Chapter 24

“Little One! Where are you? Big sister is here!”

“Ahh! Whoa!”

Little One, Little One, Little One!

Big sister is coming. Just wait a little longer!

And then, Elena suddenly woke up.

The first thing she saw was the face of her friend, Alice, dozing off nearby.

‘Why is she here?’

“Alice?”

“Mm…”

Hearing Elena’s voice, Alice opened her eyes slightly. The moment she saw Elena, her eyes widened.

“Elly? Are you awake?”

“This place….”

Elena wanted to ask where she was, but her voice wouldn’t come out. Her throat was dry and scratchy, as if she had swallowed a handful of sand.

Seeing her frown, Alice handed her a glass of water and fussed over her.

“Where else would you be? You’re in your room!”

With Alice’s help, Elena sat up and gulped down the water. Only then did she feel a little better, and her voice returned.

“Why am I like this?”

“What do you mean, why? You’ve been sick for three days!”

At Alice’s words, Elena belatedly realized that her entire body ached as if she had muscle pain, and her head was spinning. Her back and forehead were drenched in cold sweat.

If this was how much pain she felt after three days, then…

“I must’ve been really sick.”

“Yeah, it was pretty serious.”

“Do I still have a fever?”

As Elena touched her forehead, Alice sighed and opened the curtains. Sunlight streamed in, and for the first time, Elena could clearly see Alice’s face.

Even though Alice had just returned from a restful vacation at home, dark circles shadowed her eyes.

That’s when Elena realized.

‘She must’ve been taking care of me without sleeping properly for the past three days.’

She felt a wave of guilt.

“I’m sorry. You must’ve had a hard time because of me.”

“It’s not about the hard time; you scared me. Do you know how shocked I was when you collapsed with your face as pale as a sheet?”

From Alice’s dramatic recounting, Elena was able to piece together what had happened.

“You didn’t even light the fireplace before sleeping! That’s why you caught a cold! Miss Jane said it was a relief you didn’t develop pneumonia.”

Jane was the name of the school nurse.

“But I was really sick for three days…?”

“Yes, you were sick for three whole days, so stay still and don’t talk too much since your throat hurts.”

“Mm.”

“You woke up a few times in between, but you don’t remember?”

“No, I don’t really remember.”

Elena vaguely recalled Alice grumbling about how far the new room was, but she must’ve fallen ill after that.

When she nodded nonchalantly, Alice smacked her arm with a loud slap.

“You! How could you forget to light the fireplace before going to sleep?”

“I must’ve been too distracted because of the intruder.”

Elena mumbled, recalling the excuse Felix had given her. She couldn’t mention Little One, but the story about an intruder was public knowledge.

“Even so! And what was Felix doing? I even asked him to look after you while I was gone.”

“Felix didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Oh? Are you defending your childhood friend now?”

“No, it’s not like that…”

Elena wasn’t trying to defend Felix, but she couldn’t let Alice blame him either.

Felix had worked hard to find Little One while she was in the room.

But since she couldn’t explain that, it ended up looking like she was defending him because she didn’t want him to be criticized.

‘I hope Alice doesn’t misunderstand.’

Fortunately, Alice changed the subject without saying much more.

“Well, anyway, you’re feeling better now, so that’s what matters. I’ll go get something to eat from the cafeteria. Eat and get some more rest.”

“Mm, thanks.”

While Alice was gone, Elena looked around the room. She wondered if Felix might’ve left a note about Little One’s whereabouts.

But there was nothing.

‘He didn’t find him?’

By now, Professor Deros should’ve returned. Felix had said he would explain the situation to the professor and search for Little One.

If there was still no news, did that mean there really was no way to find him?

Elena felt a pang of sadness, but fortunately, Alice returned before she could dwell on it.

On the plate Alice brought were simple dishes: steaming soup, soft bread, a refreshing salad, and juice.

It was a meal thoughtfully prepared for someone with a sore throat.

‘Broccoli soup. Little One liked this.’

The moment she recognized the type of soup, her throat tightened again.

“Why are you crying? Are you still in pain?”

“No, I just yawned. I’m fine.”

To hide the tears threatening to spill, Elena quickly took a spoonful of soup.

With each bite, Little One’s face flashed before her eyes.

Little One screaming excitedly during the festival, Little One bravely shouting at the Anguis man.

Little One laughing with sweet potato smeared around his mouth, Little One pouting and on the verge of tears when something didn’t go his way.

She couldn’t eat anymore. A tear finally fell into the soup bowl with a plop.

“Elly? Hey, don’t cry. Why are you crying? I’ll go get the nurse!”

Alice rushed out of the room, but Elena couldn’t stop her.

She just covered her mouth and let the tears flow.

***

“You’re still not in great shape. Your throat is swollen, and you still have a fever.”

The school nurse, who had come to check on her, examined her with a serious expression. Behind the nurse, Alice looked even more worried as she watched them.

Elena gave an awkward smile.

“I’m really fine.”

It wasn’t a lie. Except for her sore throat, she felt okay. But Alice’s fussing made her feel a bit embarrassed.

However, the nurse scolded her sternly.

“You shouldn’t say you’re fine when you’re sick. It’s better to admit when you’re unwell.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I’ll prepare some medicine for you. Take it and get plenty of rest, understood?”

“Yes, thank you.”

The nurse told Alice she would send the medicine later and then left the room.

Elena, noticing Alice’s still-serious expression, playfully asked, 

“Alice, what about your classes? Haven’t they started already?”

“Are you really thinking about classes right now?”

“Of course. If both of us miss class, who’s going to take notes?”

“Felix will, I guess. You’re close to him, so just ask him to lend you his notes.”

“Why are you bringing him up?”

It seemed Alice still held a grudge against Felix. Worried she might start complaining about him again, Elena quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway, go to class. I’m sick, so I have an excuse, but you’ll get in trouble for skipping without permission. Your grades will drop.”

“It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine for me. Go.”

After some back-and-forth, Elena finally convinced Alice to leave. Alice, pouting, reluctantly went to her herbalism class. Before leaving, she reminded Elena to take her medicine.

Alice was always like that. Even though they were the same age, she always took care of Elena like an older sister.

Though her words were sharp, Alice must’ve been really worried about her while she was sick.

Elena felt a wave of gratitude for her friend.

Following Alice’s advice, she took her medicine and lay down. Having slept for three straight days, she wasn’t tired anymore. Her mind was wide awake.

‘I should’ve just gone to class, even if Alice tried to stop me.’

Left alone, negative thoughts crept in. Elena tried her best to clear her mind and go back to sleep.

Then, there was a knock at the door.

‘What? Am I hearing things?’

It wasn’t her imagination. The knock came again.

‘Who could it be at this hour?’

Though curious, she shuffled to the door and opened it.

“Huh?”

Standing there was Felix. He looked a little thinner than the last time she saw him. His already sharp jawline was more pronounced, and his cheeks were slightly hollow.

Because of this, his cold expression seemed even sharper.

‘What’s Felix doing here?’

Her head felt heavy, and her thoughts were slow. She belatedly asked, 

“What brings you here?”

Felix looked down at her with an unreadable expression. Only after she repeated her question did he answer.

“Alice came to class.”

“Oh, yeah. She did.”

“So I came to check if you were feeling better.”

He raised his large hand and placed it on her forehead. The gesture was casual.

‘Since when were we this close?’ 

Feeling a bit awkward, Elena stepped back. Thankfully, Felix didn’t follow.

“That’s it?”

“Yeah. I’ve seen enough. I’ll go now.”

“Wait.”

She quickly grabbed his hand but let go just as fast. After scolding him earlier, she felt like she was acting too familiar.

“What?”

“Well… Little One?”

Felix didn’t answer. His silence gave her the answer.

“You didn’t find him?”

“No.”

“I see.”

As Elena lowered her head slightly, Felix pressed his thumb to her forehead, tilting her head back. His eyes were close enough to see clearly.

“Don’t worry too much. They say no news is good news. If something had happened, we would’ve heard by now.”

“…Okay.”

“So stop worrying and get some rest. You’re only this sick because you stress yourself out over everything.”

“I’m not that weak.”

“Someone who’s not weak doesn’t get sick for three days.”

“Fine, I’m a little weak. Happy now?”

Even after getting the answer he wanted, Felix still looked dissatisfied.

“Anyway, make sure you come back to class soon. Being sick won’t affect your grades, but if you miss too many classes, it’ll be hard to catch up. You’re not great at practicals, so you need to do well in theory classes. If you keep skipping, your theory grades will drop too.”

“Oh, speaking of which…”

“If you’re thinking of asking for my notes, forget it.”

How did he know? 

She hadn’t even mentioned notes yet.