Dry Drowning

Chapter 28

Neigh!

[T/N: Sound of horse… I couldn’t translate it any better (θ‿θ)]

The scene where a horse with its hooves hoofed with a loud cry was not as realistic as expected. His eyes widened as if he was strangled, and the scene where his nose suddenly flowed out in a hurry spread white into the air, seemed very slow.

But it was only for a short time.

Ian, who was hesitant about Kyle’s unexpected action, quickly left the scene the next moment.

To be precise, the expression of Bella on which Ian was riding, moving, was correct.

Bella quickly stepped back as if she knew this would happen, and quickly turned to the right and started running. Ian, who was finally learning how to make the horse walk slowly, grabbed the reins and straightened himself so as to not fall off.

Fortunately, it was only once, but he remembered riding a running horse. With his balance in control, he adjusted his waist as high as he could, in recoil, and heard a shriek from behind.

However, he couldn’t hear it well because of the distance that was far away.

“Hush…”

Because of her small size, she was quick, and when Ian finally came to his senses, he had already entered a place he had never seen before. Bella didn’t learn how to stop when running fast, so he pulled the reins moderately and made a slight breeze, and Bella, understanding him again, slowed down.

He seemed to understand why they assigned this horse to him. Ian looked around, recalling a little while ago that he had almost given him a ride rather than a drive. Judging from the location of the run, it was a place located on the west side of the mansion.

He had never been here before, so he knew nothing other than that there was an annex used by the knights.

Because the fountain was on the east side, he went around it to the training ground, and he never thought of going anywhere else.

Bella, who began to walk in various directions, sniffed as if she found something, and walked further inward. By now, it was time for Claude, who had come out on his horse, to argue with Kyle. He has never tried to understand it in particular, but for today, he wanted to dig into Kyle’s head. Or just like that fellow said, he would pull out strands of his hair, no, strand by strand of his hair.

Ian was moving inward to more and more unknown places, but soon Claude would pick him up. It was surrounded by walls on all sides anyway, so there was no need to get out of it. Thinking so, it was the moment when he slowly turned the corner. Ian blinked at the green garden that spread out in front of him out of sync with the season.

I’m sure it snowed last night.

It was a scene that overshadowed the sharp wind hitting his cheek and the snow piled up on the floor.

[T/N: It was as if that scene had covered the scene where the snow was piled up and the cold wind was blowing and overshadowed it as if all those were false. It is probably meant like that.]

“…….”

It was his first time to see plants with green leaves since he opened his eyes here.

It was not until he got a little closer that he realized that it was a glass-covered greenhouse, but the greenery was so strong that it seemed to be blooming through the snow from afar.

Ian did not bother Bella, who was familiar with finding her way in order to see if she had been here several times. Feeling the sound of her hooves getting more and more rough, he turned around and noticed that there were no footprints. The snowy field is just as clean as if no one has ever come near here. After going a little further inside, he finally reached what seemed to be the entrance. However, Ian, who grabbed the reins, had to narrow his forehead in wonder.

There was no door in the greenhouse.

It’s cold enough to take your breath away even standing still, and the entrance is wide enough for several adults to enter at the same time.

He tilted his head to see if the heating would work properly, but the plants that grew lushly toward the entrance were stretching out their fresh stems rather than freezing to death. As if there were any boundaries.

He wondered if he should go back, but Bella, who cried as if this was her destination in the first place, walked as it was. When he went through the high entrance, strangely enough, the surroundings became warm like a lie. As if this was the only space that is different, the air itself seems to have reversed the seasons.

And the place where Bella, who had been walking diligently, stopped was in front of a black horse grazing from the inside.

Ian came down from Bella’s back as they seemed to know each other, they ran excitedly and rubbed their faces against each other.

Glossy black mane with black stony eyes.

From the smooth muscles to the luxurious looking harnesses, the horses would all be the same, but Ian felt like he had seen it somewhere.

He took a step back and looked at the two of them rubbing their faces. The color difference is clear because there are no impurities mixed. Why were they grazing alone in a stable that wasn’t even a stable? Since he was not tied up anywhere, Ian slowly moved towards what seemed to be a black horse. It’s been a long time since he stepped on grass, not snow.

How far did you walk?

It was when Ian, who had become cramped in warm clothes, took his hand near his neck.

In a space full of green plants, he found an easel lying around and approached it a little closer.

[T/N: Ahem… guys… remember the first chapter?… the place where Ian killed himself… didn’t that place also have these stuffs for painting too?… Hmmm (￣ヘ￣;)]

As he walked slowly past the messy paints, broken glass palettes, and broken brushes on the floor, the last thing he saw was a badly torn canvas. The fabric was worn out as if it had been cut with a knife, so it was impossible to recognise what was drawn on it.

Someone draw pictures here?

Feeling nostalgic for some reason, he fumbled at the easel with his fingertips. When he bowed his head to the touch of the hardwood, there was something rattling at the end of his gaze.

“…..”

That’s a human hand.

Ian tilted his head when he saw his wrist lying next to a large tree and between the grass that grew as long as his knee. As he approached a few steps to see if it had been cut into pieces, he saw someone lying there.

Is it the owner of the horse near the entrance?

A face of a person, who seemed to be asleep, soon appeared before his eyes

It was a man.

The owner of this house, who had not been seen for more than a month.

After confirming that his eyes were closed as if dead, Ian moved a little closer. Like a snake hiding in the grass, the face sleeping in the shade didn’t seem to receive even a single ray of light.

He couldn’t even see his face when he was trying to look for it.

Ian, who bent his knees wondering if he had ever been in such a place, held his breath.

When Ian opened his neat eyelashes, he was happy to see his nice features again.

What kind of emotion is this?

[T/N: LOBE…(・∀・)]

When he lowered his head a little more amid the throbbing sound, Ian could only feel that he was breathing very weakly. It was such a fine breath that one cannot hear without concentration.

With a little restlessness, Ian looked at the man’s face for quite a while, barely holding back the fact that he was about to reach out.

Everything seemed unrealistic because it was a space where one could not hear any sound of the second hand of a clock or the cry of the wind.

It was weak, but it seemed like a dream that he was breathing like this, so he gave strength to his trembling fingers, and eventually decided to take a step back.

“I am just watching.”

Ian looked down, shifting his gaze to another place for a moment at the sound of the soft voice. As if he had been sleeping quietly, the man who was staring at him had just his eyes closed.

As if he had never slept.

“I thought you’d stretch your hand like you did back then.”

Ian, who suddenly came to his senses at the soft wind, took a step back. As the distance that was quite close increased, the man slowly blinked, and slowly raised his upper body. He wasn’t even stretching, but it was like an animal waking up from hibernation.

“It’s been a long time since I saw your face.”

When he turned his head, their eyes met.

The face that looked his way seemed as if a layer of kindness was overlaid on it.

“Looks good.”

And Ian was convinced by the following words. It wasn’t a coincidence that he had never encountered him before, it was the will of the man. Whether entering the Knights Templar or wandering around the fountain, Ian understood that he had sensed his purpose, every moment he nodded to accompany him on the expedition.

[T/N: Ok, so for those who are confused, Ian’s current purpose is to not let the Archduke die. Ian suddenly felt that he didn’t want Archduke to die because of something. (Which I think is the past, in the past life, Ian killed Logan, who was probably his lover, so in this life he doesn’t want him to die.)]

Then, how did you interpret it?

[T/N: Ian is asking how Logan interpreted his purpose.]

It was a fact that no one knew that he had come from another place and had lost his memory. Maybe he thinks he’s a fool who fell in love with the archduke of the enemy country at first sight. It was the most appropriate answer to explain Ian’s behavior.

But in reality, it was a little different. As time went by, Ian looked up, holding the things that stood out.

Rather than being excited, it was an emotion that made his heart sink.

Unnamed emotions were tangled together, creating a stench.

“…..”

Why did I die?

As he recalled the night when he lay on his back in bed and asked himself, his mind became cold. One more sentence followed the question, and Ian stared at the man who was still looking at him.

Why did I kill you?

I don’t want to die, I don’t want to see you get hurt, and I feel so nostalgic when I meet you.

ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ

T/N: Woah… we got to see Logan agiannnn YAYYY, after a loooong time.(θ‿θ)