Our Summer Isn't Over Yet - Chapter 23

Dylan naturally settled into Mia’s emptied heart. She couldn’t bring herself to reject the thought of his traces filling her up, layer by layer.

Mia still scrutinized him, kneeling before her, piece by piece. Even though his face was the same as always, he seemed different. She couldn’t even guess what made him look that way.

His usually deep eyes sparkled exceptionally today. His low, gruff voice sounded gentle.

Mia parted her lips. “I…”

She didn’t know what Dylan’s intention was in asking her to go with him. But she felt like she shouldn’t go. It was an anxiety and conviction she had acquired over a long time.

That she shouldn’t experience being swayed by emotions or uncontrolled senses anymore.

As if sensing that Mia was about to refuse, Dylan’s quiet voice penetrated Mia’s ear again before she could even continue speaking.

“Think of it as a reward for your hard work. Haven’t we both been running non-stop?”

Mia unconsciously wiggled her fingers at the tickling sensation in her hand. Even though only their hands were touching, she felt her neck and eyes flush.

She felt like she could only escape this sensation by letting go of his hand. But before she could do anything, Dylan firmly pulled Mia’s hand.

“Don’t run away.”

“It’s itchy and hot.”

Mia’s pupils shook violently.

Dylan replied without a hint of wavering, “New flesh is always itchy when it grows.”

It was a meaningless statement, but Mia didn’t ask him about it. There was no grand reason.

It was just that her throat kept tightening, and she didn’t want to think complicatedly or difficultly. She wanted to relax and entrust herself to Dylan’s voice.

He didn’t say anything more, and Mia didn’t open her mouth either.

How long had it been as their eyes met? Aaron, Dylan’s adjutant, came running from afar.

As Dylan rose from his spot upon seeing him, his knees came into Mia’s view.

Because he had been kneeling in the garden in a white suit, his clothes were stained with grass. Yet Dylan didn’t seem to care. He held out his hand to Mia.

“Your clothes are dirty.”

“We both look a little ridiculous. But isn’t it fortunate that we’re not alone?”

“Strange things.”

“Aren’t you going to take it?”

Dylan urged her as if to say, hurry up and take it.

The corners of his lips, which had always maintained a stoic expression, lifted loosely. He doesn’t smile so languidly unless they’re entwined.

She didn’t know why he was looking at her with that expression, but Mia knew instinctively.

That today would be remembered longer than any other day.

“Your Excellency, I have something to report.”

Immediately after arriving at the official residence, Aaron cautiously called Dylan.

“Aaron. Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”

Dylan replied without letting go of Mia’s hand, which he had taken to escort her.

Reading Aaron’s apprehensive expression, Mia let go of Dylan’s hand first.

“Dylan, it seems urgent. Why don’t you go?”

“Aren’t your clothes uncomfortable? Change first, then…”

“It’s okay, it doesn’t seem like it will take long. I can wait. You came back faster than expected.”

Even after hearing her answer, Dylan insisted on escorting her to her room.

“Go inside and wait a little.”

“You can take your time. The smell faded a bit on the way, so it’s not unpleasant.”

“I’m worried about you.”

He put his lips on Mia’s forehead and murmured.

His lips had already moved down to the bridge of her nose and soon touched her lips.

He skillfully opened the door for her and only closed it and moved away after confirming that she had completely entered the room.

Mia leaned her back against the door, listening to his receding footsteps.

Standing alone in the bright room, Mia slowly traced the places where his lips had passed with her fingers. Heat piled up layer upon layer in those spots.

She hadn’t been aware of the heat until just now, but her body suddenly flushed. Mia tried to erase Dylan from her mind, wondering if the alcohol was finally kicking in, and went to sit on the couch.

“Hot.”

Even after fanning her face a few times, the heat didn’t easily disappear. Even though her clothes were looser than usual, they somehow felt more constricting. Mia fidgeted and leaned back against the backrest, curling up. The lights brightly illuminating the room felt similar to the light emanating from Dylan.

She turned her gaze away to avoid thinking about him even a little, but the lights on all over the room left her with nowhere to look. Eventually, Mia squeezed her eyes shut. Light penetrated her eyelids, but it was better than before.

But that didn’t mean she had completely erased Dylan from her thoughts. Just as she was thinking that there was nothing she could do and loosened the corners of her lips, the light near the couch flickered and blinked for a moment.

In an instant, the light that had been brightly piercing Mia’s eyelids disappeared, and only dim light illuminated her. The thoughts of Dylan that had been filling her head vanished, and only the fear of darkness remained in an instant.

Not long after arriving in Murad and regaining her senses, there was a summons from the King and Queen of Murad. It was from then on.

That she felt like something bad was going to happen. Perhaps it was because she was aware of the tense atmosphere around her.

“Mom?”

“Mia, you have to stay close to Mom.”

“Okay.”

She heard her mother’s stiff voice. She wanted to check what was happening that made her speak so frighteningly, but Mia could only bury her face in her mother’s neck.

Difficult and incomprehensible conversations took place.

“Hand it over? What does that mean!”

“They said they would spare us if we gave it to them. They gave us a choice, yet you’re acting so ignorant.”

The loud voices made her scared, so she hugged her mother tightly and squeezed her eyes shut.

The conversation reached its peak. Someone clicked their tongue, and the hand holding Mia tightened.

The scent from her father brushed past her nose at the same time as a fishy smell followed.

“Mia, close your eyes.”

Before she could even lift her head in surprise, her mother’s trembling voice stopped Mia.

She didn’t know what happened immediately after. It was only after some time had passed and her mother’s hand had lost its strength that Mia realized that she was trapped in a very small and dark room with her parents.

“Mom, Dad. I’m scared.”

Only Mia was whole there.

It had been a long time since she had heard her father’s voice. Ever since she smelled that fishy smell, she hadn’t heard anything except for faint groans. And that sound soon stopped as well.

She didn’t know what had happened, but she instinctively sensed it.

That her father, who had always held her tightly in his wide arms, had left somewhere forever. She cried so hard she couldn’t breathe in the space where she couldn’t see anything.

How long had it been like that? A faint voice, as if about to break, was heard resolutely and desperately.

“Mi…a.”

“Mommy.”

“Don’t cry. Don’t cry.”

Her mother smelled similar to her father.

“Can you promise Mom?”

“No.”

“No, our Mia can do it. You can’t cry too much, you’re already weak.”

Somehow, she heard a voice that seemed to be swallowed up in tears, similar to her own.

“I’m sorry, Mom is sorry.”

Her mother repeated the words “It’s okay, I’m sorry, I love you” several times in a broken voice. At some point, even that sound could no longer be heard.

“Mom?”

“……”

Darkness swallowed up even sound along with light.

Mia didn’t know what to do, but she crawled clumsily, using the faint sounds she heard from afar as a compass. Then, she clenched her small hand into a fist and knocked on the door, thump, thump.

“Mom, Dad is acting strange.”

“……”

“Please save me.”

The child, who didn’t know what or what was wrong, could only beg.

“Save me.”

Mia, who was leaning against the door and speaking with difficulty, recalled the voices she had heard vaguely.

“His face is very similar to that of —.”

“He seems very useful. If you give it to us, we will spare your lives.”

“Ugh.”

Only after thinking for a long time could Mia vaguely understand the meaning.

“Ugh, sob.”

Strange sounds kept popping out of her lips. But for some reason, tears didn’t come out of her eyes. That’s because the last thing her mother said to her was, “Don’t cry.”

The memory of that day was one of the things that had been binding Mia from the seven-year-old girl to the twenty-four-year-old woman.

The news delivered to Dylan, who headed to his office, was about Jose, a member of the Murad royal family who had not yet been arrested.

“Traces have been found in Rhodia.”

Dylan stroked his chin at Aaron’s words.

Rhodia is a place a little far from the capital, where the naval base and military academy are located.

Dylan immediately understood why Aaron was so urgent.

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