Chapter 109
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But there was no presence. No white light. Of course there wasn’t. No one could perfectly contain guiding that had poured out like a flood in just a few days.
Adrien let out a self-mocking laugh and stepped into her office. She switched on the lights and began checking the mail on her desk—and then she froze.
There, among the papers, lay a familiar green envelope.
It took her a moment to recognize it.
The thick, elegant green paper embossed in gold was unmistakable. It was the stationery she had bought the night she ran into Samuel at that shop.
She had purchased two sets, kept one for herself and given the other to him.
For a moment, the world seemed to fall silent. All she could see was that single envelope.
After staring at it for several seconds, Adrien opened it almost hurriedly. The handwriting on the page was neat and similar.
[Dear Sponsor,
This will be the last letter from your sponsored child, Sammy Norah.
Because of your unwavering financial support, my family and I were able to survive.
I safely graduated from the Special Military Academy and am now serving as a guide in the Capital Security Guard. My days have been quite good.
My peers are kind. My superiors are as well.
Of course, the best of them all is my commander.
To be honest, I’m not someone who can live while owing someone else.
I don’t have much, but I have an unnecessarily stubborn pride.
From the moment I wrote my false name into the sponsored children registry, I’ve counted the days until I could repay you—without ever realizing you never wanted repayment in the first place.
But did you know?
The one who still hasn’t repaid a debt… is me.
You may think every moment we shared was repayment enough. I don’t.
Do you know what dream I began having the day I saw your photograph and name in the newspaper?
I wondered again and again whether you might be my benefactor—Brillante.
After meeting you in the Security Guard as my commander, for the first time in my life, I found myself wishing I didn’t have to repay you at all.
And then, astonishingly, you truly were my sponsor.
From that moment on, my goal of repayment became nothing more than an excuse to see you.
Every moment with you was beautiful. And in the end, I’ve only accumulated more without giving even a single coin back.
So please…
Please don’t cast me aside because you once sponsored me.
I have still given you nothing.
Shameless as I am, I can only ask that you allow me to remain by your side.
—From the Sammy Norah who was once yours,
Samuel Norah]
Even after reaching the end, Adrien’s eyes refused to move. She stared at the letter for a long time before finally letting out a hollow laugh.
Given her nothing? Ridiculous. Samuel Norah was far too humble.
It had been her actions that put him in danger. Her decisions that wounded him. And yet he spoke as if none of it mattered. He lowered his pride completely, pleading instead.
Adrien braced herself against the desk, the letter still clutched in her hand.
Her chest churned unbearably.
Through her blurred vision, she noticed a book she had brought from the mansion. She opened the page marked by a pressed-flower bookmark.
Pale lavender mini delphiniums and soft pink lisianthus fell gently between the pages. Adrien touched them carefully.
They had been the first—and last—gift from her sponsored child, Sammy Norah.
“If you send me flowers, I’ll be happy,” she had once said. Now that she thought about it, Samuel had always been romantic.
A faint smile curved her lips.
Truthfully, she knew his past as her sponsored child was not the problem. The problem was her.
If not for the tragedy surrounding her parents… If only she had ever managed to free herself from it…
Perhaps she could have treated the revelation that Samuel was Sammy as nothing more than a charming coincidence. Perhaps she would have called it fate and been secretly thrilled.
But that was fantasy. Reality was a mess.
It was fortunate that it was late. If she saw Samuel’s face right now, she wasn’t sure she could endure it.
Then—
Knock, knock.
The soft sound made Adrien snap her head up.
Only then did she realize the faint sense of calm she had been feeling was growing stronger. A distinct guiding was flowing through the door.
Without thinking, she moved toward it, as if pulled. The moment her hand closed around the doorknob, a quiet voice came from outside.
“Commander. It’s me.”
He didn’t need to say his name. Adrien opened the door on impulse.
In the dim corridor, Samuel slowly lifted the eyes he had lowered.
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