That night, it was when Dalia was lying in her room in a simple one-piece dress after having dinner and bath.
Tuk tuk.
There was a sound from the window, like raindrops hitting the window.
At first, she ignored it because she thought that she had heard it wrong, but the sound continued at a constant rhythm.
‘What is it?’
Eventually, Dalia got up and went to the window.
And she also tapped the window twice with her fist. As if it were an answer, the double tap returned.
Dalia had goosebumps on the back of her neck.
‘But my room is on the third floor…….’
How, who’s knocking on this window?
‘It’s, it’s not a ghost right?’
Some anecdotes from the collection of ghost stories that she read as a child passed through her mind.
‘No. It must be a bird. Or rain.’
But, just to be sure, just in case, Dalia asked.
“Who, who is there?”
“It’s me, Dalia.”
“Ahh!”
She really, really heard a voice.
Dalia fell back in surprise.
“……… Dalia? Are you okay? What’s the matter?”
She could hear a panicked voice. The owner of the voice couldn’t bear to open the window and kept hesitating outside.
Now that she heard it, it was a familiar voice.
But in this situation, it is also a really, really unexpected voice. Dalia asked in a raised voice in surprise.
“Sir, Sir Cedric?”
A shadow fell outside the window.
Just by looking at the shadow, Dalia knew who he was. It was really Cedric.
He spoke in a voice that was as surprised as Dalia.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Oh, it’s not like that. But common sense is that if someone knocks on the window on the third floor, everyone will be surprised.”
Even in the midst of this, she was surprised at the way she said everything she had to say. She could hear Cedric’s apologetic laugh.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“I’m sorry, really. Did you get hurt?”
Dalia got up and patted her pelvis. Fortunately, it didn’t hurt that much because there was a carpet in the place where she fell on her butt.
“I’m okay.”
“I’m so sorry. I want to see your condition, but I can’t go inside without permission…….”
“So why didn’t you come through the front door…….”
“I can’t wait to see you. I’m sorry.”
It was a fastball that came straight in at a time that she had never imagined. Although the temperature in the room was not high, Dalia couldn’t stop feeling hot.
‘Isn’t it about time I got used to it?’
With that in mind, Dalia glanced down at her dress.
Although it’s not a see-through dress, it still wasn’t appropriate for guests. Of course, the guest did come in through the window on the third floor, not through the front door.
She wrapped a blanket around her body that fit the chilly weather and opened the window.
Cedric was standing in the air in front of her with his back to the moon.
It was a day with a beautiful half moon in the middle of a cloudless sky. Shadowy leaves and branches crossed the dark blue night sky.
Cedric’s face was half white under the moonlight and half dark because of the backlight.
However, his face, whether it’s on the shiny side or not, was smiling with his eyes bent.
He came a little closer to the window, and with his arms outstretched, he placed his hand on the windowsill.
Dalia felt it last time, but she suddenly felt that his shoulders were wider.
He was taller than most adults, so his body, hidden in the dark, looked like an adult at first glance.
However, if you looked at him for a long time, you could see his youthful expression and his body, which was still less rigid, on the borderline between a boy and a young man.
Even though he seems like an adult and knows everything, Cedric is still 19 years old. The age when Dalia just became a college student in her previous life.
He was smiling and shining like a true youth.
Dalia stared blankly at that smile. For some reason, she felt as if her heart was going to drop a little, as if she had been on a ride.
This person only smiles like this in front of Dalia.
She said, clearing her voice so as not to tremble.
“Come on in.”
“No. I’ll stay here. I just came because I wanted to see your face. I’m going back in a little while.”
Cedric smiled softly. It was a low, soft smile that suited the night.
“Did the matter with your mother go well?”
Cedric then smiled more brightly than what Dalia was familiar with. He floated slightly, sat on the windowsill, and looked down at Dalia.
“Yeah, surprisingly. She’s much better, and she’s happy.”
“That’s a relief.”
Dalia sighed and swept her chest.
She thought that it would work out, but she still had some worries. She looked up at Cedric in relief and smiled.
“Then, did you come this quickly to tell me the good news?”
If so, that’s really nice. But instead of answering, Cedric smiled and looked down at Dalia’s face for a long time.
She was going to blush, but she held it in.
Unlike him, who is half-covered by darkness, Dalia is indoors, so if her face turns even a little red, Cedric, who is quick-witted, will notice it right away. It was nothing new now, but it was still embarrassing.
“There’s that, and there’s also something else.”
“What is it?”
“I have something to confess to you.”
Dalia’s heart almost dropped.
‘What? Confession?’
The word caught at the tip of her neck and went back in. The sad fluttering from the last time made Dalia hesitate.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s not a love confession. Then you will feel uncomfortable again.”
“Ah.”
This time, she couldn’t stop exclaiming.
Instead of smiling as usual as if he was thinking ‘I know all your vain thoughts’, Cedric was only smiling with joy.
Then suddenly, he gently swept Dalia’s cheeks and forehead with the back of his hand and closed his eyes.
“You were the first for me. I wanted to talk about it.”
“…….”
“When Hikan and you are apart…… I felt a strong wave of emotions that I’ve never felt before. The will to protect someone.”
Dalia could feel the heat that had risen in every place he touched.
She watched his hair flutter in the wind with an indescribable feeling.
He was also looking at Dalia’s eyes, and they were close to each other, so even with a little tiptoe, Dalia could see herself reflected in his eyes.
Cedric continued quietly.
“Malice is always close enough to touch, but kindness and affection are far enough to be known only through glances and gestures. As much as the malice was close, the good faith only be felt from far away.”
“…….”
“But that day, from the moment I saw you falling, my world changed. I was able to feel human kindness and affection, not with glances and gestures, but directly from the heart…….”
His voice became gradually quieter as if it were heard from a distance. But strangely, his feelings somehow felt closer.
His hand slowly slid off Dalia’s forehead.
“And today, I found out that my mother actually loved me, and that she did for a very long time.”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“……Ah!”
“Without you, I would never have known. That’s what I think.”
Dalia shook her head.
Somehow she wanted to deny it. She knows that’s not the case when she thinks of him in the original, but still.
“That’s not true. Certainly, if you love someone, it will come through someday.”
Cedric smiled mischievously for some reason.
“You really always say everything you want to say. I also like that about you.”
In the meantime, she thought that Cedric’s speaking skills were improving day by day. She clenched her fists and bit her lip, holding back her embarrassment.
“Maybe, it’s about my special ability. Isn’t it that the more you experience goodwill like malice, the lower the threshold you can feel? Just like dealing with real people.”
“…….”
“I hope so.”
Cedric’s smile somehow looked lonely.
Dalia thought of him in the original. He who had never been saved in his life and died as if he were sleeping without any regrets, even before he died.
She placed her two hands on top of his hand on the windowsill.
Cedric’s hands are so large that Dalia can barely cover it.
She looked at Cedric while putting some strength to her hand.
“Since Sir Cedric said it’s like that, I’m sure it will be.”
“……Thank you.”
Cedric smiled and placed his other hand on top of hers.
It felt strange when a long, prominent hand, which anyone could see was a man’s hand, was covering the back of her hand.
He rubbed the back of Dalia’s hand with his thumb a few times before speaking in a somewhat cautious tone.
“You’re someone precious to me, Dalia.……friend, yes, as a friend.”
“…….”
“Stay by my side in the future too, Dalia. You have to.”
Dalia also nodded her head.
She couldn’t control her expression because of her constantly overwhelming mind, so she couldn’t tell how stupid she must look right now.
He slowly withdrew his hand. Then, with his hand that was lying underneath hers, he lifted one of Dalia’s hands and lightly kissed the back of her hand.
“I’m sorry I came all of a sudden without telling you even though it’s late. I’m going to go now. I was sneaking out too.”
“……Alright.”
“Ah, I forgot to tell you, but the blanket is cute. It’s cold, so I’ll close the window. Bye, Dalia.”
He smiled and then moved to close the window again. He probably disappeared behind the window again.
Dalia pondered whether to open the window to see where he was going, and then gave up. She thought that she should think about it more.
That’s how the strange visit of the night ended.
Translator Note: I must say,,,this chapter is so confusing to tl…Sorry in advance hahaha
++This is the last chapter in book 3..Chapter 107 will mark the start of book 4