MPO

CHAPTER LXXlll-74

Leila felt as if he was offering an apology. Although she didn’t think he had any reason to apologize to her.

She still didn’t understand why he had proposed to her, but as she was indebted to this household, she couldn’t continue to show disrespect to its master.

“Yes, let’s go out.”

“…Alright.”

Her positive response made Lucas feel as if the heavy weight that had been suffocating him for days was finally lifted. He approached her as he had before and wrapped his arm around her waist. He noticed her slight trembling but pretended not to. It had been so long since he had felt her presence.

“I can’t believe I never thought of taking a walk all this time.”

He muttered to himself, recalling Philip’s suggestion. Leila wanted to respond by saying that no one would think of taking a walk with a blind person.

Regardless, the idea of going outside wasn’t unpleasant. Recently, she had been tormented by negative thoughts. She had sent Anna away because she knew her own end was near.

She had anticipated that Sarah would send her to a terrible place long before she came of age. She didn’t know how bad it would be, but Count Wagner was indeed one of the worst.

She had planned to take her own life rather than face humiliation in such a place. There were plenty of ways to die without much thought. The only reason she hadn’t died first was because of Anna.

Indeed, her stepmother seemed to understand her very well. Anna was her shackle, a shackle that gave her hope to live, different from typical shackles.

“What are you thinking about so deeply? We’re already outside.”

Lost in thought as she descended the stairs, she realized they were outside upon hearing his words. She had questioned the need to go out while in her room, but once outside, the air felt completely different.

“…I smell roses.”

“It’s the place where my mother tended her roses diligently. It’s the most beautiful spot in our family garden. With various breeds, the fragrance lasts from late spring to late summer.”

As he said, the scent of roses was overwhelming. Leila unconsciously twitched her nose, savoring the fragrance. Lucas watched her with a quiet smile.

She moved as he led her.

“From here, the stones will disappear. My mother loved to walk directly on the grass.”

“Ah…”

The feel of the grass under her feet felt unfamiliar. Living mostly indoors, she had almost forgotten how soft grass could be. This brought back memories from before she lost her sight.

“I used to ride horses a lot. When I was very young, I loved running across the plains on a pony my mother gave me. It was so exhilarating.”

“You liked horse riding.”

“Yes, my mother loved it too, so I naturally picked it up. The pony quickly grew into a horse. It felt like growing up with a friend, and I loved her…”

“What was its name?”

“Hmm, she was a mare with slightly reddish ends on her mane, so I named her Rose. There are limits to the names you can think of when you’re young.”

“Haha, your naming sense isn’t much different from mine. I named mine after a figure from mythology.”

“Which one?”