She did not know how long she slept. Irene, waking up from her sleep, involuntarily tried to raise her body, but she collapsed again.
I’m tired.
Her waist, thighs, and entire body throbbed.
It wasn’t a dream… it wasn’t.
It was such a dreamlike moment that she briefly thought that she might have been hallucinating. However, the traces left on her naked body proved that it was not a dream.
It was real.
She did not regret that choice. But endless worries filled her. How should she look at Noel’s face in the future?
It’s a choice I made because I didn’t want to avoid it….
It was a fate that they tried to avoid over and over. When she looked at his face, she naturally would remember what happened last night, and she might die of shame.
“Are you awake?”
She was lying on the bed and struggling when suddenly she heard his voice. Surprised, Irene froze. She buried her body under the sheets. Fortunately, the blanket covered her, so he could not see her right away.
Irene would rather have him leave the room than see her in her current state. If he did, she would be able to avoid the shame of having to face him right away.
But without knowing her heart’s cries, Noel approached her.
“I’m not sick….”
“Don’t come…!”
Noel, concerned, was about to walk towards her, but Irene shouted. She hid her body beneath the blanket. With only her hair exposed, Noel’s movements stopped.
“Ahhh, I’m sorry. I’m not wearing anything right now....”
Apologising to him, who must have been surprised, Irene squirmed further inward.
It was dark at night with no lights, so she was less ashamed, but now it was different. The sunlight brightened the room, revealing the moisture of his hair. No matter how much of relation they had, it was another matter to show complete nudity.
“...are you all right? Aren’t you sick?”
He put the blanket over Irene’s hair again and sat down next to her. Feeling his weight and the bed dip, Irene nodded even though he could not see it.
“Yeah… it hurts a little, but not too much. But I think I need to wash.”
“Can you prepare a tea party with your body in this state? If you are having a hard time, you can send a letter to Duchess Jasmine saying that you cannot come today.”
“No. Lady Jasmine is in a position to help me, and the tea party is just around the corner. It’s okay.”
“...Can I help you with anything?”
Please leave the room.
That was what she wanted to say to Noel, who was looking at her, concerned. There was nothing he could do about it.
But she couldn’t speak so coldly to him, so she just shook her head beneath the covers.
“It’s fine, really!”
As she spoke, her body suddenly floated. Along with the blanket, Irene found herself in midair. Surprised, Irene yelped and struggled.
“No, Noel?!”
“If you’re embarrassed that I’ll look at your body, I’ll take you to the bathroom like this.”
“No, really, I’m good...!”
Irene couldn’t finish her words. Because he was already on his way to her bathroom holding her. Her vision was blocked because she was curled up in her blanket. Thus Irene had no choice but to rely on her hearing.
There was the sound of a door opening, followed by a grinding noise. Irene knew that she had entered the bathroom intuitively.
Soon Noel dropped her. As her feet touched the ground and the blanket was about to fall, Irene grabbed the blanket with both hands.
“...thank you.”
“I will call the maid to attend your bath. If anything happens, call me right away.”
“Alright....”
Blurring her words, Irene glanced up at Noel. When she met his eyes, Irene’s gaze shook. After a while, Irene, having caught his eye, said to him.
“I… do not regret yesterday’s choice….”
But she couldn’t keep up with him anymore.
Because the moment she spoke to him, he took a step closer to her and left a very brief kiss on Irene’s forehead.
It was a kiss so light that she couldn’t even feel it, but in the sudden situation, Irene looked up at him, bewildered.
“If you want to, I will leave the room. Do whatever you want until you feel comfortable.”
Consideration, kindness, warmth, all these descriptives seemed to be directed towards this man.
Seeing him thinking only of herself in any situation, Irene was somewhat embarrassed and tried to avoid his gaze, but she felt a little foolish. Just because she avoided it, it did not mean she could not initiate.
Irene bit her lips as he was about to leave the bathroom. Irene spoke to him.
“Noel, let’s have dinner together.”
At her unexpected words, Noel turned his head. He then answered, smiling softly.
“Yes. I’ll be waiting. Get a good rest and come out.”
After leaving with those words, Noel left her bathroom. Irene, who was left alone, looked at the door he had gone through and slipped into the bath filled with hot water. She buried her body.
My heart is going to explode.
She didn’t show it, but when she opened her eyes and felt his presence for the first time, her heart started pounding. It was loud enough that she worried that Noel could hear the sound.
Irene dipped her body under the surface of the water.
‘Glub, glub.’
Bubbles of air floated to the surface and burst.
‘Still...’
She continued to feel strange. Though, one thing was for sure. Not in the slightest did she regret yesterday’s choice.