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nAs he carefully stepped onto the window sill, a hot wind suddenly blew in.

nIt was a little scary, but Noel bit his lip and got over it.

nLet’s go!

nWith that thought in mind, he stretched out his legs and stood up.

nNow I won’t look back!

nBut the moment he decided to do so . . .

nThere was a rustling sound behind his back.

nHis body trembled at the familiar sound.

n“. . .”

nNaturally, Noel forgot his promise not to look back and turned his head toward the door.

nThe door was still firmly shut.

nBut he saw a sheet of white paper shoved through the small gap between the floor and the door.

nThat . . .

nOne day, when Rieta got sick, they couldn’t meet.

nIt was the method Noel used to communicate with her.

nNoel looked between the window and the piece of paper alternately.

nWhat to do?

nHe should leave now right then and there.

nBut on the other hand, he wondered what Rieta had written down.

nShould I check the contents a little?

nYes. I’ll do that.

nNoel came down from the window sill and crept towards the door.

nOn the note she had written and sent by Rieta, she had written ‘Are you sleeping?’ in poor handwriting.

nNoel had to desperately try to keep his mouth shut in order not to laugh.

nHe knew Rieta’s lack of creativity, but he didn’t expect it to be this bad.

nWasn’t this the exact same as the first sentence he had written to Rieta last time?

nI feel sorry for you too.

nHow difficult it must have been to learn the Imperial language with her hard head.

nHe forgot his decision to only check the contents, took out a pen and an inkwell, and laid down on the floor.

nBecause he was a little sorry for making poor Rieta worry about him.

nBye. I’m leaving.

nHe scribbled in very nice handwriting and hurriedly pushed it through the crack in the door.

nHe had conveyed his goodbyes to Rieta, so there were no regrets left.

nHe stood up, thinking of going back to the window sill.

nHowever, as soon as the paper was once again slid into his room, he couldn’t do it.

nHe stood there blankly, staring intently at the paper Rieta had sent back.

nOn it was written, ‘Are you in a lot of pain?’

n“. . . What a fool.”

nNoel mumbled that without knowing it.

nIt was probably a small sound, so it would not have been heard outside the door.

nThe reason he called Rieta a fool was simple.

nThe phrase ‘Are you in a lot of pain?’ was the second phrase Noel had written to Rieta last time.

nHe didn’t know why she kept parroting Noel’s words.

nIf she heard that Noel is leaving, then of course it was normal to say ‘don’t go’. or ‘Where are you going? It’s dangerous to go out.’

nNoel pursed his lips and picked up the pen again.

nHe was just about to go, but he couldn’t because of Rieta.

n‘Is the Princess a fool? Don’t you have anything to say to me? Why do you only copy what I say?’

nHe shoved the long, rough scribbles into the crack in the door.

nHe tapped the floor with one foot, waiting for Rieta’s reply.

nBut unlike a while ago, this time the answer was delayed.

nWhat, why is it taking so long?

nWhat kind of great answer was she writing down?

n. . . Did you go back to your room?

nWas she hurt by Noel’s use of the word ‘fool’’?

nUh . . . But that was just because Rieta imitated Noel so much, he didn’t actually mean it.

nHe put his ear to the door and stood still with an uneasy mind.

nAre you there, Princess? Or not?

nWhile repeating the question inside his head.

nBut beyond the hallway, it was only abominably quiet.

nNoel couldn’t stand it anymore.

nHe pushed the door wide open.

n* * *

nHe could see no one in the hallway with the dim light.

nBut Noel was not disappointed.

nWhen he pushed the door open, there came an “Ouch!” from outside the door.

nHe heard Rieta’s cry.

nNoel quickly closed the door halfway and let out only his head.

nRieta was holding her head with both hands and frowned slightly.

nShe was still here

n“. . . What a relief.”

nNoel said that without realizing it, and sighed in relief.

n“. . . Are you relieved that I got hit on the head with the door?”

nHowever, he quickly waved his hands at Rieta’s dissatisfied voice.

n“No! That’s not what I meant!”

nNoel quickly came out of the hallway and circled around Rieta.

nHe looked around to see if there were any injuries.

n“Are you okay? Does it hurt a lot?”

n“I mean, it was very painful. Maybe my head will bleed.”

nHer head was bleeding! That was too scary for him.

n“Come here!”

nNoel quickly grabbed Rieta’s wrist and dragged her into his room.

nAfter putting Rieta on the moonlit sofa, he looked carefully between her hair.

nFortunately, she seemed to be fine. He can’t be sure though.

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