Luca had drunk from the bottle earlier…


    Luca saw that Luke had gulped down more than half of the water in his bottle. She could tell that he


    was thirsty and tired. She thought for a while and said, “Mr. Crawford, I mixed some glucose in my


    bottle. Do you want to drink from this?”


    Luke looked at her and said nothing.


    “But I already drank from it. It’s okay if you mind it…” Luca thought he did not want to drink from the


    same bottle as her. When she was about to keep it in her backpack, Luke opened his mouth.


    “You should save it for yourself,” he said.


    He thought that Luca needed more nourishment than him because she was hurt. They only had two


    bottles of drinkable water between them, and looking at the heavy rain outside, they might have to


    spend the night there.


    That was why Luke did not want to take the bottle from her.


    “Alright then…” Luca thought that he was disgusted by the offer. She did not say anything and put the


    bottle back into her backpack.


    The strong wind continued to blow. Luca felt that her tracksuit was already dry, but the undershirt…


    The undershirt was not going to dry. The contrast between dry and wet made it more ufortable


    than ever.


    Luca had the urge to remove her undershirt, but they were outdoors, and Luke was watching…


    She had to bear with it.


    The sky continued to darken. The light in the gazebo and along the mountain path gradually lit up. Luca


    felt forlorn when she looked at the lights.


    Fog began to rise, and visibility was low. The lights in the distance were but a dim blur.


    She could only hear the sounds of wind and rain.


    Luke did not say anything. She did not say anything either.


    Luca wondered how people in ancient times passed their time. The people who knew how to read


    could read some books, but what about themon folk? Did they turn off the lights and go to bed


    once the sky grew dark?


    She looked at Luke. There was nothing in the gazebo to entertain them, and she could not find any


    conversation topic. It was as though they were in two different dimensions.


    They were so close to each other, yet so far…


    Luke could sense Luca looking at her. He turned his head to look at her.


    Luca was surprised. She quickly turned away.


    However, it was toote. Luke could tell that she had been looking at him. Earlier in the afternoon, they


    stopped talking to each other after Luke refused Luca’s offer of a drink.


    He wondered if she misunderstood her.


    Suddenly, he remembered that he would not drink from a bottle that someone else had drunk from.


    Bianca was the only exception.


    When Luca offered him her drink, he refused the offer not because he was disgusted by her germs, but


    because he thought she needed it more than he did.


    Luke sensed that he did not really mind sharing the same bottle with Luca.


    ‘Why is it like this…’


    He realized that, given another set of circumstances, he would take the bottle from Luca and drink from


    it without any resistance…


    Luke was quite surprised by that thought. It had only been a few months since he started interacting


    with Luca, but he had fully epted her presence in his life!


    He could not believe it…


    Luke gazed at Luca intently, thinking and pondering what she had done to make him ept her so


    readily.


    Was it because her eyes were like Bianca’s, or was it her voice?


    He immediately rejected that thought. If that were the case, the impostor Bianca looked exactly alike.


    However, he had never once cared for the impostor in three years.


    Was it because her cooking tasted like Bianca’s, and that had made him ept her?


    Luke could not find the answer. Suddenly, he asked, “Can you sing?”


    Luca was taken aback. ‘Wait, is he talking to me? Did he just ask me if I can sing?’


    She turned around to look at the man. From the dim light cast on Luke’s face, she could see that he


    was focusing on something.


    Had he been looking at her with that gaze?


    What could he be thinking when he gazed at her?


    “Can you sing?” Luke asked again. He remembered that Bianca had a gentle and clear voice, and he


    loved her singing.


    “I can’t.” This time, Luca heard the question clearly. She did not hallucinate.


    “Sing something for me,” Luke said, as though he did not hear her reply.


    “…” Luca was speechless.


    Luke continued to stare at her. “You grew up in Russia. You should know some Russian folk songs,


    right?”


    Luca nodded. Eler had sung songs often while they were in captivity. Other than training, eating, and


    sleeping, there was nothing else to do on the Ind of Despair.


    Eler loved to sing songs from her hometown. After listening to them a few times, Luca could pick up the


    melody. Eler praised her voice and taught her all the folk songs she knew.


    That was why Luca knew.


    She looked at Luke. He seemed determined to get a song out of her tonight. With no other choice, she


    began singing one of the songs that Eler taught her. She even made sure that she pronounced the


    words correctly.


    The songsted for about three minutes. As Luke listened to her sing, he felt like a child being coaxed


    to sleep by his mother’s luby…


    Luca’s voice was gentle, like Bianca’s. The way she carried the tune was also very reminiscent of


    Bianca…


    Was she deliberately copying Bianca? Bianca rarely sang in front of other people. If Luca were from the


    Ind of Despair, it must mean that she interacted with Bianca often.


    There was no other exnation…


    Soon, there was only Luca’s voice ringing in his ears. He could not hear the violent wind and rain


    outside.


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    After she finished the song, she looked at Luke, who had not said a word.


    That made her feel uneasy. “Mr. Crawford?”


    Luke came to his senses. He cleared his throat and said, “You don’t sound like you can’t sing.”


    “I was only using my usual voice,” Luca said as she looked at the lights in the distance. It was a dreamy


    scene.


    “That folk song was beautiful,” Luke said. He sounded as though he was praising the song, but he was


    actually praising Luca’s singing.


    “I like that song too,” Luca said. Whenever N threw a tantrum, she and Eler would sing songs for her


    to calm her down.


    “Did you learn it from someone?” Luke asked.


    Luca did not expect that he would strike up a conversation, though she answered, “There used to be a


    girl next door who would sing every day. I tried to emte her. When she heard me singing, she offered


    to teach me.”