Chapter 108: Peace
I watch Noelle intently as he continues to tend to the wound on my left leg, his gentle hands moving with such precision and care. His face is focused, and I can’t help but admire the way the soft afternoon light bathes him in a warm glow, making him look even more ethereal than usual. He’s the love of my life, and in moments like this, the quiet simplicity of his presence feels like a blessing I don’t deserve.
Just then, Grape, this infamous bird, flutters into the greenhouse, breaking the stillness. I gesture for Grape’s personal maid to leave, not wanting an audience for this small piece of peace Noelle and I have found together. The bird lands on my outstretched forefinger, its weight a familiar presence. I raise an eyebrow at the puffed-up creature and smirk.
"Aren’t you too fat?" I tease, watching as Grape preens proudly, cooing as if I’d just paid it the highest compliment. Only Grape would interpret an insult as flattery. Does he even understand me, I look at it. Probably does.
Noelle chuckles softly at the interaction, the sound like music in the quiet space, and for a moment, I’m transported back to last winter, to the hill where we spent months together, isolated from the world. It was the first time in my life that I had felt something akin to peace.
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Last Winter
The world outside the window was nothing but a blanket of pure white, snow stretching as far as the eye could see. The cold was biting, and on days like this, the injury in my leg throbbed incessantly, a dull ache that had become a part of me. But even with the pain, there was peace. Real, tangible peace that I had never known before.
I heard the soft sound of footsteps approaching and turned just as Noelle entered the room, carrying a cup of hot water and a pouch of herbs. I grimaced at the sight, already knowing what he was going to make me drink.
"Don’t be like that. It’s for your own good," Noelle said, his laughter light, teasing. His presence was a comfort, a balm to the ache in my leg and the one in my heart.