While You're In Love

Left alone, Lyla leisurely looked around for a moment.

Exhausted from the intense dancing, Lyla had moved to a nearby bench to rest.

She hadn’t noticed it while having fun, but once she stopped, she felt thirsty. After Lyla muttered about her dry throat, Aslan, who had fortunately heard her, left her alone briefly to get some drinks.

Lyla had offered to go with him, but seeing her out of breath and struggling to catch her breath, Aslan simply smiled and told her to rest.

Sitting on the bench, Lyla stretched out her legs. Her legs hurt, and her feet ached, but she didn’t mind it much.

What mattered more was savoring the day’s events.

It had been truly a perfect day.

Lyla habitually looked at the ground as she thought about it.

She had developed the habit of looking at the ground to avoid meeting other people’s eyes after moving to the Count of Larestine’s mansion.

Like a stone that would get kicked around if kicked, her efforts to avoid unnecessary trouble had turned into a habit.

In the past, she often picked up things from the ground because she always walked looking down. Coins, newspaper , a dropped handkerchief…

It was also how she met Aslan—she picked up a handkerchief he had dropped.

She used to think it was a foolish habit, but if not for that habit, she would never have had any connection with Aslan.

But perhaps because she was just thinking about handkerchiefs, her eyes caught sight of a clean-looking handkerchief.

More precisely, it had just fallen out of someone’s pocket.

“Oh…”

Lyla instinctively stood up. Before anyone could step on the handkerchief, she quickly picked it up and set out to find its owner.

“Excuse me!”

But her voice was soon drowned out by the festival’s noise.

After a moment of hesitation, Lyla quickened her pace to find the owner she had seen earlier.

Though she had only glimpsed the back, her sharp eyes found him in the crowd.

“Excuse me…”

Calling out to him from a short distance away, the man finally turned to face her.

“May I help you?”

His refined accent was that of a nobleman, someone who had received extensive education.

Initially, she only planned to return the handkerchief, but learning he was a noble made her even less inclined to get involved.

Lyla decided to quickly state her purpose and leave.

“You dropped your handkerchief.”

As she handed it to him, the man checked his pocket. Realizing it was empty, he gave a sheepish smile.

“Oh, I had no idea when I dropped it. Thank you, my lady.”

Not wanting to prolong the conversation, Lyla simply smiled, gave a polite nod, and prepared to return to her original spot.

But the man stopped her.

“Pardon me, but which family’s young lady are you?”

He naturally assumed she was a noble lady.

Although Lyla had dressed up to some extent, her attire wasn’t enough to be mistaken for that of a noblewoman, which left her flustered.

“…I live nearby in Ellwood with my family. We aren’t a household significant enough to be called a family.”

She meant that she wasn’t a noble. The man murmured in disbelief.

“I naturally assumed you were a young lady visiting from another region.”

Lyla smiled and shook her head.

The man looked at Lyla as if mesmerized, then seemed resolved on something and opened his mouth to speak.

“Well, then—”

“What’s going on here?”

Aslan appeared out of nowhere and naturally positioned himself in front of Lyla, shielding her.

The man, who couldn’t see Lyla well due to Aslan, hesitantly explained the situation.

“I didn’t realize I dropped this and nearly lost it, but the lady picked it up for me, so I was thanking her.”

“…Is that so.”

Aslan listened with a frown and responded coldly. His demeanor was so cold that even Lyla, who knew him well, was taken aback. The man, meeting Aslan for the first time, visibly flinched.

“Is there anything else you need to say?”

Aslan silently pressured him to leave, implying there was nothing more to be said.

“….”

The man hesitated.

He clearly wanted to speak more to Lyla, but with Aslan standing like a gatekeeper in front of her, all he could do was nervously move his lips.

From the moment Aslan saw Lyla with a strange man in the distance, his patience had been rapidly wearing thin.

Aslan pressured the man, and unable to withstand the oppressive atmosphere, the man bowed his head and quickly left.

“Thank you for your help. I was in a difficult situation—”

“Do you have a hobby of picking up men’s handkerchiefs?”

Aslan cut off Lyla’s words with a sarcastic tone.

“Just like before, this time too. It seems you only pick up men’s handkerchiefs.”

Lyla furrowed her brows. Aslan’s unfounded accusations felt strange. He had never behaved like this before, so why now?

Then suddenly, she sensed something off in his words.

Lyla mulled over what Aslan had just said and asked,

“Aslan, have your memories returned?”

“…What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Aslan frowned, thinking Lyla was trying to change the subject to avoid the conversation.

Undeterred, Lyla continued to question him.

“You just said it. You mentioned that I picked up a man’s handkerchief before. Does that mean you remember our first meeting?”

“…”

Aslan’s eyes trembled slightly. He seemed flustered.

But he soon collected himself and spoke calmly.

“No, it was just a thoughtless remark. Was that really how we first met? How unexpected.”

Lyla narrowed her eyes.

“Your memory hasn’t returned?”

“…No.”

“Really?”

“Do I have any reason to lie?”

“…That’s true.”

For Aslan, recovering his memory was undoubtedly crucial. He had been such a busy person, eager to recover quickly and return to Central.

Lyla quickly accepted his response.

“That’s unfortunate.”

“…Do you wish for me to regain my memory quickly?”

Why was he asking such an obvious question? Lyla tilted her head in confusion.

“Yes.”

Aslan’s jaw tightened. He gritted his teeth and, looking at Lyla with a curious gaze, asked again.

“…Is it because you want me to leave quickly?”

His subdued voice was very low and threatening.

But Aslan’s face looked precarious as he spoke.

He hesitated before continuing.

“…Or is it because you prefer the version of me with memories?”

Lyla looked at Aslan, who was shrouded in darkness. She couldn’t begin to guess what he was thinking.

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

Lyla didn’t know what he intended with these questions, but she felt that continuing this conversation would be a mistake.

She spoke calmly, changing the subject.

“My family will be worried. Let’s head back.”

But as she tried to move confidently, she stumbled.

“Ah!”

Thanks to Aslan catching her, she didn’t fall, but she couldn’t stand properly.

The heels and toes of her feet, which were scraped and blistered, hurt unbearably.

‘I was fine earlier…’

Earlier, the festive excitement had masked her pain with adrenaline, but now that her mood had calmed, she felt the vivid pain starting from her feet.

Laila unintentionally let out a groan, but even amidst the commotion, Aslan quickly noticed.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

Lyla, who had been grimacing, nodded at his prompt question.

“It’s just my feet. I guess I walked a lot.”

She spoke with an awkward smile.

“It’s fine. Nothing like what just happened will happen again. Shall we go now?”

However, Aslan didn’t move.

Instead, he swiftly lowered himself. With one knee bent and the other on the ground, he reached for Lyla’s calf.

“If you feel like you’re going to fall, grab onto my shoulder.”

Then, before Lyla could protest, he lifted her foot onto his knee.