LIGHTNOVELONLINE Walking the streets in broad daylight with Raymond was refreshingly new for Carynne, especially since they had only stayed in the mansion for the entire year prior.
And above all, an injured Raymond was extremely fresh. His beauty couldn’t be hidden by a mere eye patch.
However, if that accessory signified a real injury, it was a serious problem. Carynne kept glancing at Raymond with dissatisfaction. After leaving the jeweler’s, heading into a deserted alley, and ensuring they were alone, Raymond stopped.
“I hurried out and ended up getting hurt. The doctor said I don’t need to have it removed, but it’s still uncertain how much of my vision will recover.”
“To think you’re making mistakes now that you never did in your youth…”
“I’m still young.”
“That’s not the point… Ah, seriously.”
Frustrated, Carynne stomped on the ground. She didn’t want to berate Raymond any further, but her emotions spilled over into her actions. After stomping around with her newly purchased shoes, Raymond looked down and said,
“…I’ll be more careful in the future.”
“Have you been injured before?”
“Yes, when my memories first returned, I stepped on a landmine and was severely injured. So, this is nothing.”
Raymond intended to downplay the injury, but Carynne’s expression only grew darker. Before she could become more suspicious, Raymond reassured her again.
“Really, losing an eye is nothing.”
“It’s not nothing. I’ve died from a splinter leading to tetanus before.”
“Ah… yes, that happened.”
“And before dying, my vision narrowed and I got hurt over trivial things.”
“…It must have been painful.”
“Dying from tetanus was agonizing.”
“……”
Still, Raymond felt it was unfair. Accidents like these were unavoidable. Unlike the last time, where he emerged from a war zone unscathed, this time he failed.
The haste from his immediate return and the desire to leave quickly after reliving his past life might have contributed to the failure.
Perhaps, he thought, the plan failed last time because he was late, making him rush even more now.
Raymond hastened, and unforeseen variables led him into danger. Though he injured his eye, compared to the injuries from the shock of regaining his memories, it was minor.
As Carynne was unaware of the scale of Raymond’s past injuries, she found the current injury shocking. But for Raymond, Carynne’s readiness to die over such injuries was more shocking.
Carynne gave up looking at Raymond’s eye and finally said,
“Be careful.”
“I will.”
“See another doctor in the capital.”
“Yes.”
Eventually, Carynne ran out of things to say and, looking at Raymond disapprovingly, sighed and changed the subject.
“How did you know I was here?”
“…Actually, I came to buy Isella Evans a necklace.”
“I see.”
Raymond being here at this time wasn’t strange. Rushing a bit might have led to mistakes, but it wasn’t unusual for him to be here now. What was unusual was Carynne being here now, supposed to be in the Hare estate.
“Why are you here at this time?”
“I wanted to be friends with Isella Evans.”
“…….”
Carynne had to reconsider if she had made a mistake, seeing Raymond’s face harden into an expression of utter disbelief.
“What are you talking about…”
“Friends. With Isella Evans. You seem surprised. It’s not like I said something impossible.”
“Carynne, you often tell me my jokes aren’t very good, but yours are quite something too.”
Raymond groaned as if in pain.
“I wasn’t joking.”
Raymond was at a loss for words.
Carynne saw all sorts of expressions flash on Raymond’s face, one after another. Waiting for him to collect his thoughts, she observed as his gaze fell to the ground, then skyward, then to a wall, before finally settling back on her.
“Friend.”
“Yes.”
Raymond asked Carynne with a face that clearly couldn’t understand.
“Why do you need a friend now?”
Carynne looked at Raymond as if he had said something absurd. What was he talking about?
“Are you saying I should only look at you now?”
“Carynne, I have no one but you. And I don’t think you need anyone but me. Aren’t I enough?”
The look in Raymond’s eyes was indescribable. It was a look of jealousy or possessiveness… but different.
Carynne couldn’t understand why he made such a face. Why was Raymond looking at her like that?
“You’re being selfish. After enjoying everything by yourself.”
Raymond and Carynne were in different positions. While Carynne had to repeat her life for just a year, meeting the same people over and over, Raymond experienced whole lifetimes.
As Carynne stared hard at Raymond, he frowned.
“…That’s not what I meant.”
“After your advice last time, I tried staying confined in the mansion till the end. But it still failed. Is it so strange to want to live differently this time?”
“It wasn’t perfect last time either! Maybe this time, we could stay more perfectly just within the mansion.”
“Keep your voice down, Sir Raymond. This is a residential area. Is it so infuriating that I want to be friends with Isella?”
“Carynne!”
“Hush.”
Carynne raised a finger. Raymond breathed heavily, apparently shocked by his own loud voice. He exhaled deeply as her finger brushed against his lips.
Then, Carynne pulled Raymond closer. A slightly rough kiss followed. Both Carynne and Raymond’s emotions became intense.
After seeing Raymond’s eyepatch, Carynne thought—so, he intended to deal with Isella this time as well.
After they broke the kiss, Raymond asked Carynne.
“Why Isella Evans of all people? There are many ladies of good nature in the world who could be friends. Becoming friends with Miss Evans doesn’t seem like a good idea.”
“Isn’t there a saying, love thy enemy?”
“It’s not wise for a butcher to get attached to the livestock.”
He deliberately chose his words with malice. Carynne was taken aback by what Raymond said, but his expression remained unchanged.
“Miss Evans is the best bait to divert Verdic’s attention. I don’t want to look for another method now.”
“Didn’t you realize last time that my death and rebirth have nothing to do with Verdic?”
“That doesn’t change the fact that he’s your biggest threat. Carynne, stop thinking about him. This time, I’ll send you abroad. Meanwhile, I’ll keep Verdic out of the events related to you and look for another method.”
Raymond bit his lower lip.
“If you need a friend, I’ll select well-reputed ladies from society for you.”
“Is that how you made friends?”
“…I overstepped. I apologize. But choosing Miss Evans is unwise. For your safety.”
“I get it. But I want to try a different way this time, and I don’t want to give up on becoming friends with Isella. Other women are different from her. What’s the problem with wanting to get closer to the woman who’s been around me the longest? Will you continue to obstruct me if I want to persist?”
“…Haa.”
Raymond sighed as if the ground beneath him had caved in, but couldn’t persist further and raised his hand.
He really didn’t like it, but Raymond couldn’t break Carynne’s stubbornness. More than anything, the fact that he had insisted on his way last time and still failed made him lose his justification.
“…Alright.”
Raymond couldn’t imagine Carynne being friends with Isella. Carynne herself wouldn’t have thought of it from the start, it’s only until she had to die a hundred times that the idea came to her.
But still, she wanted to live that way this time.
Because she had made a promise.