The Kind Older Sister Is No More

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When she opened her eyes again, she was lying on a spacious, soft bed.

This is...

“It’s Kreisen Castle. You have been unconscious for three whole days. Do you remember anything?”

“...Noel?”

At the sound of Noel’s voice right next to her, Irene turned her head. He was sitting on the bed’s edge, next to her.

What was more shocking to her was what he’d just said: three days?

“The physician said it was due to the accumulated fatigue, but we will talk about it later. How are you feeling?”

“Oh... I’m fine. I’m far more refreshed after a good sleep. What about Louiselle?”

The last time she checked, Louiselle was in a grave condition, Irene asked anxiously. Seeing her still having time to worry about others, Noel sighed deeply, then promptly replied.

“She is currently in the infirmary. Her bone was fractured. I told her to stay in the infirmary for a while.”

“As expected…she must suffer a lot.”

“Is it really the time for you to be worried about others? What kind of reckless action have you taken? What did you do to pass out, and the snow tree suddenly…”

He paused in the midst of speaking; Noel bit his lower lip. Seeing Noel’s troubled look, Irene cautiously asked him.

“Noel, are you angry…?”

“Yes, of course, I’m mad. I cannot resent myself enough for being so pathetic; for letting you lose your consciousness while standing right next to you.”

His brown eyes, which had always been warm and endearing, were cold. Needless to say, he must be extremely frustrated. Her olive-green eyes flitted around the room nervously. Before long Irene parted her lips.

“...I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t say this to hear your apology. It was because of me that you were put in this dangerous situation, in the first place.”

“It was not because of you! I have anticipated these kinds of threats from the beginning…”

Her voice muffled at the end. Irene could not figure out what else to say. Seeing this, Noel sighed deeply.

“First of all, you must be hungry since you haven’t eaten for a long time, so you’d better eat something. Please wait a moment, I will get you some porridge.”

Irene’s fingers wriggled as she looked at Noel rising from his seat, about to leave the room. She wanted to cling onto him if she could, telling him not to go. As a matter of fact, she strived to pretend to be okay, but the memories of that incident remained terrible. Never having faced such life-threatening conflict, it traumatised Irene.

I’ve never seen so many dead people before...

She heard that among the nobles, some enjoyed watching slave fights until one side died. But Irene personally had never seen anyone hurt. She took care of Riel, but she was only weak, not particularly ill or injured.

Furthermore, she was there in person, witnessing the scene in which a person’s heart was penetrated or they were decapitated in an instant. The fear of her getting assassinated and the shock of seeing someone’s brutal death was still vividly engraved in her heart and mind.

It was horrible…

It was as if she had woken up from a nightmare. But Irene did not show it. She did not want to appear weak to him. He was already worried; he could not bear another burden such as this.

But contrary to Irene’s thoughts, Noel could tell she was scared the moment he saw her. It could not have been more conspicuous since her shoulders shook nonstop – to the point that she could not even hide it.

Noel stared at her figure briefly before opening the door to order the guarding mercenaries to prepare some porridge. Without a second’s delay, he went back to the bed again.

“I have changed my mind.”

“Pardon?”

Irene blinked blankly at his indistinct claim. Facing her dumbfounded appearance, Noel calmly added.

“What’s wrong with a husband wanting to be by his wife’s side. You must have forgotten, but we are newlyweds. And newlyweds do not want to be apart for even a second.”

“...Ah.”

Irene’s eyes widened; she did not think that Noel would say such a thing. But for a moment, Irene was relieved. Because when he was around, the horrifying memory seemed to fade.

“Yes...Thank you.”

A smile naturally formed on Irene’s relaxed face. Whenever she had a pleasant dream, Noel was always a part of it. He was always right next to her.