What Remains in the Damaged Place - Chapter 42

“Hnn…”

The desperate moan that almost escaped was stifled by Valderion’s lips.

Lirette’s hand, now almost healed from the burn, instinctively gripped his arm. The fine fabric of his sleeve bunched up under her fingers. Valderion seemed to take this as some sort of signal and tilted his head, pressing his lips more firmly against hers.

“Mmph.”

As her lips parted, unaware of what was coming, his tongue slid in, the same tongue that had just shamelessly toyed with her fingers earlier. The sensation of the slick muscle brushing against the inside of her mouth ignited an odd heat, like a flame spreading through her. Her fingers, still clutching his clothes, trembled uncontrollably.

Sensing her instinct to pull away, Valderion grabbed her waist, yanking her back toward him, forcing their bodies to press together with no space to escape.

Their lips, already joined, melded even more tightly.

He bit down lightly on her lower lip, his eyes wide open.

From the moment their lips touched, Lirette had squeezed her eyes shut, as if she were confronting something far too overwhelming for her to handle.

Seeing her reaction stirred something in him—an irrational irritation.

As if punishing her, he found her trembling tongue, hidden timidly in the corner of her mouth, and sucked on it hard. Her tightly closed eyes flew open, her pupils shaking with such intensity that it sent a strange tingle down his spine.

Lirette, overwhelmed by the intensity of the kiss, glanced over his shoulder.

Something caught her attention at the edge of her vision.

It was the hourglass sitting on the bedside table.

“Th-thirty…”

It was hard to even open her lips to speak.

Whenever she tried to part them, his tongue would thrust back in, claiming the space as his own.

With great effort, she pushed against his chest, managing to break the kiss.

Their lips parted, wet and swollen, her mouth now resembling a well-ripened flower. Her voice, soft and faint, barely made it out.

“It’s… been thirty minutes.”

Even as she spoke, her breathing remained heavy, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she struggled to catch her breath.

Valderion, his face close to hers, slowly licked his lips.

A strange thirst gnawed at him.

It felt as though the sudden, unexpected hunger was only satisfied by the taste of her mouth.

Typically so composed and self-assured, this woman seemed to reveal her vulnerable side whenever their bodies touched. Did she even realize that this contrast, between her defiance and fragility, only inflamed a man’s desire to conquer?

She must not, or she wouldn’t reveal it so easily.

Valderion ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek and moistened his lips as he responded.

“I know.”

His reply was short, but the shadows cast on the floor were long.

The two shadows, once separate, merged into one.

When his lips met hers again, the hourglass ceased to matter.

***

Scrape, scrape.

The small knife moved with mechanical precision as it peeled the potato in a series of smooth, practiced motions. It was almost robotic, as if the action was ingrained in muscle memory, performed without any real thought.

Meanwhile, the person holding the knife looked absent, her mind far away.

“…Line.”

“…”

“Brilline!”

“Huh? Oh, yeah?”

A light tap on her shoulder snapped Lirette out of her daze.

She looked down at the peeled potato in her hand, then glanced to her side, where Del sat, also prepping vegetables. Del noticed her blank expression and laughed softly.

“What are you doing?”

She pointed to something with her finger.

Only then did Lirette realize that she had been cutting too deep into the potato, carving away more than just the skin. If one of the kitchen staff saw her, she would probably get an earful for wasting precious ingredients.

“What were you thinking about? I’ve been calling your name for a while.”

“Nothing…”

Lirette dropped the overly peeled potato into the basket and grabbed another, shaking her head as she did so.

But it wasn’t “nothing.”

Ever since last night, her mind had been in turmoil, a storm of thoughts swirling inside her head. She found herself absently touching her lips with the hand that had once held the knife.

Every time she got lost in thought or recalled what had happened, her hand would drift to her mouth without her realizing.

“Are you tired lately?” Del asked suddenly.

“Why?”

“Your lips look a little swollen. Or are they chapped?”

Lirette’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly dropped her hand, trying to laugh it off. She focused again on the vegetables in front of her, trying to redirect her attention.

But it wasn’t long before she clumsily chopped an onion in half, wasting more food, causing Del to burst into laughter.

“What’s wrong with me today?” she muttered to herself in frustration.

Lirette eventually had to put down the knife before she accidentally sliced into her own skin. Instead, she switched to shelling peas, a task less likely to result in an injury, but the chaotic thoughts swirling in her mind made her sigh repeatedly.

‘Why… why on earth…’

The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.

Everything about yesterday had been strange.

The dim twilight that had been unusually bright and red inside the room.

The way Valderion and she had clung to each other, far more than necessary.

His intense eyes, illuminated by the fiery rays of the setting sun, and the sharpness of his features.

And herself, acutely aware of every heartbeat, as though her whole body had become one with her racing pulse.

The reason she hadn’t been able to avoid the kiss was simple.

Whenever Valderion touched her, that unbearable, tickling tension she always felt would momentarily disappear.

It was like her rational mind had lost to instinct, and she hadn’t resisted.

In fact, by the end, she had even started to respond, dropping her usual stiff demeanor…

Bang!

“Ah! Brilline, why did you do that?!”

Del, startled by the sudden thud as Lirette banged her head against the wall, jerked up from her crouched position.

“It’s nothing,” Lirette muttered.

Yes, this was nothing.

It had to be nothing.

“Are you sure? Your forehead is turning red.”

Del looked at her with concern, her eyes fixed on the reddening spot on Lirette’s forehead. Lirette rubbed the heated area, feeling a bit embarrassed, and nodded weakly.

It had been the first time.

Her first kiss.

And she had thrown it away so… meaninglessly.

To him of all people…

“Good day!”

Her spiral of self-pity was interrupted when the kitchen door opened, and the lively sound of someone entering filled the room.

“These are the fruits that arrived today!”

A young man, unfamiliar to Lirette, strode into the kitchen, carrying a large box.

“Oh my, Segen!”

The assistant cook, who had been working in the back, brightened immediately at the sight of him, her face lighting up. It seemed the name “Segen” carried some weight, as others in the kitchen began to chime in with greetings and exclamations.

“Are you back in the capital?” someone asked.

Setting down the box, Segen smiled and nodded. “Yes, I returned a few days ago.”

“That’s wonderful!”

It seemed he had once worked here, judging by the warm welcome he received from everyone in the kitchen. Lirette, however, sat there like an outsider, the only one unfamiliar with the man. She considered asking Del who he was, but by the time she turned to her, Del had already joined the group that had gathered around Segen.

“Why did you come back?” someone asked.

“Mr. Ripolli is returning to work at the estate and asked if I’d like to come with him. Even though I’d already said my goodbyes, here I am again,” Segen replied, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish smile. Everyone laughed and shook their heads, clearly happy to have him back.

“You have no idea how many people were sad when you left! Everyone’s going to be thrilled to hear you’re back.”

“Absolutely.”

Segen grinned broadly, his smile as bright and warm as sunshine.

It was a smile that felt utterly genuine and without a hint of pretense. Seeing it, Lirette could understand why he was so popular among the staff.

After the initial welcome, people began to disperse. Del, who had been inspecting the box of groceries, glanced over at Lirette, who still sat apart from the group.

“Brilline, could you help me with these supplies?”

The pile of ingredients Del was trying to carry was clearly too much for her alone, so Lirette stood up and made her way over.

“What should I take?”

“Hold on a moment. Segen! Can you pass the rest to Brilline?”

Segen, who had been sorting through the supplies in the large wooden box, turned around at the mention of her name.

“Uh…”

When their eyes met, Segen froze, as if he had been struck by lightning.

The bright red apple he had been holding slipped from his hand and rolled across the floor, landing at Lirette’s feet. She glanced at the dazed man and then bent down to pick up the apple.

“Is this all?” she asked quietly, looking up at him.

Segen’s eyes blinked slowly, as if his entire body had locked up.

Then, suddenly snapping back to his senses, he shook his head vigorously.

“No, no, no!” He hastily handed over a few more items, but his hands fumbled awkwardly, and his movements were clumsy enough that the people nearby chuckled. Segen, however, didn’t seem to care about their laughter.

“Are they heavy? Should I carry them for you?”

Lirette blinked at him, surprised by his offer.

The items were light, easily carried with one hand, so his concern seemed unnecessary. Still, sensing his offer came from genuine kindness, she responded with a simple shake of her head.

“No, it’s fine. Thank you.”

“Ah, o-okay.”

Segen nodded as well, but Lirette noticed his ears were now flushed a deep shade of red.