A few days later, a guest arrived at the mansion.
I was surprised to see the visitor's face.
"Irene?"
I used to ask for a message if her fever got better, but I didn't know that she would come in person.
I dragged Irene to my room, not to the parlour room, and looked around.
"Are you all right now?"
"I'm completely fine."
Irene's complexion of saying that certainly didn't look like a sick person.
"When did the fever go down?"
"Yesterday."
Then the date......
Jesus.
Irene's had a full week of fever.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
Even though I heard she was okay, I took my hand to Irene's forehead without realizing it.
And what she said just right.
Irene humbly opened her two arms raised, like biceps competition.
"Of course. I'm completely strong, almost like an iron."
"What the hell was that?"
Laughter flowed out of Irene's exaggeration.
"The doctor still doesn't know the cause? Was it flu?"
"Eonni."
"Huh?"
"Is there anything different about me today?"
"What's different?"
Listening to Irene's question, I looked through her again.
I've already taken a closer look, but did I miss anything?
However, the visible appearance of Irene remained the same.
Her deer-like eyes, a calm atmosphere when she closes her mouth, her hair and ........
I was so focused on Irene's appearance that I suddenly found out what I was missing.
"Where's Yeoboon?"
Come to think of it, Irene visited the mansion alone today.
There was no one by her side, of course.
"Correct."
"The answer is correct and what! Irene, what about Yeoboon?"
Did something happen to Yeoboon?
No, but how could she move by herself?
I checked my watch.
The needle was approaching noon.
Oh, my God.
I'll call Sir Davery first.
Then Irene jumped up and snatched my sleeve.
"Eonni, if you're trying to get the blonde knight, you don't have to."
"What?"
"I don't need a knight."
"What is she talking about? What do you mean you don't need it? If you're going to die here, I don't even have a bead to save you......."
I poured my words out like rapid-fire and shut my mouth.
Irene's attitude was strangely calm.
I looked at a determined face that had not agitated, and I grew my eyes for a moment.
"You, no way......"
A thought passed through my mind.
The sudden heatwave caused even the most famous doctor in the capital to shake his head.
Irene says she doesn't need anyone to protect her after suffering from fever.
"That's right."
Irene nodded, letting go of her hand holding the hem of my dress.
"I'm not in danger anymore. Nothing would happen."
"No way."
I sat on the edge of the bed at the same speed as I jumped up.
I grabbed Irene and looked around again.
"Really?"
"I'm telling you if I'm lying, why would I come alone?"
"Really nothing happens all day? Breakfast, lunch, dinner all day? Peace all day?"
"I told you so."
"Oh, my God."
I gave Irene a big hug.
"That's great."
A sigh of relief came out.
No matter how reliable he is, Yeoboon is by his side, but overcoming the crisis of death every day was never easy to see.
Honestly, it would have felt like walking on a thin ice plate.
Until now, there was no other way, so we were satisfied with the alternative.
"It's a relief."
I can't believe the power to threaten Irene has suddenly disappeared.
Did the world give up because it didn't work?
Was the fever like an immune response to the eventual acceptance of her as a member of this world?
I hugged Irene like I was going to burst and only when my overwhelming feeling calmed down did I relax my arms.
But then Irene's face was not as good as I thought.
".......Irene?"
I hesitated.
Irene's mouth opened.
"You know, eonni. So, speaking of which."
"......."
"Should I just give up going home?"
"What?"
"No matter how hard I look for the God of Dimension, I can't find the thread I want, and even if I go back, I don't know if I'm really alive, and so my body."
"........"
"In the meantime, my soul seems to have completely adapted to this world."
"I, shall I just live here? Should I give up and settle down? Not as Bae Irene, but as Ji-eun Grace."
If Irene's expression or voice were bright, I might have been at odds.
Good thinking, good decision.
There's no danger anymore, so let's get along well here.
I may have been tempted to hold Irene's hand and support the decision by pretending I don't know anything.
But Irene now had a tearful face on her face.
If I touch her, I feel like she's about to burst into tears.
I suddenly realized when I saw Irene with an unhappy face more than ever before, even when she heard that she had died and been revived.
The people who really care about Irene are not here.
They were all somewhere else, not here.
Whoever it is, the weight of the preciousness is different from the people she met and became close to here.
I laid my hand on Irene's back.
And said to Irene, who was valiantly closing her tears in the day full of despair.
"Let's go to the Imperial Palace with me tomorrow."
"......Yes?"
"We have someone to meet."
Looking at Irene's face, which looked sad rather than stained with tears, even though she didn't cry, I found God after a long time.
I prayed earnestly.
Please don't let him be just a lunatic as the Emperor said.
* * *
"Who are we going to meet?"
"You'll find out when we there."
I saved the details until the next day I set out for the Imperial Palace with Irene.
This is because I didn't want to see too much disappointment if I let her anticipate it in advance and if it wasn't just one.
Irene squinted her eyes as to whether it was suspicious of me avoiding the answer.
"Hmm? It smells suspicious......... maybe a blind date?"
"........"
"Is that right? Is that true? Are you trying to introduce me to my husband wannabe as soon as I say I'm going to settle down here?"
I stared at Irene in secret, too.
Irene chattered without caring.
"But you know, my taste is Asian. Colourful is not allowed. Will there really be an Asian handsome man here?"
"Not like that."
"Are you sure you don't? Oh, just in case, the age difference is also important. I don't want him to be older than three years."
"What if he's younger?"
"If younger..... well, except for elementary school students?"
I forgot the place and was about to freak out when I remembered that Irene was 17 years old.
Oh, I see, if she gets a younger boyfriend, he could be a middle school student.
Suddenly I imagined Irene and her middle school boyfriend walking hand in hand.
It was cute, too.
'They're going to go on an after-school date with their school uniform.'
I've never seen a real Irene, but it really suited her.
The tip of my nose frowned with shame.
I turned my head out of the window as naturally as I could.
In the meantime, the carriage arrived at the Imperial Palace.
I took Sir Davery's escort and got off the carriage.
From the start of our departure, Sir Davery seemed to be eyeing Yeoboon's absence, and suddenly said,
"Did she get fired?"
"What?"
"The one who's going to be fired has finally been fired."
Is it an illusion if I feel like I'm going to be sued by others for being unemployed?
I listened to your words and recalled the person I had forgotten.
I asked Irene who was just getting off the carriage.
"Irene, what happened to Yeoboon? Did you really cut it?"
"Yeoboon? I gave her a vacation. She has been suffering for me, so I told her to play."
"Such."
Sir Davery's face was rapidly stained with disappointment.
I was looking at the face and thought I'd give him some hope.
"Sir must be happy since Yeoboon wasn't fired."
"Why should I be?"
"If Yeoboon was free, I might have wanted to bring her in? The more talent, the better."
"......."
As if it had not been known, a man came out of the Imperial Palace while Sir Davery was hardening.
"You are all guests from Dukedom of Jeon, right? I've been waiting. This way, please."
I sent a notice in advance before departure.
To be exact, I just replied to the Emperor's letter, which was written by the man I told you before, asking him to visit the Imperial Palace as soon as possible.
The place where the servant led us was the reception room inside the annex.
"He's already in here."
My heart throbbed.
I looked back at Sir Davery, trying not to show as much nervousness as possible.
"Sir, please wait here for a moment."
"I don't know who's in there."
"It's all right. I'll scream if something happens. Please."
"...... I see."
I entered the reception room with Irene, leaving Sir Davery at the door.
Behind his back, a large, colourful door creaked shut.
"Ah."
A person sitting in a chair jumped to his feet.
He came straight at a busy pace.
Irene whispered to me with a sour face.
"Eonni, I told you, it's too much if he's 3 years older!"
A man of relatively small build appeared to be forty years old.
Shh, I said no.
While I was covering Irene's mouth, the man who came close to us stopped.
He seemed to welcome us somewhere.
It was definitely my first time seeing him, but I felt strange that he knew us.
"You found me."
Is it because I feel like he's been waiting?
The man smiled and reached out his hand.
"Nice to meet you. I'm the author of <The Spring of The Goddess Ji-eun>."