Chapter 108. I Missed You
“You alone?”
Late at night, Hanna’s eyes widened as she dragged her tired body back to the room.
Deborah nodded slowly with an awkward face.
“Why?”
As if unable to understand, another question flew at her.
That made sense.
Hearing that she would be alone in the attic tomorrow during the banquet, it was natural to be surprised.
Deborah moved her lips several times before carefully continuing.
“Tomorrow at the banquet…… that…… Reister…… the count and countess are coming as guests, so…….”
While saying it herself, her heart began beating rapidly again.
She thought she had forgotten it all, but just mentioning the name made her realize she hadn’t escaped the memory of that day yet.
Deborah took a deep breath and shifted her gaze forward again.
Hanna’s face in her view had already hardened stiffly.
She must have recalled the horrific incident that happened to her as well.
With a heavy heart, she slowly closed her mouth, and a quiet silence descended over the attic for a while.
After a long time, the one who spoke first was Hannah.
“……So, Madame Charlotte told you to do that.”
“……Yes.”
Of course, the person who gave the order was someone else, but she couldn’t say the truth.
So Deborah answered yes to what Hannah said.
“Still, only Madame Charlotte…… Who else would care so much about low-ranking maids like us.”
As if touched that it was something to be grateful for, Hanna lightly rubbed the tip of her nose.
Deborah couldn’t say yes or no to Hanna’s words and simply remained silently quiet.
“Good for you. Think of it as getting a rare holiday and rest well.”
“How can I. Everyone else is struggling, and I feel uncomfortable just slipping away alone…….”
“What nonsense. Do you think Elpengreen won’t function without you?”
At the deliberately loud scolding, Deborah couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
“Stop worrying needlessly and go to sleep already.”
Yawn, as drowsiness overwhelmed her, Hanna let out a big yawn and soon walked to her bed.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes and barely changing into pajamas, Hanna turned her body back to turn off the light.
And seeing Deborah still sitting in the same position on the bed, she furrowed her brows sharply.
And seeing Deborah still sitting in the same position on the bed, she furrowed her brows sharply.
“Not sleeping?”
It wasn’t just her who was exhausted from working all day, so she seemed puzzled why she was like that.
At that question, Deborah awkwardly lifted the corners of her mouth.
“Ah, I’ll…… sleep a bit later. I’m still…… not sleepy.”
“Not sleepy?”
As if asking what kind of absurd nonsense that was, the staring gaze felt extremely sharp.
“……Yes, maybe because I’m too tired…… it’s like that?”
Haha, haha. At that awkward laughing appearance, Hanna’s eyes narrowed even more.
But perhaps that wasn’t enough to overcome the pouring drowsiness.
Saying to just do it in moderation and sleep, as she turned away, Deborah quietly let out a sigh of relief.
* * *
Snore-
At the sound echoing in the darkness, Deborah finally raised her body.
She thought she would fall asleep right away like other days, but today, the tossing sounds continued unusually late.
While wondering what to do for a long time, the long-awaited snoring sound finally came.
After waiting a bit more just in case, Deborah finally opened the attic door and stepped out.
All the way down from the third-floor attic to the second floor, her heart pounded loudly.
Her fingertips were trembling faintly, just like that very moment when she first headed to his bedroom.
“…….”
In fact, even until just before stepping out the door, Deborah had hesitated thousands of times.
She thought and thought again whether this action was right, whether it was really okay.
It wasn’t just any day, but the day His Highness the Crown Prince was arriving.
Even though he had said to come anytime, there was no need to visit on a day like today.
But despite that, she ended up coming out anyway.
It had already been nearly a week since returning from the trip without seeing his face.
She clearly knew he was so busy that he couldn’t show his face even once, yet a feeling of resentment still settled in one corner of her heart.
She had endured it steadfastly until now…….
But after learning the man’s intentions through Madame Charlotte today, she could no longer hold back.
Just for a very short time, just seeing his face and returning would be okay—thinking that.
Walking while lost in various thoughts, she soon found herself standing in front of his bedroom door.
Deborah clenched and unclenched her sweaty hand several times before slowly raising it.
Knock knock.
As always, a very small sound.
A very faint sound that the person inside might not hear well if he wasn’t awake.
“…….”
After waiting for a while with no sound from inside, she grew anxious.
Is he perhaps sleeping? Or…… not inside?
Only then did such possibilities come to mind.
Focused only on meeting the man, she hadn’t thought of that.
How could she be so foolish…….
Biting her lips at that thought, Deborah finally raised her hand again and knocked once more.
“…….”
This time too, no sound came from inside.
‘What should I do now…… Should I go back…….’
The situation of having to return like this without even seeing the face she missed so much felt like a cold wind blowing through her chest.
In the end, Deborah realized she had to turn back with regret.
Despite lingering in front of it for a long time, just as she was about to finally turn her body.
Click-
At the sound echoing in the quiet hallway, Deborah’s head, which had been lowered, quickly moved upward.
“…….”
“…….”
The moment their eyes met in the darkness, the two were speechless for a while.
It was the moment she had waited for so desperately until just before, yet suddenly, as if her throat was blocked, no words came out.
After a moment, the one who broke the silence was the man who had opened the door.
“I had a feeling you might come today for some reason.”
“…….”
“You really came.”
At the low resounding voice, the first thought that came was.
That the person in front of her eyes was truly him, that the person she had missed so much was standing before her.
At the thought that even at this late hour, he had been waiting for her, her chest swelled with an indescribable emotion.
Not knowing what to say, the man gently pulled the hand of Deborah who was standing still.
Click-
Hearing the door close, Deborah was led by the man’s hand into the bedroom.
The place they arrived was his familiar bed as always.
The man seated Deborah on the bed first and soon sat close beside her.
“If you came, just come in.”
Quietly, the man stroked Deborah’s hair and said that.
Trying to calm her pounding heart, Deborah finally opened her mouth.
“……In case you were sleeping.”
“So you were going to just leave?”
Pfft, at the laughing sound, only then did her tense heart ease a bit.
So instead of answering, she brought out the words she had layered up during the time they hadn’t met.
“I missed you.”
“…….”
In that instant, the man’s hand stroking her hair stopped abruptly.
Whether he hadn’t expected such words at all, or was slightly flustered. No words came from the man’s firmly closed mouth.
On any other day, she might have hesitated at such a reaction, but for some reason, today an unknown courage arose.
So to the silent man, she conveyed the next words she wanted to say.
“Yesterday, the day before, and the day before that…… Every single day, day after day, I missed you.”
“…….”
Having poured out all her inner feelings like this, Deborah truly realized how much she had longed for the man all this time.
Whether he knew that this week felt like an eternity, that each day was anxious and yearning.
No, it didn’t matter if he didn’t know.
Just like this…… even sneaking through the darkness, if she could see the man whenever she wanted…… if such days could continue forever.
Right now, in this moment, she desired nothing else but that.
Toward the silent opponent, Deborah slightly twisted her body.
Slowly, in the darkness, holding the man’s unmoving face like a statue with both hands, Deborah brought the question she wanted to ask to her lips.
“Didn’t you…… miss me?”
At the words carefully whispered out, a tight, strong force entered the man’s jaw felt in her palms.
Soon, her vision spun around once, and immediately, the man’s hot lips overlapped hers.
After a moment, the shadows of the two at their feet began to softly entwine.
☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆
