Only Realized After Losing You

39. Coincidence or Fate

Lennon’s expression fell.

His red eyes were shaking slightly as they met mine.

His lips opened slightly to say something, but then closed again.

He clearly looked embarrassed.

It was the first time I had seen Lennon look embarrassed.

He was the one who kept his cool even when I caught him kissing his stepmother.

Lennon seemed genuinely surprised when I, who he thought was ‘mute Ellie’, smiled elegantly and even said those words.

I felt an inexplicable exhilaration at that moment.

It was a feeling I had never felt before.

I took another breath.

Then, I thought of what I wanted to say and repeated it in my mind several times.

When Lennon got agitated, I had to push him a little harder.

I had to make sure he knew I wasn’t Ellie. He had to be sure that I was Count Phever.

“Greetings… late.”

The words… came out a little slurred.

I remained unfazed and smiled brightly.

It was a full-fledged smile, the kind that I never made when I was Ellie.

The corners of my mouth twitched slightly.

I pressed my lips together, hoping the cramp would go away.

Lennon’s red gaze switched between my gracefully curved lips and my eyes.

It will be fine.

As our gazes locked, I pretended to look relaxed and even gently brushed my hair out of my face.

It should be okay.

My words weren’t as perfect as before, but I had already confused Lennon enough.

Because he had completely lost his cool, he probably didn’t realize that I was stuttering.

I looked closely at his face.

Lennon was still speechless with his lips slightly parted.

Okay, now let’s say the final words to end our coincidental meeting.

I apologize for the delay in introducing myself. I am Count Phever.

The words I thought of, and the words I practiced many times in my mind.

“I am…”

It was then that someone else stepped in between us.

“Hannah, why are you here? I told you to wait until I come to find you.”

It was an urgent voice.

I realized it was Hardwin, who was now striding up behind me.

I jerked my head back.

Looking at Hardwin, he seemed like a born actor.

He had a very worried look on his face and was treating me like I was Hannah.

It seemed like I wasn’t the only one prepared to fool everyone.

“Sorry.”

My answer to Hardwin came out quite naturally.

I didn’t know how to say long words, but I was able to say short words like ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘thank you’, and ‘sorry’ without hesitation.

Hardwin shifted his gaze from me to look at Lennon.

It was a sharp gaze.

“Lord Lennon. I understand that our conversation ended earlier.”

“… … .”

“May I ask why you are holding the Count’s wrist?”

Hardwin looked down at my wrist, which Lennon had grabbed.

His emerald eyes were cold and hard as they stared down.

Hardwin was clearly showing hostility towards Lennon.

“Sorry. You look a lot like the person I was looking for, so I apologize for my rudeness.”

Only then did Lennon let go of my wrist.

I looked down at my wrist.

Because he held it so tightly, my pale skin turned a little red.

Was that why?

Lennon’s hand was gone, but I felt as if his body heat was still lingering around my wrist.

I raised my lowered gaze.

As soon as I raised my gaze, I made eye contact with Lennon.

He watched me look down at my wrist, lift my gaze, and blink.

My every move was being scrutinized by his eyes.

I met Lennon’s red eyes and said.

“I am… Hannah Phever.”

The words I couldn’t say before.

I am Hannah, not Ellie.

“…Okay then.”

The words were short, a goodbye. I couldn’t wait to get out of here.

But Lennon held onto me as if something was not right.

“Excuse me. I have come to see Count Hannah. I understand that Lord Hardwin met with me on your behalf because you are not feeling well.”

“… … .”

“But what a coincidence, no, fate, that we should meet like this…”

“… … .”

“Would even a short tea break be difficult?”

Lennon was speaking calmly.

He had regained his cool, which he had briefly lost.

Part of me wanted to decline his offer right away.

But I had an ominous feeling that even if I avoided him now, he would insist on meeting me.

The reason I felt that intuition was because of the way his eyes met mine.

His red eyes had a savage glow.

The kind of eyes that would never give up on the prey he had decided to hunt.

Lennon had quickly realized that I was not good at writing just by looking at the short sentences I wrote.

In other words, he had very good insight.

Would I be able to fool him completely with his intuition?

“For a while, then.”

But the die had already been cast.

I wouldn’t know if we had never met.

As Lennon said, we met as if by coincidence or fate.

It remained to be seen whose number would be higher in the roll of the dice.

* * *

Lennon was sitting elegantly on the sofa.

With his back straight and his long legs crossed, his face was relaxed.

As I watched him, I thought to myself.

This man has not completely shaken off the assumption that I am ‘Ellie.’

Even though I spoke differently from Ellie, who was a commoner, and wore a nice dress, light makeup, and a hairstyle that looked like it had been carefully styled by someone.

It was clear that he completely trusted his sixth sense.

He must be trying to observe me using his own insight.

It begged the question.

The question was why Lennon was trying to find out my identity.

Was he afraid that I might spread his secret to others?

But Lennon said he trusted me. He said he believed the eyes I had.

I thought it made no sense for him to suddenly distrust me and look for me when I had disappeared.

Putting aside Lennon’s unfathomable intentions, I thought about what I had to do now.

What more could I do to dispel his suspicions once and for all?

First, I should do something that Ellie, a commoner, did not do.

I reached for the teacup on the table.

Then I remembered how to hold a teacup and how to drink tea, which I had learned from Hardwin.

The other day, we practiced carefully, and broke several teacups.

I gripped the teacup with a motion worthy of any nobleman.

Lennon was watching my every move.

His intense red gaze rarely left me.

I pulled my chin in and took a light sip of tea, just enough to wet my lips.

It was a flawless, natural movement.

After putting the teacup back on the table, I raised my gaze and immediately made eye contact with Lennon.

I smiled faintly.

Lennon also spoke to me with a smile.

“My greeting is late. I am Lennon Hills of the Dukes of Hills.”

“Yes. Nice to meet you.”

I dismissed it with a short answer.

“I had a lot of things I wanted to share with Count Hannah, and I can’t tell you how fortunate I am to have met you like this.”

“Sorry. I should have seen you in person… ”

Okay, I said it well without stuttering.

“It’s okay. I didn’t mean to blame you for not being well.”

The answer to Lennon’s words came from Hardwin, who was sitting next to me.

“Lord Lennon.”

“Yes, young Hardwin.”

“As I said earlier, my sister has a severe bronchial condition. She can’t talk much, so please understand that, Lord Lennon.”

“Of course. We won’t be talking much today.”

Lennon reached out and held the teacup elegantly, just as I did.

It was the same movement as mine, but the aura of it was completely different.

Etiquette… I only practiced for a few days like I was cramming it.

Lennon, on the other hand, naturally acquired aristocratic qualities from birth.

Naturally, it was bound to give off a different aura than mine.

Lennon lifted the teacup up to his lips.

It was a very slow movement.

Soon he took a few sips and silently put down the teacup he was holding.

I had a strange feeling there.

He… I think he drank the tea as if to show off.

Holding a teacup and drinking tea felt like a message that I should do it like he did.

My etiquette seemed reasonable, but the message was that there was still a long way to go.

I fidgeted with my hands on my dress.

Lennon didn’t take his eyes off me while drinking tea.

His gaze was persistent.

I wondered if Lennon ever looked away from someone else’s gaze first.

There seemed to be a tension between us that I couldn’t place.

It was Lennon who broke the tense silence.

“We can have a good conversation after the Count’s health recovers.”

“… … .”

“So, I would like to help the Count recover her health… May I visit the Count’s house often?”

Lennon spoke as if he hoped our meeting would repeat.