Episode 89
Was the young man truly different, or was it just Lillian’s solitary impression? The view changes, even if only one of the windows or the outside scenery changes. Perhaps it wasn’t the young man who had changed, but Lillian herself. In reality, Lillian had made constant efforts to forget Theo, and perhaps she had succeeded somewhat.
Feeling a flutter in her chest, Lillian lowered her head to avoid showing her expression.
“…Yeah. Looks like you’ve been doing well.”
“That’s what I was going to say. You seem to be doing really well. I’m just rolling around here like a tough guy. See this? Callus on my hands.”
Theo suddenly reached out his hand. Theo’s hand had never been smooth.
At a glance, it could be seen that it was rougher than before, but Lillian didn’t raise her head. Instead, she turned away. She didn’t have the confidence to speak to Theo as if nothing had happened.
“Don’t see it. You have no business with me, so go away.”
“No business with you?”
But Theo persisted. He grabbed Lillian, who was trying to turn away. Despite never having done this in Maynard.
“It’s been three years since we’ve seen each other, and you really have nothing to talk about?”
“Yeah.”
In the end, Lillian failed to keep her composure.
“Now you and I have nothing to do with each other. No, we didn’t have much to do with each other from the beginning. You were just an orphan leaning on the mansion with my help.”
Sarcasm overflowed. Theo seemed slightly shocked by Lillian’s words. No, he seemed hurt. Theo frowned and laughed coldly.
“… Ha. You talk so well. Don’t you?”
“Do you have to hear such things to be satisfied?”
“Yeah. I wanted to know what you were thinking. I wondered if you had even thought about me a little bit while you were there. So that I could feel a little less guilty.”
Theo said that and sighed, as if relieving his embarrassed feelings, then continued.
“You, you still haven’t fixed your habit of being resentful toward me.”
“… What?”
“Do you only say harsh words to the people you like? You know that? You can’t even say such things to people you don’t like much, but you’re so blunt to those who are comfortable and nice.”
Lillian’s face flushed at Theo’s words. Saying harsh words only to the person she liked, when did she ever do that? Lillian had never said harsh words to Swan, it was because she didn’t like Theo that much!
“W-when did I—”
“I thought you’d grown up a bit, but…”
Seeing Lillian’s face turn red and stuttering, Theo narrowed his eyes. A mischievous laugh burst forth from his face.
“When will you ever?”
“….!!”
Lillian’s face eventually turned bright red. But Lillian couldn’t retort. She always felt mature, but in front of Theo, she knew she had become like a child. It was frustrating and unfair, but she had no way to answer when asked when she would grow up.
In the end, unable to say anything, Lillian hung her head. Seeing Lillian, who couldn’t say anything, Theo grinned. He worried that maybe she wouldn’t be too sad or lonely when he left, but it seemed she was doing better than he thought. It was bittersweet but fortunate. He felt doubly so.
“I’m still far from being a proper knight.”
Damian, that brat would probably laugh if he saw this. Theo chuckled at the joke and opened his arms to embrace Lillian. Lillian said nothing and hugged Theo back, facing him.
“I missed you, Lillian.”
“… Me too.”
And so, they reunited after three years.
Tl/N: That was so sweet
* * *
In the end, Lillian had to completely abandon her plan to look for other books at the library. There was no time to search for books. Simply conversing with Theo turned the day into night. Since they used to see each other’s faces every day, even with all the time they had, it wasn’t enough to catch up on the three years they missed. After Theo finished talking, Lillian would unload a bunch of stories. Since there was nothing to hide from Theo, talking wasn’t difficult.
“So, is the guy who came with you this time your potential husband?”
“Yeah. But it’s not for marriage.”
“If he’s a potential husband, isn’t it for marriage?”
“I told you, my father’s injured, and I’m running out of excuses to delay the succession. He’s been suffering from vassals all these years because of me…… and I can’t just hide behind him forever.”
From Lillian’s words, there was a sense of debt towards Cedric. It should be natural for parents to protect their children, but it wasn’t natural for Lillian.
“I had ‘business’ at the temple, so I met him on the side. They probably won’t urge me to get married for a while now. He’s actually a pretty good person.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
“Yeah. He’s a person who studies theology, and he even invited me to a membership reading club.”
Theo’s face frowned at Lillian’s words. An exclusive reading club for members. It passed through his mind as an unpleasant thought.
“Are you sure you’re okay? Isn’t that kind of thing dangerous?”
“Huh? Viscount Fitzroy is a person with a clear identity. He knows who I am. He won’t do anything weird.”
“No, it’s not that…”
Become part of an exclusive reading club membership. Theo had often heard about it.
It was how cults opposed to the Temple usually recruited new members.
It started with theological readings, and then gradually became religious.
-So it’s easier for people who are interested in theology to fall prey to it than the average person. It’s a tricky one to root out.
-Really? Is it serious?
-Yes, it is. Cults are unrecognizable, and once you’re in, there’s no way to count the people with divine power, no way to see how they’re using it, and no way to find them if something happens , and they go missing.
Although Theo was a knight, he was just someone who worked to earn a salary, and he didn’t have deep knowledge about the temple or dissenters. If he had known more about it, he would have felt better, but since he only had superficial knowledge, he felt unnecessarily anxious. He regretted not paying more attention to such things in the past.
“Why are you going to that reading club?”
“Viscount Fitzroy said he knows about ‘Daughters of Moonlight.’ Among the members, there’s someone interested in that side. If it’s that person, they might be able to tell me what I want to know.”
“Hmm…”
I still don’t know. Wouldn’t it be okay to go once?
After hesitating, Theo spoke.
“Then let’s go together.”
TL/N: My babies are back together
