Chapter 8

After that, a strange atmosphere flowed between Herietta and Edwin. Herietta avoided meeting him as much as possible while he searched for her everywhere. It was like they were playing hide-and-seek without agreeing to play with each other.

Of course, that did not mean that Herietta completely ignored Edwin. She avoided him only whenever he looked around for her. Otherwise, her eyes followed him from a distance, as she had always done.

How many days have passed like that? Mail had arrived from Lavant. It was the letter from Lilian that Herietta had been waiting so eagerly for. She was full of impatience as she quickly opened the envelope.

The letter that began with the phrase, “Dear Herietta” was now familiar. Herietta’s eyes moved from side to side following the words on the letter. The initial content did not seem so different from the letters she had sent Herietta before. Lilian revealed that her parents had asked her to look after Herietta and were looking forward to the day she comes to Lavant.

Herietta’s eyes moved even faster. As she read the middle part of the letter, the word ‘Redford’ caught her eye. After that, it seemed like a typhoon had hit. Her eyes fluttered as she read the letter. As her gaze went down, her hands holding the letter began to tremble more and more.

“Nonsense.”

After reading the letter, Herietta murmured as she lowered the hand holding the letter. She looked into the distant space as if she had lost her mind.

“This cannot be true.”

A blank smile escaped her slightly gaping lips. Surrounded by the shock, she unknowingly gave strength to her hand. The soft letter was crumpled so easily that it crumbled. Before long, it left her hand.

A few words could be seen on the letter that had fallen to the floor.

‘Treason’, ‘Destruction’, and ‘Extermination’. Horrible words that gave her chills just looking at them.

* * *

Because it was summer, the yellow gold calliopsis flowers were in full bloom. It has strong vitality and is easy to grow, making it a flower that decorates many people’s gardens in summer. The unique scent of calliopsis was carried in the breeze and spread softly.

Hiding behind the entrance to the garden, Herietta looked around cautiously. Apparently, she had seen Edwin heading here through the second-floor window a while ago. However, no matter how much she looked, the garden was empty, and Edwin could not be found.

Herietta was speechless at the words that came out of his mouth. What was she hearing now? Her mind went blank. She was so shocked that she wondered if she had heard him wrong.

Seeing the frozen Herrietta without saying anything, Edwin moved closer to her. It was close enough to reach her with outstretched arms. He held one hand against the wall and with the other hand, he lifted her head, which was frozen in place.

Blue eyes that were as blue as the deep, cold sea met auburn eyes that trembled anxiously.

“What are you pretending to be so nervous about?”

“…!”