“Does it really hurt?”
When Liliana asked him, Asher's face changed as if he was recalling a terrible memory.
“I wished that all the people in the world would die except me.”
'Wow, what a character.'
Liliana criticized Asher's character internally.
'Anyway, this seems more serious than I thought...'
Liliana looked at the examination room door with a worried expression.
At that moment, the door opened.
She leaned forward, thinking Damian might come out, but Hendrick motioned to Asher.
"Point, just for a moment."
"Yes".
When Asher entered the examination room, Liliana crossed her arms and was left alone.
The small talk with Asher reminded her of something Damian had casually mentioned before.
“I can live without an arm, but it's uncomfortable, people stare at me...it's a bit scary.”
Liliana was more moved by this statement than by Damian's complaints about the inconvenience of losing his arm.
It is natural for people to feel fear when they deviate from what they consider normal, and it is inevitable that they will be hurt by these reactions.
Damian always had an indifferent expression, and even though Liliana had not known him long, she could tell that he had lost more than just an arm in the war.
***
“You said we were going out before I got into the hospital, so I thought we would do something special today...”
Damian looked at Liliana, who was skillfully cutting up a lobster in front of him.
“Is that really all?”
Damian asked in disbelief, and Liliana pointed the lobster knife at him jokingly.
“.” Is that really all?" she says.
Don't you know what flower viewing is?
Damian, your romantic cells are completely dead."
Liliana moved the cut lobster to his plate, because he couldn't use a knife.
Then she pointed her fork towards the river bank.
The view of the river bank was picturesque, with different types of flowers blooming at the same time.
Clear blue skies without a single cloud, clear water, flowers, and people enjoying the scenery.
This was the ultimate luxury one could have in the heart of the city.
“You need to conserve your energy, so I can't drag you too much.
Moreover, this is the peak flowering season of the flowering trees along the Nile River, so there is no better time to take a stroll along the riverbank than now.
Do you know how hard I had to compete to get this table with a view?”
Liliana sat at an outside table in the restaurant, ordered a rather expensive meal, and was busy shoving plates toward Damian.
As Damien pecked at the lobster meat with his fork, Liliana began to eat her food with a satisfied expression, like a mother bird watching her chick eat.
“Isn’t the river you lived in more beautiful?
This is a big city, so the water quality is relatively poor, and there are too many people...”
“That's right, but now I'm in Nishio.
The most beautiful and largest river in Nishio is the Nile River.
It's one of the must-see places for any tourist visiting Nishio.
Besides, this river has its own charm, doesn't it?
The lifeline that flows through the heart of the city.
And the view on the riverbank between the high-rise buildings.
All of this has its own unique atmosphere...”
Liliana tried to explain to him the beauty of the sight before them, but Damian did nothing but chew his food with an indifferent expression.
Liliana sighed softly and focused on cutting the food into small pieces with the knife and placing them in front of Damian.
"Well, I brought you here to eat something delicious because you're going to have surgery tomorrow.
The view doesn't matter."
"I'm well aware that my assessment is not very romantic.
But you came here to see this view, didn't you, Liliana?
So if you like living here, I'm okay with that too."
“Okay, okay.
Is it delicious?”
"Yes, it's delicious."
"That's good.
Eat more food.
I feel full easily, even with a small amount."
'A small amount?' 'You can eat an entire cake in one sitting and call that a small amount?'
Damian had his doubts, but when Liliana pushed her portion of food towards him, he nodded in gratitude and enjoyed the beef soup.
After dessert is served, they finish their meal with a light drink to cleanse the palate.
Before leaving, Damian called the waiter to pay the bill while Liliana excused herself to go to the bathroom.
Although the main purpose of going out was to feed Damian a delicious meal, she was very happy to see him eating so well.
She even touched up her makeup before leaving, and when she returned, she found a woman talking to Damian.
Judging by the atmosphere, she didn't look like a restaurant employee.
They didn't talk for long and ended their conversation quickly.
The woman gave Damien a piece of paper and left.
Liliana returned to Damian's seat and asked, looking at the woman walking away,
"Damian, who was that?
Do you know her?"
"No, I've never met her before.
She asked me if I was alone, and I told her I was with someone.
Then she gave me her contact information and told me to call her when I had time."
“...Have you just been harassed?” (Ze clip, Asad, give me your number)
“...It seems so?”
Damian said in confusion, and Liliana slapped his back with her hand.
"are you happy?".
"I don't feel anything in particular."
“Why?”
"What should I feel?
I have no intention of communicating with her."
Liliana picked up her bag from the chair, and Damian stood up.
Liliana came forward and said:
"Why not?
It's good to be famous."
"But I've never been famous.
Honestly, I don't even know why fame is a good thing."
Damian's words made Liliana contemplate the benefits of being famous.
“Um…because you would have won the student council election?”
“I'm not trying to be important, so I don't really care.”
The river walk was located right in front of the restaurant, so they started walking along it naturally.
They came across a kiosk that sold fresh juice, so they bought orange juice and lemonade, which they drank through straws while chatting.
"What about you, Damian?
Did you have a girlfriend or anything?"
“Do I look like I did it?”
Liliana narrowed her eyes at his seemingly rhetorical question, and Damian laughed.
“But considering that you were harassed today, you seem to be very popular.
Has no one recognized you before?”
“No one has ever expressed their feelings towards me directly.”
"No way.
There must be a lot of people who fail to realize how amazing you are.
So have you never loved anyone or had any romantic feelings for someone?"
At this question, Damian looked up at the sky for a moment, lost in thought.
'Lady Lintray.'
Someone he had only exchanged letters with a few months ago.
He didn't know her face or her voice.
Little was known about her.
Could he have expressed his feelings for someone he barely knew with these words?
He didn't know, but he couldn't think of any other way to describe the feelings he had for her.
So Damian chose his words carefully.
"There's someone I think I... love."
Liliana's eyes widened like a rabbit's eyes, and she asked, half excited,
"What?
Really?
Do you like someone?
Wait, but if you do, why did you say 'I think'?"
"Because I didn't check it myself, so I'm not sure."
“Sure?”
“I don't know if this is romantic or just a feeling I have for a friend.
So I was going to try to check that, but...”
Damian was fiddling with his glass of orange juice and thinking.
People around him told him it wasn't just a matter of admiration, they said he wouldn't care much about someone he didn't care about.
But these were the words of people who were not aware of the relationship between him and Mrs.
Lintray.
Can't friends have feelings like that too, sometimes?
So he thought about it for a long time.
About his feelings for Mrs.
Lintray.