Carlos looked at the blurry Espel Castle in the distance, recalling Irene, who had looked at him with a pale, almost collapsing face.

“…….”

It had only taken restoring his left hand to reach that state.

If he were to restore his left leg as well, she might lose consciousness and collapse.

And just like before, she wouldn’t wake up for nearly a week.

If luck wasn’t on their side, it could even take longer.

“…….”

Upon reflection, monitoring Irene was easier when she was sleeping than when she was awake.

In an unconscious state, she wouldn’t entertain thoughts of escape.

However, Carlos found Irene being unconscious uncomfortable and displeasing.

Not directly repairing the barrier and seeking help from Abel was for the same reason.

In the midst of it, while he couldn’t set aside his pride, he told Abel that if he didn’t want to help, he could refuse—an indifferent remark. Given the circumstances, Abel’s perplexity was understandable.

Carlos sighed heavily, turning to face Abel.

“Sorry…”

Though brief, it was a sincere apology.

However, Abel reacted as if he had heard something unbelievable.

“What? Did you just apologize?”

“…….”

Slightly taken aback, Carlos turned his head without saying a word.

Abel clung to Carlos’s back like a cicada, buzzing incessantly.

“So, the great Carlos just apologized to me. Is that what happened?”

“……Enough noise.”

“Really. You said sorry. The mighty Carlos apologized to me.”

“…….”

If Carlos had known Abel would make a fuss, he wouldn’t have apologized.

Carlos forcefully detached Abel, who was clinging to him like a cicada, his expression stern.

“Stop the unnecessary talk. Tell me if you’re going to repair the barrier or not.”

“Why ask such an obvious question?”

Abel replied with a carefree smile.

“It’s a friend’s request, so naturally, I’ll help.”

It was fortunate that Abel willingly agreed to repair the barrier, but Carlos couldn’t entirely entrust the task to him.

Since it wasn’t Abel’s created barrier, problems could arise while fixing it. Carlos accompanied Abel every time he went to repair the barrier, considering the potential issues.

Reflecting Abel’s desire not to display the act of repairing a barrier to others, especially those unfamiliar with it, they didn’t go to fix it until after sunset.

“…….”

As a result, Carlos missed dinner with Irene.

It had already been three days.

Irene, as usual, muttered while looking at the prepared dinner on the table.

“You’re eating alone again today…”

Jessie, who naturally had a small voice, couldn’t hear what she said properly.

“What did you just say, miss?”

“It’s nothing.”
Not wanting Jessie to catch on to such foolish thoughts, Irene smiled as if everything was fine and casually sat down at the table. Jessie, who was attending to Irene’s meal, pouring water into her cup, and more, frowned shortly after Irene put down her fork and knife. After a long period of unconsciousness, Irene’s appetite had explosively increased, eating twice as much as usual, even though she generally ate less than average people. However, for the past few days, her food intake had drastically decreased, and now she barely ate half of what she used to, especially during dinner. It was strange. “Don’t the dishes suit your taste, miss?” Jessie asked, wondering if Irene wasn’t eating because she didn’t like the food. Irene shook her head when asked if she didn’t like it. “No, everything tastes delicious.” “But why aren’t you eating?” “Because I’m full….” “You’re skipping meals after eating so much?” Jessie asked, puzzled. When Jessie questioned Irene, she glanced at the remaining food. It was difficult to tell what she had eaten. She had definitely eaten less.
It was difficult to discern what Irene had eaten; the food had hardly diminished to the point of being unidentifiable. She definitely ate less. Jessie was concerned, and even considering the chef’s sincerity in preparing the meal, Irene hesitated to eat more. However, she refrained from eating more here, fearing it might make her sick.

“I don’t want to eat, so there’s no need to force yourself,” Irene said awkwardly, smiling when she noticed Jessie understanding her feelings.

“You eat well for breakfast and lunch, but why can’t you eat dinner properly?…”

“…”

Whether fortunate or unfortunate, Irene knew the reason. It was because Callos, who used to have dinner with her, was not there anymore. Before, she couldn’t eat properly because she was mindful of Callos, but now, with him gone, it was ironic that she couldn’t eat.

She didn’t know if his absence had anything to do with her loss of appetite.

“Shall I bring a sweet cake?” Irene recalled the cake she had eaten when she went to get permission from Callos to undertake a certain task. Suddenly, her appetite returned, and she felt hungry.

“I’ll eat.”

“I’ll bring it right away!” When Jessie was about to leave, Irene quickly added, “Please bring the chocolate cheesecake I had before.”