Chapter 236: You’re No Longer Tied to Me (2)
The door creaked open quietly, its sound almost lost to the hush of falling snow outside.
Noah didn’t turn his head.
He remained seated at the edge of his bed, back straight, hands resting over his knees, gaze distant and locked on the half-fogged window.
He already knew who it was.
The sound of soft leather shoes stepping in.
Then the door gently closed again.
"It’s been a while...my lovely dove."
Iris Star.
Her voice was light.
Not fragile, never fragile, but soft in a way that made the weight in Noah’s chest pull tighter.
There was a pause.
Then, she stepped fully into view, letting the dim light of his room fall over her.
She hadn’t changed.
Her hair still cascaded like black silk down her back, and those red eyes...
Noah said nothing.
His throat was tight.
She took a few steps closer, hands behind her back as if she wasn’t sure whether to sit or keep standing.
She studied him for a moment.
He looked thinner. Hollow.
He always had that calm face, but now it was too calm.
Numb, almost.
"You didn’t answer my letters," she murmured.
"I know."
"Or my invites..."
He nodded faintly.
"I know."
"You’re an idiot."
He finally looked up at her.
That made her blink.
"Yeah," he said.
She moved toward him, slow and steady, and sat down beside him on the bed.
The mattress dipped with her weight, and he felt the warmth of her just being there, radiating next to him.
"Why are you still here?"
She asked.
Noah didn’t answer immediately.
"The Patron of the Ashbourne House originally cut off financial support to you.
He even originally wanted to disown you.
You’re no longer even recognized in the Imperial registries as part of your own family.
And yet you’re still in this damn academy.
Why?"
She turned toward him fully.
"Why? What is it you’re trying to prove?"
He looked away again, unable to meet her eyes.
"You were nearly killed..."
She continued, voice harder now.
"You fought off Black Vassals.
You were in a coma for weeks.
And still, the moment you wake up, you’re back here.
Sitting in this cold room, rotting alone."
He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"You want to die? Is that it?"
Her voice cracked.
He winced.
"Because if you want to die, then tell me.
Say it to my face.
Say it out loud so I can slap the hell out of you and maybe drag you out of this place myself."
He stared at the floor.
"Or..."
She said, her tone shifting again, quieter now.
"...just come with me."
His head turned slowly.
"We can leave.
The north.
The coast.
Anywhere.
I have money. You have money now.
We don’t need to stay here.
This place doesn’t owe you anything.
You’ve already paid too much."
He watched her as she spoke, as her brows furrowed and her fists trembled slightly where they rested on her thighs.
"I know something’s wrong with you..."
She said, softer now.
"I know you’re... different.
You’ve always been different.
Some days it’s like you’re a different person entirely.
The way you talk.
How you look at people."
Noah looked down.
"But... even if I don’t understand all of it..."
She said.
"I still want to be with you...Whatever it is.
Whatever you’re going through.
Whatever secrets you’re not telling me.
It doesn’t matter."
He didn’t move.
She looked down, and then quietly reached for his hand.
He didn’t pull away.
"You don’t have to explain it.
You don’t have to say anything.
Just... stop doing this to yourself.
Stop pretending that carrying all of it alone makes you stronger.
It doesn’t.
It’s killing you."
The silence stretched.
He could hear the wind outside, rattling against the window.
He let go of her hand slowly and got up.
She started to speak but stopped as he walked two steps forward... and then sank to his knees on the floor.
She stared at him.
He looked broken.
Not just physically.
But in a way she couldn’t put into words.
And then he leaned forward, and without asking, without speaking, he rested his head on her lap.
She stiffened.
Then slowly, very gently, placed her hands on his back.
His shoulders trembled.
And for the first time in this world... Noah cried.
No sound escaped his lips.
Just the shudder of breath.
The quiet sobbing against her skirt.
The warmth of silent tears soaking into the fabric.
Iris didn’t speak.
She only stroked his back softly, letting him fall apart without shame.
He had spent so long wearing masks.
So long playing roles.
Trying to stay ahead of a game he didn’t want to be in.
She held him as the weight of it all bled out through his tears.
"You don’t have to do it alone..."
She whispered, her fingers tightening just slightly.
He didn’t answer. But he didn’t need to.
She was already here.
And for tonight, that was enough.
He lay there for what felt like hours, until the tremors in his body faded. Until the tears ran dry. Until he could finally breathe again.
The wind howled.
But inside, the silence between them was not empty. It was warm.
And for the first time in a long time, Noah felt something close to peace.
***
Maya sat quietly at her desk, the soft ticking of the clock the only sound in the room.
The late afternoon sun spilled through the window, casting golden streaks over the wooden floor of her dorm.
A gentle knock broke the silence.
"Come in."
She said softly.
Her maid stepped in, holding a neatly folded letter sealed with a simple wax mark.
"This just arrived for you, my lady."
Maya blinked, reaching out slowly.
"Thank you."
Once alone, she ran her fingers over the seal, recognizing the handwriting even before she opened it.
Her heart was already beginning to race.
She unfolded the letter carefully.
Meet me at the park. A street down from the Brenthall Household.
— Noah.
Her breath caught.
Her heart skipped.