[TKOSINM] 179 - Never Leave My Side

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.

♔♔♔

After eating the porridge that the mercenaries had prepared, Irene wanted to head to the infirmary where Louiselle was. But she bumped into a big wall*.

*she was rebuffed

“It’s just fatigue, and I’m not hurt, so it’s okay. I also slept well and woke up refreshed.”

“The doctor’s order was to take absolute rest for the time being. Louiselle is indeed a patient that needs care, but don’t forget that you are a patient as well.”

“But Louiselle was hurt trying to protect me. How can I just let it be when I know that?”

“Louiselle did her duty to protect you. It’s not anything special, it’s natural.”

“I don’t think there is anything that should be taken for granted in the world.”

Irene declared, looking straight at Noel’s eyes.

“It’s not natural for Louiselle to protect me, just like how you are special to me. Don’t you think so too, Noel?”

Irene’s words left Noel momentarily speechless. He had to refute, but he could not. Irene’s words about how she had always considered himself special struck his conscience. He felt strange.

I will never be able to win Irene in these kinds of debates.

His determination was broken in an instant, with just a few words of hers.

In the midst of this, it was amusing to see how happy he was hearing that she regarded him as special.

“...Alright. However, you cannot leave my side for even a single second.”

“Yes, I will not separate from you.”

Irene nodded firmly, sticking close to him. It was unimaginable for her usual self to do that, but the willingness to see Louiselle made her brave and adamant.

Thanks to this, Noel decided to take her to the infirmary.

Huh?

However, as they walked through the castle, Irene felt a strange sense of incongruity. She did not see anyone in sight. Except for her and Noel, they passed no one along the way. Irene tilted her head when she could not spot a single servant, but they reached the infirmary before she could ask about any of the disappeared servants.

Creak.

“...It’s the Duke and the Duchess!”

When Noel and Irene entered, Celt, a member of the mercenary sitting on the bed, jumped to his feet. After his mentioning of “The Duchess,” the beds shook, and the curtains were pulled up.

“Louiselle…”

Seeing a familiar face beyond the curtains, Irene quickly approached her. Louiselle’s eyes rounded.

“Madame? Why are you here…”

“I was worried, so I stopped by. How is your body, is your leg okay?”

‘Sure, it’s all fine, I will get better soon.”

“It’s not such a quick recovery. The physician said if you overdo it even a little more, you will never be able to walk again - keuk!”

Louiselle ceased Celt’s annoyingly sarcastic chatter right there and then, and Celt could no longer get his words out properly. It was because Louiselle had strangled him.

“Don’t spout nonsense in front of the young Madame.”

“Oh, I got it, so...! I’m dying!”

It was only when Celt repeatedly hit at Louiselle’s arm, did she throw him aside. Not even a minute later, she went back to being gentle as soon as she faced Irene.

“Are you hurt anywhere, Madame?”

When she heard that Irene had lost consciousness, no one told her how Irene was doing. They were afraid she would push herself too hard and immediately come rushing to the Madame.

“Yes, thanks to you, I’m fine. Thank you for protecting me, Louiselle.”

“No, it’s nothing, I can throw this humble life away for the sake of you, Madame.”