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chapter 57
Seeing Linette so shocked that even her crying stopped, Xian gave a gentle smile. Linette was frozen to the point that she couldn’t even say, “Don’t lie.” Xian wiped the tears from her face with his hand.
“It was you… at that restaurant back then… we drank beer together.”
“Th-that’s impossible…”
“As we talked about this and that, I tried to send a drunk Linette home, but you insisted on staying. So, I had no choice but to book a place and take you there.”
“……”
“When I tried to leave after putting you to bed, you held onto me. I was feeling a bit drunk myself as I listened to your story… and then Linette said she’d only hold my hand while sleeping.”
As Xian recounted what had been deleted from memory two years ago, Linette’s face turned pale. Xian gently brushed away the trembling of her lips.
“But then it got too hot while sleeping, so you took off your clothes…”
“St-stop! Please stop.”
“That day, we experienced a moment of pure ecstasy. More precisely, Linette…”
Linette pressed her hands over Xian’s mouth, trying with all her strength to stop him from describing the events of that night in such detail, wishing to escape the reality. Xian, however, held her hands down and smiled brilliantly.
Seeing the obsidian that was still wet with dew, Xian lowered his head. The dew on Linette’s eyes crumbled lightly as his lips touched it. Absorbing the tears of pain, Xian kissed her forehead and cheeks.
“Back then, Linette gave me a kiss like this… and we started a passionate kiss.”
Shocked by meeting her mother, Linette felt like she might faint upon realizing that Xian was the protagonist of the events she had long hidden. On top of everything, a huge incident had just erupted. Linette froze completely.
Unable to cry, she simply stared at Xian, blinking her eyes.
“Are you finally recovering from the shock of meeting your mother?”
“I’m even more shocked in a different way… so how are you going to take responsibility for this?”
“It’s cute to hear that from someone who ran away after saying they’d take responsibility. But if you want, I’ll take responsibility. How would you like me to, Princess?”
Gently holding Linette, Xian laid her on the bed. Then, to avoid startling her, he kissed the back of her small hand.
“Can you really do what I want?”
“Of course. Except for sleeping together at night.”
The more he met her, the more he longed to sleep with her. But he wasn’t a beast who could comfort a woman mourning over her mother.
Gently pressing on the corner of Linette’s eyes, he wiped away her tears. Linette could hardly believe that they had spent the night together.
Though he had many opportunities to tell her the truth, he had deliberately kept silent. She couldn’t understand it, but that wasn’t the issue now. First, they needed to resolve the most pressing matter. Since Marsha had visited once, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t come again.
Looking at Xian, who watched over her with concern, Linette spoke softly.
“Mom, please find my mother, Marsha.”
“Is that what you want?”
“I’m sorry… I know it’s a difficult thing… no, just pretend it didn’t happen.”
Xian reached out to brush Linette’s hair back and nodded. Then he placed his hand over her eyes.
“Don’t think too deeply tonight. You’ve cried enough; if you can’t sleep too, it’ll be bad for you.”
Hearing Xian’s gentle voice, Linette nodded.
Soon, Linette, who seemed like she could never sleep, drifted off completely, exhausted from crying.
Xian wiped her tear-stained face with a warm, damp towel. Then, using a cold, damp towel, he carefully covered her eyes to reduce swelling. Fortunately, Linette didn’t wake. Holding her hand, Xian kissed her fingertips and whispered softly:
“I wanted to tell you as soon as I saw you… that we first became… together. But I couldn’t tell Linette who didn’t remember me.”
Even if she had chosen another man, he would have respected it. That was why he kept that day’s events a secret to protect her honor.
Yet, the more he met her, the more he realized he could never let another man have her.
“Do you know? That night we met… wasn’t the first time. We met before, too. But as expected, you don’t remember.”
At first, it had felt bitter, but now it was fine—she was his girlfriend, after all. Though they weren’t dating with marriage in mind, he believed that by treating her well and taking care of her, she might someday consider marrying him. So Xian made an effort to become the ideal gentle, skilled-in-cooking man she liked.
Wearing a faint smile, Xian got up and wrote a short note on paper on the desk. He went to the living room, removed a brick from the wall, and slipped the note inside.
“This is…”
“Do as it says.”
Hearing the voice from the other side, Xian said gruffly and replaced the brick.
The man living next door unfolded the note Xian had given him:
“Find Marsha Pruna, Countess. As soon as possible.”
❅
Linette, asleep without noticing, woke up in the room she had visited for the second time.
“Fell asleep again… phew…”
Still indebted to Xian, Linette got up and recalled the events of the previous day.
“How am I supposed to face Xian now…”
The shock of meeting her mother, compounded by everything else, left her sighing. She finally stood and opened the door. A delicious aroma wafted through the gap.
“Linette, are you awake? The bath is ready, so wash quickly and come out.”
Unable to face Xian in his apron while he prepared food, Linette went straight to the bathroom, washed quickly, and came out cautiously.
“Eat quickly before it gets cold. You didn’t eat much yesterday.”
“I-I don’t have much of an appetite… I’ll just go.”
Linette tried to leave, but Xian took her hand and guided her to the table.
“This meal was made thinking of you. Please don’t waste it.”
Xian sat next to her, feeding her small portions. Linette, unwilling to eat, shook her head slightly as she chewed.
“Linette? Why don’t you look at my face? Did I do something wrong?”
“Huh? N-no, it’s just… if anything, it’s my fault. Bringing a perfectly fine bachelor to bed…”
Linette shivered as if someone was blowing a whistle and running.
“I was very happy. I was sad when you disappeared when I woke, but now that you’re here, I’m overjoyed. And I’m glad you shared your secret with me.”
Seeing Xian speak calmly, encouraging shared thought and answers, Linette nodded stiffly and began eating the small portions he offered.
After the meal, Linette tried to make coffee, but Xian stopped her.
“I’ll make the coffee. In the future, I’ll practice making coffee at Gaelyrim so I can make it even tastier.”
Linette smiled awkwardly. Despite saying her ideal man was gentle and skilled at cooking, she had never imagined he would go this far. She realized the man she had rejected as her first love was now right in front of her.
Feeling embarrassed, she stared at the hot coffee, and Xian sat next to her.
“Don’t worry too much. Don’t overthink our problems… and if something happens, tell me immediately. Don’t go getting wet in the rain like yesterday.”
Nodding, Linette interlocked her pinky with Xian’s when he extended it. She gave him a faint smile.
“You told Katrin you’d stay out overnight, right? Rest a little more here before leaving.”
“No, I’ll go. She might be waiting.”
“That kind of waiting seems like a different kind of waiting.”
Understanding Xian’s meaning, Linette lightly tapped his arm and sat on the sofa. Her clothes, soaked yesterday, had been dried and neatly pressed.
“Oh! Someone else helped with this. Don’t worry. Even I can’t manage ironing yet.”
“I wouldn’t make you iron, Xian. I’ll change clothes first.”
Realizing she was wearing only Xian’s shirt, Linette hurried to change.
“What kind of man is so polite and gentle? This makes me lose all desire for dating.”
After changing, she came out, and Xian, smiling faintly, held her hand tightly.
“I’ll go now. Sorry for troubling you yesterday.”
“Don’t apologize. I did it because I wanted to. And no matter what anyone says, we’re dating now. This much I can do for you, so don’t worry.”
Xian didn’t cling to her but escorted her partway home.
Returning home, Linette ran straight to Katrin, who was knitting. Seeing Linette’s pale face, Katrin comforted her.
“Did that weak man do something to you? I’ll break his legs…”
“No, it’s not like that.”
Linette buried her face in Katrin’s chest, shaking her head.
“Katrin, can I tell you what happened?”
Swallowing hard, Linette took a deep breath and, still holding Katrin, said:
“I… I met my mother last night.”
“Your mother? So you met the Countess?”
“Yes, but… it’s complicated…”
As Linette recounted everything, Katrin patted her back, concerned. Such a thing had happened…
“This isn’t just your problem. You need to inform the Master and Young Master quickly.”
“No… Father and my brother would be hurt.”
“They still need to know. No matter how much you dislike your family, this is a family matter. Especially since the Master has been waiting for so long.”
“That’s why I can’t. If Father sees Mother like that, he might go mad.”
She was living estranged from her father, but even he shouldn’t be hurt over her mother. This was all Linette could do for Kenneth right now.
