"We have arrived."
While the atmosphere was brimming with awkwardness, a voice outside the carriage notified them of their arrival at their destination. When the coachman opened the door, Irene stood up, trying not to make eye contact with Noel as much as possible.
However, all her effort was futile as Noel was one step ahead of her, he got out of the carriage first, and this time also, he naturally extended his hand to Irene.
"I can get down by myself...."
"But you have always done this. Or are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Noel asked purely out of curiosity. Irene, who had been touching her wrist absentmindedly, shook her head.
"No, thank you."
In fact, Noel looked fine. She might as well be the only one overreacting, so Irene pretended not to care. She did not want to feel uncomfortable with him because of this incident either.
Irene got out of the carriage by placing her small hand in Noel's large one. She glanced at him, then examined her surroundings.
Wow...
The scale of the exhibition was so enormous that the name "Duchess Jasmine" automatically came to mind.
The ball was grand too.
She thought the exhibition would be smaller than the ball because it was held in the villa where the duchess resided, but that was a complete misunderstanding.
Although it was no different from ordinary exhibitions in terms of contemplating and freely sharing one's views while appreciating the artworks, there was a designated space for chatter and tea on one side -- which was, frankly, huge. Still, it was a place of peace, and there was no sign of distraction or noise.
As they walked down from the exhibition hall entrance, the nobles were not aware that Irene and Noel had come. All except for the host, Duchess Jasmine.
"Welcome, Lady Chase. This is our second meeting."
Lady Jasmine, wearing a gorgeous red dress, approached Irene. Her dress was striking, with a sheer red chiffon cape off her shoulders and a slit between her bust and the high neck collar. Irene thought it was magnificent for the hostess.
Since it was a familiar face, Irene was able to greet her with a fairly comfortable face.
"Thank you for inviting me, Lady Jasmine."
"Oh, no. Rather, I have to thank the young miss here for raising the reputation of my exhibition this time. Like this..."
Lady Jasmine then looked at Noel with a sarcastic smile.
"You brought quite a great figure with you...Hello, Duke Kristen."
"It is Noel Kristen. Thank you for inviting me."
Noel accepted the greeting in a perfunctory manner. It was just a normal greeting, but Lady Jasmine giggled as if it was something interesting. Then, out of the blue, she asked a straightforward question that took them back.
"But the two of you came 'together', in 'one carriage'?"
Was it just them? Or did the Duchess purposely emphasise some specific words? No, it was not just their feeling. It was unusual because the look in her eyes directed at Irene and Noel, who were standing next to each other.
As she felt slightly tensed, Irene gulped. How should she answer? While she was still pondering, Noel replied.
"We have a special relationship."
"Oh my goodness."
Lady Jasmine gasped at Noel's resolute answer. On the side, Irene's face burned. Even though she knew they would be married, she was extremely embarrassed. Did he really have to say it so ambiguously? She shot a glimpse of Noel, who appeared to be stoic as usual. How could he have such a calm demeanour when Lady Jasmine was gazing at them so wickedly?
Lady Jasmine, keen for more gossip, trained her attention on Irene. Was it real? Her eyes seemed to be asking. Despite her hot-headedness, Irene still nodded in response. Of course, Irene had nothing to worry about. They were, after all, in a contractual relationship.
"Yes, we do."
This time, Noel looked down at her. His face cracked a little, but Irene, focused on Duchess Jasmine, who was making a fuss, did not notice his gaze. Perhaps it was a good thing because, with the intensity of his gaze, she might have reheated and imploded then and there.
"Oh my. I see. Oh my God, is this a secret?"
Lady Jasmine whispered. She was too excited for her own good. But who could blame her? The Duke of Kristen, next in line possibly, to the Kristen throne. Such a powerful family, and Miss Chase -- were an item...
"It is not a secret, but I do not want it to become a fuss."
Noel replied calmly to Lady Jasmine's furtive voice. At his answer, Lady Jasmine chuckled. She unfolded her fan and covered her mouth, but the fan could not hide the creased outlines of her eyes. She was clearly enjoying herself.
"Had it been a ball, it would not have been easy to hide this great news, but today is an exhibition where you can appreciate the delightful works of famous artisans, nobly and elegantly. I do not wish to disturb the two of you."
"Thank you for your understanding."
"Regardless, thank you again for being here. I remember you attended my ball last time, so I took up the courage and sent you an invitation again, and you really came. Can I think of it as having a crush on me? Ho-ho."
Lady Jasmine could not hide her excitement. She looked at Irene expectantly, then to Noel.
"Have a good time, darlings~" she said before departing, her cape swishing behind her.
As if a storm had swept through, Irene stood frozen. She angled her head and looked up at Noel. He seemed a little tired, too; perhaps they were both in the same condition. The exhibition had not even started yet! What were they doing drained already?
Feeling a sense of unity, a laugh escaped her lips. It was a pleasant sound, like the peal of bells breaking the sombre mood.
Turn met her eyes. For a brief moment, she worried she may have offended him. But soon, his laughter, too, rang in the air, overshadowing her pointless concern.
───────── ౨ৎ ─────────
thank you for reading! you can read advance chapters and support me for free on my Patreon
patreon.com/posts/kind-older-is-no-80382100
tip me! ₍ᐢ. ̫.ᐢ₎ ౨ৎ ko-fi.com/onedaythreeautumns
check out my other works: https://www.patreon.com/collection/343420
YOU ARE READING
The Kind Older Sister Is No More
Romansa"You're the older sister - just let it go. Can't you even do that for her?" Irene has always been living in the shadow of her ill and frail sister, Riel. She believed that she could and had to do everything for her family... until Riel stole everyth...
