The Kind Older Sister Is No More

---

      “Welcome.” Tom bowed.

      Noel nodded. “Tom, is Grandfather inside?”

      “Yes, he is, but….”

      Tom glanced at Irene, who stood timidly behind Noel. His face was wrought with anxiety, but only for a brief second as it became obscured with a cloud of doubt. His gaze scanned the newcomer, though Irene did not notice his evaluation. She was much too transfixed in wonder as she stared at the main building of the estate. It stood out, not because it was the largest – though it was, but because it exuded some kind of grandness and importance, with the intricate stone carvings that framed the ledges of the balcony and roof. Between the main entrance and the building lay a courtyard, as if to say, one must traverse and disrupt the stillness of the place to reach the great Duke.

Perhaps, the Grand Duke Kristen was beyond that door.

      “Is the mansion always this quiet…?” Irene wondered out loud.

      “It’s always like that.”

      Noel answered as if he was used to it and stared at Irene’s surprised face. Tom’s expression became strange too.

      Irene became curious when the two men next to her were staring at her with puzzled faces. Perhaps she had been too inquisitive. She was worried that she had made a mistake. Noel, who was aware of her train of thought, immediately spoke to assuage her doubts.

      “Irene, your expression looks too solemn… I apologise if what I said before offended you.” He said apologetically.

      “Ah, no. It’s fine.”

      Irene shook her head at Noel. When she turned to look at the window, she could see her expression in the reflection. Her face was schooled as if she were about to enter the battlefield. Irene could not control her expression; after all, who would not be nervous meeting the Grand Duke of Kristen to obtain his approval. Aware of this, Noel continued to assure Irene.

      “Really, there is nothing to worry about. No matter what you do, my grandfather will not eat you.” He offered jokingly.

      Irene blinked at Noel’s unexpected remark. Eat her? It had not ever crossed her mind that his grandfather would do such a thing! She tried to figure out what Noel meant by that, and then she realised that Noel had used humour to encourage her. Her palpitating heart settled down slightly at his small joke. Although, she was slow, and it was only moments after that Irene finally clicked to that conclusion.

      Somehow, the image of Noel joking did not seem to match her image of him. Irene stared at him blankly for a moment and then giggled. Her laughter caused Noel to flush from embarrassment. Tom amusedly flicked his eyes between the two, contemplating what was wrong with them. Tom had heard from his master that they were in an alliance to achieve their own respective goals.

      But their relationship does not look like it is merely based on that.

      It would have been fitting to call their relationship one between lovers because they looked happy and were getting to know each other. Moreover, Tom had spent more than a decade at Noel’s side, but he had never seen Noel joke or willingly put himself in a position of potential embarrassment, only to make his partner relax. Tom remembered when he had been so nervous during his meeting with the Great Kristen for the first time. Noel had just kicked his leg to tell him to stop bothering him. Ah…there was too much contrast with how Noel had treated him then and how he was treating Irene now.

♔♔♔