Charlotte wrapped up with a business talk and left. Nina was delighted to watch her return to Raja and Kell to talk.
‘Everyone grew up well.’
After Nina put the wooden sword back in place, she headed to the bathroom to wash up.
When she went to eat breakfast, Adrian was there.
“Hello, Nina.”
As he greeted her kindly, Nina felt her heart throb. Slowly, she stood next to him and slapped him on the shoulder with her body.
“Hello, Adrian.”
“Why are you hitting me?”
Laughing, he said so and took her hand.
Now, holding her hand felt a little different. The extreme excitement he felt at first gradually diminished, and now it felt good to be able to hold her hand calmly.
But soon, Adrian’s face darkened.
“What’s going on?”
“What?”
Instead of replying, he sweeps her eyes. Nina opened them wide and pressed the corners of her eyelids.
“Is still swollen?”
“A little bit.”
“How come, I thought I was already fine.”
Wouldn’t it be strange if my eyes swelling remained after exercising in the morning, sweating, and even bathing?
As Nina tilted her head in doubt at her body’s metabolism, Adrian asked again.
“What’s going on?”
“Well. Let’s talk in the attic.”
Hearing Nina’s words, Adrian intently looked at her and then nodded.
He was delaying the conversation because Adrian liked the time they spent together after coming down to the fief’s mansion.
The two of them were stuck together for a week. Everyone in the mansion could not help but know that they were dating.
Sweet moments like strolling around the garden, having a leisurely cup of tea, and casting a fishing rod on the lakeshore.
They just wanted to stay like this to the point of getting dizzy.
When they sit on the shore of a lake, spread out their fishing rod and watch the falling sunset, while sitting silently side by side.
Those times when the sun sets, the stars rise, the grasshoppers cry, and the tin kettle that was set on a small campfire on a chilly evening starts to whistle.
Bickering about whose fish in each other’s buckets were big and small, and laughing at the nonsense talk.
It was nothing and at the same time everything.
Those times together were so good that they didn’t want to care about their status and duties and whether the world was destroyed or not.
Funny enough, the old saying that falling in love can destroy a country can be quite realistically true.
Adrian asked.
“Should I ask them to prepare a picnic basket for us?”
“I love it!”
When Nina responded with a twinkle in her eyes, Adrian laughed too.
He beckoned to the servant. After a while, breakfast arrived one by one in a basket woven from wisteria vines.
Adrian picked up the basket, and Nina who took his opposite hand, hummed while loudly waving it back and forth.
In the end, Adrian couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Climbing the secret passage was also exciting every time.
They climbed up to the attic, spread out their seats, sat on the wide windowsill, and opened the basket.
She poured syrup over the still-hot pancakes and top them with cold cream. Nina rolled it up and put it in her mouth.
“Delicious.”
This time with brandy, sugary cherries, and whipped cream.
In this way, while Nina ate the pancakes with freshly squeezed orange juice, Adrian relaxed on his salad topped with sliced ham.
After eating a mountain of pancakes, Nina reached out for the sandwiches.
The sandwich topped with thickly sliced ham and cheese, cut vegetables, and the chef’s special sauce were also satisfying.
Adrian, who has now moved on to the fresh fruit, asked.
“So, what dream you had this time?”
Nodding, Nina tilted her head back and leaned it against the window sill, then looked straight ahead again.
“It may sound strange, but…”
“In this age when the fallen spirit lord will come down and the world may perish?”
“That’s a very good point.”
Nina laughed as she felt her heart become lighter. Then she talked about when she was five.
A story about the memories of another world that one day came to her, the deaths of family members, and the book she read in another world.
At last, she told the story of a dream she had today. She was a bit shy to tell all about her own wishes, so she only talked about the ones involving Adrian.
And the story that her opponent might be The Great Spirit.
He listened to the story as earnestly as ever. When Nina’s story was over, he was at a loss for words.
Adrian let out a groan, and he barely managed to spit it out.
“You have turned back time.”
“I think that’s the most likely.”
“Then those dreams.”
Adrian wiped his face and spoke in a quiet voice.
“Nina.”
“I-.”
The words lingered on the tip of her tongue, not knowing what to say.
Nina clasped her chin and smiled.
“It’s something I don’t remember anyway. Besides, I don’t think the answer is to question the Adrian of now, for what happened before.”
“But Nina……”
“I’m not the Nina from back then either. I won’t come now and apologize for what she did.”
And in the same sense, I had no intention of questioning others’ faults. Even if you live once, you will accumulate karma, wanting it or not. But, to even calculate the karma for a past that we cannot even remember?
No way.
“I want to live in the present, Adrian.”
I would have done all that for only this. I didn’t turn back time or summoned the Great Spirit to pay off the debts of the past.
“The problem is that there is no other way to get certainty other than to have these dreams.”
At Nina’s words, Adrian nodded his head.
“Then why are the two of us dreaming like this?” (Nina)
“Well, because we’re spirit contractors?” (Adrian)
“But Jean doesn’t seem to have these.”
“But Jean was not a contractor in the past, right?”
“Right.”
Tapping his knee with his fingertips, Adrian continued.
“What about the other contractors?”
“Well? Ah! Come to think of it-.”
Didn’t Alka ever say something like that?
“I don’t want to die twice.”
At first, I thought it was just an idiom, but now that I think about it again, she might also…
‘Should I even say that she is basically one with her Spirit? That seems to be the best fit.’
“I think Alka knows something more.”
“You better ask her later.”
“Yes.”
Nodding her head, Nina slowly got up from her seat, came over to Adrian, and sat on his leg.
She used to do it often in the past, but now it has a completely different meaning.
There was a strange expectation between the two, a different tension from the past.
It was morning, but Adrian’s outfit was not disturbed in the slight. His white shirt was well fastened up to the collar, and he was wearing a vest and a jacket.
Nina, on the other hand, was dressed casually. A cotton blouse, leather pants, and hair that was still wet.
Nina patted the buttons on his jacket and asked.
“Aren’t you hot?”
“Very.”
Nina’s hand unbuttoned his jacket and passed over his vest. Unbuttoning his vest, she poked his flat stomach.
Adrian smiled and kissed Nina’s forehead.
“Why are you poking me?”
“Just because?”
His firm abs could be felt through the thin shirt. Her palms gently and slowly sweeps his stomach over the shirt and rose upwards.
Feeling him cough up a small breath, Nina felt thrilled. Her hand, which reached his chest, slid over his shoulder, and her arms wrapped around his neck.
“Nina.”
The sound of him calling her name was like a plea.
His large hands wrapped around Nina’s slender waist. He gently stroked her back and urged Nina to lift her head.
She could feel the warmth of his palms through her blouse.
What should I do?
Slightly surprised, Nina lifted her head. He kissed her forehead. As she smiled and lifted her head a little more, kisses fell on her cheeks and around her eyes.
As she raised her head completely, he folded his lips as if waiting.
Charlotte wrapped up with a business talk and left. Nina was delighted to watch her return to Raja and Kell to talk.
‘Everyone grew up well.’
After Nina put the wooden sword back in place, she headed to the bathroom to wash up.
When she went to eat breakfast, Adrian was there.
“Hello, Nina.”
As he greeted her kindly, Nina felt her heart throb. Slowly, she stood next to him and slapped him on the shoulder with her body.
“Hello, Adrian.”
“Why are you hitting me?”
Laughing, he said so and took her hand.
Now, holding her hand felt a little different. The extreme excitement he felt at first gradually diminished, and now it felt good to be able to hold her hand calmly.
But soon, Adrian’s face darkened.
“What’s going on?”
“What?”
Instead of replying, he sweeps her eyes. Nina opened them wide and pressed the corners of her eyelids.
“Is still swollen?”
“A little bit.”
“How come, I thought I was already fine.”
Wouldn’t it be strange if my eyes swelling remained after exercising in the morning, sweating, and even bathing?
As Nina tilted her head in doubt at her body’s metabolism, Adrian asked again.
“What’s going on?”
“Well. Let’s talk in the attic.”
Hearing Nina’s words, Adrian intently looked at her and then nodded.
He was delaying the conversation because Adrian liked the time they spent together after coming down to the fief’s mansion.
The two of them were stuck together for a week. Everyone in the mansion could not help but know that they were dating.
Sweet moments like strolling around the garden, having a leisurely cup of tea, and casting a fishing rod on the lakeshore.
They just wanted to stay like this to the point of getting dizzy.
When they sit on the shore of a lake, spread out their fishing rod and watch the falling sunset, while sitting silently side by side.
Those times when the sun sets, the stars rise, the grasshoppers cry, and the tin kettle that was set on a small campfire on a chilly evening starts to whistle.
Bickering about whose fish in each other’s buckets were big and small, and laughing at the nonsense talk.
It was nothing and at the same time everything.
Those times together were so good that they didn’t want to care about their status and duties and whether the world was destroyed or not.
Funny enough, the old saying that falling in love can destroy a country can be quite realistically true.
Adrian asked.
“Should I ask them to prepare a picnic basket for us?”
“I love it!”
When Nina responded with a twinkle in her eyes, Adrian laughed too.
He beckoned to the servant. After a while, breakfast arrived one by one in a basket woven from wisteria vines.
Adrian picked up the basket, and Nina who took his opposite hand, hummed while loudly waving it back and forth.
In the end, Adrian couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Climbing the secret passage was also exciting every time.
They climbed up to the attic, spread out their seats, sat on the wide windowsill, and opened the basket.
She poured syrup over the still-hot pancakes and top them with cold cream. Nina rolled it up and put it in her mouth.
“Delicious.”
This time with brandy, sugary cherries, and whipped cream.
In this way, while Nina ate the pancakes with freshly squeezed orange juice, Adrian relaxed on his salad topped with sliced ham.
After eating a mountain of pancakes, Nina reached out for the sandwiches.
The sandwich topped with thickly sliced ham and cheese, cut vegetables, and the chef’s special sauce were also satisfying.
Adrian, who has now moved on to the fresh fruit, asked.
“So, what dream you had this time?”
Nodding, Nina tilted her head back and leaned it against the window sill, then looked straight ahead again.
“It may sound strange, but…”
“In this age when the fallen spirit lord will come down and the world may perish?”
“That’s a very good point.”
Nina laughed as she felt her heart become lighter. Then she talked about when she was five.
A story about the memories of another world that one day came to her, the deaths of family members, and the book she read in another world.
At last, she told the story of a dream she had today. She was a bit shy to tell all about her own wishes, so she only talked about the ones involving Adrian.
And the story that her opponent might be The Great Spirit.
He listened to the story as earnestly as ever. When Nina’s story was over, he was at a loss for words.
Adrian let out a groan, and he barely managed to spit it out.
“You have turned back time.”
“I think that’s the most likely.”
“Then those dreams.”
Adrian wiped his face and spoke in a quiet voice.
“Nina.”
“I-.”
The words lingered on the tip of her tongue, not knowing what to say.
Nina clasped her chin and smiled.
“It’s something I don’t remember anyway. Besides, I don’t think the answer is to question the Adrian of now, for what happened before.”
“But Nina……”
“I’m not the Nina from back then either. I won’t come now and apologize for what she did.”
And in the same sense, I had no intention of questioning others’ faults. Even if you live once, you will accumulate karma, wanting it or not. But, to even calculate the karma for a past that we cannot even remember?
No way.
“I want to live in the present, Adrian.”
I would have done all that for only this. I didn’t turn back time or summoned the Great Spirit to pay off the debts of the past.
“The problem is that there is no other way to get certainty other than to have these dreams.”
At Nina’s words, Adrian nodded his head.
“Then why are the two of us dreaming like this?” (Nina)
“Well, because we’re spirit contractors?” (Adrian)
“But Jean doesn’t seem to have these.”
“But Jean was not a contractor in the past, right?”
“Right.”
Tapping his knee with his fingertips, Adrian continued.
“What about the other contractors?”
“Well? Ah! Come to think of it-.”
Didn’t Alka ever say something like that?
“I don’t want to die twice.”
At first, I thought it was just an idiom, but now that I think about it again, she might also…
‘Should I even say that she is basically one with her Spirit? That seems to be the best fit.’
“I think Alka knows something more.”
“You better ask her later.”
“Yes.”
Nodding her head, Nina slowly got up from her seat, came over to Adrian, and sat on his leg.
She used to do it often in the past, but now it has a completely different meaning.
There was a strange expectation between the two, a different tension from the past.
It was morning, but Adrian’s outfit was not disturbed in the slight. His white shirt was well fastened up to the collar, and he was wearing a vest and a jacket.
Nina, on the other hand, was dressed casually. A cotton blouse, leather pants, and hair that was still wet.
Nina patted the buttons on his jacket and asked.
“Aren’t you hot?”
“Very.”
Nina’s hand unbuttoned his jacket and passed over his vest. Unbuttoning his vest, she poked his flat stomach.
Adrian smiled and kissed Nina’s forehead.
“Why are you poking me?”
“Just because?”
His firm abs could be felt through the thin shirt. Her palms gently and slowly sweeps his stomach over the shirt and rose upwards.
Feeling him cough up a small breath, Nina felt thrilled. Her hand, which reached his chest, slid over his shoulder, and her arms wrapped around his neck.
“Nina.”
The sound of him calling her name was like a plea.
His large hands wrapped around Nina’s slender waist. He gently stroked her back and urged Nina to lift her head.
She could feel the warmth of his palms through her blouse.
What should I do?
Slightly surprised, Nina lifted her head. He kissed her forehead. As she smiled and lifted her head a little more, kisses fell on her cheeks and around her eyes.
As she raised her head completely, he folded his lips as if waiting.
