That Lady’s Stalker - Chapter 33
997th Year of the Empire May 30th
There was no reply. But she hadn’t told me not to send any more letters either. And besides, recently, she had even started trying to approach me, so perhaps this was fine?
I interpreted it as I wished. Ignoring it, I wrote the letter as usual and left it on my desk. As expected, it disappeared. He had done his job perfectly.
997th Year of the Empire May 31st
When my heart was inexplicably light, I received an unexpected letter. It was from her brother, Oliver.
We had no particular communication, so why was he sending me a letter? What could have happened to her? I hastily tore open the envelope. The content was brief:
[Please come quickly. Oliver Flonari.]
I thought I understood why he had sent the letter. A smile tugged at my lips. Olivia must be bothering her brother again.
My fingertips itched. I pressed them down hard, but the itch didn’t go away. Instead, it spread throughout my body.
997th Year of the Empire June 3rd
Even after returning to the capital, I found myself following Olivia around. Like a sunflower chasing the sun, my gaze remained fixed on her, never leaving.
“A man without confidence is not attractive!”
Olivia must have been angry because I kept avoiding her.
Confidence… I mulled over the word.
I thought of my brother. He was always confident, no matter the situation. If confidence were personified, it would be him.
I guess that meant I lacked confidence. I certainly didn’t have what people called charm. The truth of it didn’t bother me at all.
I nodded obediently, and Olivia’s face turned red. She looked as if she couldn’t stand her irritation. It was adorable. I held back a smile, fearing it would only make her angrier.
Each day was enjoyable. Occasionally, I wondered why Olivia kept trying to get close to me, but I ignored the feeling that kept surfacing. If I acknowledged it, I knew this joy would disappear.
997th Year of the Empire, June 6th
But sometimes, it was impossible to ignore the growing curiosity. This was one of those times.
“Let’s go boating.”
Olivia stood, her back to the clear lake as bright as her eyes, and turned to face me. The sight made me momentarily wince.
The soft outline of her delicate arms, holding down the flowing white dress and fluttering hat, the way she looked at me with those blue eyes… She seemed like a painting in a halo of white light.
She looked like a living masterpiece, and I was afraid to step into that light. I feared that, if I did, my darkness would stain her bright world.
“……”
Even so, I wanted to approach her, to step into that light. I wanted to ask Olivia something.
I couldn’t help but wonder, Why are you trying to get closer to me? Do you feel the same way? But as I watched Olivia walk away, the questions that had risen to my throat were swallowed back down into the depths of my stomach.
I had been hiding in the shadows, unable to step out, but after seeing her actions, I couldn’t stay still.
Had she really come out for boating? If so, why hadn’t she brought a servant along? Why was she trying to do everything on her own?
I was dumbfounded as I watched her grip the oars firmly. Her awkward stance on the small boat, barely keeping her balance, made me unable to take my eyes off her.
But soon, the tension in my body loosened, and I realized that her legs, stiff from strain, were giving way. Olivia didn’t know how to row, and as a result, the boat stayed only in the shallow waters, close to shore.
I stood there, silently watching her struggle. Why was she trying so hard? What was the point of this?
I found myself smiling. My lips curled up slightly when, all of a sudden, the boat lurched forward. I quickly jumped to my feet, startled.
I felt uneasy. Shallow waters often hid rocks, and moving the boat forward wasn’t easy. And as I feared, the boat rocked dangerously.
Without thinking, I rushed toward her, not even realizing my clothes were getting soaked as I pulled her out of the water.
Was she hurt? Did she hit a rock? Her bones might have broken. The way she couldn’t seem to gather her senses, I was sure her head was injured.
“Is anything broken? Did you hit your head when you fell? Are you okay? Hmm? Have you lost weight? Why are you so bony? Are you really alive?”
I frantically checked her body. All I could feel were her bones. I had known she was thin, but now that I touched her, it was worse than I thought.
Is she really alive? Could she even be human? A fairy? Is she some sort of fairy?
“Wait, wait a moment!”
Her face was flushed. It didn’t seem like it was from anger. Was it from pain? I held onto her small hand as she tried to push me away and carefully inspected her again.
“Are you hurt after all?”
I examined her carefully and then noticed the droplets of water clinging to her long lashes. They looked like jewels. Beautiful droplets, dazzling enough to catch my attention.
The droplets, clinging precariously, slid down her cheek, over her rosy red cheek, the smooth line of her jaw, and across her collarbone before disappearing behind the curve of her body.
“Ah…”
I wanted to bite that tempting cheek. I wanted to touch her dazzlingly white skin. And that surprisingly full chest… Damn it.
