Between Your Letter and My Reply

Chapter 52

[Translation By Divinity]

Annette, sensing a change in the atmosphere, lowered her voice and asked Damian and Lilliana,

“Did you two know each other before?”

“Well, I knew Asher was Damian’s prosthetic craftsman, so I had seen his face…”

Lilliana’s gaze naturally shifted to Damian’s right arm. Her eyes widened when she saw that his right sleeve was no longer empty, and she approached him.

“What? You already have the prosthetic? I thought it would take a few more days!”

“Oh my, it’s true. Damian has an arm now.”

Annette also covered her mouth with one hand in admiration. Damian said, feeling a bit embarrassed,

“I have the prosthetic, but I can’t move it at all yet. They said I’ll be able to move it after rehabilitation, so I’ll have to endure the inconvenience for a while.”

“Still, it’s better than having an empty sleeve. Can I touch it?”

Damian nodded. It was only natural. Strictly speaking, Lilliana owned about 80% of this prosthetic.

Lilliana carefully took Damian’s hand and lifted his arm. She wanted to be more gentle, but she had no choice since Damian couldn’t lift his arm himself.

“Does it hurt?”

“The area where they attached it still itches, but the arm itself doesn’t hurt.”

“That’s good. Now you just need to focus on rehabilitation.”

Lilliana was happy for him as if it were her own matter, and Damian felt a bit shy. Annette also smiled brightly and said,

“Then, shall we roast a turkey tonight to celebrate?”

“But I can’t even move it yet…”

Damian tried to stop her, but Annette had already disappeared into the kitchen. Damian watched Lilliana smile happily, imagining the bountiful dinner table, and then called out to her.

“Lilliana, I think it’s time you told me the story.”

Damian’s eyes were filled with firm determination. He looked down at Lilliana, who was a head shorter than him, and tilted his head.

“Now that I have the prosthetic, it’s time you explained why you need a bodyguard. Who are these people who are after you?”

“Oh dear…”

Lilliana mumbled, looking troubled.

“Shouldn’t you wait until I’m ready to explain?”

“I was going to, but…”

Damian scratched his head. He seemed just as unsure about how to explain the situation.

“There are a few things that are bothering me. About Lilliana…”

Damian, troubled by Lilliana’s claim of a unique constitution, her memory loss, and the connection to Lady Lintray, decided to take a direct approach.

“I’d like you to tell me. No, I need to know.”

He might sound forceful, but Damian was genuinely anxious. If it were a trivial matter, he could suppress his curiosity. He was used to that. But this wasn’t a trivial matter for Damian, and his patience was wearing thin.

He didn’t need to know everything about Lilliana, but he wanted to know at least enough to be of help.

Lilliana rolled her eyes and then clicked her tongue. After a moment of contemplation, with a determined expression, she nodded.

“Alright. Follow me.”

Lilliana led Damian to her room. When she opened the door, Damian hesitated. He felt awkward about entering a woman’s room, especially as a grown man.

Noticing his hesitation, Lilliana said nonchalantly,

“If you’re having those old-fashioned thoughts about how it’s inappropriate for an adult man and woman to be alone in a small room, don’t worry and just come in. We need to have a serious conversation.”

Lilliana’s attitude was firm, so Damian cautiously entered. It was his first time being in a woman’s room. He didn’t have any particular fantasies about it, but he wasn’t completely devoid of curiosity either.

Lilliana’s room had a subtle fragrance of the Lati brand perfume. On the desk was the vase Damian had gifted her along with the lilies, now empty and serving as a decorative object.

Various sized canvases were leaning against one wall. There was a faint smell of paint. ‘She did say she majored in art. I guess she plans to paint here too.’

While Damian awkwardly looked around the room, Lilliana tightly closed the curtains. Then she gestured for him to take a seat.

“Have a seat.”

“Ah, yes. Excuse me.”

Damian pulled a chair from the desk and sat down, feeling a sense of secrecy. Lilliana perched on the edge of the bed opposite him.

She looked at Damian with a complicated expression for a moment, then spoke just as he was starting to feel uncomfortable.

“I’ve never told anyone my story before, so I’m not sure how to explain it. I’ll just cut to the chase, Damian. Do you believe in mythical creatures and magic?”

It was an unexpected question for Damian. He had simply asked Lilliana to tell him what she was hiding, but he didn’t understand why the topic of mythical creatures and magic suddenly came up. So he stammered, unable to answer immediately.

“Mythical creatures and magic? Well…”

The reason Damian couldn’t answer right away was that people’s reactions to mythical creatures and magic were divided.

It was said that hundreds of years ago, humans lived in a world where mythical creatures and magic coexisted. However, with the rapid development of science and technology, and the explosive increase in population, humans became the dominant force in the world, and mythical creatures and magic naturally declined.

As a result, their traces were now almost impossible to find.

This legendary tale was divided into two camps: those who truly believed it and those who dismissed it as a delusion of ancient people who didn’t understand science. It was a topic that many modern people constantly debated, unsure whether it was true or false.

And Damian belonged to a third category, neither of the two. He didn’t care if it was true or not.

It was a headache to think deeply about it, and he didn’t need to pay attention to it, so he hadn’t bothered to take a side. That’s why Damian had to give a rather vague answer to Lilliana’s question.

“I don’t know.”

Lilliana, regardless of Damian’s answer, crossed her arms with a serious expression and said,

“My story begins with the remnants of mythical creatures and magic that still remain hidden in this world. You said you don’t know, but mythical creatures and magic do exist in this world. That’s the truth.”

Damian couldn’t help but be wary of Lilliana. ‘Was she perhaps involved in some kind of cult? A scammer spreading strange beliefs with nonsensical, unscientific claims?’

As he was thinking this, Lilliana’s next words were even more unbelievable.

“And I am… a hybrid, born between a human and a spirit, a mythical creature.”

“…”

“I’ve never told anyone this before. So you have to keep this a secret, okay?”

Lilliana wagged her finger with a stern voice. It seemed she was serious. Damian rubbed his face dry.

“Lilliana… I think I need to hear those ‘irrelevant details’ you mentioned.”

Damian was, for once, quite flustered. He couldn’t understand what she was talking about. ‘What? Half-human, half-spirit? Wait, what even is a spirit, a mythical creature? Is she joking with me?’

Seeing his confusion written all over his face, Lilliana frowned.

“What else is there to explain? How can I explain in more detail that spirits actually exist in this world?”

“Well, I need to be convinced that spirits even exist…”

Damian unconsciously started to argue with Lilliana, then stopped when she raised her hand. A faint light emanated from her hand.

The light soon turned into sparks, crackling and popping in her palm, then bursting into a small flame. The fist-sized fireball burned steadily on Lilliana’s hand, refusing to die out.