Seven Sins System Chapter 430. My Infirmary, My Rules

Seven Sins System Chapter 430. My Infirmary, My Rules

After that, not a word came out of our mouths. It wasn’t awkward, but a comfortable silence settled between us. Strangely, I didn’t ask why she had come or engaged in our usual banter. We didn’t exchange verbal barbs or cross swords like we typically did. It was odd, almost unsettling, how her presence had become a normal part of my routine.

In less than five minutes, I finished checking the medical supply list. I placed the pen and the list on my desk, the task completed with my usual efficiency. My eyes drifted towards her, expecting to see her usual critical expression, perhaps a frown or a wrinkle of disapproval on her forehead. But I was wrong.

She was looking at me, but her face showed something entirely different—longing, as if she were lost in a daydream. Her eyes were soft, her expression far from the sharp, penetrating gaze I was used to. It caught me off guard, seeing her like this. There was something vulnerable about her in that moment, something that made me pause.

Then, I noticed it. She was wearing that necklace. The necklace I had intended to give her when we were kids, a token of friendship. The same necklace that had been snatched away by those hunter bastards. Seeing it around her neck now, after all these years, stirred something inside me. A mix of curiosity and a flicker of old, buried emotions.

Why was she wearing it now? What did it mean to her? The questions buzzed in my mind, but I kept them to myself.

Once she noticed my gaze, Puriel immediately looked away. She glanced around the room restlessly, her eyes darting from one object to another as if searching for something to focus on. Finally, her gaze settled on the window, where she seemed to find some measure of calm.

I held back a cringe and a chuckle, a weird smile tugging at my lips instead. 'You should be more honest with me,' I thought, amused by her awkwardness. But then again, I wasn't exactly honest with her either. Our relationship was built on a foundation of half-truths and hidden feelings, each of us guarding our hearts and intentions.

My eyes flicked to my bag, where I had packed the lunches earlier. With a thought, my tentacles extended and reached into the bag, retrieving the paper bag that contained the two lunch containers. One of the tentacles handed the container to me, while another moved towards Puriel, offering her the second container.

She looked at the container with surprise, her eyes widening slightly. For a moment, she seemed unsure of how to react, her hand hovering in mid-air before she finally accepted it. Her fingers brushed against the smooth surface of the container, her expression softening as she realized what it was.

"I brought some breakfast," I said, breaking the silence. My voice sounded casual, but there was an undercurrent of something deeper, something that acknowledged the significance of the gesture. "Thought you might be hungry."

She didn’t respond immediately, her eyes lingering on the same paper bag I held. “I haven’t told Julia, Claire, and the others about my return,” I said, breaking the silence. “So, we’ll be eating the same food.”

She took the paper bag from my tentacle, still looking somewhat hesitant. “Accompany me for breakfast,” I added quickly before she could use her teleportation skill to leave. Her frown deepened at my request, and she seemed to hesitate.

I pointed at the chair in front of me with my gaze, silently urging her to sit. “You shouldn’t eat in a place like this,” she reminded me, her tone carrying a hint of disapproval.

I smiled in a way that I knew would annoy her. “My infirmary, my rules,” I scoffed lightly. “C’mon,” I repeated, my eyes still fixed on the chair, urging her to join me.

Puriel looked reluctant, her gaze flicking between the chair and me. She seemed to weigh her options, as if considering whether to stay or leave.

“Right, tentacles,” I said, assuming her reluctance stemmed from her aversion to my tentacles. She had always found them disgusting. With a sigh, I retracted them into my back, hoping to make her feel more comfortable.

Puriel finally rose from the bed and moved to the chair in front of me, sitting down with a quiet determination that I couldn’t quite decipher. I opened my food container and began eating. I didn’t bother with utensils, considering it finger food. After all, it was just boiled eggs and sausages.

She opened her container and looked at me again, this time with a frown. I could sense her disapproval, but I wasn’t entirely sure what it was about this time. “Just use your hands,” I said, assuming she was upset about the lack of utensils. “I forgot to bring a fork.”

Puriel started eating without saying anything, which was unusual for her. She didn’t seem to have any resistance or comments at all. No snide remarks, no objections—just silent compliance. It felt strange, unsettling even, because she was acting obedient, something I wasn’t used to from her. The entire breakfast felt awkward, the silence between us heavy and unnatural.

We didn’t exchange a single word throughout the meal. I could feel the tension building, a tension that wasn’t borne out of conflict but out of the unfamiliar territory we were navigating. Finally, the strangeness of the situation got to me, and I decided to voice the question that had been nagging at me.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you wearing that necklace,” I said, trying to keep my tone casual. I couldn’t help but notice how well-maintained it was for a piece of jewelry that was hundreds of years old. I had made it using materials I found in the mortal realm, so its endurance shouldn’t have been as good as if I had used materials from my realm. There was no magic infused in it either, despite my use of Devil’s Craft skill when I was a kid. I had to admit, I was quite talented even back then.

She looked shocked by my observation, her hand instinctively going to her neck to feel the necklace. It seemed like she hadn’t realized she was wearing it.