Our Summer Isn't Over Yet - Chapter 29

Like someone entering a deep, dark cave, Dylan’s voice was low. Mia fidgeted, hearing his faint breaths between words.

“I didn’t mean to, but do you dislike it?”

Dylan chuckled at her question, immediately denying her words.

Of course not. I’m just realizing how insignificant my patience is, day by day.

Perhaps because she was holding the receiver to her ear, it felt as if Dylan was speaking right next to her. Mia repeatedly clenched and unclenched her fingers, clearing her throat a few times.

It was a conversation that wouldn’t seem strange to anyone, but if someone were actually listening, it would be too embarrassing. Mia tried to change the subject, and Dylan willingly followed, not latching onto her words.

“Is there any progress in the investigation?”

The tail is proving harder to catch than I thought.

“The return might be delayed then.”

As Mia responded to his words, her gaze fell upon the drawer she had opened to take out a fountain pen. And the letters inside.

She saw the sender written on the stationery. It was Walter’s letter.

She wouldn’t have cared if it was a letter from someone else, but it was from Walter, the guarantor of the contract between Mia and Dylan, so she naturally paid attention.

I think I’ll visit the capital for a report in the middle of it all.

Looking closely, there was not just one letter, but several stacked up. She tilted her head in strange curiosity. Mia’s curiosity was now directed at the letters in the drawer.

I’ll try to make time to see you, even if briefly.

Mia, who had been staring intently at the letters, called out to Dylan. It was a question stemming from a very minor anxiety.

“Hey, Dylan.”

I’m listening.

“His Majesty the King and March know about what’s going on between us, right?”

A moment of silence flowed.

A fleeting moment passed, and Dylan’s composed answer came. It sounded somehow deeper than his voice just before.

Yes, is there a problem?

“No, I was just suddenly curious.”

Mia scattered the anxious thoughts she had gathered and checked the time. Exactly ten minutes had passed.

“Time’s up, I have to hang up now.”

The time that would end after only ten rotations of the second hand felt fleeting. And that returned as a small regret.

Mia shook her head, calling it unnecessary sentimentality, and said neatly, “I’ll call you again tomorrow.”

-Good night, Mia.

This time, Mia was briefly silent.

Since he left for Rhodia, Mia had not been getting a good night’s sleep. When she barely managed to fall asleep, she was tormented by nightmares. She was becoming a little desperate for the moment of falling asleep with Dylan.

But there was no need to add even such trivial words to him, who was going through a sensitive time.

“Yes, you too, Dylan.”

As she put down the receiver, the small voice that had been tickling her ear until just now disappeared. Left alone in the quiet office, Mia blinked and came to her senses after a little while.

To clear her mind of chaotic thoughts, Mia shook her head a few times, and Walter’s letter came into her sight again. The W, the mark that the Duke had sent it, did not disappear from her eyes. Mia shook her head briefly and muttered.

“What if someone sees it left like this?”

Of course, the contents inside are encrypted, so even if someone sees it, they won’t know the real content, but it seemed too defenseless.

“Is it unnecessary worry?”

Mia pushed the drawer in, neatly tidied up her seat, and soon moved to her room.

Late in the evening, as she finished preparing for bed, someone knocked on Mia’s door.

“Come in.”

It was one of the servants from the annex. The servant held a neatly wrapped box.

“What’s going on?”

“His Excellency ordered me to deliver a gift to the Madam. He also left a letter with it.”

Mia tilted her head as she received the box. The contents were not guessed because it was contained in an angular box.

“Dylan? I didn’t hear anything about it. Thank you, I’ll check it out.”

Mia dismissed the servant with a faint smile. Sitting on a chair, she carefully untied the neatly wrapped ribbon, and a subtle scent flowed out of the box.

It was the scent that always came from Dylan. As she opened the box, the scent became stronger.

“A scented candle?”

A scented candle in a shape never seen in social circles, as if it had been custom-made, was in the box. The scented candle, with a mixture of green and blue wax, had a design that matched the scent well.

Mia, who had been staring at the scented candle as if possessed, found the letter that Dylan had left with it. The stationery, with a color similar to the color of the scented candle, showed that he had put quite a bit of thought into choosing it.

Suppressing her heart, which was beating busily, Mia tore open the letter.

[I gift this to you because you seem to like the scent that comes from me. I hope it helps you sleep.]

It was a very short and concise sentence. There was no long explanation of the reason, nor did he ask her to acknowledge his efforts. It was an extremely Dylan-like letter.

“Is it even appropriate to call it a letter?”

It was too short to write on fine stationery. However, it was naturally drawn that Dylan had pondered over it until that sentence was created.

Mia, who had been fiddling with the stationery for a while, carefully lit the scented candle. The wick began to crackle and burn.

After a refreshing scent, as if containing a forest, passed by, there was a scent resembling the cool sea. It was a familiar and pleasant scent. Mia curled up and stared at the scented candle.

“It would be prettier if you saw it in a dark place.”

Mia closed her eyes and imagined the appearance she could not see herself. This scented candle, which would emit a scent resembling her and shine beautifully in a pitch-black room.

The subtle scent of Dylan filled the room.

Even though he was not by her side, it felt as if he was there. Even though it was not yet time to sleep, Mia somehow felt drowsy.

Mia blew out the scented candle with a “whoosh” and went to bed. She stared at the extinguished scented candle not far away. The light had disappeared, but the scent from the scented candle still filled the room.

Her mind gradually became hazy. Mia, who was slowly blinking her eyes, accepted the sleep that was coming.

She had been sleeping briefly around dawn almost every day since Dylan left for Rhodia, but today, it was the moon that was hanging outside the window.

The scented candle that Dylan gifted did its job perfectly.

Not only was she able to sleep well, but at the tea party she attended, Mia received all the attention of the women thanks to the scent.

“Madam, have you changed your perfume?”

The Marchioness of Fibil, who seemed to have grown fond of Mia after she sent a small gift because she felt sorry for leaving the party early the other day, opened her mouth. Starting with her, others around her also perked up their ears and paid attention to Mia.

“Ah, I don’t use perfume.”

“Then is it fragrance oil?”

“No, I light a scented candle for a while before going to bed, and it seems the scent has permeated.”

As she gave her answer with a smile, the noble ladies asked Mia one after another, as if wanting more detailed information.

“May I ask where you purchased it?”

“I received it as a gift, so I don’t know exactly.”

“Could it be that His Excellency gifted it?”

As Mia nodded, exclamations erupted from here and there.

“How thoughtful, it’s a scent that really suits the Madam.”

Hearing that the same scent that Dylan used suited her, it sounded as if he and she suited each other well.

She suddenly wondered how he would react if he heard these words now.

But Dylan, who used to contact her every day, didn’t call yesterday. Yesterday, she was going to tell him that she liked the scented candle gift and that she was grateful.

‘Is something wrong?’

A small worry sprang up.

Since he went to Rhodia to catch Jose, Mia, who had directly experienced how vicious Jose was, became even more anxious.

‘Ah!’

Again, her head was filled with thoughts of Dylan. Mia ran her hand over her neck. The locket necklace caught on Mia’s palm.

It was a necklace that she had put back on her neck to control herself because she kept forgetting her parents.

Trying to erase Dylan from her head, Mia focused on the tea party.

“More than that, I heard that a royal banquet will be held soon?”

“The former Queen passed away during the war, and His Majesty the King has not brought anyone in until now, so this banquet will probably be held to examine the daughters of noble families, right?”

“Various families will gather.”

“Could it be that those who bought the title of nobility will also gather at the banquet?”

“Wouldn’t they? Because His Majesty the King’s invitation was sent to all families.”

While someone expressed displeasure, some glanced at Mia to see her reaction. She immediately noticed that they were trying to sound her out regarding Richard’s succession.

Support Our Summer Isn’t Over Yet