Lyla gazed quietly at the Violets’ House.
The two-story house was finer than any other in Ellwood. Though smaller in scale, its elegance and craftsmanship could easily hold their own against the Ransfield Viscount’s grand estate.
To an outsider, it was the sort of beautiful house that might be mistaken for a noble’s villa.
“All the savings we had were spent searching for a lost daughter or fleeing from those mysterious forces that pursued us. It’s more than a modest family, living day to day, could ever hope for.”
“Mom…”
“That was all in the past, dear. I’ve long since moved on, and I don’t want you feeling any pain over it now.”
Sophia reached over, gently tucking Lyla’s hair behind her ear, a soft comfort in the gesture.
“Three years ago, someone came to see us. A stranger. From the carriage he rode in, to his fine clothes, to the people accompanying him—it was clear he was someone important.”
Lyla flinched. The first noble that came to her mind was Count Larestine.
“W-Who was it, Mom? What did they do when they came?”
Lyla’s voice trembled with a mix of fear and anger. If Count Larestine had somehow wronged her family… even if he was already gone, she wanted justice.
Perhaps Sophia noticed Lyla’s determined look, for she reached out, gently cupping her daughter’s face with her roughened hands.
“Lyla, look at me. How am I now?”
Sophia’s warm smile reached her eyes as she asked.
“If the person who visited had harbored any ill will, I certainly wouldn’t be living happily as I am now, would I?”
A sigh of relief escaped Lyla. Even if it was all in the past, it was a story that made her heart race with fear.
Sophia’s gentle smile grew.
“That nobleman was incredibly kind to us. He helped ensure we could escape safely and settle down here. This house was his gift.”
Lyla’s eyes widened.
“Really?”
“Of course. Otherwise, we could never even dream of renting a place like this.”
Sophia chuckled softly, her playful tone easing Lyla’s tension just a little, prompting her to let out a small sigh.
‘I had no idea there was such a story behind this.’
She’d been surprised by Violet House the first time she saw it. The house she’d grown up in with her family had been much smaller and far less grand. But she hadn’t given it much thought, assuming they’d simply been fortunate enough to find such a house.
Back then, Lyla hadn’t dared to face memories of the past, let alone dig into the details.
‘So that’s what happened…’
The newly revealed truth brought her a strange sense of gratitude. She felt a deep curiosity about the mysterious benefactor whose name and face she didn’t know. She wanted to find a way to repay the kindness that had been shown to her family.
Learning the truth now filled her with a strange feeling. She found herself curious about this mysterious benefactor who had helped her family so much, and she felt a deep urge to someday repay their kindness.
“But that wasn’t all they did for us,” Sophia continued. “The orchard we work at now is theirs, too. They initially wanted to give us the whole orchard outright, but we felt it was too much, so we agreed to rent it for a modest fee. Honestly, it’s practically a gift.”
Sophia went on, listing other ways the benefactor had helped, even counting them off on her fingers.
Lyla’s curiosity grew. Who could this person be, and what had prompted them to help her family? Such generosity wasn’t something one usually extended, not unless they were very close or very wealthy. But no one like that came to mind in her memory.
‘Even with all the money in the world, not everyone would go this far.’
It’s one thing to talk about generosity, but actually giving so freely, especially to strangers, is no small feat.
“But the best part of all,” Sophia continued, her expression softening, “was something else entirely.”
Lyla, convinced she couldn’t possibly be more surprised, leaned in to listen to Sophia’s words. A house, land, and countless other large and small acts of assistance—what more could there be? Surely, nothing else could top this.
But surprises have a way of defying expectations.
The moment she thought there was nothing left to be shocked by, Lyla found herself stunned once more.
“He even sent me regular updates about my daughter. Without fail, once a week, for three years straight.”
Lyla gasped, her breath catching, her eyes trembling with emotion.
Immediately, one person came to mind. Only one.
“Could it be… that person…?”
Sophia smiled gently.
“Yes, that person. The one you’re thinking of.”
Lyla bit down on her lip, as if trying to suppress the rapid beating of her heart, which felt like it might burst from her chest. She was so stunned she could hardly think straight.
“Since when? Why? And how come I… didn’t know…?”
She had so many questions, but her shock made it impossible to string them together coherently.
As Lyla wrestled with her confusion, Sophia lowered her voice and whispered conspiratorially.
“But this is a secret.”
She placed a finger over her lips, winking playfully.
“…Why?”
“Because he made me promise. He said to never, ever tell you.”
“Just me?”
“Yes. He thought you’d feel burdened by it. He said it’d be better for you not to know, so you could live more freely and comfortably.”
Sophia’s thoughts drifted back to the day she first met Aslan Tordel.
It was during a time when the Violet family was at their lowest point. They had lost what little wealth they had in the desperate search for their stolen daughter, and were constantly on the run from unknown pursuers. They couldn’t find stable jobs, let alone a permanent home.
In that desperate moment, Aslan Tordell had appeared, introducing himself as “a friend of Lyla Violet.”
“I cannot allow you to meet Lyla. It’s for her protection, and I hope you’ll understand. However, there is something I can provide for you.”
He offered not only to secure them a home in a location of their choosing but also enough wealth for them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
It was an offer so unbelievable it seemed more like gold falling from the heavens than a reality.
But the Violet family had faced far too many hardships to blindly accept the offer, even if it seemed like a lifeline.
Even the kind-hearted Luke had not let his guard down, treating Aslan coldly and with suspicion.
Yet, despite being met with rejection, Aslan kept coming back. Every time the family faced another difficulty, he would reappear.
They didn’t see him often—over the span of three years, their meetings could be counted on one hand.
The Violet family didn’t know much about who he was or what he did. However, judging by the adjutant who always mumbled about his lack of time, it was clear that he was an exceptionally busy man.
And yet, the fact that he carved time out of his packed schedule to visit them suggested one thing: to him, the Violet family was an important matter he personally needed to attend to.
During those few meetings, Aslan was always respectful. Despite the imbalance in their relationship, where the Violet family relied entirely on his help—despite the fact that he could have acted high-handed and arrogant—he never did.
The more they met Aslan, who always maintained his courtesy, the more their fondness for him grew.
The deciding factor, however, was the letters.
Every week, without fail, a letter from Aslan arrived at the Violet family’s home, written in his own hand.
The letters were filled to the brim with details about Lyla. What she liked, who she spent time with, what hobbies she had taken up…
To parents who had lost their daughter long ago and were left yearning for her, it was deeply moving to learn such intimate details about her daily life. Knowing that their once-lost daughter was living peacefully and happily made them even more grateful.
And they were profoundly thankful to Aslan.
Now, they knew who had made Lyla so happy.
To the Violets, Aslan was a benefactor—someone who had bestowed upon them a kindness so great it could never be repaid, not even with their lives.
But there was something else.
In each weekly letter Aslan sent, his feelings for Lyla were evident. They were so heartfelt and affectionate that, by the time they finished reading, it left them feeling warm and almost sweet, as if their hearts had been dusted with sugar.
“A man who treasures my daughter this much is someone I can entrust her to for life.”
Of course, Sophia wasn’t the kind of parent who would arbitrarily decide her daughter’s future without considering her feelings.
But how Lyla felt about Aslan was as clear as day—just by looking at the expression she wore when she saw him.
A son-in-law so perfect it felt excessive—one her daughter clearly liked. Helping things along a little from behind the scenes didn’t seem like a problem at all.
With a soft smile, Sophia left Lyla deep in thought and headed into the house.
Left alone, Lyla found herself pondering over Aslan.
Aslan. Aslan. Aslan.
Aslan Tordell.
She repeated his name in her mind, recalling everything she knew about him.
‘I thought I knew him so well, but there’s still so much I don’t know about him…’
Ever since arriving in Ellwood, the Aslan she had kept in her heart for so long felt unfamiliar.
Why had he hidden so much?
Lyla couldn’t help but wonder.
Why had Aslan kept it a secret that his memories had returned?
Why had he concealed everything he had done for her family?
‘Why didn’t he just tell me?’
It would’ve been so simple to just say it outright.
‘If he had, then I…’
Lyla stopped mid-thought as a realization struck her.
“Ah.”
She understood.
She finally understood why Aslan hadn’t said anything.
If no one else could understand, Lyla could understand herself.
Hadn’t she done the same?
Unable to express her feelings honestly, jumping to the worst conclusions about the other person’s intentions, letting fear take over—and in the end, choosing avoidance over confrontation.
What Lyla had done, and what Aslan had done.
‘They say married couples start to resemble each other—how did we end up resembling each other in this way?’
Lyla let out a hollow laugh.
However, despite her mixed emotions, her body felt lighter.
She had finally found a clue to understanding the once-elusive Aslan.
Her previously sunken spirits began to rise again.
“Let’s meet Aslan.”
She would meet him, hold onto him tightly so he couldn’t run away, and then talk.
“Let’s finally share the things we’ve been hiding while thinking of each other. Let’s have an honest, real conversation.”
