Saved Him, Now I'm Obsessed (10 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 44

“Lately, I truly have no idea what’s been going on around you, my lady. First, you suddenly declared you wanted to become a healer, and not only did you pass that difficult exam effortlessly—which was astonishing enough—but now you’ve abruptly become the Imperial Capital’s physician as well.… Of course, I’m overjoyed, but I can’t deny feeling a bit hurt too.”

Her voice grew somber.

“You used to tell me everything, Claire. You’d say how lonely you felt with only your quiet older brother at home, how happy you were to have an older sister like me, and you’d share even the tiniest details with me.…“

Ileina and Claire had always been close enough to confide their innermost thoughts to each other.

Even now, I could clearly sense how much Ileina cherished Claire like a younger sister. Her gloomy tone sounded almost as if she were about to cry, leaving me flustered.

“You’re not actually crying, are you?”

“Who’s crying?”

I must have imagined it. Though her eyes glistened with a faint sheen as she looked at me with a puzzled expression, there were no traces of tears. I hadn’t wanted to make Ileina cry.

“I’m glad to hear that, then.”

Since I’d never had anyone close enough to consider a true friend before, I was rather clumsy at comforting someone or cheering them up.

Ian had been the only person with whom I’d built a deep bond over a long time. Even then, Ian had always acted like an old soul since childhood and never cried in front of me—though as he grew older, he did become more prone to sulking.

“It’s not that I’m crying, but I really did feel hurt and disappointed. Of course, I know Claire isn’t as young as she used to be, so it’s only natural she’d start keeping some personal secrets now and then. I understand that.…“

She pulled a stool over and sat directly in front of me with a serious expression. Sitting this close, face to face, made me feel just like a child scolded by my parents for a grave mistake.

“A while back, an aristocratic lady once told me how upset she was that her daughter, whom she’d always thought of as just a naive child, had grown up and started keeping things from her—refusing to let her mother visit her room or even talk much anymore. Back then, I didn’t understand; I thought maybe the girl just needed her privacy and her mother was being overly intrusive. Yet now, I realize I’ve turned into that very same person. Claire… does she find me too overbearing?”

Overbearing? How had the conversation suddenly veered in this direction? I quickly shook my head.

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