That Lady’s Stalker - Chapter 4
But this ‘but’ was always the problem. Asher was remarkably perceptive. He hadn’t even dismounted from his horse yet, but he gave the butler a strange look as he rattled off Olivia’s whereabouts.
Although Olivia could only see the butler’s back, she was certain he was overly concerned about the area behind him where she was hiding. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have made eye contact with Asher.
‘I’m definitely hidden perfectly… the butler!’
With a sense of resignation, she decided to leap out and confront Asher, but as soon as she did, she caught him staring blankly at her, his face flushed.
The sturdy black horse raised its front legs and took off running. Left behind in a cloud of dust, Olivia watched Asher shrink into a tiny dot, feeling a sense of emptiness wash over her.
* * *
Then, an odd stubbornness began to rise within her. Every time he looked at her with those heated eyes, blushing but never approaching, it irritated her even more than a straightforward confession of love. Frustration was the main reason for her feelings.
‘Is he avoiding me?’
Let’s see how long he can keep this up.
Since that day, Olivia had become obsessed with catching Asher. As he evaded her, she began to forget her original purpose. The intention of rejecting his confession of love and asking him not to come around anymore had faded far away.
All that remained was her determination to hear his voice.
Today, too, Olivia chased after Asher, her eyes blazing.
“If I catch you…!”
Damn it.
Asher was incredibly fast. To make matters worse, he occasionally paused to wait for her as she struggled to keep up. Olivia stopped for a moment, catching her breath as it felt like it was about to burst from her throat.
At this rate, she wouldn’t be able to catch him.
Before long, they had reached the edge of the woods leading up the back hill of the residence instead of the well-kept walking path. As Olivia hesitated, debating whether to give up and head back, she took a step forward.
“Ah!”
She tripped over a protruding tree root and fell.
Her palms stung, and her knees throbbed. As she grimaced and tried to get back up, a loud voice suddenly erupted nearby.
“Olivia!”
The low, deep voice called her name with desperation. The urgency in his tone felt as if she had been struck by an arrow, filling her with despair.
Stunned by the unfamiliarity of his voice, she blinked in disbelief as Asher rushed over, examining her from head to toe. The pained expression on his face, with a reddish hue around his eyes, was compelling enough to draw a sigh from anyone who saw it.
And then there was the rapid-fire flow of his words.
“Ah, your knee… How could I let you get hurt? I should be dead. Damn it, damn it…!”
The words were a bit strange, but his slightly raspy, low voice warmed Olivia’s ears—it was just her type. Asher’s hands trembled as if he were in a panic, and Olivia felt just as disoriented.
Asher captivated her not only with his face but also with his voice. Ignoring her racing heart, she tightly grasped his sleeve as he busily moved about. She smiled brightly into his startled eyes.
“I got you.”
His wide eyes began to shimmer.
* * *
It had been nearly a month since Asher had started coming to the Flonari residence every day. That evening, Olivia wrote in her diary that today was a ‘historic day.’
The next day, Olivia received a letter—one from Asher. It wasn’t just a visit; it was something different.
“No way, does the Commander really go to such minor conflict areas himself?”
Oliver clicked his tongue at Olivia, who was pouting in dissatisfaction. She was already smitten.
“It’s necessary for troop morale. Besides, in the Kingdom of Dune, you never know when things might escalate…”
“Who doesn’t know that?”
As Olivia shouted and stormed out of the greenhouse, Oliver was left alone, slamming the book shut with a loud clap.
He couldn’t quite understand why Commander Asher was so infatuated with that witch. She seemed fine on the outside but was practically a demon inside. He hoped he would change his mind before suffering too much.
Oliver shook his head in disbelief.
The letters continued for the next day and the day after that. Asher expressed concern for Olivia’s injured knee and poured out his longing for her in his letters.
Olivia felt her irritation from losing him again after finally catching him, fade away as she read them.
Although she didn’t reply, she secretly waited for his return. There was an inexplicable emptiness inside her. The fringe tree visible from her window looked oddly lonely.
At that time, I truly liked your face. Of course, I liked your voice too.
So, even though I thought your gaze was burdensome, I must have waited for you.
Looking back, I can’t describe how my heart sank when you left for the conflict zone.
I worried something might happen to you. I feared you might get hurt.
Rationally, I thought it wouldn’t happen, but my heart felt otherwise.
It had only been a month since I saw you, yet I felt that way.
