Stop it.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll stop teasing you,” Eugene replied with a grin and muffled pronunciation.

Damian watched the two bicker with a bitter look as they argued about who was being excessive and who was just stating facts.

Casey whispered in Damian’s ear, “Damian, Damian. Is Eugene a good catch?”

“What kind of catch are you talking about?”

“The kind of romantic partner that girls usually like.”

“Well…”

Damian knew objectively that he was a good catch. But he didn’t want to praise Eugene, so he hesitated, and Casey continued on his own, “Good family, rich, handsome, good manners… He seems like a good match for Lily. It’s a shame they broke up. Don’t you think so?”

“…”

Damian sighed and pushed Casey’s head away. Meanwhile, Eugene and Lilliana had moved on to a new topic.

“About the pendant necklace you gave me before…”

“Ah, the one with the amulet?”

Lilliana understood, and Eugene hesitated, looking a bit awkward, before continuing, “It was cracked one day. I’m sorry. I should have kept it safe…”

He looked genuinely apologetic that the gift he received had been damaged. But Lilliana didn’t seem offended; instead, her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled.

“Really? That’s great.”

“Huh? It’s great?” Eugene tilted his head, puzzled.

Lilliana said with a relieved expression, “If that amulet is cracked or broken, it means it worked properly. It must have brought you good luck somewhere. I don’t know what kind, though.”

“Is that so? I don’t know, but thanks anyway.”

Eugene seemed relieved and patted his chest. He seemed to have been genuinely sorry.

The two continued their conversation in a friendly atmosphere.

Mostly, it was Lilliana and Eugene talking, with Casey occasionally interjecting, but Damian was mostly silent. Lilliana felt a bit awkward about that.

Damian didn’t seem to want to participate actively and had his usual indifferent expression, just guarding their space.

While Lilliana was mindful of Damian, he let her do whatever she wanted. Lilliana, reunited with her friend after a long time, seemed more vibrant than ever.

He didn’t want to spoil this situation with his petty jealousy. He finally understood why Casey said Lilliana seemed unhappy in Edenfallen.

Lilliana, smiling with an expression he had never seen when she was with him or Casey, looked genuinely happy. So Damian wanted to make this outing the best day ever for Lilliana.

A day where she could forget about her memory loss, her poor health, the people threatening her, everything.

“You’ll have a lot of fun today. There’s a local festival, and there’s going to be a fireworks show near the villa. We’re in luck.”

“Oh, fireworks!”

Lilliana and Casey’s eyes sparkled. Damian chuckled, seeing their nostrils flare.

Like true salamanders…

“Even though it’s in the countryside, it’s a tourist town, so they have events like this quite often. I can guarantee that the fireworks viewed from the private beach will be a sight to behold.”

At Eugene’s confident words, the Carnell siblings nodded vigorously. It seemed like the main event for these two wasn’t swimming, but the fireworks.

Like true salamanders…

Damian leaned back in his seat with a lonely smile.

I’ll just take care of the aftermath.