Chapter 20 – Interlude

Yesterday, Elena and Damian went on an outing they had previously promised.

Perhaps because she had told Damian earlier that she liked flowers, the place he chose was a hill covered in daisies. It was not only a place full of daisies, but thanks to its wide and open scenery, it was also a famous place in Sarham that was not inferior to the flower gardens in the Lord’s castle.

In fact, the view that Elena looked down on from the top of the hill brought a sense of exhilaration as if it had pierced her heart. The appearance of the blooming white daisy petals swaying gently whenever the wind blew was a different feeling from the flower garden in Isilia Pavilion.

It was Damian who had prepared both dessert and a mat, as promised.

If only the two of them had sat in that place and chatted, another unforgettable memory would have been created, but unfortunately, it was not only Elena and Damian who were present.

“This place hasn’t changed since then.”

“Hmm? Have you been here before, Father?”

“Well, this is my territory. Of course, I have been here before. It has been a while, but I remember this is where I first confessed my love to your mother.”

“Wow, really?”

“…This is Surprising. I thought father and mother marriages through arranged marriages. Otherwise, there is no reason for a mother to marry father.”

“I’m sure I had two sons, but maybe it was my mistake. Alphonse seems to be my only son.”

Damian’s father, Earl Arthur Kraus, and his younger brother, Alphonse Kraus, were also present on the outing.

Elena wondered why this had come here, but no matter how much she thought about it, the only conclusion was that Damian’s recent behavior was due to what she had said the last time.

Time with family…

Elena had told Damian that she felt they didn’t spend enough time together. Since he heard those words, Damian spent more time with Alphonse than before, and even Elena could feel that their relationship had become closer than it was before.

It was true that Alphonse and Damian had a strong friendship in their previous lives, but it was also true that a subtle sense of distance was felt in their relationship.

But now she didn’t feel that distance.

Of course, there could be changes in the relationship between Alphonse and Damian over time, but the fact that they prevented repeating the same relationship as before was enough to give Elena a sense of achievement. Such a small change was similar to letting her know that this life was not following the same timeline as any other she had experienced.

And the change was not limited to the relationship between Alphonse and Damian. Changes also began to occur in the relationship between Elena Edelweiss and Damian Kraus.

It was not that Damian fell in love with Elena. Rather, unlike when they first met, Elena felt that Damian was gradually approaching her, overcoming the invisible wall that separated them before.

That one small change was the greatest joy she felt through this regression.

Of course, that didn’t mean she was satisfied with going out with her father-in-law and the young lord.

Although Elena knew very well how much Damian loved his family. When they both lost their families, they shared the pain with each other, so she was not so narrow-minded that she couldn’t understand his behavior.

But, still, it was a promise she made to her fiancée…

Elena, who had repeated to herself not to have strange thoughts, naturally thought that they would go alone when she thought about the atmosphere and promise of that time.

He said in a place where the scent of hyacinths filled the surroundings.

‘Elena. Do you remember when I asked you to go on a picnic with me last time?’

‘Ah yes! Sure.’

‘I thought of a good place, but…’

‘I’d love to go!’

Elena gave an answer before Damian finished talking. Damian said thank you with a small smile and turned his head toward Alphonse, who was looking at them with envious eyes. Alphonse tried to smile as if nothing was wrong, but he couldn’t fool Damian’s eyes.

‘Alphonse.’

‘Ah, Hyungnim. Take care and be careful together…’

[TL: Hyungnim means older brother. ]

‘Let’s go together.’

‘Yes?’ ‘Eh.’

‘Of course, I’ll ask father too. Come to think of it, Alphonse, you’ve never been outside the castle before. It wouldn’t be bad for the whole family to go out for a stroll together. What do you think?’

‘Y-yes! Just a moment! Hyungnim, I’ll go prepare!’

‘Huh? Alphonse? I haven’t talked to Father yet… Sigh… He’s gone. Then I have to go talk to Father too. Elena, I’ll take you to your room.’

‘yes…..’

Elena herself knew very well how much Damian’s trivial actions had lifted and upset her, but still, when she recalled her thoughts at that time in response to Damian’s words, she couldn’t raise her head in embarrassment.

Maybe even when they made a promise to go on a picnic, Damian simply suggested going out for a walk, rather than asking her out for a date. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have called Alphonse and Count Kraus while mentioning this.

Since she hadn’t been with Damian for much time, it was only natural that Damian would think of his family before Elena, but even knowing that she couldn’t completely erase this regret.

As an engagement partner, Elena was confused about whether she should like it or not, considering the sense of defeat that she was pushed aside by his younger brother.

“Miss, how long are you going to stay in bed?”

“Hailey…I won’t move a muscle today. I just want to live in bed today”

Although Elena had experienced transcendence, she couldn’t be free from the emotions that humans have. After attending the Kraus family picnic, Elena was disappointed, happy, and embarrassed, and before she knew it, it was already midday, but she still didn’t get up from her place.

Hailey, her exclusive maid, looked at her wriggling in the blanket like a petulant child but still tried to lift her up.

Of course, Elena had no intention of giving up.

However, when Hailey started packing up her things without leaving the room, Elena poked her face out of the blanket and asked her.

“Hailey. Why are you packing up my stuff?”

“Oh, this? Just because the lady’s room is being moved today. This is a guest room. You haven’t been officially engaged yet, but it seems that the head of the family couldn’t just let you stay in the guest room after seeing the relationship between the lady and Lord Damian.”

“Huh? So, which room am I going to stay in now?”

“That…”

– Knock. Knock.

Before Hailey could speak, there was a knock on the door. Hailey hoped to see her lady wake up at the sound of the knock, but unfortunately, Elena seemed to be covered in blankets and not moving at all, as if she would be in bed all day today.

In the end, Hailey sighed and opened the door slightly, and through that small crack, Damien’s exclusive butler Ken -now a familiar face- appeared.

“Mister Ken. Hello.”

“Hailey. Where is the young lady?”

“Miss… um, she must be very tired from yesterday’s picnic. She can’t get up from her seat.”

“Oh… The Young master was looking for the young lady. It seems that he was planning to go out to the city together today because of the room change. What a pity. I’ll let him know.”

“Ken, Damian! where should I go?!”

Suddenly, the door opened wide.

It was Elena who opened the door and walked out.

Her snow-white hair tousled as if just dried, and her attire looked like it had been neatly prepared beforehand. It was not a sight that one would expect from someone who had just been lying in bed a moment ago.

Hailey was shocked by Elena’s appearance, and Ken also opened his eyes at the sudden appearance of Elena.

“Miss…”

Hailey knew… She knew that what had just happened was Elena’s magic.

Although she had never mentioned it before, Hailey knew very well that her young lady had the ability to perform such miracles.

But still, Hailey started to be disturbed again by seeing her young lady magically do what took hours for Hailey to do.

No, she hoped that was the reason.

***

The inside of a running carriage:

It was the same carriage as yesterday, but if there was a difference, it would be that there were only the two of them here.

‘I don’t even know what kind of expression I’m making right now. No, it must be laughing.’

Until this morning, she was feeling uncertain, but just being alone with him now made her feel like the sun was shining. Even if she tried to pretend she was not happy or act like nothing was wrong, her face was honest.

She turned her head and looked at the man sitting across from her.

His face, looked worried about something, gazing out the window. Was there anything troubling him lately? The issue with Alphonse should have been resolved completely yesterday, so why did he have that kind of expression?

Yesterday when they parted, he was smiling more broadly than ever before. But now that she noticed, his expression became darker.

‘Could it be that I am the cause?’

Just as she was about to ask him what was wrong, he spoke first.

“I’m sorry, Elena.”

His sudden apology momentarily froze Elena’s thoughts. But she regained her senses faster than the speed of light and her intellect reached the heavens, finding the reason for his apology.

In fact, it was an obvious reason.

“I heard from Ken that you were feeling tired because of yesterday’s events. And I’m sorry for using our family plans to force you to come with us.”

‘Ah, I see.’

He knew that she wanted to go on a picnic with just him, but he went with Alphonse and Count Kraus because they were precious people to him.

Just like when he ran to his father when he realized there was a problem between him and Alphonse, he always prioritized his family matters.

Elena replied to him with a smile as if nothing was wrong.

“No. Yesterday was fun for me too.”

She did have fun, even though she was sulking after they came back.

But if he had left her behind and gone on the picnic with Alphonse and Count Kraus, she would have been really sad.

The heart was like a reed. It swayed to one side if he does this and to the other if he does that. Was she like this before? She knew the old her was a more composed and stable person. 

‘Why am I like this now?’

Even though she already knew the answer, she kept repeating that pleasant question to herself.

As she looked at him with his still guilty face, she began to feel strange feeling tickling inside her.

She moved her seat right next to him and put her hand up and tugged at his cheek. At her sudden action, he called her name

“Elena?”

“Hahaha.”

She busted into laughter when she heard his lingering pronunciation.

Was this the feeling he had when he was teasing her? She thought she knew now a little bit about why he did that. She let go of his cheek and leaned gently on his shoulder.

“Damian. I’m really fine. Am I not also part of your family?”

These words she had said to everyone while staying at the castle. But she had never said it to him before.

His eyes widened at her words. But, like before, he didn’t deny it.

He just nodded lightly.

“That’s right, Elena. You are my fiancé.”

They hadn’t shared a proper meal or ring yet, but his words were enough.

***

The carriage’s destination was in the middle of the center of Sarham.

Elena felt people’s gaze on them. Although it was the same kind of attention she had received countless times in the past, the emotions contained within it felt slightly different now that she had someone by her side. 

They both roamed the city center, not paying attention to people’s gazes.

They even bought and tried some snacks from street vendors and enjoyed performances by wandering musicians.

‘If I think about it, I’ve never really enjoyed the streets of Sarham during my three lives.’

The first time, she had to stay in lord castle all year round because of Demian. The second time, she left Sarham on her own. When she returned to Sarham again, the place had either turned into a desolate ruin or a fierce battlefield.

But now, nothing like that would happen. The smiles of the people on the street would last forever, and the time she spent walking with him on the streets would never change.

While looking around, they arrived at a workshop at some point.

It was he who led her there.

“Damian here?”

“Oh, since you’re moving rooms, you might need some new furniture. You can choose according to your taste.”

“Yes?”

“Krause has a tradition. We organize the remaining items in Isilia’s house after the hostess has left, except for a few things. Originally, we should have started cleaning it up when my mother left, but my father didn’t touch it because of me. “

“But why am I taking the furniture…?”

“Didn’t you hear Hailey? From now on, you are the owner of that place.”

‘?????’

In an instant, she became the owner of an outbuilding attached to the lord’s castle.

No, she was meant to be one day, and she had imagined many times living there with him, but hearing that she had become the owner so suddenly was very confusing. She was obviously feeling happy, but her emotions couldn’t keep up with the changing circumstances.

“Elena. You said that. We are ‘family’. I already finished talking to my father last night. Come to think of it, we have about a year left until we enter the academy, so it’s good to pick out some clothes as well.”

“… Come to think of it, you’re right. Let’s go to the clothing store right after we choose the furniture.”

Ironically, his words cleared her mind, which had been complicated.

‘Come to think of it, weren’t all these things what I wanted? There was no reason to complain.’

“Ah.”

With a happy heart, just as she was about to step into the workshop, a lightning bolt struck her head, and she realized that she had forgotten one fact all this time.

“I didn’t contact… father.”

“Yes?”

“I forgot to contact my father…”

In the meantime, she was engrossed in meeting him again and completely forgot the fact that she had to contact her father at least once every two days to be here.

Of course, since she had returned to the duke’s castle without getting engaged in her previous life, she couldn’t recall her father’s words from her first life. This was also a memory that she would have forgotten if she hadn’t remembered being monitored at the Count's mansion before going to the academy.

And the night she returned to the house felt surreal, like a dream.

The only thing she remembered was her father’s voice telling her to return to the duke’s castle through Count Kraus’s communication device.

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