NOVEL WEB Chapter 143: Forever, Your Family
Holding her shoulders tightly, Noel turned his head to look out the window. The snow falling was heavy as if welcoming them to the North.
Fortunately, they did not run into any thieves or monsters on the way, but the peace felt rather like the calm before the storm.
Capturing the gloomy world in his eyes, Noel’s eyes darkened.
I thought everything would be fine at that time...
But things were not as settling as he thought.
Noel let out a shaky breath. During his talk with Irene, a terrible memory came back to his mind.
Back when he reached the North after a long time, Tag was guarding the house alone, almost half-dead. Surprised, Noel diligently took care of him with utmost sincerity. Fortunately, Tag quickly regained consciousness. When Noel asked him where the rest of his companions had gone, Tag’s voice was filled with sobs.
The whole crew was captured by slave traders and taken away. At the time, it had already been a year since they were attacked and abducted. Contrary to the promise before they parted that everyone must escape and gather again there, only Tag escaped.
There was no news from them. No one knew whether they were dead or alive.
Noel could not believe Tag’s words. He doubted his ears. All of it felt like a bad dream, a nightmare. However, Tag’s haggard state and the absence of his family members proved his words were true.
Then Noel assured Tag, who had shed tears profusely.
I will find them all.
As he said, Noel turned the Empire upside down by force to find the slaves, and over a long period, he gradually rescued them one by one.
But the more he saved them. The deeper Noel fell into a pit of remorse and despair. They were miserably victimised. They hardly looked humane when he got to them.
The last one was Louiselle.
Noel looked at Louiselle, who was riding right beside the carriage.
When he arrived at the battlefield where he had bought Louiselle, Louiselle had suffered from severe torture. Her back was carved into ugly hills with whip marks, and her face was all but sullen. He annihilated the battlefield to rescue Louiselle, but she had turned into an emotionless doll in the end. The memories of the childhood memories they spent together had long been pushed to the dark recesses of her mind.
As that horrendous time flashed across his mind, he thought it would be tough for them to get back to those old days when they could laugh together comfortably once again.
It was a challenging time for Noel as well. Why couldn’t he find them sooner? Somehow, he felt compelled to have begged his father to take them along too. No, he should not have been an inch separated from them in the first place...He drowned in shame and guilt.
“Let’s take a break here for today, and as soon as the sun goes up tomorrow, we will head to Viscountess Friedan’s estate…Is your wife sleeping?”
As the carriage stopped, Dan came to report.
“Right, it’s about dinner time, so we’d better get something ready for the meal.”
“Yes. By the way, it’s quite pleasant to see this. Who would have thought that you have such a soft side?”
“What are you….”
As Dan grinned playfully, Noel parted his lips to say something but subsequently shut them when he noticed Dan’s gaze fell upon his shoulder.
“Anyway, it’s nice. If you are happy, I’m happy, too. I will go tell everyone to prepare for dinner….”
“...Don’t you blame me?”
“Pardon?”
Dan, who was about to leave the carriage, displayed a confused look at Noel’s unspecified question out of nowhere. Noel repeated.
“If I had found you a little sooner, no, if I hadn’t left your side in the first place, you guys wouldn’t have been in a rough situation. Aren’t you resentful of me?”
“Ah, I was wondering what you were talking about.”
Only then did Dan, who understood the meaning of his statement, respond with an awkward expression, implicating that what he said was an absurdity.
“Who said that we resent you?”
“That’s not it.”
“So that means you are the only one who thinks so?”
“...”
Noel did not deny or refute his question. Dan sighed deeply at the sight.
Noel treated the Ram mercenaries well. Sometimes he treated them so well that he thought it went beyond goodwill or family love, but that was all due to guilt.
“If I had known Your Grace was thinking that way, I would not have followed you.”
“...”
“It’s a new thing to say, but Your Grace, none of us resent or hate you. Do you feel guilty because slave traders caught us in your absence? It was because we were a bunch of weaklings. It was not your fault. If you had been there, their targets would have been increased by one more.”
“...that.”
“No, come to think about it, it’s ridiculous. Either way, we would have become slaves anyway, but aren’t you the one who saved us? Then you should be a little prouder. Your sense of repentance does not make any sense from the beginning, so stop thinking about such nonsense.”
“...”
“Is the reason why you fed us simply because of guilt?”
“Of course not.”
Noel’s answer came back immediately.
“Then why?”
“Do I have to say that myself?”
“I thought I knew, but now that we have come to this, I think I need to hear it.”
Dan spoke sarcastically. Noel bit all his lower lip, regretting that he had brought it up.
“...”
“Aren’t you going to tell me? Then I am going to tell the members that because of the guilt, Your Grace….”
“…we’re a family.”
Noel, who could barely speak a complete sentence, turned his head. His slightly exposed ears reddened.
“Because you are my family.”
“See? You know it well. You know what you are saying, now we’re talking.”
“...You sure talk a lot. If you are done with your business, leave now.”
“Yeah, yeah, I will.”
Dan, who lengthened his last words, smiled pleasantly at Noel, who was still avoiding eye contact. He then quietly opened his mouth.
“We have never once blamed Your Grace. As you said, we are a family, of which you are a member. Isn’t that what family is like? So please get rid of that ludicrous thought. When Your Grace is shaken, we are shaken as well. Because we gather around you, you are the core of this group.”
“...”
“Then have a good night with your wife.”
‘Shut.’
Dan went out, and silence fell. Noel, having lost all his energy, sighed deeply.
“...You have a great family.”
At that moment, he heard Irene’s voice, who he thought was asleep. Noel turned to her, stunned. Irene’s eyes were still closed, but her lips were curved into a soft arc. Noel asked in a worried voice.
“Did Dan’s voice wake you up?”
Irene shook her head.
“I heard it in my sleep.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s really okay. I can sleep anytime later on….”
Blurring the end of her words, Irene buried herself deeper into his arms. Noel supported her firmly. Tranquillity followed, and Irene opened her mouth again.
“I can feel that the mercenaries really like you, Noel.”
“…what about you, Irene?”
“Pardon?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
He just asked casually, but Noel quickly changed his words when he realised what he had uttered. Had it been expected, she would have felt puzzled, but Irene now could afford to define its meaning.
I must look like an idiot.
Actually, there was something else she wanted to say. She envied them because they were more like a family than herself and Chase, because that was what Irene longed for. It was nothing like jealousy. She felt reassured when such reliable people were by Noel’s side, but she also felt a little envious. She found herself pathetic. Irene wanted to sink into a deep slumber. That way, she would not feel any of this. Silence overflowed. But Irene could not manage to fall asleep as she wanted. Noel’s gentle voice penetrated through the silence.
“The same goes for Irene.”
“...?”
“To me, Irene is also….”
His speech was cut short. He then began to pat her on the shoulder as if telling her to sleep well. Bewildered by his somewhat unnatural behaviour, Irene held back her laughter. She then leaned onto his shoulder and muttered in a low voice.
“…Thank you, Noel.”
“...”
The chilly night, which almost left only loneliness and sadness, was eclipsed by the warmth between humans. Irene fell asleep comfortably, leaning on Noel’s shoulder.