Between Your Letter and My Reply

Chapter 20

[Translation By Divinity]

Damian waved to the child and his mother, noticing the passersby glancing at them.

“I’m really fine, so don’t worry. Well, the tram is here, so…”

It ended up looking like he was running away, even though he was the victim.

Damian deliberately avoided looking back and boarded the tram, taking an empty seat. He fidgeted with the spot where his right elbow used to be and muttered,

“I need to get a prosthetic arm…”

It wasn’t just the inconvenience; he didn’t like the pitying looks he was getting.

☆

The middle-aged doctor, adjusting his round, thin-rimmed glasses, looked at Damian as if he were a ghost.

“So… you’re saying a grenade exploded at close range, your liver was damaged, but you survived…?”

“They said a lodged shrapnel pressed against a blood vessel, preventing excessive bleeding…”

The doctor clicked his tongue at the nonchalant explanation.

“The goddess of luck must have taken a special liking to you.”

Damian smiled faintly.

“I guess so.”

‘Did my desperate desire to live create a miracle?’

If it weren’t for Lintray, who had made him feel that way, even though he no longer knew who she truly was, he would have died there.

“Anyway, um… We’ll need to run various follow-up tests for a while, so make sure to come for regular outpatient treatment, and you’ll have to take medication for the rest of your life.”

The new doctor mumbled to himself while looking at the chart sent by the previous doctor and nodded. Damian groaned inwardly. He didn’t mind taking medication for life, but it was a hassle.

“Today, it would be good to get a blood test and an X-ray. I’ll give you a prescription after you get the tests done. The blood collection room is on the 3rd floor, and the imaging diagnostics room is on the 1st floor, so go ahead.”

☆

Damian took the test request form from the doctor, went to the 3rd floor to get his blood drawn, and then went down to the 1st floor for an X-ray. He was done with the tests, but the results would take two hours. He had some time to kill before seeing the doctor again.

He pondered what to do with a languid expression, then decided to go to the cafe outside and kill time reading the newspaper. He was heading towards the 1st-floor exit when…

A woman brushed past Damian, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Her hair swayed as she walked, and a fragrance emanated from her.

‘Floral scent…’

He didn’t know much about sweet pea, rose, or other flowers, but he was certain that this familiar scent…

It was the same lingering fragrance from the handkerchief he had burned, the perfume the sender had sprayed on it whenever she went out!

Damian’s eyes widened. He impulsively grabbed the woman’s wrist as she passed by. The force spun her around to face him.

Without even properly checking her face, Damian blurted out,

“La… Lady Lintray?!”

His heart pounded, and his breath quickened as if he had run with all his might. His voice trembled with unconscious tension.

The woman stared at Damian, who had grabbed her wrist, her eyes wide like a rabbit’s. Her eyes were the color of the ocean, sparkling in the sunlight.

Her light golden hair, which had fluttered as she turned, now settled neatly, shimmering softly. Her slender wrist felt delicate in Damian’s large hand.

Her slender silhouette suggested a light weight, and she seemed quite startled, having been pulled towards him with just a slight tug.

Without a moment to react emotionally to Damian’s abrupt and rude behavior, she reflexively asked,

“Excuse me?”

Facing her clearly flustered expression, Damian swallowed and asked again,

“Aren’t you… Lady Lintray?”

“No.”

The woman shook her head and frowned.

“Um, could you please let go of my arm? It hurts.”

“What? Oh, yes!”

Damian, snapping out of his daze at her words, quickly released her hand in surprise.

Her wrist was red where he had grabbed it. Seeing this, Damian broke out in a cold sweat and bowed his head.

“I’m so sorry! I mistook you for someone else. Are you alright?”

“Well… it hurts a little, but…”

Damian glanced at the woman rubbing her wrist with her other hand. She seemed to be around his age, in her early twenties.

She had large, double-lidded eyes and a small but pert nose. Her complexion wasn’t great due to her pale lips, but she was still quite beautiful.

She was wearing a hospital gown, which was a bit loose on her, suggesting she was an inpatient.

The woman narrowed her eyes and looked at Damian. Her expression softened slightly, perhaps appeased by his sincere apology, and she let out a small sigh.

“I’ll let it slide since it doesn’t seem like you had any bad intentions.”

“Thank you.”

Damian bowed his head once more.

‘Of course. I gave up on my crazy plan to search every hospital in the capital, so there’s no way I’d bump into Lady Lintray unexpectedly like this.’

‘And the perfume could be a popular one, worn by others besides Lintray. How could I mistake her for Lady Lintray just because of a similar scent…?’ Damian’s actions were truly rude.

“Anyway, be careful.”

As the woman turned to leave, Damian hurriedly called out to her.

“E-Excuse me!”

She turned her head towards him, and he spoke cautiously.

“I feel so bad… Could I buy you a drink? I was just heading to a cafe…”

The woman’s expression turned even stranger. She openly looked Damian up and down and muttered,

“If you’re trying to pick up a girl, you should try a better approach…”

Damian finally realized how his words could be misinterpreted. He blushed and waved his hands.

“No, no! That’s not what I meant! I literally meant buying you a drink, nothing more! If you’re uncomfortable, you can refuse…”

Damian’s voice trailed off at the end. The woman crossed her arms and thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Alright. Just one drink. I happen to have some free time. But…”

She looked down at her clothes and mumbled,

“I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to go out in this.”

Damian quickly took off his coat and offered it to her. She blinked, then accepted the coat and put it on.

The coat was too big for her, and the sight of her fingertips peeking out from the sleeves looked comical, but she didn’t seem to mind.

“There’s a cafe right across from the hospital. May I escort you there?”

“Sure. They have good drinks there. And it’s close by, which is nice.”

The woman started walking with light steps, and Damian followed, saying,

“I… I really don’t have any ulterior motives. Please don’t misunderstand.”

“I understand.”

The woman chuckled and extended her hand.

“I’m Lilliana Carnell.”

Caught off guard by the sudden introduction, Damian stared at her outstretched hand and said awkwardly,

“I’m Damian Stern.”

Damian didn’t know how to respond to the hand offered for a handshake.

It had only been a month and a half since he lost his right arm, and he wasn’t used to how to compensate for the tasks his right arm used to do.