[TKOSINM] 243 – Amorous Night

The festival day arrived quickly. Irene woke up early in the morning and saw Noel off. He couldn’t delay the load of unfinished work that awaited him.

“I will be back right after I finish it, so please wait for me.”

Standing in front of the door, Noel spoke, and Irene nodded, reassuring him. Upon giving Irene a loving smile, Noel turned around, intending to leave. As Noel was about to step through the threshold, Irene grabbed him by the wrist. He turned back to her at her grasp. It was then that Irene reminded him.

“It is okay to be late.”

“...”

“I will be waiting for you, so you don’t have to rush.”

Noel smiled quietly as worry and anticipation clouded her lovely face. He then laid his lips on her forehead.

In an instant, Irene experienced the illusion of heat from the center of her forehead spreading across her entire body.

“Then, I will see you later.”

“…Yes.”

Still dazed, Irene inadvertently let him go. Left alone, she covered her forehead with one hand and sat down on a nearby chair. As she came to accept it, Irene’s feet began fidgeting nervously. For some unknown reason, a smile cracked on her face, and her heart started pounding. It was a cold mid-winter, but she felt like a floral breeze was blowing in from somewhere.

It feels odd.

A feeling that was difficult to describe in words. The corner of Irene’s mouth could not help but curve up into a fine line, and her cheeks felt ticklish as if there were dust on them.

I have to hurry and get ready.

She still had plenty of time, but they might be late because of her.

As soon as she made up her mind, Irene became busy grooming herself. The time left waiting just felt so long.

♔♔♔

“All urgent matters are over. You can rest now... “

Noel immediately rose.

‘Shut–’

As soon as Tom finished with the pile of papers in his arms, Noel jumped to his feet. He left the office hurriedly. He seemed to have a very urgent business.

Tom slightly tilted his head in confusion but then got back to organising the remaining paperwork.

Noel stopped by the dressing room to change his clothes on the way back to their room. Irene must have taken much effort to prepare, too, so he did not want to appear with an outfit that screamed he’d just finished working. After changing his shirt and checking his tie, Noel picked out one of his coats for Irene and went to grab his. It was a little big, but he thought his own would be warmer than hers.

Noel took his coat and hurried to their room. Noel knocked lightly, wondering if Irene was still dressing up. But to his surprise, the door opened right away.

At Noel’s stare, Irene was embarrassed. Irene felt as if she had been caught waiting for him. She quickly turned her gaze to the side, flushed.

Seeing Irene turning to the side and averting his gaze, Noel’s brows furrowed slightly. He soon put the navy-blue coat he had brought along on her shoulders. Irene was a bit startled when her shoulders were weighed down by something heavy.

“It’s freezing outside. I thought mine would be warmer than Irene’s coat.”

“Oh…thank you.”

Noel knelt on one knee and carefully buttoned it one by one. Thereafter, he folded his long loose sleeves until they were the same length as Irene’s arms. Eventually, he raised his head but soon halted.

“Ah…”

It was because his distance from her was too close. He was so distracted by caring for her that he was not aware of the narrow space between them.

Irene was also staring intently at Noel’s action, so when he suddenly rose, she was taken aback for a moment.

Noel looked at Irene silently, then took another step to fill the tiny gap between the two and wrapped her waist with one hand.

As natural as water flows, Irene closed her eyes. Her clutches tightened on his coat as she focused on his breathing.

The beginning of their amorous night was very hot and ticklish.

♔♔♔

“Wow, Noel, look at that.”

Irene, overwhelmed by the festival street the moment she alighted the carriage, looked back at Noel with an exclamation. Seeing the ecstatic Irene, Noel approached with a smile.

“I don’t think I have ever seen so many people.”

“This place is packed with people; you can easily get lost. So be careful not to part away from me.”

“Ah, yes. It would be quite bothersome to get lost here.”

Irene nodded as she glanced at Noel, who was thinking about what to do so that they both would not lose track of one another. She then hesitated for a moment before she took his hand cautiously. Noel looked down at her small hand, wrapping around his large one.

“...if that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better not to separate each other?”