Between Your Letter and My Reply

Chapter 46

[Translation By Divinity]

Damian’s move was swift. Firstly, Lilliana’s boarding house had a few vacant rooms, and Damian’s belongings consisted only of clothes and miscellaneous items that fit into a large suitcase.

So, the day after signing the bodyguard contract Pascal had sent via messenger, Damian moved into his new lodging. Of course, he received the contract payment immediately upon signing.

All of this happened within a mere five days of the initial discussion about Damian’s employment as a bodyguard.

As Damian had visited once before, he knew Lilliana’s boarding house was a 10-story apartment building. The first floor housed a cafe, the second floor and above were for general residents, and the top two floors, the 9th and 10th, were used as the boarding house.

When Damian arrived at the apartment with his large suitcase, Lilliana, who had been pacing in front of the door, rushed towards him.

“Damian, I missed you so much!”

Lilliana’s exaggerated crying and fussing flustered Damian a bit.

“Did something happen?”

“I was dying of loneliness! I’ve been alone for five days, bored, lonely, desolate, solitary, and even homesick! Our hospital appointments didn’t align, so I couldn’t see you there either. It was just me, going back and forth between the hospital and home, hospital and home…”

“You could have called me.”

“It’s just asking you to come to the hospital with me. How could I call you for something so trivial?”

“But going out to play is okay?”

“That’s… Well, having fun is important. The hospital is no big deal.”

“Don’t you think those two are switched?”

“No. Anyway, let’s go in quickly. Is this all your luggage? Give it to me.”

“It’s heavy. Why should I give my luggage to you, Lilliana?”

“Because Damian has one arm, and I have two?”

“My arm seems to be twice as thick as yours, Lilliana. I don’t think it matters who carries it.”

Damian turned Lilliana around and led her into the boarding house, which would be his new home.

Hearing the sound of the door opening and closing, a woman who looked neither too old nor too young came out of the living room. She had short, light brown hair styled in a sophisticated way, and her cheerful eyes, unlike Lilliana’s, held amethyst-like purple irises.

“Ah, are you Mr. Damian Stern?”

She approached Damian and extended her left hand, not her right.

“I’m Annette Bulow, the owner and manager of this boarding house. Nice to meet you. Lilliana has told me a lot about you. She said you’re handsome.”

She winked playfully. Damian shook her hand and greeted her in his usual curt manner.

“Ah… Thank you for the compliment. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Bulow.”

She looked to be in her early to mid-thirties at most, with an ordinary appearance. It was a bit surprising that she owned a shared house in the middle of such an expensive neighborhood.

“Oh my, Ms. Bulow? Just call me Annette. And speak comfortably. Lilliana and I are close like sisters.”

“I apologize, Ms. Bulow, but I prefer to use formal language. If you don’t mind, may I call you Annette? Please feel free to speak comfortably with me.”

“Hmm… Alright.”

Lilliana chuckled and shook her head from the side.

“Damian doesn’t even speak informally to me. Do you think he’ll do it with Annette?”

“Damian is very polite.”

“He’s just not good with people. Let’s be considerate.”

What were they talking about in front of him…?

“Well then, you must be tired. Let me show you to your room first.”

Annette, who had been whispering with Lilliana, led Damian to the 10th floor.

“There are a total of four guest rooms. Until now, Lilliana and another person were sharing one because there was only one other guest. With Damian joining, there will be three guests in this house. The rooms have private bathrooms, so you shouldn’t have any inconveniences.”

“By the way, I haven’t even seen the other person’s face. They’re hardly ever home.”

Lilliana said with a hint of disappointment, and Annette added a brief explanation.

“I heard they run a workshop or something and are very busy. They’re a man around my age. I’m sure we’ll run into each other someday. They’re a good person…”

Annette’s expression seemed to say she was barely managing to put a positive spin on things. While Damian tilted his head slightly, puzzled, Annette opened the door to the room he would be using.

The room Damian would be using was of a decent size, with a vertically long window, and was overall neatly organized. The bathroom had a separate sink and shower stall.

It was furnished with a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe, so Damian didn’t need to buy any new furniture. And on the desk, there was a vase with various flowers arranged together.

“This is a thank-you gift for the flowers you gave me. Isn’t it pretty? Isn’t it?”

Lilliana pointed to the vase and said proudly, and Damian smiled.

“Thank you.”

“Let me know if there’s anything inconvenient about living here.”

Damian nodded at Annette’s kind explanation.

“I’ve written down the house rules on the paper on the desk. There’s no curfew, but you’ll be reprimanded if you disturb others. You can freely use the shared spaces, including the kitchen, but of course, you need to keep them clean. I won’t be home 24/7. My main job is being a tutor.”

“You have another job? Being a tutor sounds impressive.”

“Not really. It’s just something I do because I’m a bit smarter than others. Anyway, that’s why I’m away from home for long periods. But I’ll be back in the evenings, so if you have anything urgent to discuss, we can talk then. I’ve told you most of what you need to know, so unpack and rest. I’ll be downstairs, so call me if you need anything.”

Annette smiled at Damian and Lilliana, then went downstairs to attend to her own business. Lilliana tugged at Damian’s sleeve and said cheerfully,

“My room is right next door. I asked her to arrange it that way on purpose.”

“Won’t that be inconvenient for you? I’m a man, after all…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Damian’s not a weird person. Besides, do you want me to help you unpack?”

“No, I’m fine. I only brought clothes, so there’s not much to unpack.”

“Really? Then… um… what are you going to do after unpacking?”

“I need to go to the workshop to adjust the prosthetic arm they’re making. The surgery to attach it to my upper arm is the day after tomorrow…”

Damian said casually, but Lilliana frowned and groaned at his words.

“Ouch… That must hurt a lot.”

“It probably will.”

“Do you need to mentally prepare yourself?”

“A little?”

“Then I’ll go with you today.”

Damian thought, ‘Do you really have to?’ but he didn’t stop her. Lilliana followed Damian, who had just hung his clothes in the wardrobe and left the room.

Damian checked the tram route map at the station and said to Lilliana,

“We’re not going to Asher’s workshop today. We’re going to the hospital where I’ll have the surgery. I need to get a basic checkup before the surgery.”

“I hope there won’t be any problems.”

Lilliana looked at him worriedly, and Damian muttered in an unusually solemn voice,

“There shouldn’t be.”

‘It cost a fortune!’

At the moment, whether he could use his arm or not was a secondary concern. Just thinking about the price of Asher Olon’s “prosthetic-nim” made him feel like everything had to go perfectly.

While Damian was preoccupied with the prosthetic, Lilliana took out a Nichio travel guidebook on the tram.

“We messed up our time management last time because we lacked information. No offense to Damian, but even though you know the geography well, you don’t know much about the details. These are tourist attractions with history and tradition, so we should at least know the basics.”

“I haven’t been interested in them until now…”

“You need to know about common sense and culture even if you’re not interested, Damian. Anyway, we need to revise our sightseeing plan, considering our stamina. Okay? So we’ll go out tomorrow, before your surgery. Clear your schedule! Any objections, Lieutenant?”

“You’re giving me orders now.”

“So, do you have any objections, Lieutenant? I’m your employer.”