[TKOSINM] 178 - Noel’s Anger

[It hurts…]

By any chance, are you the snow tree?

[It’s painful…]

But the voice kept repeating that it hurt. Irene pressed her lips tightly.

What should I do to help?

[Give me...power…]

Then another response came back. Irene’s eyes shook. Was it possible for her to transfer her mana? Rather, could she do this? If something were to go wrong...

But I don’t think anything would go wrong.

Maybe because of the way it sounded; the mystical soul seemed to be in so much pain. Or maybe it was because she could still feel some remaining warmth of the tree through the touch. Though it was faint, it was there. Irene suddenly felt the urge to bring this tree back to life.

How can I give you power?

[Tell me...your name.]

...it’s Irene...Irene Kristen.

Unconsciously, she almost mentioned “Chase” but quickly changed it. She was no longer a member of the Chase family.

[Irene, Irene Kristen.]

The voice echoed her name at once. At that moment, Irene felt her whole body drain. It began to absorb Irene’s mana, just like when it sucked in the mist.

Without taking her hands off, Irene sank. At her sudden collapse, Noel quickly embraced Irene out of panic.

“Irene, what on earth is going on!”

“...”

Irene felt her mind become hazy. With Noel’s anxious face and urgent voice behind her, Irene closed her eyes. The last piece of memory in her fading vitality was the appearance of the snow tree in full bloom with pure white flowers.

[We have made a contract, Irene Kristen, remember my name, it’s Snow.]

Before her vision blacked out, the mysterious voice spoke to her, but she failed to make out the meaning.

♔♔♔

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 suddenly pass out, and the snow tree…”

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. If she could, she wanted to cling onto him, telling him to not 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…