The Author's Will

35 | Icicle Eyes

　　 Soon after their little exchange, Irene blissfully jumped off Mikael's bed. The boy was still struggling to grasp this situation, but was now wide awake from the awe he felt earlier.

To think she actually snuck into my room because I was avoiding her... He wanted to shudder, but felt oddly calm about having her presence here. As he gazed at Irene's petite figure flurrying across the room toward the windows, he watched her gently move the curtains aside to allow the morning light to come in.

Her shoulder-length white hair was messily strewn across her head, and Mikael thought this unkempt appearance suited her unpredictable personality well. Still - albeit annoying, she was hard to dislike.

"So now that we're friends," Irene smiled, opening the windows to allow some fresh air to sweep into the room. "I've already decided on the first thing we'll do together!"

He raised an eyebrow, but his eyes seemed disinterested. "And what's that, exactly?"

It was then that Irene turned to face him, and there was a glimmer of excitement twinkling in her eyes. Her radiant grin as she ran toward him with exuberance, suggested there was something she was looking forward to. She took a seat on his bed beside him, taking his hand which caught him by surprise.

"Did you know? There's going to be a-"

Thud!

Just then, the sound of a door being briskly opened cut through the room, capturing the attention of both children. As their heads turned to see a tall, skinny old woman standing at the doorway — Ms Cather froze in shock at the sight of Irene.

The old woman froze in shock when she saw Irene, sitting on the prince's bed beside him. But when she met Mikael's gaze, he only turned away. She had no idea as to why the daughter of Cherliann was present here, and sitting so close to the young prince. But it was all too unwelcoming.

"Miss Irene, what brings you here so early in the morning?" The shrewd woman asked, trying to mask her aggravation behind a smile. She noticed the spare pillow beside Mikael's, and instantly realised the girl had snuck in here.

Irene observed her for a moment, before responding with a smile of politeness in return. "I came to ask Mikael to have breakfast with me." She said, her words surprising both the old woman, and the boy in front of her.

She's just calling me by my name and dropping formalities... Mikael thought, wanting to sigh. What a brave girl.

"I see, but My Lady, you shouldn't have come to him like this in your night clothes," the maid then frowned, her thin and dark brows knitted together as her dark eyes glared at Irene in disgust. "And to be sitting on the same bed. It is extremely undignified for a lady, especially one of your stature. Didn't you have a proper education?"

Irene's smile dropped from her face, and her eyes narrowed in annoyance. Did this woman just insult me for being crude?

I'm eight years old!

"I don't see the issue here. Brother Rayvis and I sleep together all the time," she responded, setting aside her child-like demeanour as her expression became more stern. "Prince Mikael is living with us, so he's family now. Why would it be undignified of me to greet my family in the morning? And exactly who are you to question my education?"

The maid's brows furrowed with annoyance, before she sighed and adjusted her glasses. Meanwhile, Mikael grew anxious from the tension in the air. "Even so, it is too early to view His Highness as family, My Lady. If you care about your reputation-"

"And who made you the judge of that? That's between me and Mikael," Irene interjected, her patience wearing thin. "The prince may have brought you along, but you should mind what you say, Ms Cather. Clearly you haven't realised who's house you're standing in, and who you just insulted."