A Breakup Letter and a Secret Tear
Adeline's eyelashes trembled faintly. Just as she reached for the handkerchief, Noah noticed and hurriedly tucked it behind his back. ‘If they catch me doing this, I'll be humiliated.’
Noah's lips curved into an awkward smile as he passed the handkerchief to Albert. The aide accepted it and quickly moved out of the way. “Miss, you've seen me in a sorry state.”
Noah snapped back to his senses. It was different from the image Adeline remembered, and he had unconsciously frozen. But what could he do? It was Adeline, after all. A woman whose front and back never matched—utterly unsettling. “Excuse me, what brings you here?” “What brings me here?”
Adeline's voice caught, choked with tears. She swallowed hard. Seeing Noah's condition with her own eyes was nothing like hearing about it from someone else. She had nursed her grandmother since childhood, so she had a rough sense of just how ill Noah truly was. “As your fiancée, I naturally came to visit.” “You came to check, did you?” “Yes.”
Noah's lips lifted faintly, but the words that came out were not quite what she had expected. He had come out of worry, yet he sounded so indifferent. “Even if that's the case, I didn't expect you to come without even a word of notice. My heart isn't made of two, you know.” The comment on his lack of etiquette made Adeline realize her slip. She exhaled deeply, gathering her emotions. “I'm only your fiancée. We are neither close nor intimate. He doesn't even know about my childhood crush on him.” ‘Since that day, we've completely fallen out with each other.’ “Too surprised, I didn't know what to do. If I was rude, please accept my apology.” “No need.”
The moment she received the letter, she had only thought of confirmation. Seeing Noah with such obvious signs of illness had left her mind blank. She didn't know what to do. She had simply stood there staring at him, then summoned her courage and raised her hand. “If it won't be too much trouble…”
Adeline slowly brought her hand to Noah's forehead. But before her skin could touch him, she met his gaze instead. “May I check your temperature?” She had done no research on teflu. The moment she received the letter, she had rushed over. If it was because of her that Noah was pushing himself too hard, she would turn around and leave at once. She had no idea what was on Noah's mind, but to her, he seemed utterly heartless. She could only shake her head in exasperation at his meticulousness as she pretended to confirm whether he was lying. “Of course.”
Noah, hiding his inner thoughts, readily took Adeline's hand. Adeline's knuckles trembled slightly when she realized he hadn't expected her to take it. Her palm then pressed against Noah's forehead. The straight fingers of her hand lightly tickled his hair. “It's quite warm.” His fever wasn't severe. He only had a slight temperature, but now it seemed to have dropped, leaving beads of sweat on his forehead. “Now you're taking medicine, so it shouldn't be too bad. I've confirmed it…”
His body, still hot from the recent soccer match, was flushed. The muscles, pulsing with vitality, were hidden beneath his clothes, so Adeline had been fooled. But with a little more time, his body would return to normal temperature, and the lie might be exposed. The instant Noah tried to pull away Adeline's hand. Adeline suddenly extended her sleeve and wiped his forehead. Her careful touch made Noah's eyebrow twitch. “What are you doing?” “I… It's because of the sweat. Probably the fever dropping, so you've been sweating.” “…”
“There's sweat on your neck too… Let me wipe it.” Adeline placed her hand on his neck this time. Through the sleeve, the fabric felt oddly soft. The inside of her palm was especially tender. When the soft flesh of her palm rubbed against his hot body, Noah's lower body grew heavy. Fuck? What is this? Noah quickly grabbed Adeline's wrist. “Ah…!” Adeline's legs wobbled in panic. She lifted her eyelids. Their eyes met out of sync, and Noah's brows furrowed sharply. Adeline looked strange. It was as if she was uncomfortable having someone else in front of her. He stared at her lips, which moved without a clear purpose. It was strangely irritating. Her plump lips, which looked so inviting as she chewed on them with white teeth. Was she deliberately biting her lips? And her neck, which was buttoned up to the point of suffocating a viewer—how about that? She was pulling at his nerves in every way. As Noah's gaze grew heavier, Adeline blushed helplessly. A heavy silence fell between them, the words exchanged now gone. Was it the heat of summer? The high humidity? Or because they were alone in a sealed room? Noah's Adam's apple slowly descended. Adeline's wandering gaze roamed around. Her eyes, heavy-lidded, found it uncomfortable under his piercing stare, so she raised them again. A sound reached them. Noah's deep breath and Adeline's shallow intake crossed. His lips felt dry, so Adeline licked them. “There is one request.” His voice, rough and broken, pierced her ears. His words didn't quite register. “…Yes.”
Noah slowly tugged at his lips and smiled. He gently released the hand he had been holding. “Could you open the window?” The awkward air had vanished. Adeline hurriedly straightened herself, reality returning. “Ah. Yes. I'll open it.” The fierce expression that had looked ready to scold her moments ago was gone, leaving only the tired face of an invalid. Adeline rushed to open the window. The moment a breeze slipped in, she finally exhaled. She stood there for a moment with her eyes closed. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her startled heart. It's fine. I only talked to him up close. “I'm sorry you had to see me like this. I feel terrible. More importantly, Miss.” “…Yes?” Adeline turned to him. A silver lock of hair fluttered in the wind. Noah's eyes hardened as he tried to speak, then he quickly continued as if nothing had happened. “Am I here to bring the breakup letter myself?” “…”
“I made it clear that I have no right to hold you back, didn't I?” It was a roundabout way of asking why she had intruded. Normally, a fiancée's cold words would sting, but Adeline only stared at Noah. The coughing fit of teflu, which made him look like a fragile flower to her, shook his purple eyes. [Noah. I'll protect you.] Adeline had made a promise to Noah. It was a promise she might not even remember, made when they were very young. But she wanted to keep her word. Even though our relationship had fallen apart… “From what I see, you don't seem to have prepared the breakup letter.” “Yes. I didn't have time… and I…” “It's all right. I can prepare it if you want.” “No, I…”
Noah didn't wait for Adeline. The moment he rang the bell, Albert, waiting outside, flung open the door. “Albert. Prepare the breakup letter.” “No, Noah!” “Take Miss to the guest room so she can rest. Give her new clothes too.” Adeline tried to wave her hand saying she was fine, but Noah was faster. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her close. Her defenseless body toppled toward him. Their breaths mingled. Adeline, startled, lightly pushed his shoulder. Noah glanced at his own shoulder, chuckled, then pulled her neck from behind. Ah. Adeline held her breath. His lips, brushing her cheek, stopped near her small ear. “Miss.” “…”
“Since your dress is ruined, don't refuse and change into something else. I'll call you when the breakup letter is ready.” Noah slowly withdrew. Because he had rushed over, the hem of her dress was damp. He gave Adeline a pretty smile as she stood frozen. “Until then.” “…”
“As my fiancée, would you stay at my house?” * * *
“Miss Billet, would you like anything?” Adeline had been shown to the guest room. The maid from the Miller Duke's household, who had helped her change her dress, was extremely kind. She smiled gently at the maid, who was carefully watching her every move. “I'm fine. I want to be alone.” “Yes. Then I'll leave. Call me if you need anything.” The maid left with quick steps and closed the door. Adeline finally sat on the bed. A breeze slipped through the slightly open window and tickled her forehead. She thought of the Noah she had just met again. His hot body, slightly furrowed brows, and the blue eyes stained with panic. A wave of melancholy washed over her. “Noah…”
Adeline called out to him hollowly. Unlike the Noah demanding a breakup, her heart remained firm. She didn't want to break up. No matter what, she didn't want to let him go. It wasn't just the promise she had made to protect him when they were children. Adeline recalled the past. That day, which now seemed so distant. [Father, my rabbit is strange!] That day was the Billet family gathering for the upper nobles. Adeline had treasured the rabbit as a birthday gift. She had fed it daily in the breeding ground and called the vet if it seemed unwell. But yesterday, the rabbit that had been fine was now slumped. It hadn't eaten or pooped. Its body was cold when she touched it. Scared, she ran to the Billet Duke, but he treated her like a child. [My daughter is still so childish. Just a rabbit? Helio! Throw it away!] [Father!]
Her plea fell on deaf ears. The loyal knight Helio, following his father's command, went straight to the breeding ground. He grabbed the dead rabbit's neck and lifted it. [Give it back! It's my rabbit! Don't touch it!] Even though she was only eight years old, Adeline's hand couldn't reach the adult knight's chest. [Throw it away.] Her father's voice echoed in her ears. Then Helio spoke coldly. [Young miss. It's dead. Touching animal corpses can spread germs. I'll dispose of it properly.] [Throw it away? Throw… it away?] The rabbit had been Adeline's precious friend. They couldn't speak, but they had shared happy times. The rabbit had loved her so much it would rub its head against her. Adeline had vowed to raise this little creature well. But to throw it away. It was unbelievable that a precious friend would disappear overnight. And to not even let her bury it, while ignoring her protests. The knight's back, heading to the incinerator, was unbearably annoying. Adeline hurriedly blocked Helio's path. [It's my rabbit… my friend…] Adeline lost control. Even if she was the precious daughter of the Billet family, she could not defy the Duke's order. Helio passed her by. It was the moment a tear fell from Adeline's eye. [Let me go.] A simple, emotionless child's voice flowed out.