Aslan kept the promise he made on the hill very well.
“Lyla, did I enjoy this kind of thing before?”
Whenever he had free time, Aslan would stick by Lyla’s side and ask her about his past self.
Lyla answered him sincerely.
“I’m not sure if you liked it, but you used to do it occasionally when you had some spare time.”
“Did you do it with me?”
“Yes. Not often, but sometimes, when you came home early before dinner, we would sit together and solve them.”
Lyla continued to answer with some effort.
Recalling memories and putting them into words was a difficult task.
To be more helpful to Aslan, Lyla carefully chose her words and tried to explain things from an objective perspective.
“In the past, I wasn’t very interested in crossword puzzles, but after solving them with you, I enjoyed the experience so much that I started doing them on my own more often.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, it’s fun, and there’s a sense of accomplishment when you solve the difficult ones… Sometimes I even sent them to the newspaper’s contest, and once, I won a prize.”
“A prize? What kind of prize did you receive?”
“It wasn’t anything special, just…”
During her conversations with Aslan, Lyla had an unexpected realization.
She found that she could reflect on her past self more objectively.
“You speak Polish fluently. Did I know that about you before?” Aslan asked.
“Yes. Sometimes we would even have entire conversations in Polish.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Actually, there was a specific moment when you found out that I could speak Polish. It was when you discovered I was translating Polish books to earn money—”
“Wait.”
Aslan furrowed his brow.
“Are you saying you worked to earn money?”
Lyla blinked, surprised by the intensity in his voice.
“…Yes.”
“Did I not provide you with enough money in the past? As the lady of the house, you should have had your own budget to manage. Was it insufficient?”
“Oh! No, that wasn’t it.”
Lyla quickly shook her head. She reassured him repeatedly that it wasn’t the case before adding an explanation.
“It’s just that… it was money given by you. I wanted to earn my own money so I could spend it more freely.”
“Even if I gave it to you, that money is entirely yours. There’s no reason for you to feel uneasy about how you spend it.”
“I know. You told me that in the past, too. It’s just that I…”
Lyla paused for a moment, carefully considering how to continue her sentence.
She had many reasons for her past actions: feeling indebted and wanting to repay it little by little, not wanting to ask for money to support her family, and so on. However, as she looked at Aslan’s cool gaze, she became self-conscious.
So, Lyla cautiously chose just one reason to share.
“…I couldn’t buy your gifts with your money.”
“…”
He almost said, “There was no need for that. I didn’t need any gifts, and I just wanted you to be comfortable and happy. You didn’t have to work so hard just to buy me a present.” But Aslan held back those words. Instead, he said,
“I had no idea you were doing that. It’s impressive that you were skilled enough to be hired by a publisher for translation work.”
The unexpected compliment made Lyla feel flustered, and she instinctively downplayed it.
“It wasn’t so much about skill; I was just lucky. Also, I probably got the job because I had less experience and was paid less than others.”
“You shouldn’t diminish your accomplishments like that. Creating opportunities through luck is a skill in itself. If you hadn’t taken the initiative to find translation work, you wouldn’t have had that chance.”
“…”
“And a publishing company is a business that prioritizes profit. If your work wasn’t profitable, they wouldn’t have hired you. Low-quality translations wouldn’t sell well. The fact that they continued to seek you out means they believed your translations had market value.”
“Is that so…?”
Convinced by Aslan’s explanation, Lyla absentmindedly nodded in agreement.
Now that she thought about it, earning money by utilizing her unique skills was indeed something to be proud of. Especially since she accomplished it on her own, without relying on Aslan’s help.
‘Maybe my past self wasn’t as hopeless as I thought.’
Both back then and even more recently, Lyla had harshly criticized herself, thinking she was incapable of doing anything on her own.
However, as she began sharing her past with Aslan, she started to realize that she wasn’t as inadequate as she had once believed.
‘I’ve been too hard on myself.’
This thought felt new to her, but it was a comforting realization.
Talking about the past with Aslan often brought Lyla these uplifting realizations.
“I’ve never heard that before. It makes me really happy,” Lyla said with a bright smile as she reflected on their conversation and reevaluated her past self. However, in contrast, Aslan’s expression darkened.
“What’s wrong?”
“It annoys me that I was such an asshole who never said things like that.”
“Don’t say that!” Lyla exclaimed in surprise, trying to stop him, but Aslan remained firm.
“You don’t need to defend me. I deserve the criticism.”
Even after this conversation, Aslan frequently—and sometimes even often—criticized his past self in this way.
It was uncomfortable for Lyla to hear, but there was little she could do to change Aslan’s stubborn attitude whenever the past was mentioned.
A peaceful afternoon.
The Violet House became lively with the arrival of an unexpected guest.
Today’s visitor was Lady Garnet.
Known for her wide social circle and love of mingling, Lady Garnet was also known as a source of information. The Violet family was quite familiar with her.
She often dropped by Violet House to chat with Sophia and share news from the town, but today she had a different purpose.
“Lyla!”
Although she was close to Sophia, Lady Garnet had a more distant relationship with Lyla. Yet today, she called out to Lyla with enthusiasm.
As Lyla quietly approached her, Lady Garnet handed her a letter.
“Here, Lord Ransfield asked me to give this to you. It’s an invitation.”
“An invitation?”
“Yes. He’s inviting you to his estate… Anyway, go ahead and open it.”
When Lyla hesitantly took the envelope, Lady Garnet smiled brightly, encouraging her to open the letter quickly.
However, Lyla didn’t rush to tear open the envelope.
“Who is he? Are you sure this is meant for me?”
“It’s definitely for you. Lord Ransfield asked about the very beautiful young woman with long brown hair who lives in Ellwood village. Now, is there anyone else in our village who fits that description? It’s got to be you, Lyla.”
Just as Lyla was about to mention that there were a few other women in the village with brown hair who could match the description, and perhaps there had been a mistake, Sophia, with a suspicious look on her face, spoke first.
“Fine, let’s say it’s really meant for Lyla. But why would a nobleman like Lord… whatever his name is, invite her?”
At Sophia’s question, Lady Garnet, who had been chatting away so energetically, suddenly clammed up.
“Why? Who is this person, and why would he summon Lyla, someone he’s never even met?”
“Well, that’s…”
Lady Garnet hesitated, her expression troubled, which only made the others’ expressions more tense and concerned.
Sensing that the situation could lead to a serious misunderstanding, Lady Garnet quickly spoke up.
“Lord Ransfield said he wanted to thank Lyla.”
“Thank her? For what?”
“It seems Lyla helped him during the festival when he was in a difficult situation.”
All eyes, which had been focused on Lady Garnet, now turned to Lyla.
“…I did?”
Lyla asked again, still confused.
When Lady Garnet nodded in confirmation, Lyla scratched her cheek with an awkward smile.
“I don’t recall doing anything that would warrant a thank-you note.”
“Think hard. Are you sure there was nothing?”
“Yes… Oh!”
Suddenly, a vague memory came to mind. There was someone she had helped. Lyla tried to piece together the hazy recollection.
“I did return a handkerchief to someone.”
“A young man, right? Brown hair, green eyes, and, well, reasonably handsome?”
“I didn’t pay that much attention, but yes, he was a young man.”
“Oh my! Then that must be it! You caught Lord Ransfield’s eye!”
Aslan, who had been listening nearby, twitched his eyebrow.
While Lyla seemed uncertain and puzzled as if she could barely remember, Aslan was different.
He remembered clearly—every detail of the man who had dared to flirt with his wife, from his appearance and clothes to his manner of speaking and voice.
Lyla hadn’t shown the slightest interest back then, so the encounter was brief, but now Aslan regretted it.
He thought,’I shouldn’t have let him off so easily.’
When will these chaps be unlocked?