Between Your Letter and My Reply

Chapter 156

『 Translator – Divinity 』

Although Damian’s answer wasn’t satisfactory to Lilliana, he was sincere. Thanks to Eugene’s invitation today, she was able to see various expressions on Damian’s face.

Damian thought that if it were just the two of them, he would probably never see those expressions. That fact made his mouth taste bitter.

“Oh well.”

Lilliana shook her head, as if to say it couldn’t be helped, and focused on enjoying the sunset again. It was a sight that brought joy just by looking at it.

Lilliana unconsciously smiled and savored the sea breeze. Seabirds soared through the wind, passing over Lilliana’s head.

She unconsciously followed the birds with her eyes. Her head naturally turned to the side, in Damian’s direction.

Lilliana, lowering her gaze from the sky, met Damian’s eyes.

Damian, who seemed to have been watching her all along, blinked in surprise at the sudden eye contact. But then, his eyes softened, and a smile spread across his lips as he looked back at her.

His blue-gray eyes, bathed in the sunset, took on a crimson hue. His dark brown hair shimmered with a reddish-gold color, swaying gently in the wind. The warm, salty sea breeze brushed past them.

Lilliana saw herself reflected in Damian’s eyes.

‘Ah, what do I do… I, him…’

Lilliana felt like she would remember this moment forever.

This moment, with the warm, salty breeze carrying the scent of the ocean, and the colorful sky above, illuminated by various hues.

You, who met my gaze and smiled lovingly, despite your shyness. And the vivid feeling of my heart pounding as I look at you.

Even without a camera, Lilliana was confident that she could beautifully engrave this moment in her mind and cherish it forever.

Lilliana wanted to look away from Damian and, at the same time, she didn’t.

‘I, Damian…’

Lilliana’s throat tightened. She felt a sudden dryness in her mouth. But she couldn’t move.

A strange tension hung between Damian and Lilliana’s gazes. It was Casey who broke the delicate atmosphere.

“Lily! I grilled the ribs, but they’re a bit burnt. Are they okay?”

Lilliana was startled as if waking from a dream and looked at Casey. He held out a plate to her as if asking for her inspection.

“I think they’re fine, but Eugene says they’re not.”

“Yes, I don’t think they’re okay either.”

At Lilliana’s blunt assessment, Casey’s face fell. Eventually, Damian got up and snatched the tongs from Casey.

“How can you be so bad at something as simple as grilling?”

At Damian’s scathing remark, Eugene also stepped aside with a sullen look.

Damian took over the grill with practiced movements and started grilling the meat. He expertly adjusted the firewood and even controlled the temperature of the flames.

“Why do I feel like he’s better at handling fire than me?” Casey whispered to Lilliana.

Soon, the meat was cooked to perfection.

Damian placed the meat on plates, and the other three eagerly dug in.

“Mmm!”

“Ooh!”

“Wow!”

They couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. The meat Damian grilled was incredibly tender, and the juices flowed like a river.

“Damian, how are you so good at this?” Casey asked in genuine wonder.

Damian diligently served the meat onto their plates with the tongs and replied nonchalantly.

“Thanks to procuring and eating all sorts of wild animal meat on the battlefield… We couldn’t use any special cooking methods there, so grilling was the best option.”

“Damian, have you been to war?” Eugene asked with wide eyes.

Damian replied indifferently, “That’s why I’m missing an arm.”

“Ah… I was wondering if it was from some kind of accident, but I couldn’t ask.”

For some reason, Lilliana answered with a proud look.

“You see, Damian received two medals and was promoted rapidly, becoming a lieutenant in just two years. Even though he didn’t graduate from a military academy.”

“Well, that was just luck…” Damian muttered, subtly distancing himself from Eugene, who was looking at him with admiration.

The sun had completely set, and darkness enveloped them. They lit a bonfire next to the grill and continued chatting while eating the meat Damian grilled. Laughter filled the air.

After some time,

“Ah, I think the fireworks are starting.”

As Eugene said, they heard the whooshing sound of fireworks being launched from somewhere. Everyone looked up at the sky expectantly.

A red dot soared across the dark sky, exploding in the air with a loud bang, and then the fireworks bloomed like a flower.

“Wow…”

While Lilliana was expressing her admiration, another series of fireworks shot up.

Bang, boom! Bang!

Explosions went off in succession, and colorful fireworks filled the night sky, their beauty drawing applause and cheers from the crowd.

Casey watched with satisfaction and said, “Oh my, this is quite a spectacle, isn’t it? Don’t you think so too, Damian?”

Casey looked towards Damian and then paused.

“Damian?”

Casey called Damian’s name in a puzzled voice, and Lilliana, who had been looking up at the sky, also turned to look at Damian.

Even in the darkness, they could see Damian’s face turning pale. He covered his mouth with his hand, as if trying to suppress nausea.

Damian took a few steps back and then said, “I… I need to go somewhere for a moment.”

His voice was trembling slightly. Lilliana frowned and approached Damian.

“Where? Where are you going all of a sudden? And you look pale. If you’re not feeling well, go inside and lie down…”

Bang!

A firework exploded behind Lilliana. As if triggered by the sound, Damian suddenly turned and started running.

“Damian?!”

Lilliana called out to him in surprise, but Damian ran out of the villa without looking back. Then, he disappeared into the darkness.

“Damian?”

Casey also blinked in confusion, staring at the spot where Damian had disappeared.

“Hmm… What’s wrong with Damian? He doesn’t look well.”

Eugene also scratched his head and asked Lilliana, but she couldn’t find the words to explain.

She was wondering how to react to this sudden situation when more fireworks exploded in the sky with a series of bangs. They bloomed like flowers and then disappeared with a sparkle. They were incredibly beautiful.

But the moment Lilliana heard the sound of the fireworks, she gasped.

“Don’t tell me…”

Lilliana’s face hardened. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted in the direction Damian had disappeared, “Damian!”

But there was no answer. Damian was nowhere to be seen. Lilliana said to Casey and Eugene.

“I think we need to go find Damian.”

“Do you think he’ll come back?” Casey asked nonchalantly.

Lilliana replied in an exasperated tone, “Of course, he’ll come back if we wait! But I’m worried something might happen to him in the meantime.”

“What could happen to Damian? Don’t worry too much and let’s watch the fireworks here.”

Casey had too much faith in Damian. Lilliana was about to burst with frustration.

“I’ll go find him. Damian might come back while I’m gone, so you and Eugene stay here.”

“What? You’re not going to watch the fireworks when they’re just starting?” Eugene asked in surprise, but Lilliana nodded resolutely.