Summer Must Die (16 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 16
Summer, having finished her preparations, leisurely headed toward the beautiful spot she’d already chosen in her mind.
The walking path was lined with fresh green sprouts, and birdsong echoed from all around.
The air was slightly cool yet cozy. Daisy and Mary followed closely behind Summer, carrying a picnic basket.
Every now and then, Summer glanced back at the two trailing her and twitched the corners of her lips.
‘So cute.’
Perhaps because she was in a good mood at the thought of returning, everything in the world seemed beautiful to Summer.
Yes. There are many ways. Summer abruptly came to a halt.
“You two stay here and prepare the picnic. I’ll go explore the surroundings a bit more.”
Daisy and Mary unpacked their things, spreading a large cloth on the field for sitting and setting up a light tea table.
Summer watched them fondly for a moment, then turned away.
‘Goodbye.’
The place Summer headed for was the lake of House Lindsey, famed for its beauty.
Leaving Daisy and Mary behind, Summer gently touched the necklace around her neck. This jewel served as a communication device usable only by Fay and Summer.
Fay’s raspy voice drifted from the necklace.
In an empire without mobile phones, this would normally be astonishing—but to Summer, it wasn’t even worth raising an eyebrow over.
“I’m going back now.”
“Should I wait?”
“Thank you for everything, Fay. And I’m sorry—because of me, the world fell apart. Once I go back, everything will return to how it was.”
That was the end of their conversation. If anything, Fay seemed even more hesitant than Summer. After a long silence, Fay was the one who cut off the communication first.
Summer, however, felt no hesitation. She calmly took off her shoes. Blades of grass slipped between her toes.
She dipped her toes lightly into the lake water. A sharp chill shot up from her feet.
This time, she was certain.
Summer peeled off the jewels decorating her dress. They would serve as a farewell gift left behind for Mary and Daisy.
And so, Summer leaped into the cold lake below.
The hem of her dress, as beautiful as fully bloomed flower petals, floated briefly on the water’s surface before becoming soaked and sinking.
[This is the timeline separator]Duke Russell Bertrand strolled through the grounds of Earl Lindsey’s estate, thinking of Ian Lancaster. Russell Bertrand was Ian Lancaster’s closest friend.
Though those around them might not have believed it, the two truly considered each other their dearest companions.
After all, wasn’t it often said that opposites complement each other best?
Thus, Russell understood Ian’s character better than anyone—up until just a few days ago.
‘Remember the spire?’
‘Ian.’
‘Don’t worry. Thanks to some woman, even my old wounds have grown hazy in memory.’
‘Then why are your hands shaking so badly?’
‘Even so, I saved her. I was the one who saved her.’
‘….’
‘Maybe God sent her as my salvation—to tell me to stop living in guilt.’
Ian’s expression as he spoke those words was something Russell had never seen before.
It was a face tormented yet relieved—a visage drowning in despair yet touched by a thread of salvation.
Seeing his friend’s face, Russell could only tightly press his lips shut.
He dared not utter a single word about Ian’s wounds.
Fortunately, Ian casually resumed speaking again.
‘Relax your expression, Russell.’
‘Sometimes you look far too precarious.’
‘Then, could you grant me just one favor?’
‘A favor?’
The request Ian Lancaster made to Russell was to visit House Lindsey and check on Summer Lindsey.
‘If you’re that worried, why don’t you go see her yourself?’
‘I can’t. You know that. I’d only frighten them.’
Ian Lancaster, nicknamed “the bloodstained wolf,” was a war hero drawing the public’s attention.
Accordingly, he had many enemies. Fear and fascination, savage eyes paired with elegant demeanor—these had become his defining traits.
‘Whether it’s you or me, as unmarried men, showing up unexpectedly at a house with a daughter might be… a bit awkward, wouldn’t you say?’
‘But you… you’re clean, unlike me.’
In contrast, Russell was the exact opposite of Ian Lancaster.
While House Lancaster was symbolized by the wolf, House Bertrand’s emblem was the purple iris.
And Russell Bertrand himself was like a single pale violet orchid, delicately holding morning dew.
True to his family’s tradition—closer to the pen than the sword, favoring scholarship over martial arts—Russell Bertrand served in the Imperial Palace’s administrative division.
House Bertrand was an ancient and distinguished lineage whose members had served as the empire’s diplomatic representatives, ministers of finance, and masters of ceremonies.
Most of the family had earned fame as scholars and high-ranking officials. Those not involved in palace administration or diplomacy held key positions within the temple.
Everyone watched and cherished the pens of House Bertrand.
And among them, Russell Bertrand, who won universal affection, was beloved throughout the entire empire—there wasn’t a single place that didn’t welcome him.
‘Ian. That was for the sake of the nation.’
‘Even so, the fact that my hands are stained with blood won’t change.’
Thus, having accepted his friend’s request, Russell arrived at House Lindsey—its atmosphere warm, gentle, and brimming with the essence of a spring garden.
“Worth insisting on, indeed.”
Russell closed his eyes with a faint smile. Earl Lindsey had strangely rushed through the meal and then suggested a stroll, praising the lake’s scenery.
Though Russell had felt slightly annoyed at the time, now that he saw the view, he fully understood Earl Lindsey’s intentions.
Even before reaching the lakeside, the narrow path was as beautiful as a scene from a fairy tale.
Just then, a woman’s voice reached Russell’s ears.
“You stay here and prepare the picnic. I’ll go explore the surroundings a bit more.”
Golden hair shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight, blue eyes clearer than the sea—it was unmistakable. Truly, she resembled summer as much as her name suggested.
After Summer Lindsey left, the two maids began laying out a cloth on the grass and setting up a small table for the picnic. Russell quietly followed Summer Lindsey from behind.
The place Summer Lindsey reached was the lake—
the beautiful lake, pride of House Lindsey.
Ripples bloomed across the water’s surface, grass blades swayed softly in the breeze, modest flowers dotted the landscape, and the mingled scents of fresh grass and sweet blossoms filled the air.
And there was Summer Lindsey, barefoot, gently tapping the lake with her toes—a sight Russell would have immortalized in a painting if he had a canvas at hand.
“…What!”
Only when Summer Lindsey plucked the gems from her dress and, without hesitation, leaped into the lake did Russell snap out of his reverie.
No wonder Ian had been worried. How little time had passed since he’d stopped her from jumping off the spire?
Russell roughly tore off his outer coat and tie and plunged into the lake.
“….”
He couldn’t utter a word. Under the piercingly cold water, Summer Lindsey sank with her eyes closed and a smile on her lips—
as if she were happy.
The moment Russell stretched out his hand with all his might to grab her, Summer’s eyes fluttered open.
Blue lake, blue dress, blue eyes.
Everything in the world was awash in blue—yet her scattering golden hair revealed why she was named Summer.
The bubbles clouding his vision rose to the surface, and Russell Bertrand’s eyes met Summer’s.
Summer’s expression was that of someone who’d just encountered an uninvited guest.
The instant Duke Russell Bertrand laid eyes on Lady Summer Lindsey, he understood everything at once.
Ah. She jumped in on purpose.
She had no intention of staying alive in this world.
Otherwise, how could she possibly scowl upon seeing the very person who’d jumped in to save her?
And yet, he had no choice but to rescue her. Seeing someone die before his eyes, he couldn’t possibly hold back.
As Russell grabbed Summer and pulled her tightly against him, she fiercely resisted and shoved him away.
Ignoring her struggle, Russell swung his arms and surged toward the surface. Bubbles burst white and frothy above them.
He could feel Summer thrashing with all her strength, but the more she struggled, the tighter Russell held her.
The moment they broke the surface, Summer immediately coughed violently, spewing out water as if choking.
“Cough!”
“Why on earth would you try to kill yourself?”
“Ugh, cough!”
“….”
Instead of an answer came only the raw sound of retching. Seeing Summer heave, Russell let out a soft sigh.
Conversation was impossible. From the start, he’d had no intention of understanding someone who wanted to die—so of course, no conversation could happen.
He neither could nor wanted to understand the mind of someone intent on dying.
To understand them would be to betray his dear friend—whose heart had been torn to shreds by pain, whose life was held together only by suffering—
and Ian, who had collapsed before that woman’s selfish act of death?
Knowing full well that her actions would leave his own son utterly broken, that woman had done it anyway.
To Russell, understanding her was tantamount to betraying Ian.
Russell’s eyes grew cold as he looked at Summer.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
Hahaha what a stubborn male lead, leave her alone.
They’re always like this, thay think it is always about the male lead.