Already the sixth time.

As if betting on who could seduce her first, they approached and made proposals every time she went out.

She didn’t want to know their motives, but it was hard to see them as pure intentions. Of course, it might not be the case, but at least that’s how she felt.

“I’m sorry, Hans. Thank you for the offer, but I’ll have to decline.”

“W-why? Is it that you don’t like me? Or is there someone else…?”

“It’s not that I have someone. It’s just that I’m not in a position to do so.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

Unpleasantness enveloped her body, but she didn’t bother to show it.

Sometimes, what groups of men could do was beyond imagination.

Ludmila bowed politely and stepped back.

She could hear Hans calling after her, but she lightly ignored it and turned away.

“…Aden?”

It was then that a familiar silhouette formed and disappeared in Ludmila’s eyes. Surely that was just now…

Knowing it couldn’t be, Ludmila’s eyes urgently scanned her surroundings. Her gaze darted around quickly, but she couldn’t find what she was looking for anywhere.

Did I see wrong? At that moment when Ludmila muttered softly, she heard Hans’s voice following her from behind.

Thinking she couldn’t stay here any longer, Ludmila sighed and gave up rolling her eyes, getting on her bicycle.

Along with the soft sound and the receding bicycle, a cool breeze blew.

All that remained in the place where she had been until just now was a plum blossom scattered by the wind. And golden eyes gazing at that plum blossom.

He had simply taken a wrong turn. He had lost his way due to unfamiliar geography while heading to the address Beressa had given him.

Because of that, he had planned to stop by the village to ask for directions and take a short rest.

Clear sky and cool breeze. Sitting on a rock under a tree full of pink plum blossoms, he gazed at the peaceful village scenery.

Thinking that he was looking at the same sky and scenery as Ludmila, who was staying not far away, a strange smile formed on Aden’s lips.

Would he be able to find her today? Aden bit his lip lightly at the fact that the time given to him was not very long.

A faint anxiety arose, but his expression remained calm. After quenching his thirst with water, he slowly got up.

He was about to move to search for Ludmila again. That was all he did.

But at that moment, as if she had been waiting, a woman on a bicycle appeared.

A woman with cool features and golden hair like brilliant threads, cascading down even in the burning sunlight.

And yet, her beautiful red eyes were as clear and distinct as a lighthouse in the dark night sea.

At the sight of her, recognizable even from afar, Aden stood still, forgetting even to pick up his bag, and stared at her.

Ludmila, who got off her bicycle with a face full of serenity, entered a general store and came out again not long after.

She came out holding a paper bag in one hand and was about to ride her bicycle and leave again. It was then that a man approached her.

When Ludmila greeted the well-groomed man with a smile, Aden’s throat tightened.

His fist clenched tightly whenever Ludmila smiled.

Under the midday sun, Ludmila shone more beautifully and brilliantly than anyone else.

Now that all the worries, concerns, and complicated relationships surrounding her had crumbled, she looked freer than ever.

At that moment, Aden questioned whether it was right for him to have come here.

He would end up creating ripples in her daily life that had just found peace.

Thinking that it might be right to just see her face from afar, take in her daily life with his eyes, and then leave, Aden’s lips drew a horizontal line as he felt stifled.

Ludmila, who had been talking with the man, bowed politely and stepped back.

It was then that her gaze, as she turned away, fell on him. Surprised, Aden quickly hid behind a tree.

He didn’t know why he hid, but he just felt like he should.

Ludmila stared intently in Aden’s direction, but as if she hadn’t found anything, she slowly left.

Until her figure, riding a bicycle along the lake, disappeared into the distance. Aden’s golden eyes, standing still and following her retreating form, sank into a tumultuous silence.

The guide map was completed before evening.

As the sunset penetrated through the latticed window, creating shadows, Ludmila put down her brush and let out a long breath.

She had been worried about meeting the deadline due to the tight schedule, but fortunately, she was able to finish without any problems.

After tidying up her surroundings, Ludmila got up and lit the lamp on the wall. She prepared for the night before the red light faded.

After lighting the fireplace, she hung a water kettle and put a stew on the brazier. These were dishes she had become quite familiar with now, though they were unfamiliar in the past.

Thinking about how she used to fumble awkwardly even when lighting a fire for the first time, the three months that had passed to become familiar now seemed quite long.

But why?

The hand holding the ladle stirring the stew stopped abruptly.

Ludmila’s eyes trembled slightly as she raised her head and stared out the kitchen window.

Despite struggling and being buried in that long time, not being able to forget you. On one sunny morning, the illusion of seeing Aden colored her heart with confusion.

She thought she had become numb enough to live forgetting him quite well, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

If she could recall you in a place like this, that said it all.

“Ah, the stew!”

Ludmila came to her senses when the smell of burning reached her nostrils, as she was continuing her thoughts while looking at the scenery where even the rosy hue was fading and darkness was falling.

Remembering that she was cooking right now, Ludmila quickly removed the ladle and took the stew pot off the stove with oven mitts.

Hoping the stew was safe, she transferred it to an intact pot, but as expected, the bottom was thoroughly burnt.

At this point, she couldn’t guarantee the taste either. Ludmila let out a small sigh and turned her head with a dismayed face.

“This was all I had.”

Ludmila clicked her tongue softly and looked at the bread basket hanging on the wall.

It seemed that the few pieces of dry bread in it would probably be tonight’s dinner. The grocery store wouldn’t be open now.

Ludmila ran her hand through her hair, sighing with regret.

It was then that the sound of rain was heard. It didn’t take long for the pitter-patter sound to change into a swooshing sound.

At the sudden downpour, Ludmila, who had been blankly staring outside, realized that the bedding laundry was hanging outside and rushed out.

The pouring rain turned the scenery, where a soft darkness had been settling, into complete blackness.

Ludmila’s hands were busy trying to retrieve the blanket hanging on the clothesline, relying on the lamp she had brought out for visibility.

But in that short time, the blanket, soaked with rain, had become heavy and wouldn’t budge.

Meanwhile, the rain grew even fiercer, the sound intensifying.

Though she thought it no longer made much sense to recover the blanket as it was already completely wet, her hand instinctively kept trying to pull it down.

Ludmila’s body, standing on wet grass, wobbled precariously, seeming like it might fall at any moment.

“Stay still.”

It was then that a voice was heard from behind her.

Though the voice itself was faint, muffled by the fierce rain, someone quickly approached and pulled down the blanket as if embracing her back.

It was as if the blanket, which had been fixed as solidly as a brick, wasn’t the same one.

Ludmila turned around, looking at the now empty line with a sense of emptiness. The light from the lamp placed on the ground wasn’t enough to drive away the darkness.

But even in such darkness, she could tell that the person in front of her was quite a large man.

Unable to see the other person’s face clearly, Ludmila gave a light bow for now.

“Thank you for your help.”

Though she expressed her gratitude, thinking it wasn’t something to do while being pelted by the intensifying rain, Ludmila quickly picked up the lamp she had put down.

The man’s body, engulfed in darkness, was slowly revealed as the lamp’s light rose vertically.

From the solid lower body to the large and broad chest.

When the light reached the thick neck and clear jawline, Ludmila’s hand stopped, and her mouth gradually opened.

As if sensing something was wrong, her heart beat violently, but even that was swallowed by the rough sound of rain.

It can’t be. Thinking it must surely be a mistake, Ludmila’s halted hand rose again.

The light tore through the darkness, revealing the face of the man hidden within.

Was it because she had been roughly exerting force to retrieve the blanket until just now?

Her body swayed for a moment, but a firm arm quickly approached, supporting her waist and preventing her from collapsing.

It’s not a doll. Not an illusion either. Even this sensation hitting her skin wasn’t a dream.

While muttering that it couldn’t be, Ludmila couldn’t take her eyes off the golden eyes fixed on her.

“Why are you here…”

A cracked voice flowed between her parted lips.

A faint smile was drawn on Aden’s face, clearly illuminated by the unwavering light of the lamp.

“Because you came to me in a dream.”

Though the sound of rain hitting the roof, grass, and lake was fierce, none of it was enough to cover Aden’s voice.

The golden eyes quietly gazing at Ludmila rippled.

Like a drifting buoy with a broken line in a calm sea.

“It seemed impolite to make you come every time, so this time I came directly.”

As if saying he had been swept up by the waves and arrived here, with a calm face.

“I hope I’m not too late. I missed you, Ludmila.”

That’s how Aden approached.