She didn't seem confused about accepting her sudden transformation from a twenty-year-old into a twenty-two-year-old due to memory loss.
At least in front of Damian, no major difficulties appeared in her daily life.
Damian, unsure how to respond, remained silent for a moment before cautiously asking,
"Are you okay with not having your memories?"
Liliana sighed deeply.
“Of course not.
The biggest problem is that it is no longer clear whether I can graduate from university or not.
I even forgot everything I learned in school.”
"Yes...".
"Besides, our age is the most important time in life, isn't it?
We're young, and there's a lot we need to do for our future.
But having a two-year gap is a big loss in many ways."
Liliana frowned and looked at the rabbit-shaped clouds.
Her expression was a mixture of disappointment and emptiness.
Damian had spent that period in the war, fighting on the battlefield.
He didn't even think about doing anything else during those years.
For him, turning nineteen meant leaving the orphanage without any support, nothing more than an uncomfortable age.
He never thought of it as an important time.
So he didn't know what words of comfort he could offer Liliana.
Instead, he looked at her face and asked,
“What kind of accident have you been in?”
Until now, Damian had refrained from asking about the nature of Liliana's accident, thinking it might be impolite of him to interfere.
As a result, he missed several opportunities to ask.
Other than the three heart attacks, Liliana looked fine on the outside.
She did not suffer from any visible injuries.
Demian was curious, so he decided to just ask.
After hearing Damian's question, Liliana raised her leg and moved it down, using the momentum to lift herself up.
Then she crossed her arms and began to think.
“Mmm...
I'm not sure how to explain this...”
“You can skip it if it's hard to talk about.”
"No, you told me everything about what happened to you, Damian.
I feel like it's unfair that I'm the only one who doesn't share with you.
So I want to explain, but this…"
Liliana sniffed hard and chose her words carefully.
“I told you before that I was born healthy, right?
Well, that's true, but I have a rather unique physique.
It's a bit different from others...”
“Unique physique?
In what way?”
“Well, it's like...hmmm...”
Liliana looked around, then clicked her tongue.
“Oh, it's so bright and so crowded...”
She ran her hand through her hair once and then looked at Damian.
"Let's go eat."
"suddenly?".
"I'm really hungry.
It's already past two in the afternoon.
If we get caught at break time, we'll have nothing to eat but sandwiches from the street vendors.
I don't want to eat anything on this huge first day of sightseeing.
I brought a thousand hercs with me, you know."
It was clear that she was changing the subject, so Liliana probably didn't want to talk about it.
Damian didn't complain and agreed to her suggestion.
They had finally had a late lunch and were now sitting in a dessert café famous for its tiramisu, enjoying cake and chatting.
After the meal, Damian thought about ending their daily walk, as he had promised.
But Liliana insisted that there were plenty of ways to spend time outside without expending a lot of energy and pulled him to this restaurant.
Damian wanted to argue that there was no such thing, but when he saw Liliana's skin tone improve with every bite of the tiramisu, he couldn't insist too strongly to return.
They spent the afternoon resting, and only after the sun had set did Damian walk Liliana home.
On the tram ride back, Liliana seemed uncomfortable and kept looking at Damian.
She looked away quickly whenever their eyes met.
This situation continued until they reached the station near her house.
It was the same as she walked from the tram stop to her house.
She seemed lost in thought, and her facial expression was serious all day.
They finally arrived at Liliana's house.
Even at that moment she didn't want to go in, and after a moment of hesitation she raised her hand to say goodbye.
Damian couldn't pretend not to notice this and asked her directly,
“If you have something to say, just say it.”
“Hmm…?”
“Is it related to what we were talking about earlier?”
“Well, yes, but...”
"Do you want to talk about this or not?
Anyway, I don't mind, so do whatever you want, Liliana.
It's really okay."
“No, it's just...
I really want to talk about it...
I really want to tell you...”
Liliana hesitated, and Damian sighed briefly and spoke.
“Is it difficult to talk about this now?”
“Huh?”
“For some reason, you can't talk about this now, can you?”
"This is correct....".
“Then tell me when you're ready.
I won't rush you for an answer.
It's not so urgent that I need to know right away.”
Liliana's troubled expression softened, she smiled awkwardly and asked,
“Is this okay?”
"Of course I will wait."
"He... ha-ha-ha...
Thank you, Damian.
I'll definitely let you know when I've sorted out my thoughts."
Liliana finally looked relieved, but then her face turned serious again when she saw the dark bruise on Damian's face.
“The bruise needs to heal quickly... so we can take pictures.”
“My pictures don’t matter, you should take more pictures of yourself.”
Damian handed her the camera, and Liliana took it and said:
"What are you talking about?
We're taking pictures together.
The more good memories the better, right?"
Upon hearing this, Damian couldn't help but smile bitterly, thinking of Lentrae, whose face he had never been able to see because he had refused to give her his picture, and who he had been unable to recognize despite his efforts.
Liliana, not knowing why this face appeared on Damian's face, heard his response,
“Yes, you are right.”
“Okay, then...
I'll go in now!”
Liliana waved to Damian and reached for the doorknob.
"Liliana."
Damian called out to her, almost impulsively.
Then, feeling a little embarrassed, he said:
“If you encounter any difficulties or problems, do not hesitate to let me know.”
Liliana laughed.
"Thank you".
Damian watched Liliana enter the house and wave her hand one last time before turning to leave.
He glanced at the crescent moon and fell into thought.
'Two years...'.
The period when Liliana lost her memory bothered him.
Memory loss after the age of 20...
Lentrai settled in Edenvalen at the age of twenty.
She has lived there for exactly two years since then.
Is it a coincidence?
Damian was walking slowly towards the tram stop, thinking.
Is this really just a coincidence?
He couldn't stop thinking until the tram arrived.
What are the chances that all of this is just a coincidence?
His mind was in turmoil, trying to make sense of everything.
***
Liliana entered her room, threw her clothes and bag on the bed, and quickly walked towards the phone in the living room.
She took a deep breath, then picked up the phone and called.
After a short ring, a familiar voice answered.
“Hello?
Oh, auntie?
I’m calling to tell you about today.”
Pascal's voice was full of worry.
- You said you would explore the capital today.
How did things go?
You shouldn't put pressure on yourself like that when you're sick...
I should have been there...
"Okay, it's okay, it's okay.
I was perfectly fine.
Damian was with me.
I wasn't exaggerating, right?
We just saw the palace, had a meal, and that's about it."
- You didn't run and bother Damian, did you?
You didn't make him feel uncomfortable, did you?
"No, what do you think I'm doing?
I wouldn't treat a friend like that.
Damian said it was fine!"
Liliana laughed and turned the phone cord.
“And I have a question...”
Liliana hesitated, contrary to her habit, and Pascal spoke in a gentle tone.
- What's up?
Come on, tell me
"Can I... tell Damian about that... about that?"
-On what?.
“My condition...”