TMIAP Chapter 17

In the end, Monica emerged from the dressmaker's shop with four outfits in hand. That is to say, the boxes containing the dresses were actually carried by Luis.

By the time Monica came to her senses, she was already seated in a coffee house at the corner of the commercial district. Monica glared at Luis sitting across from her. Luis grinned, his eyes crinkling.

"My dear, if you look at me like that..."

"Luis, what's in that package beside you?"

"...A beautiful purple dress I bought on the condition that I wouldn't call my adorable Moni-moni 'my love'!"

Monica pressed her hand to her forehead. She'd forbidden both Moni and "my love," and now he'd come up with "adorable Moni-moni." Luis maintained his smile as he offered her tea.

"Black tea with milk is quite effective for headaches."

She found herself accepting and drinking it before she could think, which only made her feel more pathetic.

"You could have just pretended to be a friend from the start. 'My love,' honestly."

When they'd left the shop, the clerk had waved at them, calling out, "When you two get married, please have your wedding dress made at our shop!"

They must have looked exactly like a couple on the verge of matrimony.

But Luis strongly objected to Monica's words.

"What nonsense. No gentleman buys clothes for a lady who is merely a friend. If we'd said we were just acquaintances, they would have looked at us even more strangely."

"I wouldn't have cared if they looked at us strangely."

"But then we wouldn't have seen the good merchandise. The clerk's service would have been mediocre at best."

If it had been just a gift for a friend, they wouldn't have brought out quality goods.

'But that's exactly what I wanted!'

Monica glared at Luis with a dissatisfied expression. Luis wagged his finger a few times and shook his head. And so Monica could only mutter a complaint.

"I'm definitely going to pay you back for this."

"Oh, don't worry about that sort of thing. Moni-moni."

"Moni-moni...!"

Luis went even further.

"What do you think of that lady's hat over there? If you won't let me call you Moni-moni, shall we go buy a hat with abundant feathers this time?"

"Luis?"

Knock it off. Those two syllables of his name carried a clear meaning, and Luis propped his chin on his hand and curved his lips upward. It meant he'd stop.

"Understand, please. I grew up with three older sisters. Until I was six years old, my sisters thought I was a girl and dressed me in dresses."

"Oh my."

Monica's eyes widened at the unexpected revelation.

"You must have been adorable."

"Well, not particularly..."

"Why not? You're such a handsome man even now."

"Ah—ha."

Luis didn't really respond to Monica's compliment, drawing out his answer instead. It seemed to be a topic he didn't particularly want to discuss.

"In any case, even as I grew older, I enjoyed choosing dresses with my sisters. The third sister was the most particular, but I was always the one who selected the perfect dresses for all of them."

"So that's why you knew about all those fabrics I'd never heard of."

"That's because Moni-moni is too ignorant."

Monica pursed her lips.

"I was too busy surviving. Not knowing whether the linen I'm wearing is 10-count or 20-count doesn't really interfere with life."

"That's true."

Monica's eyes widened, having expected some throwaway response like "what a waste, when you're so pretty." Luis shrugged.

"No matter how splendid the clothes you wear, if the wound on your body is festering, none of that matters."

"Ah."

"And even if Moni-moni doesn't know, I—no, it's fine."

Here we go again. Monica narrowed her eyes and changed the subject. It had been on her mind for a while now.

"Are you a doctor?"

"Well, more precisely, I'm a medical student."

"A medical student?"

Luis smiled thinly. Monica instinctively sensed that this, too, was something he didn't particularly want to discuss.

But it was interesting. Besides, he'd brought it up first. Luis, noticing that Monica was quite curious, opened his mouth.

"I was attending university when I was conscripted."

"Ah."

"And then the war ended."

She didn't need to ask why he hadn't returned to university. He must not have wanted to. Instead of prying into the reasons, Monica smiled wryly.

"We're similar then."

"Was Monica also a medical student?"

"No, I wanted to enroll."

Luis listened to Monica's story with interest. His manner was so gentle and warm that Monica found herself able to speak about having been in an orphanage far more casually than she'd expected.

As she told him about wanting to leave the orphanage and attend a women's college, and how when she returned from the war the university no longer existed, Monica realized something. Luis Berfeil. This man she'd met only twice was remarkably easy to talk to.

'Come to think of it, Garcia too...'

Garcia. That man with the same face as Luis had been similar in a way. Not easy to talk to, but rather, well... how to put it.

'He just tears down all pretense and propriety...'

Thinking back on it now, she felt dizzy remembering how rudely she'd behaved.

If Madame Mollette had seen her with disheveled hair bickering with Garcia, she would have been fired on the spot. Monica giggled at the thought. Luis tilted his head.

"Monica?"

"Oh, sorry. Where were we?"

"You were telling me about being proposed to at the hospital?"

Luis winked one eye. Monica, who had been lost in thought for a moment, felt her face flush hot. His looks were far too dangerous to let her guard down around. Just then, Luis pulled out his watch and made a troubled face.

"Oh dear, look at the time."

It seemed it was already time for him to return.

"I'd like to stay longer with Moni-moni..."

"Luis!"

When Monica snapped at him, Luis played innocent. They hadn't been together that long, but it felt like they'd become quite close.

Four dresses were certainly not something a woman could carry alone. The dressmaker's shop had offered to call a porter, but Monica had shaken her head, reluctant to pay for one.

But seeing Luis carrying them, she couldn't bring herself to take them from him. Eventually, the two went to the alley in the commercial district where porters gathered and handed over the luggage.

"8 Blue Seagull Street, the large white mansion. For Monica Orphen."

As Monica said this and wrote down the address on paper, Luis frowned. Monica noticed his expression belatedly and asked, "What's wrong?" but Luis shook his head.

"It's nothing."

Monica blinked a few times, but Luis didn't elaborate. Not even as they left the porters' office and walked quite a distance through the commercial district.

That was when it happened.

"Wait."

Having seen something, Luis quickly grabbed her and turned around. Monica called out to him in surprise.

"Luis?"

"Just a moment."

He pulled Monica into the shadows between the commercial district buildings, as if seeking refuge. The space between buildings was extremely narrow, evidence of efforts to build shops as wide as possible in the tight street.

Monica was about to call out to him in confusion when something caught her eye behind his large frame blocking her way.

"..."

"..."

Several people emerged in a group from a yellow brick building. One of them looked familiar. It was Riella. Monica swallowed involuntarily. The building appeared to be another dressmaker's shop, as two clerks were bowing deeply to her.

A woman who looked like a noblewoman held Riella's hand and saw her off, and Riella smiled gracefully. Several other young ladies stood beside Riella as well. Probably aristocratic young ladies like Riella herself.

"I have a brief errand in town this afternoon..."

Monica remembered Riella saying that. This must have been that outing. Soon after, a carriage arrived in front of the shop. The young ladies boarded it together and departed.

Monica suddenly looked up at Luis. Luis, who was blocking her view, had turned his head and was watching the carriage with sharp eyes until everyone left.

Though she'd felt so comfortable with him just moments before, the man standing silent and watching that direction seemed like an entirely different person.

'That right eye of his...'

Monica stopped that train of thought and spoke up.

"Um, Luis?"

"Mm?"

"What's going on?"

"...What?"

Only then did Luis show signs of confusion, as if just realizing he needed to explain the situation to Monica. But he didn't seem to have any excuses ready.

"Well, that is..."

In the end, Monica decided to help Luis a little.

"Did you have a lover there or something?"

"...What?"

"I understand. I knew from the second time we met, when you started with 'my dear' this and that. That you're a rake."

She deliberately shot him a sharp look. Only then did Luis let out an awkward laugh.

"It's not like that, but..."

"Don't lie. I knew it. Honestly."

Though his cold expression was replaced by a bright smile, it was already too late. Monica shrugged and stepped out from the building's shadow. The strength had long since left the strong arm that had blocked her earlier. Luis trudged after her.

"Even if your lover questioned you, I have enough wit to back up your story that we're just friends."

"No, really, it's not..."

Luis, who had been about to make excuses, smiled as if giving up.

"You caught me."

He really does seem good at lying, so why can't he manage this particular lie? But Monica didn't feel like pressing him insistently about it either. She pointed at a road that had appeared just in time.

"I should head back now."

"Ah, I see."

Luis answered awkwardly. Monica clasped her hands behind her back and grinned.

"We'll see each other again."

It was the greeting Luis had given when they first met. Luis blinked a few times in surprise, then finally relaxed his facial muscles and smiled.

"You're letting me know what I was curious about. As expected of the clever Moni-moni..."

"...call me that and you'll never see me again."

Monica raised her eyebrows with mock severity.

"Give my regards to that scoundrel too. Tell him not to do anything dangerous."

"You mean Garcia. That's more concern than Garcia deserves."

"I'm curious about something."

Monica took a step back and asked.

"Is Garcia's surname Berfeil too?"

Luis didn't give a definitive answer.

"That doesn't seem like something I should answer."

"...Do you have different surnames?"

"That as well."

Luis gave the same elaborate bow Monica had seen once before. It meant it was time to part. Monica nodded and turned to walk away.

The man watched for quite some time as her neatly tied black hair fluttered in the salty sea breeze. The woman never once looked back as she walked.

"We'll see each other again."

Luis had readily talked about his sisters and being a medical student, yet hadn't let slip anything about where in La Spezia he lived or what he was currently doing.

It was only natural. Luis was someone who "wasn't" here.

And Monica, too, had probably already guessed that Luis had little intention of seeing her again.

Nevertheless, Monica had said those words. That they'd see each other again.

If it had been anyone else, Luis would have been appalled. But strangely enough, he was surprisingly grateful that Monica had said it.

"Monica."

Luis scratched his chin.

"But still, it would be best if we don't meet again."

His voice was too small for the woman to hear.