Is the Friend of a Friend a Stranger? - Chapter 38.1

Heston’s hand froze.

But he wasn’t an insensible bastard who didn’t understand gratitude. He quickly nodded and informed her of Owen’s condition.

“He’s fine. The priest even came and helped with his treatment, so he’ll wake up soon. All his wounds have healed.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s a relief. If something had happened to Owen, I wouldn’t be able to endure it.”

“So Owen saved your life, too.”

“Exactly. Now I understand why you said Owen is such a good person.”

“That’s right. He’s a good person. Such people are rare.”

“Exactly.”

Sylvia soon covered herself with the blanket and told him how Owen was both reckless and responsible when he saved her. Feeling that she was really back when he saw her speaking like that, Heston buried his face in her hand like a puppy, relieved.

Sylvia, who had been quietly fixing Heston’s hair like a habit, was embarrassed when she began to feel something wet in her hands. She tried to take a look at Heston’s face, which was covered by his hair as he was on his knee with his head lowered.

“Heston, Heston. Are you crying? Don’t cry. What’s wrong?”

But even with those efforts, she could only see part of Heston’s reddened cheekbones. He put his elbows up on the bed like he was praying until his heart calmed down, and then buried his head in Sylvia’s hands. Her hands turned white as he held them tightly.

Sylvia softly called his name.

“Heston.”

His shoulders flinched. His appearance overlapped with that of his childhood.

When Rosaline was stuck in bed and moving between life and death when they were young, the duchess burst into tears and took her youngest daughter’s hand, begging the doctor and priest to do something. Although she even fainted, Heston only watched the whole thing from the bedside, with an expressionless look on his face.

When Sylvia was led by her mother’s hand and saw the scene for the first time, she thought that he really had no flaws even at such a young age, as expected from the first son who would inherit the title.

However, the day the large dog she was playing with in the living room on the first floor suddenly ran out the open door and Sylvia chased it, she found Heston crying next to a bush, with his arms wrapped around his knees, for the first time. He was someone who hid his feelings in front of people and only let them out when he was alone.

‘Well, that’s a stupid habit. You can’t even be comforted by anyone if no one knows about it.’

Heston looked up as Sylvia crossed her arms and said something. ‘What’s the point of being comforted?’ His grim thoughts as he looked up, wiping his tears roughly, seemed obvious.

But he was uncompromising and even at that moment, he said, ‘I’m sorry for my indecent behavior,’ and tried to get up. Sylvia didn’t make a single unpleasant sound even as she grabbed his arm tightly and sat him down again, stubbornly.

Sylvia put her arms around his shoulders and hugged him.

‘Cry.’

And said that, confidently. At that time, Sylvia was an embarrassingly confident child. Even tapping Heston’s awkwardly stiff shoulders.

‘If you cry like this, it will be alright.’

However, Heston, who already had tears in his eyes, did not cry as Sylvia asked. Even so, he did not embarrassingly shake her off or make a fuss about it. He was just awkwardly held in her arms, and then got up when a voice called out to him and disappeared to carry out the task.

It was a story that would have ended there if Sylvia had just given up, but every time Heston cried since then, Sylvia appeared next to him. Heston was able to cry even with Sylvia by his side after this was repeated for about a month. Then, as more time passed, he cried only at her side. It was an achievement accomplished by Sylvia’s persistent patience.

“Heston, don’t cry.”

It was probably the same this time.

She could imagine Heston, acting calmly in front of others the whole time during her disappearance. She was sure he would have endured it like an idiot, holding back and calming down his feelings. But now that he was crumbling in front of her again, what could Sylvia do? She hadn’t forgotten in the least that he was engaged to another woman, but she couldn’t help but wrap her arms around his shoulders.

Heston let go of her hand, and this time, he tightened his arms around her.

‘I thought I’d lost you.’ Although he didn’t say a word, Sylvia could guess his fear.

“Sylvia.”

Just then, Heston called out to her in a serious voice. She nodded obediently, then looked up to meet his eyes, red from crying.

“I have something to tell you. I kept regretting it while you were gone. I’m actually…”

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