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chapter 96
“Did the young master drive?”
As quickly as he closed the door, As gently ran his hand over Clare’s back and asked.
“Are you crazy?”
And then he cursed at Noah.
“Why are you behind the wheel if you can’t even drive!”
No wonder the young master was clutching the toilet and vomiting, As thought, feeling a rare pang of sympathy for Leto.
“I do have a license!”
Noah, suddenly defensive, pulled out his driver’s license from his wallet. In the photo, Noah’s expression was completely serious—but somehow, it looked oddly imposing.
“I can drive, you know?”
“Honestly, the problem was that they simplified the license test at the time…”
As was one of the people who distrusted Noah’s driving the most.
“Even so, As, you don’t have a license yourself!”
“I don’t need one to drive better than the young master,” As replied.
“Is the brake on the right or the left?”
“Do you think I wouldn’t know that? Of course it’s…”
“Of course?”
“……”
Noah’s voice, which had been about to boast, abruptly cut off.
“You just drove. Which foot did you use?”
“My right foot…”
“But the accelerator and brake pedals are together.”
“Oh, right! The right! The brake is the right pedal!”
“It’s on the left, you know?”
“……”
“I’ll never ride in a car if you’re driving.”
Clare clenched her fists and made a vow.
Just then, Leto, having completely emptied his stomach, appeared in a half-conscious state. His stomach was so clean it could undergo a gastric endoscopy immediately.
“Brother-in-law is weaker than I thought,” Clare said, patting Leto’s hand.
“Will you be able to eat? I can make corn porridge or something,” she offered.
“I’m fine…”
“What do you mean ‘fine’? You just rode in the young master’s car, didn’t you?”
As showed an unusually gentle side.
“I know well. The young master becomes rough whenever he drives, doesn’t he?”
“People need to have some charm like that…”
Ugh!
Remembering Noah’s driving, Leto covered his mouth with his hand and sharply turned his head. His large back, wriggling from gagging, looked especially small today.
“Oh my, even the cheeky mouth goes quiet when it hurts,” As said with a grin.
Meanwhile, Clare’s lips drooped.
“It’s because of you that brother-in-law is sick…”
“No, it’s not.”
“You tormented brother-in-law!”
“I said it’s not true.”
Leaving her emotionally charged sister alone, Noah laid Leto on the bed.
“Are you okay?”
“Uh…”
“You’ll feel better after a good sleep.”
As soon as Leto lay down, Noah kissed his forehead and carefully tucked the blanket around him.
“He’s surprisingly fragile,” As said to Noah, once outside.
“Last time, the older master came, and he collapsed like that… and today…”
“Today, he trained with me,” Noah said.
Famina, that is.
Noah finally explained why Leto had collapsed like that.
“Ah,” As murmured, understanding. She felt sympathy again for Leto, lying in the room they had just left.
“Reminds me of the old days,” As said, recalling the first day she met Noah.
“Do you remember the first day we met?”
“Well…”
Noah also remembered that day and trailed off with a faint smile.
“As, what’s for dinner tonight? Can brother-in-law eat?”
“Tomato seafood stew tonight.”
“Will you cook it with pasta in the broth at the end? Add cheese too?”
“Our young lady really likes that,” As said. Of course, it was ready. Clare smiled and ran ahead to the dining room, apparently forgetting all about Leto’s dinner worries.
“We should serve the softened pasta to the young master too,” As said. The warm broth and soft noodles would soothe his stomach.
“…Still, it’s amazing,” Noah said to As.
“Who would believe that you once came to assassinate me and Clare?”
“Just the wandering of a teenage girl,” As replied.
“You call attempting someone’s life that?”
Noah could only laugh at As’s brazen audacity. It seemed she and Leto were of similar temperament.
Of course, Noah didn’t say that out loud. If he had, As would have indignantly denied it.
“Anyway, I experienced it firsthand back then,” As said, recalling the near-injury she had suffered from Noah’s aura on the first day they met.
“How long was I bedridden?”
“For a week, teetering on the brink, but even that was somewhat controlled.”
“The young master has a strong memory bias too,” Noah said, and they both quietly laughed.
Having experienced Noah’s aura before, As could imagine just how much Leto was suffering now.
“But…”
Hmm, As carefully glanced at Noah.
“It’s not just because of that, I think…”
“You know I love you, right?”
Because he loved him, he said it.
Leto mumbled while eating the pasta Noah had brought.
It was pasta boiled in seafood stew broth with cheese, simmered long enough that the noodles broke easily with a fork.
“This is good.”
After a short rest, he seemed revitalized, eating faster and faster.
“This honestly works as a drinking snack. Training was tough, but bearable,” Leto said, scooping up a large spoonful of broth.
The first training to adapt to the aura had been difficult. Communicating with a power he had never experienced before, unarmed, was like offering one’s hand to a beast.
This was the most challenging training Leto had ever undergone.
“But your driving…”
Of course, Leto was grateful that Noah drove in his place while he was exhausted.
But…
“Too much…”
The echoes of Noah’s driving still rang in his ears, making his life feel precarious.
“Now you know where the accelerator is, right?”
“Oh, you guessed right?”
“You just misheard because you were tired. Go get some sleep.”
“Oh, I shifted the gear wrong.”
“Shut up. Just sleep. Nothing’s going to happen.”
“…I forgot to fold the rearview mirror.”
On the way here, Leto had clasped his hands and prayed to the great god in the sky to keep him safe.
It was the most devout moment of his life. When he arrived safely at the Belo Mansion atop the hill, a transparent tear clung to his gently closed eyelids.
“More than being tired from training, your driving…”
His driving had left him utterly battered.
Noah, with just your driving skill, revenge is practically guaranteed.
Not being able to drive well is also a talent.
“……”
Leto, intending to tell him not to drive for everyone’s sake, had to keep silent.
“……”
Noah had pulled a chair in front of him, sat down, and was glaring at him with lips tightly pressed.
“…There’s room for improvement,” Leto quickly decided.
It was the right answer: his wife’s heart.
“At least today, you didn’t confuse the accelerator and brake. You didn’t crash, so the car is safe.”
Other drivers had avoided Noah’s car in panic, but Leto considered himself fortunate to have come through unharmed.
“……”
Noah still said nothing. At this point, Leto felt nauseous, with a cold shiver down his spine.
“Noah.”
“……”
“Darling.”
“……”
“My bride.”
“……”
“Oh, you stubborn thing…”
“Who’s stubborn?”
Finally, Noah reacted, lifting the corners of his eyes slightly, his voice sharp.
‘Clearly sulking.’
Even so, his sulking was cute and lovable, so Leto restrained himself from teasing further.
“You’ll improve if you keep practicing.”
Mm, of course.
Leto set aside the overcooked pasta he had been enjoying on the bedside table.
“You’ll drive again tomorrow, right?”
“I don’t know.”
“Come on, you will.”
Leto poked Noah’s thigh with a finger. Noah pushed his hand away irritably. Leto persisted, tickling him lightly.
“If not you, who else would I trust my car to?”
“……”
“For a while, I need you to drive.”
“…Really?”
Noah gave a suspicious look, questioning his sincerity.
“Would I lie?”
As if with no hint of deception, Leto’s red eyes sparkled innocently, blinking exaggeratedly.
‘A few more vomits won’t matter.’
Leto braced himself and said:
“You’ll drive, right?”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Come on, please. How else am I supposed to get home? Walk that long distance with this exhausted body?”
“……”
“I’ll keep you here until you answer.”
Leto threw his arms around Noah and flopped onto the bed. Surprised, Noah couldn’t even scream.
“Stubborn, stubborn.”
Leto, clearly amused, improvised a childish song while holding Noah tightly.
“…Hmph.”
Embarrassed, Noah turned away. Even so, he was still in Leto’s arms, just shy of facing him.
“If you insist that much…”
I don’t want to, but you begged so cutely.
“Try talking behind my back about my driving again, just try it.”
“Alright, I won’t.”
“I wasn’t going to drive willingly, but I’m doing it because you asked.”
“Of course. I begged you while crying.”
“Where did the tears go?”
“Evaporated from seeing your dazzling cuteness?”
“You’re so cheeky.”
Just like grandma said, only your mouth floats above water.
Noah’s neck was flushed red despite his sharp tone.
Leto kissed the slender neck. His flinching was like a small animal, making him giggle.
“…Anyway, you worked hard.”
Even though still turned away, Noah’s voice was gentler than before.
