Our Summer Isn't Over Yet - Chapter 9

At Dylan’s calm and composed words, Mia slowly blinked and asked, “It’s already past eleven. Why are you here?”

During the past week, while he had been avoiding her, Dylan hadn’t left his office from early morning until late at night. He must have had a mountain of work to do. Just as Mia was wondering how he could possibly leave it all behind, he opened his mouth to speak.

“You hadn’t woken up yet.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”

He looked at her calmly and replied,
“A normal husband would do the same.”

Mia couldn’t think of anything to say back. It all felt like some kind of make-believe, like they were playing house. But there was no point in arguing. She just quietly accepted it. Nothing she said would change anything.

Letting out a quiet breath, Mia stood up.
Her back and legs ached, but not enough to keep her from walking. She had been through far worse. If anyone knew how pointless it was to ask for help over something like this, it was Mia.

Before she could take a single step, Dylan gently lifted her into his arms.

“What are you doing?” she asked, startled.
“It looked uncomfortable,” he replied.

“Dylan.”
“Do you want to go to the dining room like this later too?”

Faced with his ridiculous threat, Mia closed her mouth. This blunt man was the type to follow through on what he said. She would rather endure this when they were alone in the room than let the staff at the manor witness such a scene.

As they entered the bathroom, Dylan gently set her down. It was the first time in her life someone had escorted her like this. Even while she washed her face and cleaned up quickly, his eyes kept following her, making her feel strangely uncomfortable.

Catching a glimpse of his face in the mirror, Mia frowned sharply and spoke, unaware that her emotions were more intense than usual.

“If you have any conscience, act accordingly.”
“I haven’t done anything,” he replied.
“You’re looking at me strangely.”

At her comment, Dylan tilted his head.
“What’s strange about it?”

Mia closed her eyes tightly and then looked at him again through the mirror. His expression was as usual, stern and composed. Maybe the way her stomach churned and the dull ache in her lower belly were all just in her head. There was nothing strange about a man who was simply looking at her with such a blank face.

“I must have been mistaken.”

Her flat reply made Dylan shrug. He had come closer without her noticing and was now reaching for the zipper on her back.

“Even if you use the puller, it’ll be hard to move your arm.”

The sound of the zipper slowly coming down filled the silence. Just before it reached her waist, Mia spoke.

“That’s enough. Go wait outside.”
“You’ll need my help getting dressed too.”

He glanced at the neatly prepared outfit beside them. He was right. She tried moving her arm behind her, but her shoulder was too stiff to pull the zipper up on her own.

As he resumed pulling the zipper down, Dylan asked,
“Are you embarrassed all of a sudden?”

After he lowered it all the way, he slid his hand under the fabric and slipped it off her shoulders. Underneath, her skin was covered in the bruises he had left the night before.

“Of course not.”

In the past, she might have been self-conscious about the marks. But today felt different. What really bothered her were the vivid red traces that covered her skin. On top of that, while she stood there undressing, Dylan remained perfectly dressed in his uniform. It irritated her.

It also made her feel small.

“Relax your fingers.”

As the fabric fell away piece by piece, Dylan whispered to her about the things she needed to do. His voice, so close, made her feel uncomfortably exposed. The only sound in the room was the soft rustling of clothes.

Then Dylan broke the silence.

“Is this the only outfit you have?”

He asked the question while helping her into the outerwear and pulling the zipper up.

“I have to dress myself, remember?”
“What about accessories?”
“They’re too much trouble.”
“And your shoes?”

“This is good enough.”

Even though the zipper was all the way up, Dylan still didn’t step back. Feeling something strange, Mia tried to turn slightly, but his hands were still holding her firmly, making it hard to move. Just before she could tell him to let go, Dylan spoke.

“Keep your schedule open for tomorrow.”

“Why? Actually, never mind. Alright.”

She hesitated for a second, then nodded a couple of times. That must have been the answer he was waiting for, because the strength in his hands finally loosened.

The heavy air from just moments ago vanished as if it had never been there. Thinking about Dylan’s cold and serious face, Mia gently rubbed her neck without even realizing it.

It was a little unexpected that they went to the annex dining room instead of the one in the main building. Since Dylan usually returned to his office right after eating, it would have made more sense to stay in the main house. But for some reason, he had chosen the annex instead.

The annex dining room was a better size for two people. They didn’t need to raise their voices to talk, and the smaller table allowed for a more personal atmosphere during the meal.

“I thought your schedule was packed.”

“There’s nothing urgent at the moment.”

“But Sir Aaron looked really anxious earlier.”

Mia remembered Dylan’s aide, Aaron, whom she had seen right after leaving the room. Even with one eye covered, his pale face had made it obvious something was wrong. If she considered that, it was clear Dylan shouldn’t be away from his duties for too long.

She couldn’t understand why he seemed so calm and at ease.

As if reading her thoughts, Dylan gave a small shake of his head.

“It’s alright.”

Since he said it was fine, there was no need to worry further. Mia glanced briefly at the dining room door, then brought up what she had really wanted to ask.

“More importantly, when are you going to explain the contract to His Majesty and the Chancellor?”

Dylan’s hand stopped in mid-motion as he was about to serve food. But after a brief pause, he placed the plate in front of Mia and answered in a calm voice.

“I don’t really see a reason to explain it.”

“If you keep saying careless things like before, the two people who guaranteed this agreement will end up having to handle the consequences. So, you should take it seriously.”

The ones who had signed the contract were Mia and Dylan, but there were others who knew about it and had agreed to guarantee it. One was Morgan Hippolyte, the King of the nation. The other was Duke Walter March, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army. In the bigger picture, they were also connected to the agreement, so they needed to be informed.

More importantly, if Dylan failed to fulfill the contract, it would fall on them to step in and carry out the obligations in his place. Naturally, they needed to be aware of the situation.

When Mia received no answer, she looked up and saw Dylan twisting his lips into a slight smirk. His expression seemed heavier than ever. Then he let out a short sigh and finally responded. His voice remained cold and emotionless.

“I didn’t realize you were the type to talk about your personal life with everyone.”

There was a hint of sarcasm in his words.

Still, Mia didn’t back down.

“If it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll meet with them myself and explain.”

“Dylan.”
“People will probably wonder why the Duchess of Richard is meeting with His Majesty and the Duke of March, but you’ll take care of that part, won’t you?”

“Fine. I’ll speak to them about it.”

Satisfied with his answer, Mia finally picked up her spoon and brought a bite of food to her mouth. She chewed a few times, but then remembered something and set the spoon down again.

“And even though I’ll be leaving after a year, I want you to keep looking for my parents’ remains.”

Dylan’s brows remained furrowed. His eyes stayed fixed on her hand, which had stopped moving.

“I plan to return to my hometown as soon as the year is over. I hope you’ll cooperate with that.”

“Cooperate?”

“I gave in to your demands, didn’t I?”

Although his mouth was moving and his ears seemed to be listening, Dylan still didn’t meet her eyes. That struck her as strange. She narrowed her gaze in confusion, just as he quietly lifted a small piece of meat and held it out in front of her.

“Dylan, are you even listening to me?”

“Open your mouth.”

“What?”

“It didn’t seem like you had any intention of eating.”

Only then did Mia realize that most of the food in front of her was still untouched and understood why Dylan was offering her the piece of meat.

“I can eat on my own…”

“Let’s not pretend that’s true.”

He truly had a talent for cutting people off mid-sentence.

“You’ve barely touched your fork more than once or twice since we sat down.”

He tilted his head slightly and waved the fork again. The sunlight caught his golden hair, making it shine so brightly it was almost blinding.

Everything about the scene was beautiful, but what held Mia’s attention the most were his eyes, as deep and clear as the sea.

When she didn’t respond, Dylan gestured again, signaling for her to eat.

In the end, it was Mia who gave in and raised the white flag in this silent standoff.

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