Our Summer Isn't Over Yet - Chapter 28

Mia’s eyelashes fluttered slowly. A faint bewilderment bloomed in her pupils.

“Here?”

“I decided it would be better for you to stay here than to go with me to a place where unforeseen variables might arise.”

At Dylan’s firm answer, Mia’s mouth gaped. It seemed he hadn’t even considered the possibility of her going with him in the first place.

Normally, she would have nodded in agreement, but Mia couldn’t bring herself to say yes so easily. She frowned slightly, then cautiously spoke.

“I’m leaving you here because I’m worried about you.”

“…”

“Trust me and wait here.”

The words flowed by so quickly that one might miss them if not listening intently.

He was showing the kindness and affection that she had only glimpsed from afar. For some reason, Mia’s eyes kept feeling itchy.

For a while, the sound of the waves filled the space between them.

“Be careful and come back safely. I’ll stay here and hold down the fort, just like three years ago.”

Mia said without looking at him. She couldn’t guess what kind of expression he was making. Was he squinting because the sunlight was too harsh, or was he smiling with the corners of his lips raised? She couldn’t tell at all.

Suddenly, he buried his face in her shoulder.

“Dylan?”

Mia, who had stiffened for a moment, slowly patted his back. Dylan clung to Mia like that, embracing her.

“Prioritizing capturing the Fourth Prince is what’s important, don’t worry about anything else.”

Mia added hesitantly. For a moment, Dylan’s body seemed to stiffen.

“But still, don’t forget about the remains and the ship in between.”

This was also a reminder to herself.

Dylan’s fleeting emotions were so sweet that they were making her relax. She mustn’t forget the purpose she had longed for.

Without giving a direct answer, Dylan changed the subject. That fact came as a small anxiety, but Mia didn’t bother mentioning it.

“When I get back this time, let’s go see the ocean we promised last time.”

“Dylan, aren’t you tired of the ocean?”

Clearing her complicated thoughts, Mia brought up a question she had been holding onto. He had lost more than she had on the sea, and she wondered how he could keep throwing himself into the ocean and returning to it.

“Mia.”

“Yeah?”

“I hope you like it as much as I do.”

It was an incomprehensible story, but thanks to it, the faint anxiety that had been lingering quickly faded away. Mia gave a faint smile.

“I’m surprised that you, who have lost more than I have, can say such a thing.”

“The answer?”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to like it, but I won’t avoid it.”

Perhaps satisfied with her answer, Dylan didn’t press her any further.

As he pulled away, the salty sea breeze swept between them. Mia’s hair, the same color as the sand she was standing on, floated in the air.

Mia tucked the hair that was flying in the wind behind her ear. The mark Dylan had left lingered on her fingers.

“More importantly, when are you leaving?”

“I should be leaving soon.”

“You’re taking the train?”

“It’s the fastest way, so I have to go that way.”

No matter how much she tried to fix her hair, the wind kept blowing, so it was no use. Eventually, Mia gave up trying to fix it and looked up.

The ocean was right next to her, but an even deeper and more beautiful ocean was in front of her eyes.

Mia’s calm voice mingled with the sound of the waves, quietly filling the space.

“A send-off. Should I give you one?”

Like a truly ordinary couple, Mia and Dylan exchanged greetings. As the steam-spewing train began to arrive, she took a step back.

A pleasant conversation filled the space between them. A conversation that would have been unimaginable not long ago.

“Take care to eat well.”

“You too, Dylan.”

“Try to sleep on time, and…”

At Dylan’s trivial nagging, Mia really wondered how old he thought she was.

As if reading her thoughts, he added.

“I know you’re not a child, so this is just concern.”

Words that didn’t suit his stern face at all followed. It was only natural that Mia burst into laughter.

His anxious behavior was just like a husband leaving his wife alone.

“Dylan, it’s only two weeks.”

Gathering the laughter that had been flowing out, she scolded him for his unnecessary worries.

“Nothing big enough to turn the world upside down will happen in that time.”

If something were to happen in that short time, it would probably be something that was bound to happen sooner or later. At her words, Dylan grumbled.

“I’m worried about coming back late.”

It wasn’t that Mia didn’t understand Dylan’s words. No one could predict whether it would be two weeks or a month.

Mia shrugged lightly.

“I’ll have to pray that the period doesn’t get extended. But don’t overdo it.”

“You too.”

Not far away, Aaron urged Dylan.

“Your Excellency, you must depart now.”

Dylan lightly kissed Mia’s lips.

“I’ll be back.”

He stroked Mia’s face a few times as she nodded, then turned and walked away from her.

Dylan boarded the train, and soon the train began to move, spewing steam. The people who had been on the platform left one by one as the train pulled away. In that empty space, Mia stayed in place for a long time.

Only when the sound of the train moving could no longer be heard did Mia murmur.

“I should go back.”

Regaining the gaze she had kept far away, she left the platform with the attendant following behind her.

The car Mia was in moved slowly.

It wasn’t a long farewell, but for some reason, her heart felt restless. Mia stared blankly out the car window. The time without Dylan felt like it would be quite long.

“Will it be like this in the future too?”

It was the first time.

That she had accurately recognized that she was afraid of the end with Dylan.

Forcibly erasing the word “farewell” from her mind, Mia thought of the ocean they would go to together when he returned.

At that time, Mia didn’t know.

That sometimes events unfold in directions that no one expects.

Life after Dylan left the residence was quite monotonous.

Waking up in the early dawn, after receiving reports on trivial matters, Mia would check the invitations that had come to her.

Originally, there was hardly any work, but Dylan had taken care of most of the work that had been placed before Mia before leaving for Rhodia, so she had even more free time.

The only variation in her daily life was the reporting time within the residence.

At the appointed time, Mia would go to Dylan’s office and connect a call to the residence where he was currently staying. That time, which was only about ten minutes, felt the most special to Mia in her day.

“Today, I organized the documents related to the garden in the residence.”

Is that so?

“There’s no need to plant new flowers, but I think landscaping is necessary. What should I do?”

Do as you wish.

Most of the conversations were like this.

One day it was about the food being distributed, another day it was about the supplies needed for the annex. Furthermore, it was only about matters related to the supervision of the servants.

These conversations didn’t last long.

When the conversation, which lasted less than three minutes, was over, Dylan would naturally continue with a question. It wasn’t related to the operation of the residence.

What did you have for lunch?

“I had stew and bread. What about you, Dylan?”

I had potato soup and smoked salmon. It’s been on the menu often lately.

“Aren’t you tired of it?”

I mostly ate canned food when I was on the sea, so this is pretty good.

The stern expression on the other side of the receiver was naturally imagined. His voice on the communicator was mixed with a slight mechanical sound.

The voice Dylan was hearing must have been similar.

Mia?

“Ah, I was thinking about something else for a moment.”

It’s only ten minutes, please focus on me.

Would others know that the stern admiral had such a peculiar side?

“I want to hear your real voice, not the one mixed with mechanical sounds.”

A faint sigh was heard over the receiver.

It sounds like you’re saying you miss me.

“Maybe I am.”

Mia!

“I’m listening.”

At Mia’s fairly calm answer, Dylan groaned and blamed her softly.

Sometimes you act like you want to see me go crazy.

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