Free Web NovelPavela was instantly scared into closing her eyes tightly.
If she weren't currently unable to move, she would have immediately curled into a ball to avoid being hit by Eleanor.
Although Eleanor had never actually hit her.
But the pressure now...
Too terrifying.
More terrifying than that incarnation of destruction from before.
She even started to quickly formulate her excuses in her mind.
"Sister, this isn't my fault, it was General Margaret—"
No, that sounds too much like shifting blame.
"Sister, I can explain—"
Also no, that sentence usually means the following explanation will be very weak. freёwebnovel.com
"Sister, actually the impact of this incident should have been bigger, I already tried my best to control it—"
This one is even worse.
Saying it would probably get her beaten even worse.
No, no.
Better not to struggle.
Pavela sighed internally, preparing for the storm.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
The expected scolding didn't come.
The pain didn't increase either.
It was strangely quiet, only the distant alarm kept echoing.
...?
What's going on?
Is Eleanor brewing some big move?
Or is she so angry she can't speak?
Pavela's curiosity overcame her fear.
She carefully, sneakily, opened her tightly shut eyes by a slit.
Just a slit.
A very small slit.
If Eleanor wasn't looking carefully, she shouldn't notice she was peeking.
She saw Eleanor looking down at her.
In those ice-blue eyes, there was no anger as she expected, nor indifference.
But rather...
Very complex emotions.
Very complex.
Pavela saw heartache.
The kind of heartache that almost overflows when seeing a cherished object covered in wounds.
She saw anger.
But that anger wasn't directed at her—it was more like it was directed at some "thing" that made her look like this.
She also saw some emotions she couldn't understand.
Like lingering fear.
Like relief.
Like the relief after some unspeakable terror finally landed.
Those emotions were too deep, too complex, like an undercurrent beneath the ice, ripples visible, but the source unclear.
But just when Pavela tried to see more clearly—
Eleanor discovered she was peeking.
Oh no.
Discovered.
Pavela immediately wanted to close her eyes again to play dead, but it was too late.
The corners of Eleanor's mouth twitched slightly.
Those complex emotions were all tucked away in an instant, like being smoothed over by an invisible hand, leaving only one thing...
Helplessness.
A deep, resigned kind of helplessness.
"..."
Eleanor sighed.
The sigh was light, so light it was almost drowned out by the wind.
But Pavela heard it clearly.
The next second, she felt her body being gently lifted.
One hand behind her knees, the other steadily supporting her back.
The movement was light, careful, like holding some fragile treasure.
Pavela's brain crashed for a full two seconds.
By the time she reacted, she was already in Eleanor's arms.
A standard, textbook princess carry.
"Hey! Wait, wait—"
Pavela subconsciously wanted to struggle, but there wasn't a place on her body that didn't hurt, she gasped in pain as soon as she moved.
"Don't move."
Eleanor's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority.
"In your current state, moving is just asking for pain."
Pavela froze.
She couldn't refute this.
What Eleanor said was a fact.
But the problem is—
"I, I can walk myself..."
"You can't even stand up."
"Then I can crawl..."
"Shut up."
Pavela shut up.
Eleanor held her and started walking toward the medical building.
Her pace was steady, each step carefully avoiding rubble and cracks on the ground, minimizing jolts as much as possible.
Pavela could feel Eleanor's body heat radiating through that dark blue military uniform.
Warm.
A stark contrast to her cold gaze.
The air was filled with a faint smell of gunpowder and scorched earth, but Pavela smelled something else—
A faint floral scent.
Like roses.
Or some kind of perfume she couldn't name.
"..."
Pavela suddenly felt her face was a bit hot.
It must have been burned by the high temperature of the explosion just now.
Definitely no other possibility.
"You act as if I hit you often."
Eleanor's voice ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) suddenly rang out, interrupting Pavela's chaotic thoughts.
"...Ah?"
"Just now."
Eleanor looked down at her, "The way you closed your eyes and tried to curl into a ball, it looked like you were waiting to be hit."
Pavela's face got even hotter.
"I didn't..."
"You did."
"..."
Pavela decided to give up struggling.
She buried her face in Eleanor's arms, trying to use this action to hide her embarrassment.
Then she heard Eleanor laugh softly.
That laugh was light, with a bit of helplessness, but more of...
"I've never hit you hard."
Eleanor's voice carried a hint of teasing.
"What are you afraid of?"
Pavela didn't answer.
She just buried her face deeper.
Actually, she didn't quite know why she tried to curl up either.
She wasn't someone who would avoid problems.
This was a very strange feeling.
So strange she couldn't quite figure it out now.
Eleanor didn't continue to press.
She just lowered her head and gently rubbed her chin against Pavela's messy short silver hair.
The surrounding students gave way one after another, watching this scene with all sorts of complex gazes.
Some shocked—who is that kid? How did she get blown up like this?
Some curious—wait, the person holding her is... Senior Eleanor?
Some gossiping—oh my god, what is their relationship? Sisters? But it doesn't look like just sisters...
Some envious—I really want to be princess-carried by Senior Eleanor...
Eleanor ignored all these gazes.
But Pavela just wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
"Right."
Eleanor's voice sounded again.
"About what exactly happened just now—"
Pavela's body tensed instantly.
It's here.
What should come finally came.
She took a deep breath, preparing for the storm. freёwebnovel.com
"—we'll talk about it when we get back."
"..."
Pavela blinked.
Talk about it when we get back?
What does this mean?
Does it mean "I'll deal with you slowly when we get back"?
Or does it mean "we'll have a good talk when we get back"?
She tried to discern some clues from Eleanor's tone, but the voice was as calm as stagnant water, reading nothing.
This made her even more uneasy.
"Um... Eleanor..."
"Hmm?"
"Are you angry?"
Eleanor didn't answer immediately.
She just looked down at Pavela.
In those ice-blue eyes, there were still those complex, unfathomable emotions.
"What do you think?"
Pavela was silent.
She felt she was probably done for.
But strangely, being held by Eleanor like this, she didn't feel much fear.
Only a strange... feeling.
Like no matter what happens, there will be someone to catch her.
This feeling is very foreign.
But not unpleasant.
Warm.
Safe.
Making one want to stay just like this.
The white building of the medical center had appeared in her view.
Pavela closed her eyes, deciding not to think about those complicated things for now.
Anyway, what should come will come.
Might as well enjoy the current feeling first.
As for what Eleanor will do next.
That's all for later.
