Our Summer Isn't Over Yet - Chapter 22

The most important battle Dylan Richard had commanded as admiral was against Murad. He had successfully seized maritime control from them, securing a victory for Hippolyte, but Rodrigo, Dylan’s cousin, was among the soldiers who sacrificed themselves. If everything had gone as planned, Rodrigo would undoubtedly be here now, perhaps with a bright smile, trying to stop Elio and Dylan from fighting.

“Brothers, stop fighting,” Rodrigo’s voice seemed to echo faintly when Dylan closed his eyes for a moment. “Everything’s a problem since I’m gone.”

The voice, gently resonating in his ears, was poignant, but Dylan opened his eyes again, steadfastly regaining his composure.

Because he knew.

The deed was done, and Rodrigo was dead.

He knew there was no chance of the boy coming back to life. So, this was nothing more than an illusion, a void.

Elio was staring at Dylan with cold eyes. Dylan, showing signs that he was uncomfortable with this story, steered the conversation in another direction.

“What’s today, that people who never cared about parties are showing up in droves?”

Elio shrugged once and replied, “Annabelle Luke sent me a letter saying she would visit.”

At his words, Dylan’s expression instantly turned sour. A low, chilling voice emerged.

“Oh, so you’re not satisfied with using Rodrigo to get on my nerves, so you’re joining hands with Annabelle Luke?”

“…”

“Do you want to say something absurd like I should take responsibility for my poor cousin’s former fiancée? If that’s the case.”

Dylan chuckled and looked at Elio with icy eyes.

“How about going into the sea to cool your head?”

He had returned to his leisurely demeanor, patting Elio’s shoulder lightly. It was enough to be swayed by someone, clinging to the past in this way.

The guilt he should bear was towards Rodrigo and the fallen navy, not towards Elio or Annabelle.

As if reading something in Dylan’s expression, Elio hesitated, muttering.

“Duke Richard , you see.”

But before he could continue, a servant suddenly appeared and conveyed a message to Dylan.

Before Elio could ask what was happening, Dylan was already moving away. There was a sense of urgency in his steps.

It was a side of Dylan he had never seen before.

Elio stared blankly at Dylan as he left, then sighed briefly and muttered.

“That’s not what I was going to say.”

He loosened his suffocating tie and left the party as if his business was done.

Sitting on a bench in the garden outside the party hall, Mia frowned and closed her eyes. The smell of spilled wine stung her nose.

A familiar voice came from not far away.

“Why did you come out here instead of waiting inside?”

There was a different air about the voice than usual. Mia slowly opened her eyes.

“I heard about what happened on the way here.”

And only then did she understand, at least a little, the reason why he was different than usual.

His neatly styled blonde hair was disheveled as if she had ruffled it, and beads of sweat were forming on his forehead.

Dylan closed the distance in an instant.

The time they spent looking at each other lengthened.

At the end of it, a low, ticklish voice grazed Mia’s ear.

“Weren’t you surprised?”

“I’m okay.”

“Your dress is a mess.”

“Ah! I probably won’t be able to wear it again.”

Dylan, who had come close, knelt in front of Mia.

Startled by his sudden action, she asked why he was doing this, but he didn’t give a proper answer, instead scrutinizing Mia’s body. Only then did Mia realize that he was checking if she was hurt.

“Some glass shards flew, but I wasn’t hurt. Didn’t you hear all that?”

Even after hearing her words, Dylan didn’t stop examining her. Like Clarice and Armand’s parents she had seen earlier, he felt around Mia.

“You never know.”

Dylan’s brow furrowed deeply. Only after scanning Mia’s entire body did he take in the ruined dress. Then, he let out a faint sigh and brushed the mark on her thigh.

The alcoholic scent that had been stinging her nose had all evaporated, and only the fresh scent emanating from him seemed to linger at the tip of her nose.

“Wasn’t it a dress you liked?”

Dylan looked at Mia’s face and clicked his tongue softly.

“I’ll call the madam again.”

It seemed like things were about to get out of hand. Startled, Mia quickly replied.

“Don’t bother everyone, and don’t make your aide pick out a dress for his superior’s wife.”

“Why would I make them do that?”

The scent of grass in the garden and the verdant smell emanating from Dylan filled her nose to the point of making her dizzy.

Mia shuddered as his hand casually pressed down on her thigh and replied.

“Well, it takes time to order a dress from the madam.”

At the same time, a faint surprise crossed Mia’s face as she read his expression.

“Don’t tell me you picked it all out?”

“Then who else would?”

He wasn’t someone with time to spare, so why on earth would he do such a bothersome and complicated thing.

“If I hadn’t picked it out, the madam wouldn’t have taken the commission. You, who are well-versed in society, should know that.”

Mia closed her mouth at Dylan’s remark.

She already knew that this dress wouldn’t have come to her if he hadn’t ordered it himself.

Even so, she wanted to deny it.

She didn’t want to admit that what she liked was a dress that Dylan had personally chosen, piece by piece.

If she admitted one thing, she would understand and want two.

If she indulged in his sympathy and affection, she would shamelessly forget her entire past.

Her parents, who were killed by the Murad royal family because of her appearance.

The Hippolyte hostages who smiled even though they didn’t know when they would die.

Her resolve to give up on life after returning home.

Knowing that she was collapsing, she hadn’t given her heart even while mingling bodies with Dylan. Yet, the man in front of her kept knocking on her door.

She felt nauseous and her neck stiff.

Dylan, unaware of Mia’s condition, continued to speak.

“No matter how little time I have, I wouldn’t entrust the clothes that will be on your body to someone else.”

“Why?”

“Mia, you’re smart. You’ll know the reason soon enough, so why do you keep trying to go back?”

She couldn’t find any reason other than that he was only saying sweet, pleasant things because he wanted something from her.

“Is there something you want from me?”

Dylan slowly raised his head and met her eyes.

He, who always looked down on her, was now looking up at Mia from below. She couldn’t predict or guess what Dylan was thinking.

The sound of crickets in the quiet garden tickled her ears.

Since neither of them avoided eye contact, the time they spent staring at each other lengthened. Breaking the silence, a blunt but pleasant, low voice was heard.

“First of all.”

Dylan touched the corner of Mia’s mouth with his finger.

“Smile.”

The simple touch and his eyes led her to a strange feeling.

It was like walking barefoot on an endless beach.

Each step made her foot sink deeper, but it was a pleasant sensation, as if the small, soft sand was swimming between her toes and warming them warmly.

“I always smile.”

“Smile better for me, your husband, than you do for others.”

“I’ll try.”

Mia always had a soft smile on her face. Her emotional changes weren’t very diverse, but she was confident in her painted smile.

So, it was a strange request. But she didn’t dwell on the question.

In front of him, Mia became endlessly generous. The emotions that had receded began to accumulate again, shamelessly.

“Is that all?”

“If you say it with eyes that look like you’ll grant anything, I’ll get my hopes up.”

“If it’s too much, I’m telling you in advance, it’s a no.”

Dylan’s large hand was placed on top of Mia’s hands, which were gathered on her thigh.

“Once the Murad royal family trial is over, shall we go see the southern sea?”

“Do you need my permission for that?”

“Let’s go together.”

The traces of the past that she always kept in one corner of her heart scattered as if they had never existed in the first place, due to his trivial actions and meaningless words.

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