Irene Decided to Die - Chapter 161
Irene watched her silently, wondering what she was up to, and only then did Lani, realizing her embarrassment, return.
“Just… the voices were so loud, I was curious about what they were talking about.”
Clearing her throat and pulling back, suddenly it became quiet on the other side. Perhaps Burt had heard Lani’s voice.
“Was… was my voice loud?”
When Lani, blushing belatedly, asked, Irene told her the truth.
“The king has better hearing than ordinary people.”
Only then did Lani realize the situation and made a face as if she was about to scream.
“No, no! It’s a misunderstanding!”
But the silence didn’t last long. This time, other knights seemed to have joined in. They were praising Burt’s muscles just like the others before.
“What an amazing physique you have.”
At the explicit words that followed, Lani’s face began to redden little by little.
“The… the water is hot.”
Thinking it wasn’t to that extent, Irene nodded. And based on what she heard, she came to a conclusion.
‘Burt’s muscles are delicate and beautiful.’
She didn’t quite understand, but it seemed muscles were an important topic for them. Since they were chattering excitedly next door, Lani seemed to feel an obligation to say something too.
She hesitated for a moment before speaking, her voice low since sounds could be heard from the other side.
“Lady Irene, between Sir Allen and Sir Burt, who do you think is more handsome?”
Since they had been talking about muscles for a while, Irene thought it was about that, so she answered without much thought.
“Allen.”
She said it simply because Allen, the holy knight, appeared more muscular.
“That’s unexpected.”
Hearing her answer, Lani blinked in surprise.
“Do you really think Sir Allen is more handsome?”
Perhaps surprised, she even forgot to lower her voice. With her rather loud voice, it became quiet next door again.
“He’s bigger.”
“Well, he is big, but…”
Lani closed her mouth for a moment and fell into thought. Then, as if realizing something, she clenched her fist and said:
“I see. The Saintess’s type is someone like Sir Allen!”
“My type?”
That wasn’t it.
She tried to deny it, but Lani was already overly excited. Thinking it would be tiring to deal with her, Irene stood up. She was starting to feel dizzy anyway.
“I’m going out first.”
Having said that, Irene left ahead, and as she stepped outside, she bumped into Burt at the entrance. It seemed they had finished around the same time.
“Did you enjoy the hot spring?”
Did she enjoy it? She wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t bad.
“Yes.”
“Then shall we go for a massage next?”
“Pardon?”
As soon as she came out, Irene was led by Burt to the masseuse.
After getting a massage on muscles relaxed by the warm water, they became even softer. Moreover, she began to feel sleepy.
By the end, she was nodding off so much that it was hard to walk on her own feet.
“Lady Irene?”
She heard a voice calling from beside her, but she couldn’t answer. She needed to respond somehow.
As she just mumbled with her lips, she heard a small chuckle next to her.
“It’s all right. I’ll escort you.”
Then she heard Burt’s voice, and her body was lifted up. Her dangling feet swung lightly in the air.
How long had they been moving like that?
Burt asked in a small voice:
“Lady Irene, is Sir Allen your type?”
What type? Muscles? If she had to choose between the two, she preferred Burt over Allen.
But if asked whose muscles looked more impressive, that would be Allen. Aren’t bigger muscles better?
“Which part do you like so much?”
Since he was asking, she should answer. But she was too sleepy to do so.
And soon, her consciousness sank into a deep slumber.
* * *
Irene woke up late the next morning. Was it because of the hot spring? Her sleep was sweet.
She got up leisurely, had breakfast, and took another nap. She planned to enter the hot spring again in the evening.
Peaceful days passed by. One slight change was that her room had been switched. From the new room, she had a clear view of the space Burt used as a training ground.
Sometimes, when she was too bored, she’d open the window and watch Burt practice. She didn’t know much about swords, but watching him elicited exclamations of admiration.
Occasionally, perhaps sensing her gaze, Burt would look up toward her. At those times, she’d feel awkward and hide behind the curtains.
A week passed quickly in the hot spring village. Thanks to the effects of the hot springs, she felt much lighter compared to a week ago.
“We’ll be returning to the royal palace now,” Burt explained the next part of their schedule.
“It seems the central region is getting organized, so after spending about a week at the palace, you’ll probably be returning.”
“I see.”
So she wouldn’t be able to see these beautiful, snow-covered landscapes anymore. Despite the cold, she’d spent her time comfortably and happily, so she felt a bit regretful.
