Chapter 57
“Is this what close seniors and juniors do?”
I suddenly realized why Ray was uncharacteristically impatient.
-I’m sorry, I didn’t know she was the commander’s girlfriend, it was rude of me…
-Not a girlfriend… Just close senior and junior…
The conversation I had with James at the Atelier flashed through my mind.
‘Could it be… is he upset because of what I said to James…?’
When I didn’t respond, Ray bit his tender lip again.
“Ah, huh…”
“Answer me. Daisy.”
I answered, breathing heavily from Ray’s continuous pressing.
“No… it’s not like that.”
Ray lifted his head to meet my gaze. His red lips were moist.
My reflection was vivid in his lazily unfocused red eyes.
I couldn’t bear the burning heat and dropped my head.
Then I buried my face in Ray’s shoulder.
Perhaps because of the aftertaste of a deep kiss. My breaths mixed uncontrollably and leaked out.
“Ha… I wanted to tell you…”
“Yeah.”
“Hu… That’s why I deliberately went to the place where we met again…”
“Yeah.”
“There were too many people… and I was too shy…”
“…”
“That’s why…”
I burrowed deeper into Ray’s broad chest, expressing my regret.
The real frustration, regret, and annoyance were mine.
Somehow, it felt like everything was going wrong all day.
Ray gently stroked my head and said,
“What should I do with you.”
“…”
“Time with you flies too quickly.”
“…Yeah.”
“The day is already over.”
I nodded while nestled in his embrace.
I completely agree with him.
Time with Ray flew by too cruelly fast.
“When will you say what you promised to say today?”
“Um…”
I swallowed hard inside.
I didn’t want to rush through the confession I had gathered the courage for.
I had thought about the atmosphere and what to say…
“I haven’t heard it yet.”
I stood up again to face Ray.
He firmly held my waist so I wouldn’t lose my balance.
“It’s already ruined today… Can I tell you tomorrow…?”
“I want to hear it today.”
Ray leaned in again and whispered in my ear with a kiss.
“Huh? There’s still a lot left of today.”
I gently stroked Ray’s head and said,
“Huh… I don’t want to do it in a rattling carriage…”
Ray kissed my lips briefly as if to silence me.
The two lips, moistly clinging together, separated with a sticky sound.
“Then, will you tell me tonight?”
“Huh? Tonight?”
Ray brushed my disheveled hair and said,
“Yeah. It seems we need to leave now. To keep your curfew.”
“If I go in, I can’t come out… How can we meet at night?”
“At night. Can I come to your house?”
“Huh? My house?”
Was he thinking of meeting my family already…?
But technically, we weren’t anything yet…
Isn’t that too soon?
Unlike my bewildered self, a pleasant smile hung on Ray’s lips.
Where did the chilly, cold gaze go?
Now, only eyes filled with affection existed before me.
Fortunately, it seemed Ray’s mood had slightly improved.
“But… how will you come in? If I secretly open the door… and Ray sneaks in… and we both sneak up the stairs…”
Suddenly, Ray laughed softly and said,
“Daisy. There’s an easier way.”
I tilted my head curiously, waiting for what he would say next.
“At exactly eleven o’clock. Can you close your eyes and count to ten?”
“Then, can I see Ray?”
Ray nodded as he cradled my cheeks with his large, thick hands.
“But, you must keep your eyes closed. And turn off all the lights.”
“Don’t tell me… are you teasing me?”
“Why would I tease you.”
I couldn’t guess Ray’s intentions.
The Carnelian mansion was quite strictly guarded.
No matter how much Ray tried, it wouldn’t be easy to bypass the security…
“But what if you get hurt…? I don’t want you to get hurt…”
“I won’t get hurt. So don’t worry.”
Ray gently stroked my cheeks as he spoke.
He seemed quite relaxed as he said that.
‘Yeah… It would be nice to see him during the day and at night.’
I decided to trust Ray.
“But, Ray. Listen.”
“Hmm?”
“It’s okay if we get caught, but don’t get hurt. Okay? That’s very important.”
“Yeah. I’ll keep that in mind. Don’t worry.”
I smiled at Ray.
I thought Ray’s mood had completely improved.
But his kisses continued until we arrived at the mansion.
* * *
“My lips are completely swollen.”
I sat in front of the mirror, touching my plump lips.
The crimson color of my lips was deeper than usual.
Suddenly, the moments in the carriage came to mind.
-Ha… Ray, stop now…suck…
-Just a little more. Okay?
Ray pressed on persistently until we arrived in front of the mansion.
When all strength left my body,
He laid me down and climbed on top of me. Then he continued to give deep kisses.
But I didn’t particularly want to push him away.
We mixed our breaths for a long while like that.
‘Ray… has a weird side where he goes off.’
Suddenly, the image of James giving a thumbs-up flashed before me.
I liked the affectionate Ray…
But this side of Ray…
“Not bad.”
In the mirror, I was smiling brightly.
I loved Ray’s tenderness, how he would occasionally act persistently, but then, as if nothing had happened, he would wipe my lips with his thumb and hold me tightly in his arms.
I also liked Ray when he was tender yet sometimes looked at me with a lazily unfocused gaze.
“Which one should I choose…….”
I faced a dilemma again. And so, I spent some time in a meaningless self-questioning.
“No, they’re both mine.”
Once the dilemma was resolved, a satisfied smile formed on my face.
Then, suddenly, a questionable point came to mind.
“It’s strange……. He said it was our first kiss……. but he’s too skilled…….”
Determined to ask him again, I pulled down the white negligee I was wearing to below my collarbones.
The marks he left were faintly spread over my soft, tender skin.
I gently stroked the red bruise with my fingertips.
The fact that his marks were still on my body somehow made me feel strange.
I pulled the negligee back up again. Then, I shifted my gaze to the clock on one wall.
The clock’s hands were pointing exactly at nine o’clock.
“There are still two more hours left…….”
But how exactly is Ray planning to come in?
Is he going to climb over the fence…….
I crossed my arms and fell into thought for a moment.
Suddenly, I envisioned Ray peeking in and knocking on the window.
“So……. cute.”
That was when I was feeling good thinking about Ray.
A purple diary on the table caught my eye.
“Haah……. I forgot about that.”
I let out a small sigh and sat down at the table.
Then, I picked up the purple diary and gently brushed its surface.
“What kind of XX thing could it be……. Where did that old lady who owned it disappear to?”
I closed my eyes and sighed deeply for a moment. Then, with determination, I turned the first page of the diary.
My fingertips were trembling slightly.
A fleeting image that I caught a glimpse of made me dizzy.
‘Do you like it?’
“Aaah!”
Startled, I dropped the diary as if throwing it.
The purple diary made a dull ‘thud’ as it fell under the table.
“What…, what is this…….”
The letters that had been completely gone until this afternoon were now clearly engraved again as if mocking me.
It was the same letters, in the same handwriting as yesterday.
Instantly, all the hairs on my body stood on end, and I got goosebumps.
“Am I……. really…… possessed by a ghost?”
I briskly rubbed my arms where goosebumps had formed.
The playful handwriting and tone were enough to spoil my mood.
“What exactly…… is this……?”
I tapped the table with a fountain pen while glaring at ‘Do you like it?’
“So. Is it a human’s doing, or a ghost’s doing……?”
But it doesn’t make sense for it to be done by a person…….
How could something that was engraved disappear and then reappear?
Right. It must be a misunderstanding. Some phenomenon, something like that.
It must be that.
“Yeah. It’s just a misunderstanding. I’ve been too stressed lately……. Yes, that must be it…….”
I turned to the next page to confirm that this strange incident was just a coincidence or a misunderstanding.
And then I wrote a short message.
‘Who are you?’
I stared intently at what I had written.
“Surely not. It can’t be.”
Strangely, a sense of déjà vu began to creep in.
That was when it happened.
On an empty page with no letters written on it, blood-red letters began to appear.
