Irene Decided to Die - Chapter 121
Irene took the spoon from Noah and, with some difficulty, finished her meal. Afterward, she tried to calmly sort through her memories.
Upon asking Grein, she learned that the curse she received caused her to unconsciously relive painful past memories.
“To break that curse, Lord Burt entered your consciousness.”
Hearing this, Irene covered her face with her hands. It seemed that the figure in her faint memories was indeed Burt.
“Why are you reacting like that?”
Grein asked, puzzled by her behavior, but Irene had no intention of revealing the truth.
“It’s nothing. I just need to rest now.”
This was something she could never tell anyone else, not even Burt. She intended to keep her memories a secret.
‘How could I ever explain that!’
Moreover, she couldn’t understand why Burt had acted so differently. She tried to find her composure, but it was difficult.
‘Maybe I’ll feel better after some sleep.’
With that thought, she lay down again, but sleep didn’t come easily.
She slept almost the entire day, waking only when Lani came to remind her to eat.
But during that time, she had a dream, which she decided to dismiss as a nonsensical one. Just thinking about it made her shiver.
‘A gentle-voiced Burt? Really?’
Even in her cursed state, Burt’s voice in her consciousness hadn’t been gentle.
“Are you awake?”
The moment Irene woke up, Burt was there.
“Yes, I’m awake.”
What is he going to say now? Surely he wouldn’t ask if she remembered what happened in her consciousness?
She watched his mouth intently, filled with tension.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“Yes, I slept all day, so I feel fine.”
“That’s a relief. The physician will be here soon, so please have another check-up.”
“Okay.”
Burt then updated her on the current situation with the heretics and the rescued hostages.
“Most of the leaders have escaped, but we did have some success.”
“And the people who were captured?”
“They have been safely evacuated to the base of the mountain. They will be under the protection of the knights for a few days to recover and then sent wherever they wish to go.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Yes, it is.”
So far, their conversation was normal. But then came the troubling part.
“Now, it’s your turn, Saintess.”
“My turn?”
“Yes.”
“You collapsed suddenly last time and couldn’t finish speaking. I think we need to talk about it now.”
“Talk about what?”
Burt continued in his usual tone.
“You must have realized from this experience that the heretics are dangerous. Following them just to save a single child was not befitting of a Saintess. Furthermore, it was a breach of our agreement.”
“But didn’t you still let me go?”
“I sent you in the hope that you would recognize your position. But it seems that was my mistake. I didn’t expect you to treat your life so lightly.”
“Did my life ever have any value? Before I became a Saintess, it was worthless.”
“But now, it’s different.”
“Yes, it’s different because I’m a Saintess now. I don’t understand why I have to hear this. If you were so concerned, you shouldn’t have sent me in the first place.”
“Indeed. I don’t know why I did that.”
She felt a surge of anger but tried to remain calm.
Getting angry wouldn’t provoke a reaction from Burt. He would just repeat himself until she listened.
“Alright. I’ll be more careful from now on, so let’s drop this topic.”
Feeling suddenly exhausted, she lowered her head, and something brushed against her eyes.
“Are you crying?”
“Why would I cry?”
She raised her head in disbelief, and Burt’s gaze was different from usual.
It held an emotion she couldn’t quite explain. Seeing that, she found herself unable to speak further.
‘Come to think of it, didn’t he wipe away my tears before?’
With what? Both his hands were holding Irene.
She tried to recall the sensation from that time and finally remembered the soft, moist touch.
‘Soft and moist.’
Suddenly, her gaze fell on Burt’s lips. No, it couldn’t be.
Burt wouldn’t do something like that unless he had lost his mind. Knowing this, her heart began to race.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“W-Why do you ask?”
“Your face is red.”
His calm voice made her even angrier. Whose fault did he think this was?
She wanted to vent her frustration, but doing so might reveal everything to the perceptive man in front of her.
