Our Summer Isn't Over Yet - Chapter 47

“Thank you for your concern.” A bitter taste rose in my throat with every word. I really wanted to end this conversation now. Dylan, completely unaware of Mia’s feelings, seemed ready to continue talking as if nothing was wrong.

“And…”

“Dylan, it’s been ten minutes. Can we continue the call? I think I should hang up now.”

“Ah! Has it already been that long?”

His voice sounded somewhat regretful. Perhaps it was a delusion or an act to deceive himself, but that’s how it sounded to Mia.

“I’ll call you again tomorrow.”

“Mia, if you feel it’s dangerous, stop immediately.”

“I’m not a child. Don’t worry about me.” With those words, Mia put down the receiver. She took a long, suppressed breath and tried to sweep her loose hair back. At that moment, her eyes caught sight of her broken and bleeding index fingernail.

It seemed that constantly scratching the desk had finally done this to her nail. Mia stared at the blood flowing down her finger and reached into her pocket, fumbling for the handkerchief she always carried. But there was nothing there.

“Ah! I left it in the room.” Only then did it strike her that she had left it on the candle before leaving the room.

Fortunately, it wasn’t bleeding much, so it seemed like it would stop if she waited a little. While waiting for the bleeding to stop, she scanned Dylan’s study. Then, something caught her eye and she paused.

The first drawer, filled with Walter’s letters. She dropped her gaze past it. The second drawer was locked, preventing it from being opened. The third and fourth were the same.

A question arose on Mia’s face.

‘Why isn’t only the first one locked?’

Considering Dylan’s usually meticulous nature, it was definitely strange. The fact that only the first drawer was so carelessly open, and that she happened to see it.

‘Could it be? No way.’

While she was lost in brief thought, the bleeding stopped, and what was on her finger hardened. Mia forced the unsettling question out of her mind and left Dylan’s study.

Contrary to Dylan’s worries, Mia’s relief efforts proceeded smoothly.

It was already the ninth day.

The fifteen days promised to Morgan were now only five days away. There was still no sign of Jose. It was almost as if the security here was so tight that he had given up on coming.

Even though Morgan had removed more than half of his guards a few days ago, Jose showed no signs of appearing. She wondered if she should distance herself from Walter, but she couldn’t think of a way to persuade him.

A time for the nobles participating in the relief efforts to chat briefly.

Mia glanced at Walter, who was talking to gentlemen not far away.

“Duke Richard must love his wife very much.”

Mia, who had been staring at Walter, flinched at the words of a noblewoman and turned her gaze away. She was startled by the sudden appearance of the name, but only for a moment.

Mia smiled gently as always and tried to steer the conversation in another direction, but before she could say anything, the noblewomen opened their mouths one after another.

“Otherwise, he wouldn’t have personally asked the Duke to escort his wife.”

Dylan was not in a position to escort her from a foreign land, so he had asked Walter March, who was on friendly terms with him. This was the reason Dylan had created.

It was a reasonable enough reason that no one thought it was strange. Considering the relationship between Dylan and Walter, it looked like a son had asked his father. Everyone except Mia found it heartwarming.

“I don’t know how happy I am to be able to feel the friendship between the two Dukes like this.”

“The fact that the relationship between the two Dukes has continued steadily since Duke Richard was young is probably ordained by God.”

“Oh my, that’s right, Duke March even tried to scout Duke Richard into the army back then, didn’t he?”

Tiredness washed over her as the conversation continued.

It seemed like she would have to end the relief efforts here today.

Mia let the noblewomen’s conversation flow in one ear and scanned her surroundings. She didn’t feel anything suspicious today either.

“Scout? How outstanding must Duke Richard have been back then?”

“He was extraordinary from the start. With that much skill, he must have been full of confidence in his future, but even so, to completely erase his previous surname.”

“Madam!”

Mia was startled by the thunderous voice and looked towards the sound.

She saw the faces of the noblewomen, who were very nervous. Mia tried to piece together the words she had heard sporadically while her mind was elsewhere for a moment.

It seemed that someone had mentioned Dylan’s past before he received the title of Duke.

Was it so important now what family he had been a descendant of in the past?

In the past, she didn’t want to pry because he didn’t want her to mention his erased surname, and now she didn’t want to know his past in depth.

“That’s a rude thing to say.”

“I’m sorry, Duchess Richard.”

Mia left a word of caution to the noblewoman who bowed in apology. Everyone was just watching Mia, looking awkward, when Walter, who had finished his conversation with the nobles, approached Mia for the escort.

“Duchess Richard. Shouldn’t we go back now?”

Mia noticed the expressions of the noblewomen, who were clearly disappointed, but pretended not to notice and quickly said her goodbyes.

“Time has already passed so quickly. Then, ladies, I’ll see you next time.”

Mia took Walter’s hand and immediately got into the prepared car. For some reason, the driver, who always started the engine first, was not inside.

Before she could feel any doubt, she heard the sound of the door closing with a thud. In the moment she was left alone, Mia let out a tired sigh.

Living every day with the thought of whether Jose would come today or not, the tension in her body was gradually increasing. While rubbing her forehead, Walter opened the opposite door and got in.

He looked at Mia’s condition once and asked.

His voice was as blunt as Dylan’s.

“Aren’t you tired?”

Mia turned her head and met Walter’s eyes. Clearly, Dylan and he were not related by blood, and there was nothing similar in their appearance. Nevertheless, the two were alike.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Now that the rumors about ‘real’ or ‘fake’ have all been silenced, shouldn’t we stop now?”

Was this also something Dylan had told him to say?

She had been trying to read Walter’s mind the whole time she was being escorted by him. It was only natural that she was tired after those days.

At first, she wanted to ask him.

Why did you accept Dylan’s offer, how could you betray me when you were projecting your dead daughter onto me? But she never actually asked Walter. No matter how unfair and angry she was, she had to endure it.

“There are still five days left in the schedule. It should have been enough by now, but I made it too long.”

“How’s your body?”

“I’m fine.”

Walter’s brow furrowed slightly at the short answer. He turned his head to the window and didn’t say anything for a while. Mia also turned her head to the other side and closed her mouth.

In the past, conversations with Walter seemed to have been somewhat enjoyable, but not anymore.

Walter had been more wary of her than anyone else when Mia first came to Hippoly, but later he had taken care of her more than anyone else, so this silence felt even more awkward.

Just as Mia was about to close her eyes, Walter spoke.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to accompany you tomorrow morning.”

Mia was first filled with doubt at the sudden story.

What kind of trick is this again?

She slowly turned her head and looked at Walter. He was still staring at the window. Black hair filled Mia’s vision.

As she quietly looked at him, she suddenly remembered what day tomorrow was.

“Ah!”

It was the day Walter’s wife and daughter died.

“I haven’t been able to commemorate the anniversary once throughout the war, so I’m going to spend it with them this time.”

Walter’s family passed away eleven years ago from now, to be exact, about a year after the war with Murad began.

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