TISND Chapter 172

Chapter 172

Helena’s laughter was clear and refreshing. Even the knight standing guard outside the house peeked inside at the sound. Usually quiet in both speech and action, she laughed freely, making a pleasant sound like tinkling bells.

Startled by her unexpected laughter, Caligo’s eyes briefly trembled. For a moment, he wondered if he was dreaming. That was how beautifully she laughed—like something out of a dream. Though she occasionally smiled around Jeremy or Joshua, she never did so in front of Caligo. At best, she merely stood there, visibly tense.

Caligo stood still with an unreadable expression, raising and lowering his eyebrows slowly. Then, much like Helena earlier, he moved his lips as if to say something, hesitated, and let out a light cough, trying to find a tone that wouldn’t intimidate her.

“Why… are you laughing?”

Helena, having stopped laughing, looked somehow refreshed.

“No reason.”

But she gazed at him intently, a thoughtful look on her face.

“Somehow, I feel like I understand you a little more now.”

To Helena, he had always been someone far away. A one-sided love. Admiration. A person mismatched from the start. So all she could do was watch him from a distance, never daring to think of having him. But now, she felt she might finally understand a bit about who he was.

“You think you understand me?”

“I think I was mistaken.”

Maybe it was because she had only watched from afar. She hadn’t truly known Caligo. Perhaps she had projected her own fantasy onto him—believing he was flawless and radiant, so unlike her. Without realizing it, she had thought that way.

In reality, Caligo was more hot-tempered and shy than she had imagined. He was poor at expressing himself and not honest with his emotions—much like Jeremy. She hadn’t known that until now. Once she stripped away her prejudice, she could see glimpses of his thoughts. Before, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t figure him out.

Now, Helena felt like Caligo was awkwardly fumbling in front of her. He didn’t seem to dislike talking to her. Somehow, his behavior reminded her of her old self, and that made her laugh again. In the past, she had hated his guilt and pity, but now… she didn’t mind it so much.

Maybe it was because she had realized he no longer saw her as merely pitiful.

Helena liked how he felt uneasy around her. It gave her a childish sense of revenge.

“You’ve been saying strange things for a while now.”

“I just have a lot on my mind,” she replied with a smile.

***

After that, Helena started speaking to him first. She asked if he had eaten, where he had been, if he was busy, or even told him stories about the pranks Jeremy and Joshua had pulled that day.

Caligo, realizing she no longer acted awkward around him, didn’t avoid her as much. Sometimes, he even asked her how her day had been.

Though the awkwardness between them hadn’t disappeared entirely, Helena found herself spending more time with him. The slight awkwardness didn’t bother her anymore.

Once she became aware of it, she began to notice how Caligo took care of her. He was the kind to act before speaking. Before nightfall, he would give her a blanket made from sable fur. He planted trees on the hill she often looked down from. He always acted before she felt cold or discomfort.

Despite these thoughtful actions, he never made a fuss. He would quietly place a blanket over her and leave, or move in the shadows without drawing attention. It was hard to even realize what he had done.

Still, Helena found herself growing more comfortable with him.

Unlike Jeremy or Joshua, who always chattered around her for attention, Caligo quietly sat by her side, reading letters or working on reports.

It was almost unbelievable—Helena Eskel feeling comfort, stability, or reassurance from Caligo Frantor, given their history.

Until now, whenever she saw him, she had been overwhelmed by waves of emotion—thrill, excitement, nervousness. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t ignore them.

She had never felt “comfort” from anyone before, perhaps because she had always lived in tension. But now, for some unknown reason, he was simply… comforting.

She had a baseless belief that she could survive even a bomb falling nearby if he was around. She had a strange sense of confidence that, even if he suddenly got angry, she wouldn’t feel fear or sadness like before.

It wasn’t the fluttering, girlish feeling she used to get just looking at him. But Helena didn’t mind.

One day, when her cold had gotten better, she stayed in the living room making bookmarks instead of taking a walk. She picked up fallen maple leaves to give as gifts to the children. When they asked why she was bothering with something so tedious, she casually claimed it was part of her rehab. In truth, she just wanted to give them a gift because they liked the red leaves.

Caligo naturally sat beside her and worked on his reports, occasionally glancing at her bookmarks. Though her hands were clumsy, her natural touch hadn’t faded. She took her time, and the bookmarks turned out quite well.

While immersed in his reports, Caligo noticed the sudden quiet. Helena had fallen asleep on the carpet. Though the fireplace was warm, seeing her asleep on the floor made him uneasy.

Unable to ignore it, Caligo decided to carry her to the bedroom upstairs. He got up, draped a blanket over her, and gently slipped his arm under her head.

“Mmm…”

In her sleep, Helena wrapped her arms around his forearm. Unintentionally, he became her pillow.

Frozen by her unexpected action, Caligo didn’t know what to do. Meanwhile, the children, who had been playing outside, came back into the house.

“What are you doing, Father?”

“Be quiet, Joshua. Helena’s asleep.”

It had been a long time since the children had seen her sleep so peacefully. Instead of the tense, sorrowful expression they were used to, her face looked calm. They gathered around her, quietly watching her sleep with a light heart.

“…I should take her upstairs.”

Caligo was awkwardly hunched over her, stuck in a makeshift pillow pose. It was very uncomfortable.

But the children stopped him.

“No way, Father.”

“Even if your arm goes numb, stay still.”

“If you move her, she’ll wake up.”

“Let’s not wake her. Seriously.”

And so, Caligo had no choice but to remain there, hunched over on the floor.

Helena slept soundly on his arm for over three hours. It was her first sweet nap in a long while.

***

“Your Grace, reporters have shown up right outside the house.”

But no secret lasts forever. When the Duke of Frantor and the twins didn’t return to the capital or their estate, reporters started investigating. Eventually, they discovered that the three were staying in Horion—and that Helena was with them.

Once word got out that the missing Helena was living in Horion, not only reporters but also people from other regions flooded in. A small village once only visited by fishermen, families, or the occasional merchant was now overwhelmed with people.

Reporters chased down every resident for interviews. Fed up, the villagers locked themselves inside their homes.

In the end, it was clear they couldn’t stay in Horion any longer. The time had come to leave behind the little home Helena had built.

And it was time to make a decision: where to go next—and whether she would go alone or with the children.

She had only promised to undergo treatment. She never promised to stay with Caligo and the children forever. There had been a time when just her choosing to live was all they had desperately hoped for.

“…Helena.”

Joshua, too, realized what was going on.

“What are you going to do?” he asked, his face full of concern.

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