"You were brave," Damian remarked.
His words made Eilika lift her head and look at him, slightly surprised by the sincerity in his voice.
"Most children would have frozen in fear in such a situation," he continued thoughtfully. "But you didn’t hesitate. You didn’t even think about your own safety. You stepped forward to protect your father. That kind of courage is rare... especially in soone so young. It is truly admirable."
For a brief mont, Eilika simply looked at him, absorbing what he had said.
"Thank you for saying that," she replied softly, though her voice carried a trace of sadness. She turned her head away, her gaze drifting toward the quiet surface of the pond. "No one has ever admired for that."
Her fingers brushed lightly against the side of her gown.
"Instead, they blad for it," she continued. "They said I should have stayed out of the way, that I should not have interfered."
Her hand moved unconsciously to her cheek, where the faint scar rested.
"After the scar appeared, things only beca worse. n who ca to see lost interest the mont they noticed it. To them, it was not bravery they saw... only a flaw." She gave a faint, bitter smile. "They believed it was a defect."
Damian studied her quietly.
"Do you believe it is your defect?" he asked.
Eilika hesitated before answering.
"Sotis," she admitted.
"You should never think that way about yourself," Damian said firmly.
She sighed softly.
"When those thoughts beco too overwhelming, it becos difficult not to think like that," she said honestly.
Damian tilted his head slightly as he looked at her.
"Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder," he said calmly. "When I first saw you, your scar did not even catch my attention."
Eilika looked at him again.
"It was you who assud that I avoided you because of it," he continued. "You judged yourself far more harshly than anyone else did."
He paused before adding, "So you must stop thinking of yourself in that way, Eilika."
She nodded slowly.
"I will try to rember that," she said. "To be honest, the people around here are far kinder than those I lived among before."
Her voice softened as mories surfaced.
"Even my mother-in-law has never once ntioned my scar," she said. "But in my previous ho... it was sothing I was reminded of every single day."
Damian’s expression hardened slightly.
"If anyone ever tries to dean you for this insignificant scar," he said firmly, "you should tell ."
Eilika looked at him thoughtfully before speaking again.
"May I ask you sothing?"
Their eyes t almost instantly.
"Yes," he permitted.
She hesitated briefly.
"Does Liliana appear in your dreams?" she asked carefully. "Last night you said that she wanted to stay away from you."
Her gaze remained steady.
"I assud that perhaps you ant she visits you in your dreams... and says such things."
Damian pressed his teeth against his lower lip, a rare crack in his usual composure. It was the first ti Eilika had seen the Duke look uneasy.
"Is it difficult to speak about it?" she asked gently.
"When we lose soone we love, it becos very difficult to detach ourselves from their mory," she continued softly. "We wish they were still alive... even when we know they are not."
Her eyes lowered slightly.
"I used to wish the sa about my mother," she admitted. "I always hoped she would live as long as other mothers did... but she did not."
She looked back at him.
"For their sake, we must continue moving forward," she said quietly. "Perhaps my advice may not suit you... But you should not punish yourself forever."
As she spoke, Eilika lowered herself onto her knees beside the pond, carefully gathering the folds of her gown around her. She dipped her fingers into the cool water.
Soft ripples spread across the pond’s surface.
"Look at this," she said gently. "The ripples disturb the stillness of the water... but after so ti, it becos calm again."
Her fingers moved lightly through the water.
"My teacher once told we should learn to be like water," she continued. "Life will disturb our peace again and again, but eventually we must find our calm once more."
After a mont of silence, Damian finally spoke.
"Liliana was a childhood friend of mine," he said quietly. "She ca from a very simple family."
His gaze drifted sowhere far away, as though he were looking into the past.
"The ti I spent with her... cannot simply be erased."
Eilika slowly stood up and looked at him.
"Let us not speak further about my late wife," Damian added, his voice tightening slightly. "Those mories only bring pain."
"Forgive ," Eilika said imdiately.
Then, without thinking too much about it, she reached forward and gently took his hands.
Damian frowned slightly in confusion. "What are you doing?" he asked, clearly puzzled by the gesture.
Eilika looked at him earnestly.
"Can we be friends, Damian?" she asked.
"I never had a friend back in my ho," she continued. "You already know the reason for that."
Damian studied her face for a mont.
"I may not be a good friend to you," he said.
"How can you say that with such certainty?" Eilika replied with a small smile. "Friendship does not require grand gestures. We only need to take one step at a ti."
She tightened her hold slightly before releasing his hands.
"I am not asking for anything big from you," she said. "Just friendship."
Damian remained silent for a few seconds, considering her words.
Finally, he nodded.
"Alright."
At that very mont, a cool breeze swept across the pond. Along with it ca a soft shower of pale petals drifting through the air.
One of them floated toward Eilika.
She caught the petal gently in her hand and looked toward the pear blossom tree standing on the other side of the pond. A soft smile appeared on her face.
Then she turned and began walking back toward the cottage.
Damian watched her for a mont before quietly following behind.
As they walked, Eilika suddenly rembered sothing.
"I forgot to ask earlier," she said, glancing at him. "When will we send these boys back to their families?"
Damian’s expression grew serious again.
"We will do that once the entire operation is completed," he replied. "After we uncover who is truly behind all of this."
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