99th Actress Chapter 13

Chapter 13. Date

Arriving at the accommodation, Lian was carefully organizing the threads she had purchased. Taking out her things one by one, she arranged and placed them away.

As she was tidying up, a hairpin and ring caught her eye. While Lian was adjusting the ring, she remembered today’s events and smiled without realizing it.

After eating the different food for the first time, his eyes shone brightly. He has a strong appearance and rough hands like a man trained in martial arts. However, despite looking at the cheap gemstone ring expressionlessly, Lepierre was pleased.

Taking out her materials suddenly, she started making the handkerchief. As she sat there, she sewed for as long as three hours to complete his handkerchief. Made with the blue linen, the letter ‘L’ was beautifully embroidered on the edge.

She looked at the handkerchief for a long time, and as if she didn’t feel like handing it over, she immediately put it deep in her drawer.

***

That day was Lian’s birthday.

From the beginning, she didn’t attach much importance to her birthday. She had never celebrated being born before, and she didn’t think it was something worth celebrating. So she thought it was just like any other ordinary day.

“Today is your birthday…?”

During breakfast, Lepierre pretended not to know and started talking. Lian answered with surprised eyes, munching on one side of her cheek.

“What? How did you know that…”

“It’s all on this document.”

The fluttering paper Lepierre was holding was Lian’s resume. It seemed like he checked it whilst looking at the other documents. 

“It’s just a day, well…. Thank you for remembering, though, Duke.”

Lian took a sip of milk tea in front of her and thanked him.

“Yes. Tell me if you wish for something. I’ll give it in honor of your hard work.”

The way he spoke was as if he was being generous. Lepierre was expecting that Lian would naturally ask for material things such as incentives and valuables.

She even had a side job. Hence, he thought it would be natural that she would request for money. Nonetheless, he was willing to grant it.

“You don’t have to… well… then…….” 

She seemed to be pondering, but an unexpected answer popped out of Lian’s mouth.

“I want to ride a boat!”

Lian had never been on a boat. When she lived in the Republic of Korea, she didn’t have the time and money to enjoy it, nor did she have any family or friends to be with. Sometimes, she had the vague question of what it felt like to be floating on the water when she watched it on TV.

The curiosity that had settled in her mind was glorified and became like an imaginary unicorn to Lian.

So when she heard what he said, a boat came to her mind. It was her wish to take a boat ride, even though she had just received a tremendous offer.

“Let’s go.”

There was no reason to hesitate; Lepierre stood up immediately, ready.

“Now?”

“Isn’t today your birthday?”

“Yes…!”

They changed their clothes and went straight to their destination. They arrived in a carriage at a port an hour away.

There were many ships anchored there, meanwhile, ships with the black lion symbolizing Arden were continuously connected. There were also a wide variety of types, including ships, ferries, cruise ships, and more.

In addition, Lian, who had seen the glorious emerald-colored sea for the first time in her life, couldn’t keep her mouth shut. It was more lively than she thought.

With the calm waves of the sea, the vibrant scenery of the people was so beautiful.

They were going to take the biggest and most splendid ship of all. From the moment she entered the ship, her jaw dropped at the spectacular view. It looked as if they had moved a mansion so that she could live here.

A water column shot up over a beautiful fountain, creating a beautiful view. It was at this moment she realized Lepierre’s wealth once again. 

Grabbing Lian’s hand, he pulled her as they climbed the deck after passing through a beautiful hall. Her heart pounded with sudden touch. Of course, he held her because he was afraid of her getting hurt while climbing the stairs. However, she felt that it was a pity as their hands were let go.

Lian was walking around in the cool breeze, leaving her disappointment behind. The cold wind and the smell of the salty sea were refreshing, so she laughed naturally.

“Look over there, Duke!”

Her fingers pointed to another island. Colorful buildings were built in the form of stairs, boasting a unique style. There were a lot of new things. Lian felt refreshed. 

From laughing loudly and throwing snacks at the seagull like a child to looking through the telescope and shouting out loud. She was literally enjoying this moment properly. Lepierre’s eyes were shining affectionately as he watched her.

Lian, who was playing and chattering like that, looked at Lepierre next to her. Looking at his sculptural face, her heart started beating again. She started to become worried about her heart beating so fast. To the point, she suspected if she had arrhythmia.

It was inevitable because it was very difficult to maintain composure while looking at that handsome face. Furthermore, contrary to rumors, he had a fairly friendly side. Hence, when she faced him, she had no choice but to control her heart’s constant fluctuations.

‘The Duke will like the heroine who appears later…….’

She was just an extra passing by, and she knew that these feelings would make things hard. So Lian tried to ignore them.

Before she knew it, Lepierre had come to her side. The sunlight shimmering and the waves crashing were captured in Lepierre’s beautiful silver eyes. Lian looked at the sight with internal admiration. 

She spoke with sincerity, “Thank you very much for allowing me to experience something I will never forget, Duke.”

Lian said with a pretty smile. Lepierre, with his soft eyes shining, put his hand over her head and patted it.

“Hmm…. In the future, whenever you want… I’ll make sure we can come anytime.”

For some reason, she felt like he was talking into space without making eye contact. Maybe it’s because of her mood, but her ears seem to be turning red. After a while, he took out a small box from his pocket and handed it to Lian.

“What is this…?”

“I bought it on the way….”

Perhaps “I bought it up on the way” is a classic method. Lian, who received the box, carefully opened it. It contained a butterfly-shaped hairpin with a pretty cubic inside. It looked similar to the hairpin she bought from her recent outing but it seemed much more luxurious and valuable.

It was a world-wide difference from her cheap hairpin. At that moment, she wondered if something was different in it. Lian immediately closed the lid and put the box back out to Lepierre.

“It’s enough to have had such a good experience. I can’t take anything this expensive.”

Lian returned the luxurious red box in her hands to Lepierre.

He was puzzled. He prepared it in secret. They were limited edition accessories crafted with diamonds that any woman would like.

Lepierre had no idea what the problem was, so he asked her again.

“I can’t wear something like this. If I carry something this expensive….”

“Why can’t you accept it…?”

“Yes…? That… that’s obvious…”

“I’m not going to work here forever, and I’m going to quit one day. I mean, I can’t just work forever. And… maybe… maybe someday… I’ll get married.”

“Is that so… I didn’t think of that…. This is useless to me anyway, so it’s okay if you don’t give it back. If you really don’t need it, you can throw it away.”

He carried the red box back into Lian’s hands and left into the place. Lian followed him with a mysterious look on her face.

Lepierre was sitting in the guest room and his expression was noticeably stiff. The imagination of Lian leaving. Just that imagination felt like his heart was pounding. It felt like his heart was strangely empty.

Getting married to someone else…? He even felt a murderous desire to find him and rip his limbs off right away.

She, who could walk on her own… was ‘his’.

For a moment, Lepierre’s eyes were shining dangerously.

***

Today was the day of the martial arts competition of the new generations.

Lian was on her way out of the Duke’s residence early in the morning.

Inside the carriage, Lepierre’s handsome face looked a little tired, perhaps because he didn’t sleep well. Lifting the kettle over the teacup, she poured some tea into it, and then offered it to Lepierre.

“It is a good tea for recovering from fatigue, Duke. Try it.”

Lepierre, who accepted it without saying anything, was sipping the tea, and Lian unknowingly watched him blankly. He caught her attention so much that she wondered if he would become more handsome tomorrow than today.