[TKOSINM] 156 – Going Crazy

In the midst of their discussions about preparations for the mission, the carriage stopped in front of the main building. Tom alighted the carriage first.

“For now, I shall contact them first. Then, I will now take my leave.” He spoke.

Tom bowed his head toward Irene and quickly withdrew. She got out of the carriage with Noel, wondering if there would ever be a day when the dark bags under Tom’s eyes would disappear.

 “It is evening, already.” Irene murmured, her gaze on the sky.

She left early in the morning, and a series of dramatic events occurred. Thus, before she could even notice, it was already twilight, with the sky turning to night.

“Let us go back and have dinner. Is there anything in particular you prefer to eat?”

“No, I like everything. Aside, the place Tom is going to contact – is that the Ram Mercenary Guild, you were talking about?”

“Yes, I have confidence in their skills.”

“I suppose I will get to meet them again.”

“But no matter how close they are guarding us, you must not leave my side.”

“Hm, I will keep that in mind.”

Irene and Noel arrived at their room after talking about all sorts of things. After washing up, they sat down together for a meal. Thereafter, they had tea and chatted for another while, soon the night came.

Irene climbed on the bed, her body was immensely fatigued. As she turned her head to look at Noel, an awkward atmosphere ensued between them.

“…suddenly I feel like going for a night walk. You should go to sleep first.”

Noel tensed up, because of the mood between them and rose from his seat. As he was about to leave the room, Irene quickly grabbed him.

“You can not avoid it forever.”

“…If I lie in the same bed, it will be uncomfortable and you will not be able to sleep.”

Noel answered Irene’s straightforward words with a troubled expression. In truth, it was more a statement he used to keep himself rational. Lying side by side in the same bed would make Irene become immensely conscious of his presence, while he himself kept imagining things that he should not have.

//Oh Noel hun ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

So, it would be best for Irene and himself if he left on his own. But Irene had something else in mind.

“This might be too much to ask but you have to get used to the discomfort. Since what makes me even more uncomfortable is that Noel drags his worn out body outside every night. The temperature is going to drop soon, what if you catch a cold?”

“I am strong, I won’t catch a cold that easily.”

“No matter how much stamina you have, if you stay out in the freezing weather every night, it is just a matter of time before you get sick. And I do not want Noel to get sick because of me.”

“Even if I have an ailment, there is no need for you to blame yourself because it is not  Irene’s fault.”

Irene looked at Noel silently for a moment. There were no words exchanged. Then, all of a sudden, she placed a shawl over his shoulders.

Before Irene’s action, a mix of confusion and surprise was visible on Noel’s face.

“Irene, what are you doing?”

“Didn’t you say you were going for a night stroll? I shall go too.”

“It is windy and you might get a fever.”

“If I fall ill, my carelessness will be my fault, you do not have to worry about it, Noel. Shall we go out?”

Irene spoke firmly, and when she intended to go outside, Noel quickly blocked the door. Irene looked at him, signalling him to move. Soon he sighed deeply and relented.

“Okay, I lost.”

“Are you coming?”

“I am not going anymore, so you should not leave either, Irene. You might seriously catch a cold.”

Noel was truly worried about Irene’s insistence on going out, which could result in her coming down with fever afterward.

Truth to be told, Irene would rather sleep comfortably in bed than take a walk at night, so she felt sorry towards him for making him worry pointlessly about her health.

“Well, for now…”

Noel hesitated. What was he trying to say? Irene’s gaze remained unwavering on his face. Upon seeing his reflection in those eyes, Noel suppressed his need to sigh deeply.

“You must be exhausted, so let’s go to bed. We will be busy preparing for the trip starting from tomorrow.”

“Oh, right. Okay.”

Irene and Noel finally came to an agreement and went back to bed. They just needed to lie down and fall asleep since they had already cleansed themselves. When Irene went up to the bed and laid herself down first, Noel also leaned backwards until his back touched the bedsheet. Although the bed was wide, Irene and Noel lay far away, a rather large gap formed between them. The two tried not to make contact with each other as much as possible. It was an act out of consideration, hoping that the other person would sleep comfortably.

Keeping her personal space closer to the wall, Irene stole a glance at Noel, who was lying on the opposite edge of the bed.

I’d like to tell him to come a little closer.

Irene could not fall asleep in this state. Her lips parted with the intention of initiating small talk with him but soon, she buried the idea. Frankly, it was a little uncomfortable for her as well, to put him to bed like this. However, she felt guilty about his insistence on doing such an unpleasant and careless thing, even though she had told him to stop for his own sake. Yet, he still seemed to feel burdened.

Irene turned around and faced Noel’s back. She did not worry about meeting his gaze because Noel had remained motionless for a while now.

He was sleeping more quietly than she thought. Not even a hint of his breathing could be heard.

Irene looked at his back as she muttered.

“Sweet dreams…”

Her voice was small and weak, but it could be well heard because of the tranquil atmosphere. Followed by a rustling sound, Irene once again straightened her posture and closed her eyes. Noel was still conscious, but he was drained from the events of the day and the sleepless night before, and was ready to fall asleep at any moment.

Once Irene sunk entirely into deep slumber, Noel slowly opened his eyes. As he turned his back slightly, he saw Irene sound asleep with her eyes shut.

“…I’m going crazy.”

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