While You're In Love

A bewildered Lyla blinked and then turned her gaze from Oscar to Aslan.

What on earth is going on?

With that question in her eyes, she observed the situation, but Oscar only averted his eyes, his expression hiding a hint of guilt.

“Mr. Oscar?”

Addressing him directly, he finally raised his eyes.

Oscar’s gaze met Lyla’s, and his eyes quivered, almost as if he were guilty of something.

“Mr. Oscar.”

She called him again, this time almost demanding an answer. Oscar took a step forward, as if urged by her tone.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“What’s going on? Why is he …….”

Lyla paused, unable to put into words the discomfort she felt from Aslan, and Oscar nodded as if he knew what she was thinking.

In a somber tone, he explained.

“Not long ago, there was a carriage accident, and he was injured,he was lying in bed until yesterday and barely came to his senses.”

“An accident?”

Lyla’s voice raised in surprise. She was concerned about his injuries.

“Where… where are you hurt?”

She quickly examined Aslan, but she couldn’t see any visible injuries.

Though it did bother her that he appeared somewhat thinner and paler than before…

The dark circles under his eyes, and there was something nervously peculiar about the atmosphere… His gaze towards her felt peculiar as well…

Wait.

“…..”

“…..”

Lyla’s eyes scanned Aslan from head to toe, then stopped on his blue eyes.

Their gazes met.

How long had he been looking at her?

Aslan stared at her, his eyes intense and unreadable.

There was something magical about those blue eyes, swirling with intense emotion.

His eyes contained a captivating enchantment that one couldn’t easily look away from…

Lyla herself got lost in the enchanting power of Aslan’s eyes, without even realizing it.

“He… he isn’t severely injured anymore, so there’s no need to worry too much,” Oscar said.

Lyla, startled, quickly averted her gaze from Aslan. She had no idea what they were talking about earlier.

Still feeling dazed, she tried to recall their conversation.

“He’s completely recovered now. Except one area…”

Ah, right. Aslan had an accident.

It was fortunate that he had mostly recovered, but still she was concerned.

“So, which part is not healed?”

“…”

Oscar didn’t answer right away and looked back at Aslan.

Up to this point, Aslan had been silently observing Lyla with calm eyes. Now, he finally spoke.

“Allow me to explain, madam.”

Aslan opened his mouth deliberately, going straight to the crucial point.

“I’m having trouble with my memories.”

Lyla’s lips slightly parted. It was because she was so surprised.

“What…?”

Lyla stammered as she tried to comprehend.

“What do you mean, you have a memory problem?”

“When I say ‘memory problems,’ I mean that I’ve forgotten who I am, what kind of person I am, who was around me. I’ve even forgotten who my family is.”

“……!”

“……!”

Both Lyla and Oscar were taken aback by this revelation.

‘That should have been when you first woke up, but you have memories up to your twenties now, don’t you?’

Oscar looked at Aslan with a bewildered expression as Aslan brazenly lied.

Aslan didn’t acknowledge Oscar’s confusion, his gaze was fixed solely on Lyla’s face.

Her face changing with every word he uttered.

“The doctor said that in order to get my memory back quickly, I should be with the person I am closest to and feel attached to. He recommended being with my family, but as you know, I don’t have any family, except for my wife.”

“…….”

“I know it’s a hassle for my wife to see me in this condition, but I thought it would be  good to get my memory back as soon as possible, which is why I came to you.”

As Lyla absorbed Aslan’s words, her face transformed from confusion to that of a lost child.

She asked in a confused voice.

“Wait, let me ask you something first. You mean, you’ve lost your memory, all of it?”

“Yes.”

Aslan’s clear affirmation caused Lyla to almost collapse.

“Madam!”

Aslan, who had stepped forward without even realizing it, firmly held Lyla’s waist to prevent her from falling.

“Ha, ha…….”

Lyla was quick to take deep breaths, but she didn’t even notice that she was now in Aslan’s arms.

Her head was spinning; the world felt like it was whirling around her.

Aslan had lost his memory? Why?

Was he okay right now? He looked physically fine on the outside, but he had lost all his memories, so Lyla couldn’t help but feel anxious.

Why did he lose his memory? What on earth had caused this? The original work didn’t have this. Did her actions lead to this? Did Aslan suffer because of her?

Lyla bit her trembling lips.

An anxiety she’d forgotten about plagued her.

She’d been fine since she’d arrived in Ellwood, but to have it flare up like this right after meeting the two men from Central.

“Ma’am.”

Aslan whispered softly, gripping Lyla’s shoulders gently.

Lyla was still in a daze, lost in her own thoughts.

After a brief pause, Aslan spoke again.

“Lyla.”

“…!”

Lyla, who had been trembling in anxiety, suddenly froze.

She slowly raised her head. She saw Aslan, who was looking at her with concern.

“Ha!”

Unintentionally, she gasped for breath, finally realizing her surroundings and the comforting scent of Aslan that filled her senses.

‘What on earth did I just…’

Baffled, Lyla began apologizing.

“Wait, I… I felt dizzy for a moment. I’m sorry.”

With that she slightly pushed herself away from Aslan’s chest, who was still hugging her.

Lyla lowered her eyes to avoid the undoubtedly concerned gaze of Aslan.

She couldn’t face Aslan right now. Perhaps because of her, he had ended up in this difficult situation, and she couldn’t confidently look at him.

Lyla, who had been biting her lips, carefully spoke.

“Losing your memory must be very confusing for you.”

“It’s fine. And the doctor said being with my wife would help me regain my memory quickly. So, it will be better soon.”

In response to Aslan’s answer, Lyla finally recalled the things he had said earlier.

The very notion of losing his memory had been so shocking that she hadn’t listened carefully to his words.

‘To find memories, he has to be around his family, and he came here because the one family he had was me.’

It was clear that Aslan did not know that she had left, saying she was divorcing him.

Because of his amnesia, there is no way he  knows about their marriage contract, so he does not know that they are not a true family…..

‘In a situation like this, being with someone he was close to and cherished, he should be with Rosalyn, not me.’

There were many aspects that needed to be fixed.

A few moments later, Lyla exhaled. It seemed like this wasn’t the right place to address all these matters; they needed to have a more in-depth conversation.

“For now, please come inside.”

The entrance wasn’t a suitable place for conversation. Even though he had recovered, suffering such a major accident that it caused memory loss meant his body couldn’t be in perfect shape.

She had left Aslan, and her feelings towards him were distant now, but that didn’t mean she wished him any harm.

Trying to hide her worry, Lyla led Aslan and Oscar to the couch.

Once they were seated side by side on the couch, Lyla spoke up instead of sitting down in front of them.

“I’m going to make some tea, please wait for a moment.”

Unless she was immediately kicking them out, she needed to treat them as guests. She had to offer them something, even if it was just plain water.

She didn’t listen to the two men’s responses and headed straight to the kitchen.

Thanks to her familiarity with the house’s layout, she knew where everything she needed was.

Lyla opened a cupboard, took out some teacups, and filled the kettle with water, placing it on the stove.

Preparing tea instead of cold water wasn’t due to her being happy to see them. She needed some time alone to sort out her thoughts as the water boiled.

The need for time to sort out thoughts was the same for the two men left in the living room.

“I’ve had a change of heart.”

Aslan’s sudden words left Oscar bewildered, and he didn’t hide his confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“I think I should spend the rest of my vacation here.”

“Excuse me?”

“Shh. Lower your voice.”

Aslan gestured toward the kitchen, warning Oscar to be cautious, causing him to hunch his shoulders.

But that didn’t stop him from glancing at Aslan with a troubled expression on his face.

Feeling the unspoken pressure , Aslan spoke up.