The Villainess is Afraid of Thunder and Lightning (4)
The Villainess is Afraid of Thunder and Lightning (4)
"Eueum...."
Renoa squinted at the dazzling morning sunlight before slowly lifting her eyelids.
The wind and rain that had been violently shaking the window had long since vanished without a trace.
A clear sky without a single cloud and the pouring sunlight brightly illuminated the room.
A bird sat on a tree branch next to the window, chirping jjaek-jjaek.
"......."
Renoa's eyes, not yet fully awake, held a hazy glow. She blinked blankly.
Her body felt light. Usually, on stormy nights, she would stay awake all night and suffer from fatigue.
This was the first time she had ever had such a refreshing and deep sleep.
As she tried to gather her dazed mind, Renoa turned her head at the sensation she felt in her left hand.
A chair was pulled up close to the bed. On top of it, Irion was fast asleep, slumped over the bed.
And Irion's hand was firmly intertwined with Renoa's. Moreover, Renoa was the one gripping it tightly.
It took ten seconds.
That was the time it took for her to perceive the situation.
"......!"
In an instant, Renoa let out a silent scream. Simultaneously, the memories of last night poured down like a waterfall.
She had shown him a pathetic sight while terrified, and then, entrusting her body to him, she had slept more comfortably than ever before.
Even the reason Irion hadn't left and was still here even though it was morning was because Renoa herself was holding onto his hand.
Normally, she should have shaken off his hand and stood up immediately, but Renoa's body didn't budge.
"Are you sleeping...?"
"......."
There was no answer.
Only the sound of faint breathing could be heard.
Her gaze quietly turned toward Irion's face as he slept face down.
Along with the sound of soft saegeun-saegeun breathing, a strangely pleasant scent seeped through their joined hands.
Since he rolled around the Training Ground every day, she thought he would smell of musty sweat or dust. But he didn't.
A scent where a sense of stability and a physical attraction strangely intersected. It made her want to sniff it once more for no reason.
As if possessed by that mysterious body scent, Renoa unconsciously leaned her upper body slightly toward Irion.
The distance closed a bit more.
Irion's face was fully captured in Renoa's two eyes.
Until now, she had never felt any particular impression even when looking at his face.
The appearance of a mere slave was an utterly unimportant factor to her.
But why now?
Was it because of that scent that subtly blurred her reason, or was it because of the warmth of the hands that had been intertwined all night?
Belatedly, his face began to enter her vision so vividly.
A face of a clear and handsome boy, so much so that it was hard to believe he was a slave.
She felt like she understood why the maids were so friendly to Irion even though he was a slave, and how he had even won over Florencia.
Suddenly, a question arose.
What if Irion wasn't a slave? If he had been born as an ordinary person and enjoyed complete freedom, how far could he have gone?
He probably would have climbed to a distantly high place that Renoa herself couldn't even dare to imagine.
Unlike a useless illegitimate daughter trembling in fear of lightning in a corner of her room, he would have stepped out into the infinitely wide world with his own feet and boldly blazed a trail.
Because of that, a desire to tie him to her side forever began to crawl up. She wanted to make him stay only where her gaze could reach.
What is this emotion?
Is it the ugly jealousy of someone who has never achieved anything on their own?
Or is it a pathetic sense of inferiority stemming from her own miserable situation?
If not that.......
It might be something entirely different that had begun to sprout deep within her heart, something even Renoa herself hadn't realized yet.
The moment Renoa tried to take one step further to find out what that emotion was.
-Umjjil.
Irion's fingers, which she was holding, twitched minutely.
"Eueum......."
He tossed his head with a low groan.
Irion showed signs of waking up. Startled, Renoa didn't know what to do, so she turned her head and returned to her original position.
She squeezed her eyes shut and began to pretend to be asleep.
"Eueoeo......."
Almost simultaneously, Irion, who had been slumped over the bed, let out a pained sound and raised his upper body.
Because he had slept in a hunched posture, it felt like every joint in his body was screaming.
Irion massaged his stiff neck and looked around with unfocused eyes.
A bright room illuminated by the morning sun. And Renoa, motionless on the bed.
"......She's still holding my hand."
A low murmur escaped from the mouth of the half-awake Irion.
It was a quite persistent grip, as if she hadn't let go even once throughout the night.
But as soon as Irion's murmur fell.
-Seureureuk.
Strength suddenly drained from Renoa's hand, which had been gripping him as if it were a lifeline.
Her fingers loosened as if they had never been tight.
Irion blinked at the sudden change, but he just thought it was because Renoa's tension had eased.
He finally regained the freedom of his hand. He stood up from the chair and stretched long and hard.
"Heu-eutcha."
It was morning, and he was liberated. Irion was about to return to his room, but then.
"Has the Agassi not woken up yet?"
"Yeah. She's waking up late today."
The sound of the maids' conversation came from outside the door. At that, the two of them flinched simultaneously.
A boy and a girl who aren't even adults, a master and a slave, coming out of the same room in the morning?
There would be no excuse.
The mansion would be in an uproar.
Irion felt cold sweat running down his spine and hurriedly looked around.
Soon, the firmly closed glass window caught his eye.
Renoa's bedroom was located on the second floor of the mansion, but with Irion's current physical abilities, jumping down from this height was nothing.
He was about to escape through the window before the maids could enter.
-Seurek.
Whether she had tossed and turned in her sleep, the blanket that had been covered up to her chin had slipped down to Renoa's waist.
Considering her personality, if she caught a cold, she would surely throw another tantrum and make the people around her exhausted.
"Seriously, you're strangely high-maintenance."
He carefully pulled the edge of the blanket and covered Renoa neatly up to her chest.
Only after finishing his task did Irion turn around, kick off the window frame, and lightly jump down.
-P pulseok.
The sound of a light landing on the grass was heard. Immediately after, the sound of running could be heard, and Irion's presence completely vanished.
Renoa snapped her eyes open. She blinked her eyes and just stared at the ceiling of the bed.
For a long time.
Until the maid came to wake her up.
A few days later.
The first training session held at the Training Ground after the expedition. A radical change occurred.
"Irion, you participate in the training starting today as well."
Irion, who had been excluded from regular training, began training with the apprentice knights at Lance's suggestion.
It was an unprecedented event for Irion, who hadn't expected it at all.
Because Lance's actions had been so petty, Irion hadn't even thought about asking to be taught. He knew that even if he asked, he would just be publicly mocked.
But the other side had suggested it first. There was no reason to refuse.
Their gazes toward Irion remained the same, but pride didn't put food on the table.
"That's great, Irion."
"I know."
It was truly a good thing. Because Helena had even been skipping her own training to be Irion's sparring partner.
Even if she didn't show it, she must have been concerned.
While joining the regular training and building his skills, he also steadily built up his internal foundation.
From basic conduct to escorting, and.
"Does it make sense for a knight to be unable to read?"
"Umm...."
"From now on, you'll do linguistics too."
Under Renoa's lead, he began to learn how to read and write.
Irion also recognized the necessity. To live alone after becoming a free man someday, he had to at least know how to read and write.
It didn't stop there.
"Does it make sense for a knight to be unable to ride a horse? Learn horseback riding too."
"Eueum...."
He also began to learn horseback riding.
In the morning, he swung his sword with the apprentice knights while covered in dust.
In the afternoon, he tasted the pain of etiquette and falling off a horse.
At night, he had to hold a pen while fighting off the pouring drowsiness.
"It's haaaaard...."
At the truly relentless schedule, Irion let out a pained sound and slumped limply onto the desk.
Renoa looked down at such an Irion with disdain and criticized him sharply.
"It's only been 30 minutes since we started, and you're already whining about it being hard. This is ridiculous."
"You say it's been 30 minutes, but I've been training from the moment I opened my eyes this morning until now...."
"Since you started later than others, this is something you naturally have to endure. Stop lying there and get up."
"Irion is tired. A great crisis......."
Irion couldn't easily get up despite Renoa's urging. Renoa stared intently at such an Irion.
"Is it hard?"
"Huh?"
"I asked if it's really hard."
"Uh.... A little bit much?"
"Fine. Then let's rest for a bit before we continue."
At Renoa unexpectedly granting a rest so easily, Irion's eyes widened.
That Renoa was actually showing mercy.
"Agassi, are you sick somewhere?"
"What?"
"No, it's just that your reaction is different from usual."
"I granted you a rest because you said you wanted to, and yet you're complaining. I knew I shouldn't have considered a slave's circumstances. Let's get back to studying."
"No, it's not that. I'll shut up and rest."
Isn't there a saying that if a person is going to go crazy, they should go crazy in a good way? Irion welcomes this kind of whim.
Having received permission, Irion rested with a peaceful mind. Renoa also took a short break.
"Hee-um?"
And Bibi, who was watching the two of them from a step away.
"Did something happen between you two while I was away?"
"Pardon?"
"......."
"I feel like the atmosphere has changed strangely."
The parties involved might not feel the difference much, but there are things that are visible to a third party.
Whether it was Renoa's attitude toward Irion, or Irion's attitude toward Renoa.
It felt like the distance between the two had closed. Irion's way of addressing Renoa had also changed.
Bibi hadn't seen any event recently that would cause such a change.
If so.
"Did something happen on the day it rained?"
"......."
"Hmm."
Renoa remained silent. Irion only stole a glance, checking his master's reaction.
With just that, Bibi, who had grasped the entire situation, nodded as if she understood.
"I see. Something did happen. Irion-nim, would you mind sharing with me what happened?"
"Umm."
"If you tell me, I'll give you the chocolate I bought during this vacation. I bought it from a very famous shop in the Imperial Capital."
"Ah, it's nothing much. Right after Bibi-ssi left, I went to see the Agassi and—eueueuk...!"
At the mention of chocolate, Irion, who was easily swayed, was about to excitedly open his mouth.
-Kkuu-uu-uk.
Under the desk, Renoa's shoe was mercilessly crushing the top of Irion's foot.
Not only that, she even pressed down with her weight and twisted it from side to side.
"Irion-nim? Why are you suddenly acting like that?"
At Irion's sudden strange behavior, Bibi tilted her head curiously.
Renoa answered instead with a nonchalant face.
"It's nothing. He must have gotten a cramp in his foot because fatigue piled up after studying without rest. Isn't that right, Irion?"
"Aueueu.... Yes, a cramp... a very scary 'cramp' (mouse) appeared, indeed......."
"Oh dear, you should take a good rest then."
A soft smile was hung on Renoa's lips, but her green eyes, shining fiercely toward Irion, held a warning light.
That if he ran his mouth carelessly, she would crush his foot right then and there.
At that ominous murderous intent, Irion had to force a smile while keeping his mouth shut.
Even after that day, the 'Project to Make Irion a Knight' rolled on without a moment's pause.
Every single day felt like he was going to die from exhaustion, but Irion never ran away from training and studying.
Renoa also gave him the maximum support she could, even while clicking her tongue in disdain every time.
As the seasons turned and turned, and the dirt floor of the Training Ground froze and thawed dozens of times.
The time needed for a rough and unsightly gemstone to be forged into a sharp sword through harsh tempering.
Three years passed in the blink of an eye.