Chapter 74

Chapter 74

“…Good morning?”

Oh, is that not it? It was a cheerful greeting, though somehow his reaction was not good.

‘No, then what should I say?’

I should have memorized a few greetings appropriate for this situation.

“…It’s been a while.”

Not this, too? His back was against the sun, so I couldn’t see it very well, though I could tell for sure that his expression wasn’t good.

“Yes, it’s been a long time.”

And, silence again…

Am I the only one who is bleeding in this situation?

“You used to talk so well, but why did you keep your mouth shut?”

“What kind of parrot am I? I’ll talk to you anytime.”

The words came out unintentionally. I turned my head again.

Thump, thump.

It had been a few days since we’ve been talking, although the awkwardness seemed to have doubled during that time.

“…Don’t look away.”

Even though I could feel the eyes staring at the back of my head, I sat stubbornly. What would happen if I don’t see it, I also wanted to know.

Then, I could hear the sound of stepping on the soft soil and felt him approaching.

Whish.

Without a moment of resistance, I was pulled by his hand and lifted up. As if picking up a feather that had fallen on the floor, he placed his hand on my side and lifted me up.

“Kyaa—!”

I struggled as I was placed on his shoulder like a sack.

“Hold on. If you struggle, I might drop you.”

At his threat, I lay face down and looked down at the floor.

…The floor was too far away. Considering his height, I calculated the physical damage to my body if I fell to the ground—

And so, I decided to stay quiet.

“Let me go.”

He seemed unwilling to grant my request.

“Let’s talk about it and put me down.”

“No.”

“Why?”

I lay face down and glared at him.

My stomach twisted as a mischievous smile appeared on his lips. However, after thinking about it, I have come to the conclusion that it is plausible enough to glare at him in this state.

“You will run away again.”

He uttered softly as he looked at me, who was staring straight ahead with my glaring eyes removed.

“….”

I had nothing to say, so I shut my mouth. It was only yesterday that I knocked him out, who was almost in front of me.

Seeing me like that, Amoide walked up to the bench and put me on it. He placed me quietly on a bench, and he sat right in front of it and knelt down on his knees. His hands were fixed to both my sides and my legs were pressed against his chest.

“I…”

I gazed at him with absurd eyes. There was no way out. His long outstretched arms were standing next to me, and his upper body was holding up in front of me.

I was imprisoned using his body.

“Amoide.”

It’s been a while since I glanced down at him from above.

Blow~

A gust of wind blew past and messed up his bangs.

“Do you like running away?”

As I looked up, I shook my head.

“I never ran away.”

“Really…?”

“Yes.”

His staring gaze was stinging more than the sun on a summer day.

“But, it was difficult to see your face.”

“That…”

“That?”

“…I’m busy.”

“What have you been so busy with?”

“Do you think I’m just following you around? Huh? I have a schedule, I have work to do, and I am busy.”

I took a deep breath in the middle and continued speaking, “After mother entrusted me with the Duke’s residence, there are more things to be concerned about.”

It was also true.

After taking over the housework temporarily, there were many things to do. As I wrestled with the ledger all day, I did not know how the time was passing.

“Oh, right.”

He wrinkled his brow slightly.

“I must have bothered a busy person too much.”

It was a clear rebuke under the guise of an apology. I felt like I was being pricked with an invisible needle in my chest.

It seemed like it was the price of running away to death. If I had met him right away, I probably wouldn’t have been so embarrassed. Nonetheless, it was a problem even if I had prepared a place for sincere dialogue.

‘What should I say?

In fact, while I was avoiding him, countless imaginations unfolded within me. Still, no matter how much my imagination was mobilized, the conversation between him and me could not easily come to mind. No matter how hard I tried, there was only one answer in the end.

…Everything as if nothing happened.

“That night…”

As the words fell from his mouth, I trembled violently. At my reaction, Amoide stopped his words and gazed at me.

“You don’t even want to think about it?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Well, I really don’t know.

“You don’t know?”

“Yes, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“….”

Amoide’s eyes widened.

“I don’t…remember… I drank a lot…”

His hand, resting on my lap, gripped the innocent dress and asked back, “Do you think I’m going to talk about that night?”

“What?”

“What night am I talking about?”

“Yes, we…”

Without speaking, I chewed my lips.

“We?”

He asked dazedly before lowering his body low and whispered, “What did we do, Selene?”

A cool breeze blew.

The wind flew through Amoide’s golden hair, and it tickled my face.

“I, I—”

In an instant, his body scent hit me. It was a sensual and masculine scent that was different from the scent of perfume.

At that moment, the memories that had been hidden began to come to life at once. That night, the memories engraved on each other’s skin. It was revived with an overly realistic sense. It was a memory that had barely been buried, but only one smell was clearly remembered.

“What are you thinking about?”

Amoide asked, tilting his head. It was as if he knew everything inside of me, the eyes that knew everything that was going on inside my head. The thought that ignoring him any longer would only be a joke for him to pass by.

“Yes, I remember everything. Let’s say so.”

His eyes gleamed and gleamed as he looked at me. He was also seen taking a deep breath.

“I just woke up, and I was in your bed. That’s all I remember.”

He narrowed his brow a little as though he didn’t like my answer.

“You and I were both drunk, so…”

“So, what?”

He chimed in with a soft voice. At the same time, however, he had a very threatening look. Amoide’s expression was also very dirty to match.

“…We can sleep in one bed.”

I continued to mumble.

“It was just an accident.”

“Accident…?”

His expression became a little more dirty. Despite the fact that he had an unusual face, he had a very harsh expression.

“Say it again.”

“…Acci…dent.”

Why is he staring at me like that…?

To say that killing people with your eyes is not a joke is not something you should talk about this man.

“We were drunk that day, uh… It wasn’t normal. The full moon has also risen.”

I remembered the moonlight shining through the window.

“Originally, when the full moon rises, people… got weird. Emotions are richer than necessary, they act irrationally, and that’s what it is.”

I don’t even know what I’m talking about. At this point, I’m just talking with all the excuses that come up and just hoped all of this would help make that night go away.

“So, the conclusion…”

Amoide stared at me as if waiting for my next word.

“So, let’s forget about it.”

“…Forget about it?”

For a moment, he spoke with an empty smile.

“Yes. You, too. It’s unpleasant… such a memory.”

He spent the night with a woman whom he terribly despised. With an abominable woman who tried to deceive him by bandaging her well-healed hands. I think I’d like to scrub it with a brush, like old stains on the floor.

No matter what a mistake it was, as long as someone didn’t erase it, it would remain in my memory.

“Let’s pretend it wasn’t there, so.”

He just gazed at me without saying a word.

“…Let’s pretend it didn’t exist.”

He repeated in a low, subdued voice. It was a voice full of strange emotions, both angry and frustrated.

Not being able to read his thoughts, I was a little perplexed.

What answer does he want from me? Wasn’t this what he wanted to? He said he came to me because he was worried that I might get buried by work that night.

“Isn’t that your purpose, too?”

“Purpose?”

“That’s right. A memory you want to forget.”

“How do you know what my purpose is?”

Amoide voice was terribly low.

Somehow, the more I spoke, the more it seemed to bother his heart.

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