Our Summer Isn't Over Yet - Chapter 65

Mia got off the train and sat on a nearby bench to catch her breath. She placed a hand over her pounding heart and calmed her queasy stomach.

Once the nausea subsided, Mia gazed at the people hurrying across the platform. Sunlight streamed through the glass dome of the platform, illuminating the interior. As she watched the people lightly drifting through the softly lit space, she spotted Dylan in the distance, talking to Aaron. Seeing him, even more radiant than the others, made her calmed heart race again. She felt like a grain of sand on a beach, constantly washed over by the waves.

Her heart fluttered whenever the waves threatened to engulf her. Mia unconsciously clenched her dress and stared at Dylan. When he, who had been looking at Aaron, turned to her, the crowd blurred. As he walked towards her, time seemed to flow differently for those around them. Her gaze was fixed on Dylan as he walked through the fragmented sunlight. Mia blinked slowly and let out a silent breath. Only now did she realize that he looked different than usual. ‘…He’s wearing a suit.’

Mia was taken aback by the fact that Dylan, who had always insisted on wearing uniforms, was wearing an ordinary suit. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. ‘We were just together… and I didn’t notice.’ As she carefully recalled the moments she had spent with him, she finally remembered his unfamiliar appearance. A hollow laugh escaped Mia’s lips. She, who was always keenly aware of even the smallest changes, was shocked that she hadn’t noticed such a significant change in him. The answer to why she hadn’t noticed was easy to find. ‘Cufflinks.’ Her eyes had been drawn to the green cufflinks that resembled her eye color, and she had been focused on the bonnet that resembled Dylan’s eye color. “Did you wait long?” Mia looked up at Dylan, who had approached her, and let out another silent breath.

Unlike Mia’s neatly arranged hair that flowed over her shoulders, his hair was lightly disheveled. “Mia?” She couldn’t help but remember him fussing over her appearance right before they arrived. Dylan, who always insisted on being neat and well-groomed, had been more concerned about her than himself, and she realized it once again.

Perhaps sensing that something was wrong because she didn’t answer, he tilted his head and reached out his hand. His eyes, expressionless lips, and blunt tone were the same as always, but Dylan seemed so different. “Are you not feeling well…?” “No, it’s nothing. The sun is just bright.” “Were you uncomfortable waiting?” He asked, even though he knew she had only been waiting for about ten minutes, sitting in a softly lit spot. “I’m fine.” “Still, let’s go and rest soon.” At Dylan’s gentle urging, Mia placed her hand in his without hesitation. The thick, warm fingers of Dylan intertwined with her slender fingers, creating a ticklish sensation. Just as she was fidgeting, feeling moisture gathering on her palm, he spoke. “Mia.” She looked up at his low, deep voice, and Dylan gave a faint smile as he held her hand even tighter and said, “You’ll love the mansion.” “……”

“You can look forward to it.” She was now afraid of what Dylan might say next.

Looking into his deep blue eyes made her throat feel parched. At the same time, the nausea she thought had subsided started again.

The mansion where Dylan and Mia would be staying in Valencia was very small. Aaron chewed on his lip as he drove, thinking about the mansion where they would be staying. ‘It’s even smaller than the annex where the Madam usually stays. I wonder if it will be okay.’ Dylan had lived through wars and was used to and skilled at living in small spaces, but Mia was different.

Aaron regretted not suggesting that Dylan make the mansion bigger when he had said he was going to build one in Valencia. ‘Should I look for another place now?’ As Aaron’s worries grew, they approached the mansion. After crossing a small hill, the cool sea came into view. But only for a moment, as the sea quickly disappeared behind the dense trees along the road to the mansion.

The tall, green trees rustled and swayed as if welcoming them. When they reached the end of the well-manicured tree-lined path, the view opened up. The deep blue sea was right next to them, and the two-story mansion stood proudly in front of them. The car slowly came to a stop.

The servants who managed the small mansion in Valencia were lined up, waiting. Before Aaron could rush out and open the door, Dylan got out and escorted Mia. Aaron, his eyes darting around, asked Dylan in a very small voice, “Your Excellency, if you don’t like it, perhaps we could find another place…”

“Aaron, you should let the servants in.” Dylan replied without looking at Aaron.

Aaron, puzzled by his order, hesitated, his gaze following Dylan’s. There stood Mia, having gotten out of the car, staring blankly at the mansion. She seemed oblivious to the people around her, her eyes busy taking in the small two-story mansion and the garden in front of it. Aaron blinked and rubbed one eye. He gasped for a moment.

He saw an unfamiliar expression on her face, which was usually so calm. Shock, surprise, bewilderment, and… ‘A child?’ It was an emotion that was hard to define. If he had to put it into words, it was like a child receiving an unexpected gift. He stared at Mia for a moment, then quickly snapped out of it and replied to Dylan, “Then I’ll go and get things organized first.” Aaron told the waiting servants to go inside quickly. Then he turned his head and looked at Dylan and Mia, who were still standing there.

Mia was standing in the same place, with the same expression. And next to her stood Dylan, with a relaxed smile. It was like a masterpiece painting. Aaron couldn’t take his eyes off them and kept turning back to look at them.

His actions continued until Dylan and Mia moved.

–

Dylan Richard was cruel. But he was so cruel and bad that she couldn’t bring herself to hate him completely. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought her such shock.

A person who was determined to hurt her, a person who was planning to betray her, shouldn’t be so kind. “I told you you’d like it.” There was a reason for his confident words.

“You told me before, Mia.”

“……”

“I don’t remember it well, but you said you used to live in a house like this before coming to Murad.” A few words that Dylan had said in passing before the last war with Murad flashed through Mia’s mind.

“Mia, something might happen to you. So, I’m planning to build a mansion far from the capital in preparation for that. Is there a particular exterior you would like for the mansion?” “Dylan, is that really necessary? I have nowhere else to retreat to anyway.” “Just think of it as a job. Even if you don’t live there, it’s a place where I can live later.”

“……Okay.” Unlike Mia, who would be on land, Dylan had to jump directly into the war. Perhaps that was why. Mia impulsively took the documents he offered her and checked their contents. The documents contained information about the house where Dylan might return to live if he won the war safely. As she carefully examined them, Mia asked him, “Dylan, do you like quiet places?” “I suppose so. I’ve only ever lived in noisy places.”

“You’re a Duke, so I suppose you’d like a big mansion. The sea, do you like being close to the sea?” “I’ve lived by the sea for half my life, so I suppose so.”

Mia, who had been flipping through the pages, stopped at one. It was a mansion that didn’t suit Hippolyte, who valued the size of the mansion. The mansion wasn’t very large, but instead, it had a large garden and a structure where trees formed a large path. Mia’s gaze didn’t move for a while. Perhaps sensing that something was wrong, Dylan strode over and pointed to what she was looking at, asking, “Do you like this?” “No. Not that.” “Then?” “I don’t remember it well, but I think I used to live in a house like this in Pilat.” Perhaps it was because she had said something she didn’t usually say.

Dylan didn’t answer, and Mia, who had come to her senses in the meantime, quickly organized the documents and handed them to him.

“Dylan, I’ve finished organizing everything here. Take a look.”

“Yes, I will. Can I take all the documents with me?”

“Of course.”

As the memories she had forgotten gradually took over her mind, a faint groan escaped Mia’s lips. This mansion was exactly the same as the mansion that Mia had carefully looked at in those documents back then.

Staring straight at her trembling form, Dylan emphasized each word as he spoke.

“Mia. Do you like. The house?”

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