TFLCM - Chapter 22

Huh!

Only then did Eve come to her senses.

Flustered, Eve fumbled and rolled her eyes. The apple in her hand was badly squashed.

"Ah!"

Eve screamed and threw the apple.

"Ah. The children...?"

Eve quickly scanned her surroundings. Zion and Rachel were staring at her with nearly dazed expressions. Rachel, in particular, seemed to have forgotten what had happened to her. She was staring intently at Eve as if entranced.

Eve's face turned pale.

"What did I just do..."

Noelier spoke with a faint smile on his terrified face.

"Are you coming to your senses now?"

"..."

Eve nodded silently. She, who had been staring blankly like someone whose soul had left their body, suddenly trembled.

It was because his large hand was cupping her cheek.

"..."

"..."

Their faces were too close. As their eyes met, the faint smile she had been wearing faded.

"...I'm sorry. Can you stand up?"

Noelier cautiously reached out his hand.

Eve hesitated and placed her hand on his. A warm heat seeped into her body.

Noelier helped her up.

"..."

He tightened his grip a few times. Then, he slowly let go.

Their index fingers, which had been intertwined until the very end, parted. Feeling a tickling sensation in her fingertips, Noelier unconsciously clenched her fist tightly. Eve felt the same way.

"...Zion."

Rachel, who had been gazing at it quietly, muttered softly.

“Hmm?”

At Rachel's call, Zion turned his head. Rachel was staring at Eve as if she had been bitten by something.

"Does it really have to be a sister-in-law?"

"Huh?"

"Can't you be my bride...?"

Zion tilted his head, his face full of question marks.

Rachel's cheek was dyed red like Eve.

***

What have I just done?

I stared blankly at the ice apple, which was dented on one side. With so much ice covering it, it was probably stronger than a shot put.

Furthermore, as I mentioned before, in my previous life, I was the school's top record holder in shot put. Even now that I have been reincarnated, that sensation remains vivid.

"..."

I glanced at the drug addict lying next to me as if dead.

Surely he isn't dead, right? Won't there be a bounty on his head before he even escapes to the human world?

I carefully placed my hand under the drug addict's nose. I could feel a faint breath. I let out a sigh of relief.

"...Sister."

Just then, a voice full of tears burrowed into my ears. I sprang up from my seat.

"...Zion."

My small, cute little sibling was looking at me with tears welling up. Seeing that face, the tension and guilt that had been suffocating my heart instantly melted away.

"You...!"

I sat with my knees bent and grabbed Zion's shoulders. Those small shoulders trembled weakly in my hand. A frightened yet relieved face looked at me.

"Who told you to leave without permission? I was worried something like this might happen, so I..."

"I'm sorry, sister..."

"Do you think I'm living like this because of you... Why do you keep giving me a hard time? Huh?"

The anger turned into tears and spread.

I thought of my deceased mother and father. My only younger brother. The reason for my life.

Suddenly, I felt like I understood why Eve in the novel burned to death.

I wonder if I used up all my ice magic to save Zion.

"Sorry..."

Zion sniffled, following me. The only words coming out of his small mouth were 'I'm sorry.'

"...It's okay. As long as you don't hurt, that's all that matters."

I shook my head as if no more words were needed and hugged Zion.

"...Sister."

Just then, Rachel approached me. I sat up and checked on Rachel. She didn't appear to be seriously injured.

I moved my lips to say something. I just gave up. Nothing serious happened, so that was a relief.

"...I'm sorry for leaving you guys behind."

Then Rachel shook her head vigorously.

"No, you didn't do anything... I, for no reason, I did it all..."

Rachel, who had been spewing out incoherent words, finally clamped her mouth shut. The tip of the child's voice was heavily wet.

“It’s all my fault.”

"No. I was the one to Ruby first, h-h-h..."

"Zion isn't at fault. I was the one who said your ideal type is weird first."

"No! Ruby didn't say it was strange. In other words, she said it was peculiar."

"..."

You little rats... You really had a fun time telling stories, didn’t you?

Thanks to that, the tears that were about to come out went right back in.

The children sobbed, their shoulders shaking as if trying to cry on my behalf.

"Zion, I'm sorry, sob. From now on, you're my ideal type. I'll respect you..."

"No, I'm more sorry, sob, sister, her ideal type, it's weird..."

"I'll tell my brother to cry well too..."

"S-Seriously, who has a man who cries prettily as their ideal type..."

"Stop...!"

I hurriedly hugged the children.

The children buried their faces in my arms and sobbed as they confessed their faults to one another, but I desperately wished they would stop.

Suddenly, a small laugh was heard.

"..."

I turned my stiff, rigid head.

Noelier was looking at us with a smile. As our eyes met, his smile slowly deepened.

"..."

So, I knew he heard everything. Seeing his surprised face, I felt even more despair. My face burned. 

I wanted to hide in a mouse hole. 

As if noticing my reaction, Noelier hesitated slightly and wiped the corner of his mouth. 

"I'm sorry. I was just a little curious."

"My taste is a bit peculiar, isn't it...?"

I turned my head away without answering. The thought of just wanting to die filled my mind.

In times like this, changing the subject was the best course of action. I patted the children's heads.

"Okay, stop it now. Let's go home."

The children who were sobbing slowly nodded their heads.

"You should thank your brother too."

At my words, the children approached Noelier as if they had been waiting for this. Noelier flinched and trembled.

Zion, with his goldfish eyes, sniffled and spoke.

"Thank you, brother. I would have been in big trouble without you."

"..."

Noelier's eyes trembled slightly. After parting his lips for a moment, he gave a faint smile.

"...No. I'm more so."

He said that and stroked Zion's head. Zion sniffled and clung tightly to Noelier's leg.

"..."

Rachel burrowed into Noelier's arms, hiding her face. Judging by how well she was being held, unlike before, it seemed she liked him even more.

“Shall we go back now?”

Noelier nodded at my words.

Noelier gently lifted Rachel into his arms.

No matter how little Zion was, it would be hard to lift a child of just over ten years old like that. He didn't even blink.

Rachel also seemed comfortable, quietly nestled in his arms.

"Wait a minute."

His footsteps stopped at my call. The red eyes of the two men turned toward me. 

Instead of speaking, I approached them to put the hood of the cloak on their heads.

"...Eve?"

The cloak hung awkwardly at the crown of his head before sliding down. It was because his physique was too large. 

Noelier, who had been staring at me blankly, let out an 'Ah' at Rachel's whisper and bent his knees. 

Only then did our eye levels meet. Our faces touched closely once again.

“Excuse me?”

He flinched slightly, but I didn't mind and firmly put the hat on his head. 

"This is the North, you know. I still want to live."

"..."

I said that and smiled faintly. It meant that I was asking them to please keep my identity a secret, if only for the sake of me, a human.

Noelier seemed to understand the meaning of these words. He slowly nodded.

“Our Rachel too ”

The dragon siblings were looking at me with slightly dazed expressions and flushed cheeks. I even properly put Rachel's hat on her head.

“Let’s go now.”

And so I came out of the alley with one wolf and two dragons.

At that moment, Noelier stopped walking.

“What’s wrong?”

I turned around and looked at him.

"Rachel says she left something over there."

“Did you leave something behind?”

"Right, Rachel?"

Rachel quietly nodded at Noelier's words. It seemed that being called Rachel was fine now.

“What is it?”

"It's a secret. I won't tell you."

Rachel shook her head shyly, like a girl hiding a secret. I chuckled and nodded as if to say I understood.

So they entered the alley where the man had collapsed. And they came back really quickly.

"Did you find the item?"

"No, I didn't have it. I must have lost it."

Rachel said that with a tearful expression.

“Shall we look for it together?”

Just as I was about to go back into the alley, Noelier quickly blocked my path.

“There was nothing.”

"They might not have found it. Together..."

"Eve, let's go back for now. It's too dark. We have children too."

Oh, I realized my situation only then.

The children probably hadn't fully recovered from the shock of the drug addict. I nodded and followed him out of the alley.

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