The Return of Lilietta - Chapter 147

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 147

She became conscious of their clasped hands and the fingertips touching her back. It made her strangely aware. Even though they were hands she had held countless times and that had touched her back numerous times.

Was it because of the backless dress? Because his hand was touching her bare skin? But she had never been conscious of such things with Gid before.

Or was it because he looked like a different person?

Lillieta looked up again at his face covered by the silver mask. With his mouth closed, he really did look like someone else. Even knowing it was Gid, he felt unfamiliar.

Had he felt this way when he first saw her transformed into someone different from ‘Rita Pascal’?

“When you move and talk, I’d recognize you right away, but when you’re quietly still like this, you’re definitely unfamiliar.”

She suddenly felt an impulse to confirm that this person was indeed Gid and opened her mouth.

“Gi…”

Then she immediately remembered where they were. Her face had been tingling since earlier, as if many people were watching them.

When she reflexively swallowed the name she was about to call, Gid let out a low laugh and whispered.

“Call me Sion.”

“Sion?”

“Yes, Sion.”

Having said that, he looked down at her with the slender eyes visible through the mask’s gaps. As if gauging her reaction.

“You don’t remember at all, it seems.”

“Remember what?”

“It was an impressive event for me. Should I be happy about this, or disappointed…”

“What are you talking about?”

“Hmm… It means that ‘Sion’ was never even on your mind, so I suppose I should be happy.”

“Don’t just talk to yourself and answer properly. I asked what you’re talking about.”

Rita glared and deliberately stepped on his foot.

“Oh, really.”

Gideon’s shoulders shook as if suppressing laughter, then he lifted his toes and placed her foot completely on top of his.

Skillfully supporting her back as she swayed in confusion and helping her balance, he slid his other foot under her shoe as well, placing both her feet on top of his.

“…!”

With her standing on his feet, he clasped her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist.

The splendid scenery of the ballroom spun round and round. The cheerful rhythm of the waltz flowed through her ears.

The dark blue hem of her skirt wrapped around his white dress uniform. Long silver hair mingled and fluttered with her blonde hair, and his eyes curved deeply behind the mask.

Eyes that looked so happy. Pupils that seemed to melt as they held only her. A gaze with substance and warmth that she could feel.

Lillieta’s cheeks flushed. She asked accusingly, keeping her voice as low as possible.

“What are you doing, Gi— Sion?”

“Dancing.”

He answered with a voice full of laughter, then added as if talking to himself.

“Now I understand why people dance.”

Before she could say anything more, he lifted her lightly to the music, spun her around once, and set her back down.

The song had ended. Applause erupted from all directions. Most of the gazes of those who had been watching the waltz were directed at them.

Noticing this, Gid bowed lightly, then took Rita’s hand and naturally melted into the crowd. He led her to where glasses were stacked.

Since this was the Podonamu Estate, most of the prepared beverages were wine. Taking the glass Gid offered, Rita caught her breath for a moment and cooled her cheeks.

She wasn’t sure what they had just done. Her toes, which had been standing on Gid’s feet just moments ago, still tingled. It felt like the sensation of his embrace still lingered on her back.

Had dancing, which was merely part of noble etiquette, always been such an impressive affair? Enough to make her conscious of contact that had meant nothing before.

To shake off the strangely lingering sensation, Lillieta focused her attention elsewhere. Taking her eyes off the glass, she asked him in a small voice.

“So what is it that I can’t remember?”

Gid answered readily.

“The silver-haired boy you freed in the city when you were 16. Three silver coins, and a hair tie.”

“Huh?”

A memory suddenly came to mind at those words. When her eyes widened, he burst into laughter.

“You’re just remembering now, it seems.”

“…How do you know about that?”

“Because that boy was me.”

“What?”

“I was wondering when you’d figure it out, but my goodness, you didn’t just fail to realize it, you completely forgot about it.”

Rita stared blankly at his long silver hair. Come to think of it, yes, it had been this color.

Age 16, right after they had established Beacon in the Ruins of Fair. When they were desperately trying to be recognized as an official autonomous squad.

Is Pascal had become the squad’s guarantor with citizenship he’d bought from black market dealers, and they had submitted various documents and were waiting for Command’s approval.

Gid had gone to the city to check why the document processing was delayed, but there had been no word from him for weeks.

Rita had worried about him and secretly entered the city. To the mansion of the high-ranking official who was supposedly in charge of autonomous squad management.

Sneaking into that house in the middle of the night, she had seen a pretty silver-haired boy bound in chains.

She remembered being appalled, thinking the official was a perverted bastard. Unable to leave him there, she broke the chains and fled with the boy, evading the pursuing guards amid alarms blaring everywhere.

Then, reaching a safe place on the outskirts of the city, she had emptied her pockets to give him the coins she had, and seeing the boy’s flowing silver hair, she had untied her own hair ribbon and given that to him too.

‘That child’s name was… Sion, wasn’t it? He didn’t speak, but there was a name tag…’

It had been just one night’s encounter, so she had completely forgotten about it. No, before that.

“That was you? How?”

“Command didn’t seem inclined to approve the autonomous squad, so I thought I’d try to find some weakness in the official in charge. I disguised myself and infiltrated through a slave trader. I’d heard rumors that the guy was obsessed with pretty boys.”

“…You really did all sorts of things back then.”

When Rita made a disgusted expression, Gid shrugged.

“Well, it was urgent then. Anyway, I successfully secured his weakness, but to make the disguise perfect, I took a drug that made me mute along with an Oath suppressor, and I had no way to escape until it wore off naturally. I had no choice but to wait obediently for the drug’s effects to fade… then you came.”

Gid glanced at her and continued.

“Since I couldn’t speak due to the remaining drug effects, you misunderstood on your own. But you know, you kept saying ‘Sion’ was pretty and your face turned red and you could barely hold his hand properly. The same you who used to kick me with bare feet.”

“I did that…?”

“So I wondered if that pretty type was your preference.”

“What preference. I couldn’t even remember that incident until you mentioned it. Why didn’t you say anything about it all this time?”

“I planned to reveal it was me if you mentioned such an incident after returning, but you never said anything about it until the end, so I got annoyed and kept my mouth shut too.”

“You got annoyed? Why?”

“I wonder, why was that? I didn’t really understand it then either, Rita. Why I was angry.”

His eyes curved behind the mask.

“Now I know.”

A hand suddenly approached and traced her cheek. The ornaments dangling below the half-mask flowed over his fingers.

The hand that slid down along her facial lines swept the blonde hair that had fallen by her ear behind it.

Then it remained still, cupping her ear, and just as she thought her ear felt hot and burdensome, it fell away as if reading her mind.

Lillieta asked in a slightly hoarse voice.

“…What do you know now?”

“About myself.”

Gid leaned his head toward her.

Long silver hair fell like a curtain, blocking her view. The dizzying, splendid scenery of the ballroom disappeared in an instant, leaving only the two of them.

Within that space, he slightly lifted his mask and whispered in his original, lower voice by her ear.

“Rita, I’m quite jealous.”

The low tone seeping through her ear somehow made her nape tingle. When she held her breath, perhaps sensing it, Gid rumbled in his throat by her ear and added quietly.

“So I’d like your preference to be me too.”

What does this mean.

Those words, in other words, you want me to like you?

Because you… me?

If I’m not mistaken, since when? Did you endure all those times because of those feelings?

While she remained frozen in bewilderment, he raised his head, adjusted his mask, and spoke in a casual tone.

“Now, shall we get to work?”

“…”

“Let’s make a round and meet back here. As I’ve said many times, don’t overdo it.”

“…Sion.”

“Yeah?”

“There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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