âOh⦠no. Not really.â Noah muttered.
âAre you sure? Youâre not sick?â
âIâm good.â
âThen, why are you acting strange these days?â
She was in need of a valid excuse. Youâve been so brazen with Adrian a while ago. Where did that boldness go? To make matters worse, Kyle seemed to have decided that Noah was hurt when she couldnât look at him directly and averted her gaze.
Suddenly, a big hand softly pressed on Noahâs forehead, surprising her. ââ¦I donât have a fever,â she mumbled. âIâm not hurt⦠You donât have to worry too much.â
Kyle ignored her words and slipped his hand over her cheek, but Noah hastily leaned backwards, avoiding his touch, and took a deep breath. His method of measuring her temperature, which was never a problem before, felt very dangerous today.
Noahâs actions were easy to misunderstand. Sure enough, Kyleâs eyes narrowed instantly. She then opened her mouth carefully to make excuses. âSo, sir, this is⦠Itâs not that I donât like you, itâs uh..â
ââ¦It doesnât matter.â Worry had completely disappeared from Kyleâs face, and the distant expression he usually put on when he worked returned. âIâm here to talk about something quite important today, but you donât want to listen to me.â
âAh.â
âNow, I know youâre not particularly curious about the outcome of the review of the train to Central Edman and the terrorist attack on the Angelic, so Iâll go back.â Kyle, who spoke coldly, rose from his seat.
Embarrassed, Noah jumped after him without realizing it. âHave you ever played all the recordings? What did you find?â
âA big chunk.â
âWell, let me know, let me knowâ¦â
âYou are not interested.â Kyle grabbed the uniform jacket he had left on the chair and shook his head at Noah. âItâs up to you whether you wash and sleep or not, so take care of yourself, and donât mess up the house. And if you catch a cold, or if you turn this house into a goblin den, you wonât even step into this house again.â
âWhat?â
His threats werenât even heard in Noahâs ears, let alone understood. As Kyle turned around, heading for the door, Noah trailed behind him. âWhere are you going, sir?â
âItâs none of your business.â
âItâs my fault! Iâm coming with you.â She pulled the sleeves of Kyleâs shirt, but it didnât make him stop. Left with no choice, Noah held onto his sleeve, walking beside him. âAre you offended by what I said? Itâs not like that. I donât hate you. Donât get me wrong. Donât get upset.â
âThere is no misunderstanding and Iâm not upset. Let me go. Penelope is waiting.â
âWhoâs waiting for you?â Isnât Penelope that pretty investigator? Kyleâs immediate subordinate.
This time, Noahâs reasoning functioned properly. Kyle had more than one or two jobs, and she was not the only one who needed protection. It is impossible for him to handle all the tasks at once, without aid, so it was only natural to receive help from his subordinates.Â
That was what he would have said⦠But why is my grip so strong?
âAt this time? Two of you?â Noah tightened her grip, glaring at him. Kyle raised his eyebrows as if he thought it wasnât odd. âIs there a problem?â
ââ¦No, thereâs no problem.â Yeah, whatâs it got to do with me? Letâs become a true master who respects the butlerâs privacy, Noah.
But she couldnât let Kyle go. If the whole story of what she had been through on the way to Tezeba came to light, of course she had to know!
Not knowing the slightest bit about her internal conflict, Kyle still tossed his words in a cold voice. âYou look for me only in this situation. Youâre so transparent that I should say itâs good.â
âItâs⦠itâs not exactly like that.â
âI have a report Iâve arranged for you to report to the superiors, so Iâll send it to Penelope. Itâll be enough to solve Miss Noahâs curiosity.â
There was nothing Noah could say.
Are you really offended? When Noah lowered her head, Kyle glanced down at her and took a step back. Noah looked at his back, feeling glum. Itâs my fault for avoiding you for daysâ¦
In another perspective, her actions would seem offensive. But didnât it also say âbecause you are harming my mind and body these days, itâs difficult if you come closeâ? Throughout the entire dinner, Noah was too nervous that she only breathed deeply now.
âNoah?â Muell, who was sitting at the end of the table, waving his short legs, tilted his head. Noah beckoned the child weakly. âMu, letâs go up.â
âYes.â The child stretched his legs and soon stopped, staring at Noah, then tilted his head again as he saw Kyleâs back as he was about to leave the door.
âWhat are you doing? Letâs go.â
âUhâ¦. But Noah.â Instead of jumping off the table and following her, Muell shouted, âI have a scar on my neck!â
âHuh?â
The door, which was about to snap shut, stopped abruptly. Noah touched her neck in panic. She had forgotten that Adrian had removed the bandages, and bruises were already returning.