The Kind Older Sister Is No More

      “Y-yes?” Irene stuttered, surprised at the sudden question.

      “I thought we had agreed to remove the title last time,” Noel said. He frowned slightly disapprovingly. No matter the person, whenever he heard his title, it left a foreign aftertaste. He much preferred the familiarity of his own name. Especially if it came from his to be…

      “Ah, um…”

      Irene fumbled; her face troubled. Noel looked at her curiously. It appeared that he was quick-witted but insensitive in this regard.

      How could I immediately call you by your name?

      Within the upper echelons of nobility, calling a person by their first name was an act of reserved intimacy. It was an endearment privy to be used only by family, friends, and lovers. As such, how could Irene, who barely knew Noel, possibly call out to him with that level of non-existent closeness? There was no way Irene could immediately begin addressing Noel by his name after meeting him only a few times. For the Irene, who had grown up secluded and was vehemently socially awkward with her interactions with her own servants, let alone other people outside her immediate social circle, this was even more so the case.

      “You also call me Miss.”

      Irene fumbled to deflect him. She found it too difficult at this point in time and needed to find an excuse to escape from the situation. Unfortunately, that was the only excuse she could think of.

Unexpectedly, Noel appeared to contemplate her weak retort quite seriously. Then, he nodded in resigned agreement.

      “Ahh, I see. It was surely my fault.” He sighed.

      “No. That’s not what I….” Irene began, suddenly feeling auspiciously guilty. She did not want him to misunderstand. It was not Noel’s fault – it was her incapacity to interact with people at a normal function.

      “Irene.”

      “... meant.”

      When he said her name without notice, Irene was surprised and looked blankly at Noel. She didn’t expect him to call her name suddenly. She had only wanted to make an excuse to hide her timid self.

      “From now on, I’ll call you Irene and not Miss. So please also call me Noel comfortably.”

      “Ah, but…”

      “It will be easier to convince others about our relationship.”

      Irene blinked. She had only called his name once, so she was embarrassed to suddenly begin referring to him so intimately on a regular basis. Irene took a deep breath. For their relationship. For her future. It was the first step. Just a name, how hard could it be? Suddenly her previous doubts cleared, and Irene nodded her head.

      “Noel.”

      “That’s nice to hear.”

      Noel smiled broadly when Irene managed to call his name. Then, Irene glanced at Noel’s face. Like a man who had achieved his purpose, Noel looked satisfied. However, Irene could hardly take her eyes off him.

      Noel.

      All Irene had done was call his name, but she immediately felt closer to him; it felt like he was on her side.

      When Noel felt Irene’s gaze on him, he tried to look at her, but Irene quickly diverted her gaze, pretending to look out the window. However, that was useless because Noel’s figure was reflected in the colourless translucent window. Irene tried to remove Noel from her sight, but she couldn’t avoid his figure no matter where she turned.

      Noel had already turned his gaze from Irene, but Irene could still see Noel’s reflection in the window, and a smile came to her lips.

      Noel.

      His name felt like a magic spell. To the nervous and jittery Irene, it was a surprising yet pleasant comfort.

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