Chapter 13: Tears and a Tired Smile

As soon as Iris arrived back at the mansion with Evrys, chaos erupted.

It was understandable. The young miss, and the girl who accompanied her, returned looking like drowned rats.

The commotion was amplified by the fact that Evrys, with her cute appearance and friendly nature, had become quite popular among the staff.

The contrast between the relatively unharmed Iris and the pitiful sight of Evrys, her dress torn, cradled in her arms, also added to the drama.

Ignoring the fussing servants offering to take Evrys and care for her, Iris carried Evrys to her room herself.

She instructed the servants to prepare warm water and personally removed Evrys’s tattered dress.

Iris’s eyes fell on Evrys’s reddened hands. The marks had faded since she woke up in the abandoned building, but they were still visible.

Unable to bear the sight, Iris looked away.

Then, she saw Evrys’s skin, paler than usual.

Guilt washed over her.

It was her fault, due to a momentary lapse in control, that Evrys was in this state.

“What should we do with this dress…?” a maid asked, holding up the dress she had removed from Evrys.

Normally, Iris would have told her to throw it away without a second thought, but she couldn’t.

After all, Evrys had worn this dress for her.

She remembered Evrys’s pouting face, nestled against her in the carriage.

She couldn’t bring herself to discard it.

“…Have it laundered.”

“Yes! Leave it to me!”

Even after cleaning, the dress would likely be beyond repair, but Iris gave the order anyway.

She carefully dried Evrys’s pale skin with a towel and carried her to the bathtub filled with warm water.

If this were the usual Iris, she would have been throwing monster corpses into a frozen lake in the North.

But now, she gently lowered Evrys into the warm water, carefully massaging her limbs, as if handling delicate glass.

She didn’t seem to care that her own clothes were getting wet.

Seeing this, the maids quietly left, leaving behind fresh towels and clothes.

They felt it was improper to witness Iris caring for Evrys.

After warming Evrys’s body, starting from her neck, Iris lifted her from the bath.

She thoroughly dried Evrys again and dressed her in the prepared clothes.

Evrys looked like a lifeless doll, and Iris’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly placed her ear against Evrys’s chest.

Relieved to hear a steady heartbeat, Iris carried Evrys to the bed.

After tucking her in, Iris hesitated for a moment, then went to her own room and retrieved a small, round object.

It was a magical tool that had been lying unused in her drawer.

She vaguely remembered receiving it as a gift from some noble… whose name she couldn’t recall. It didn’t matter.

Thinking the noble would be aghast if they knew what she was using it for, Iris activated the tool and placed it under Evrys’s blanket.

A gentle warmth filled the bed.

It was powered by a valuable monster core, and though Iris had considered it useless, she was glad she hadn’t thrown it away.

She never imagined she would use it like this.

Having done everything she could for Evrys, Iris called for the butler.

A middle-aged man with thinning white hair and a monocle entered the room.

“You called, Miss?”

“…Where is my father?”

“I believe he’s out on an inspection.”

“Is that so.”

“Yes.”

“Did he leave any messages?”

“No, Miss.”

“I see…”

Iris had wanted to ask the Duke for advice, even though she thought she had done everything right, but her plan was thwarted.

‘I should have pestered him until he told me.’

That thought startled her.

‘I considered pestering my father?’

The butler, seeing her confused expression, asked with surprise,

“Are you alright, Miss?”

“…I’m fine. You may leave.”

“Yes…”

The surprised butler quietly closed the door and left.

Iris pulled a chair over to Evrys’s bedside and sat down.

She touched Evrys’s forehead, then sat there, arms crossed, until Evrys woke up.

Iris’s eyes were growing tired from sitting by Evrys’s bedside when Evrys finally stirred.

Peeking out from under the blanket, Evrys’s eyes fluttered open. Iris sighed in relief, but something felt off.

Still unaware of the change, Iris asked,

“Are you alright? Is anything uncomfortable─”

“I’m hungry…”

“What?”

“I’m huuuuungry…”

While Iris was momentarily taken aback by Evrys’s uncharacteristic behavior, Evrys’s large golden eyes began to well up.

“I’m hungryyyy… sniff…”

Tears spilled from her eyes.

Startled, Iris called for the maid waiting outside.

“How may I help you, Miss?”

“Bring some food.”

“Shall I bring some soup?”

That would be appropriate for a patient who had just woken up, but Iris instinctively knew it wouldn’t be enough, considering Evrys’s usual appetite. She shook her head.

“Bring everything that’s ready.”

“What?”

“There’s no time.”

“Understood.”

Returning to the room, Iris felt a sense of helplessness.

A girl was sitting there, crying because she was hungry.

Having never had siblings or even close friends, Iris had no idea how to comfort her.

Bringing food would solve the problem, but seeing Evrys cry so pitifully made her feel a pang of guilt.

Deciding to comfort her, Iris approached Evrys.

“The food will be here soon, so please be patient.”

That was Iris’s attempt at comforting words, but…

It seemed to have the opposite effect, as Evrys started crying even louder.

Iris was at a loss.

No threat she had ever faced in her life had made her feel this helpless.

It was perhaps natural that this helplessness transformed into a challenge. Of course, there were other contributing factors as well.

With a determined expression, Iris offered Evrys a handkerchief.

“I-If you keep crying, I w-won’t give you any food, so p-please stop.”

Looking at Iris’s awkward attempt at wiping her tears, Evrys burst out laughing.

“You look weird.”

“What’s weird about my face?”

“Hmm… everything?”

The innocent jab almost broke Iris’s composure, but with superhuman effort, she forced a smile and asked,

“How about now?”

“Same…”

‘At least she stopped crying.’

Thinking so, Iris relaxed her strained expression, feeling mentally exhausted.

Evrys still looked displeased.

Her small hand reached out and tugged at the corners of Iris’s lips, pulling them upwards.

The combination of Iris’s emotionless eyes and forced smile created a strange expression, but Evrys giggled.

“You look much better when you smile.”

Iris pulled away Evrys’s small hand, feeling the warmth disappear.

“…Is that so.”

Just as Iris was about to say something, a knock on the door interrupted her. She swallowed her words and let the servants in.

Evrys, with a happy expression, devoured the food, then, her eyes drooping, fell back asleep.

After the servants left with the empty plates, Iris and Evrys were alone again.

Iris stood before the mirror and pulled at her own lips.

“…I don’t see it.”

Leaving behind her strange reflection, Iris returned to Evrys’s bedside.

Then, reaching her limit, Iris sat beside the sleeping Evrys and succumbed to sleep as well.