The Kind Older Sister Is No More

In her world, every detail had been painted from memory into canvas; it was the physical engravement of her experiences and feelings in that moment. Each stroke was an attempt to make the image vivid and distinct, and Irene at that, had placed far more effort into her paintings than anything else.

No longer am I able to paint that scenery.

In the same fashion as her only paintings, the artefacts of her memory had burned - there would never be a chance to paint the scenery there again. Irene’s fate had been sealed.

Irene shook her head, forcibly scattering the unwanted memories. It would do her no good to let her imagination run wild. With fluidity and familiarity, the expert stroke of her pencil captured the images of the Grand Duke’s mansion, in all of its graphite grandeur. Peeking through the window, silver light from the crescent moon hanging between the dust of stars in the sky shone through. A world of stars painted the sky, allowing Irene to see a prism of small, glittering gems that dotted the sky. The wind blew into her room, gently brushing the planes of the window and caressing her face.

It was surreal. The Kristen mansion had a simple yet elegant garden, and in the middle, there was…

“Noel…?”

Irene paused. The graphite hovered in its unfinished line above the parchment paper. From the silvery grey hair that twinkled under the moonlight, and the stature she knew was oh so reliable, that person was surely none other than Noel. Irene’s face brightened. She felt as if she had stumbled upon a treasure seeing him at the unexpected place. However, to her surprised dismay, Noel was not alone.

Irene could not see well because the other party was obscured by a tree, but judging from Noel’s posture, he was definitely in conversation with someone. When Irene tilted her head slightly, she could see the backside of the person who was facing Noel.

Sky-blue hair…

It was a familiar appearance. When the person turned his head, Irene soon recognised the identity of that person.

Ascardo Rixis…

Noel’s cousin, a man who competed against Noel for the title’s succession. Irene wondered as to why a person like him was talking to Noel in the garden… at night. Judging from the unusual atmosphere around them and their facial expressions, it was not a pleasant situation.

What are they talking about…?

The distance was close enough to see their face but not close enough to hear their voices. Noel’s face crumpled as soon as Irene put her head further out. Then he unexpectedly turned his gaze in the direction of her room. Shocked at the sudden movement, Irene bolted to hide beneath the window frame. Did they make eye contact? Surely not, however, she was not sure as the distance and dimness made it hard to tell. 

Bam.

A sound reverberated into the night, originating from the very window Irene had been observing from. The moment Irene ducked, the book and paper she had propped against the window to draw, fell down. But Irene did not have time to care about it. The thud was obvious. She might as well have announced her presence with an alarm.

What if I got caught?

Of course, the moment was innocent, she did not have any ill intention that necessitated her to hide, however, it was clear Irene was trying to eavesdrop. And that, if their conversation was sensitive, which it might as well have been if they were having it in the garden, made her observing alone, appear suspicious. Irene’s heart was pounding.

After a long while, Irene dared to peek, lifting her head minutely over the sill. In the meantime, Ascardo and Noel had disappeared. Sighing, she stood up from her seat, wanting to find the material she had dropped before, however…

It is too dark to see.

It was already night-time, so it was hard to see them. Irene was worried that someone would find it in the morning, so she decided to go outside to find it. However, Irene almost yelped in surprise the moment she opened the door of the room.

“Noel?”

“Ah.”

It was just in time Noel was raising his hand as if he was trying to knock the door. But before he could do that, the door was opened, so it became awkward. Then he lowered his hand and with an indifferent face, he gave something to Irene.

“What is…”

When Irene saw what Noel gave her, she became stiff.

“I think you dropped it, so I brought it back.”

It was the book and paper that Irene had just dropped.

So, you knew.

Irene’s face turned red when she knew that she was caught trying to eavesdrop. For a moment, she thought about pretending not to know, but she knew better that it wouldn’t work. In the end, Irene bowed her red face and timidly took the book and papers.

“...Thank you.” Please read on onedaythreeautumns (last updated 22nd Oct)

“It’s fine. But are you sick? Your face is red…”

“No! It… It’s just because it was a little hot…”

To make matters worse, Irene tried hard to make excuses as to why her face turned red. Irene criticised herself countless times at that moment.

“The truth is… I saw you two together in the garden before. Then I accidentally dropped the book and the paper…”

“I see. I knew you were watching us.”

“What?”

Irene raised her head at Noel’s unexpected remark. Her face cooled off as soon as she knew that.

“And Ascardo would also have known.”

“I can’t believe it…”

Irene couldn’t believe that they knew everything. She felt embarrassed. Come to think of it, Noel and Ascardo were both the best prosecutors in the Empire. So, there was no way they couldn’t notice her clumsy demeanour.

It became even more embarrassing.

Irene thought that it would have been less embarrassing if she had been honest first.

To think that Noel knew everything before he came to Irene's room…

However, Irene didn’t know that contrary to her imaginations, Noel didn’t laugh at her because he thought she was stupid. Rather…

I can see clearly what you’re thinking.

Noel looked like he wanted to laugh seeing how tightly Irene was holding the book and papers. However, when the conversation before came to his mind, his pleasant mood fell.

Noel looked at Irene silently.

//Who's the ultimate villain? Is Ascardo good or bad? Perhaps he's just cannon fodder?