Chapter 57.2
Chapter 57.2
His words were slow, agonizingly so. Unconsciously, I echoed him, urging him to continue. His lips moved, and he brought my hand closer, pressing his lips against the back of it. The warm, soft touch made me involuntarily twitch.
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“…?”
His words implied that understanding his feelings towards me required understanding him first.
“I can’t tell you yet.”
“What does that…”
Before I could question his cryptic statement, he cut me off, a bright smile on his face as he spoke.
“So, we should spend some time getting to know each other.”
He kissed my hand again, his gaze holding mine. I could feel the curve of his smile against my skin.
“Let’s share a secret.”
Amelia, he mouthed, his lips forming my name.
***
The carriage, instead of returning to Hazel Manor, changed direction. After we disembarked at the city square, Damian, still holding my hand, turned to the knight beside the driver.
“I’ll take responsibility for Amelia from here. You’re free to go.”
“But…”
“Amelia agreed to this. Surely, you wouldn’t want to interrupt our time together?”
He started walking before the knight, or I, could protest. His hand, initially at my wrist, slid down to fully clasp mine as we walked.
“Wait, where are we going?”
“Now, where could we be going?”
“You could at least tell me the destination. This is just…”
“Isn’t it fun to be swept along sometimes, without knowing where you’re going?”
Sometimes? I felt like I was always being swept along, usually by the man currently holding my hand, into unexpected conversations and situations. He adjusted his pace to match mine, making it easy to follow.
I don’t have any important plans… Indulging him didn’t seem like a bad idea. He wasn’t likely to let me go easily anyway. Resigned, I accepted the situation. Now, the only thing bothering me was his hand in mine.
“I’m not going to run away, so you can let go of my hand.”
“Why?”
“Why? Well…”
My gaze drifted to our joined hands. His hand dwarfed mine, enveloping it completely. His sudden question flustered me.
“…Because there’s no reason to hold hands?”
Damian turned his head, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Actually, I’m quite frail, despite my appearance. I fall easily.”
“What are you trying to say?”
He raised our joined hands.
“So, wouldn’t holding hands make you feel safer?”
He swung our hands slightly, then tightened his grip.
“That’s a lie…!”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be careful not to let you get hurt.”
He remained completely serious, even while telling an obvious lie. Anyone listening would think he was genuinely infirm. I was speechless, a disbelieving laugh escaping my lips. Meanwhile, Damian, seemingly amused by his childish fib, continued to swing our joined hands.
“Are you really not going to tell me where we’re going?”
I’d given up on questioning his actions. The destination didn’t matter. The street was wide enough for a carriage, so why had we disembarked? I had a strange sense of déjà vu. As I scanned the wide street, Damian’s lips curved into a smile.
“Are you wondering why we didn’t just take the carriage?”
He was perceptive, as always. I simply nodded.
“I told you, Amelia.”
He tugged my hand, leading me down a narrow alleyway between buildings. We emerged onto a smaller street, then back onto a wider avenue. This happened two or three more times, disorienting me. I focused on his hand, losing track of our surroundings.
“Damian?”
I called his name as we entered another alley, hoping to prompt a response. His voice came as we stepped back out onto the street.
“Let’s share a secret.”
We arrived at…
“…This is.”
The same spot where we’d disembarked from the Knight’s carriage.
“Surprised?”
I looked up at him, exasperated. His usual playful smirk was even more irritating now.
“You’re not joking, are you?”
“Joking?”
“You made me walk through all those twists and turns just to end up back here?”
I opened my mouth to ask about the ‘sharing a secret’ comment, but he spoke first.
“I didn’t say we were there yet.”
“What?”
He pulled me along again, this time in a different direction.
“This is a secret just between you and me.”
“Damian, if we go this way…”
We were heading towards a shopping district, one filled with shops catering to children: toys, chocolates, dolls, storybooks—things that seemed utterly out of place with Damian.
“We can’t bring anyone else here, can we?”
“Is someone following us?”
“Perhaps.”
He was as evasive as ever. But the convoluted route we’d taken suggested he was trying to lose someone.
“I like that.”
“…?”
“The word ‘we’.”
His dark eyes, catching the sunlight, gleamed with sincerity. I looked away, unable to hold his gaze. He sometimes looked at me like that, as if I were something precious.
“Help me, Amelia.”
He finally stopped in front of a large toy store.
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.