Episode 33
A moment later, as I expected, the silence became unbearable for the man, and he spoke first.
“Felix Wenger.”
A name popped out of the man’s mouth.
It seemed like it was his own name.
Felix Wenger…
It sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it.
I quickly racked my brain to remember who Felix Wenger was.
“Oh!”
“Finally remembered, huh?”
His words were right; I finally recalled.
Felix Wenger was someone I met in the village of Luivela, where I stayed for an unusually long time among the places I visited for treatment of my illness since childhood.
But all those treatments had been in vain, and returning home was always filled with disappointment and frustration.
Felix Wenger was a boy of my age whom I met in Luivela, the village where I stayed for a particularly long time for treatment.
“Felix Wenger? Is it really Felix Wenger?”
“You recognize me now?”
Yes, because he was a child, I couldn’t recognize him for a long time.
I met him when I was not even ten years old, and it had been over ten years since then.
In the meantime, I couldn’t see Felix again or even hear about him.
“Is it really you, Felix?”
Felix nodded gently and smiled faintly.
Ah, it’s really Felix.
As he smiled, the charming boy who always wore a bright smile when he was young overlapped with his current appearance.
Moreover, even after seeing his unique colored hair, I couldn’t believe why I didn’t recognize him.
“Uh, Ela?”
When I brought my face close to his and stared into his eyes, Felix stuttered, startled.
“Yeah, Felix Wenger.”
His eyes contained the same shade of green as mine, which was the reason Felix considered us friends, and memories of our childhood flooded back.
“Have you been well all this time? How did you know to come here?”
“I’ve been very well, and I found out when I went to greet my uncle.”
“If you mean the Lord of Luivela by ‘uncle’?”
“That’s right. We spent time together at my uncle’s estate.”
“Right. I was bedridden at the marquisate for treatment, and you… you were there for a while to recuperate, right?”
“I remember it well.”
As soon as I realized the person in front of me was Felix, more detailed memories rushed in.
The Lord Caleb Grayson, Marquis of Luivela, had a longstanding relationship with my father.
It was through the marquis that I learned about the exceptional skill of the physician at Grayson Manor.
So, my mother and I stayed at the estate for a few months, and I received treatment from the physician.
During my stay, Felix also came for recuperation due to poor health.
Thinking of Felix back then, he was so frail compared to his current robust physique that it was unimaginable.
At first, we bonded over our similar eye colors, but ultimately, it was our shared experience of illness that brought us together quickly and easily.
With a knowing smile, Felix lightly tousled my hair, which made me feel like he was treating me like a little kid.
“Hey, cut it out. Do you think I’m some kind of child?”
Although he was a friend and someone I considered like a younger brother, Felix’s behavior of treating me like a child made me lightly swat his hand away without resentment.
“Yeah, you are not a child anymore. You are getting married now,” he said with a smile on his lips, but his eyes looked bittersweet.
“Did you like me? Why the expression?” I threw out the question half jokingly, half curious.
“Yeah. I liked you. Didn’t you know?”
“What?”
But his response caught me off guard.
“I’ve liked you since we were kids. I wish I had confessed sooner.”
“Wait, what? Are you kidding right now?”
Even though it seemed like a joke, why would he confess to someone about to get married?
I desperately signaled with my eyes for him to say it was just a joke.
“Of course, it’s a joke. Why would you be excited just because I said I liked you?”
Despite my slight nervousness, Felix’s expression was mischievous.
“Exactly! I already have someone. My fiancé is such an impressive person, and I don’t even notice anyone else.”
I almost felt uncomfortable for no reason.
I looked at Felix, who had made a joke that wasn’t funny, with disapproval in my eyes.
“So, where did this impressive fiancé leave you alone for so long?”
“He went to greet people with my father. He’ll be back soon.”
Come to think of it, it seems like quite some time has passed, but he’s still stuck with his father?
I started to worry and scanned the surroundings again.
I saw my father gathering with people over there.
“But where’s Lloydin?”
Thinking that Lloydin should be around somewhere, I looked for him, but he wasn’t there.
“Where could he have gone?”
Regardless, it’s just the garden, so I pushed aside my worries about him.
“Ayla?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Stop looking elsewhere and look at me for a moment.”
Felix called me with a displeased expression and caught my gaze.
“Yeah, sure. Sorry, I was just looking around for where my fiancé might be.”
“He’ll be back soon. Do you miss him even when he’s just a little away?”
“Yeah, kinda. He’s so handsome that I never get tired of looking at him. Won’t you be surprised when you see him too?”
I boasted with a proud expression, like a wife bragging about her husband.
“Blighton.”
“What?”
I involuntarily echoed Felix’s unexpected words.
“Your fiancé is Duke Blighton.”
At first, I didn’t understand the intention behind his words, but the second time around, I got the meaning.
“Yeah, Duke Lloydin Blighton. So what?”
All expressions vanished from my face for a moment, and I asked, pressing him.
“Do you really intend to marry Duke Blighton?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“But the Blighton family…”
“Felix Wenger.”
I didn’t want to hear what Felix had to say because I could predict it.
I interrupted Felix with a chilly tone, calling out his name.
“I really don’t want to hear anything about Duke and the Blighton family from anyone else.”
“What? Ayla! Let me just…”
“Lady.”
This time, it wasn’t me who interrupted Felix’s words. Facing the owner of the voice that sounded as familiar as a pleasant song in my ears, I smiled broadly and replied.
“Duke!”
Always eagerly awaiting his arrival, Lloydin finally returned to my side.
I quickly ran towards him.
“Sorry for being late.”
“No, you came right on time.”
Saying so, I looked at Lloydin and stumbled in surprise when he suddenly grabbed my hand firmly.
“Duke?”
As I was usually the one to initiate holding his hand, I was surprised and looked up at him with wide eyes. But his gaze was directed not at me, but behind me.
“Oh, Duke. This is a friend I knew when I was young.”
Sensing his curiosity about the person, I quickly turned around and stood next to Lloydin before introducing Felix.
“This is Felix Wenger.”
“I’m Lloydin Blighton.”
The two men exchanged intense gazes for a moment. Then Felix’s gaze landed on Lloydin’s hand, which was clasped with mine, before he spoke.
“I wanted to catch up more with my long-lost friend, but I suppose I have to step back for now.”
His momentarily troubled expression vanished, and Felix smiled faintly at me.
“Ayla, I’ll be staying in the capital for a while because of work.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, so let’s meet again soon. It’s too regrettable to part ways like this after meeting for the first time in 10 years.”
“Okay. I’ll try to find time in between wedding preparations.”
“Sorry, but I’ll take my leave now. Have a good time.”
“…Take care.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
After bidding farewell to Lloydin, Felix turned to me for one last goodbye.
“Yeah. Take care. Thanks for coming today.”
“No problem.”
As if about to ruffle my hair like before, Felix reached out his hand but hesitated, glancing briefly at Lloydin before retracting his hand.
Then, with a wave, he gradually distanced himself from us.
Feeling glad to see my long-lost friend again, I couldn’t take my eyes off him for a while. Suddenly, I felt a strong sense of connection emanating from the hand I was holding with Lloydin.
Thank you so much!❤️🔥