Chapter 12
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Sponsored by Angela. Thank you ? (2/4)
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“Yes. I’ll see you in the morning, here.”
His voice was as low as the sound of his breath, and it was chilling.
I think I know what it meant, but I didn’t know the meaning of this man who was not ordinary. Noah’s words and actions were always questionable because his intentions were unknown.
I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking. So I couldn’t draw any conclusions unnecessarily, nor could I say anything out loud. Noah leaned against the wall with his arms folded, waiting for my answer.
I found myself standing in front of a man who was smiling elegantly at me. Unlike him, who was relaxed, I became impatient and spoke.
“Are you going to sleep here?” (Diana)
“I didn’t say that, but is that what you want?” (Noah)
Noah did not miss my thoughtless question and quickly caught it. He has the skill to get what he wants out of my mouth. He walked in and sat on the edge of the bed, patting the sheet as if to say ‘come here.’
“I like it. Hurry up and come here.” (Noah)
“Ack.” (Diana)
I was so perplexed that I even had the hiccups. If I didn’t answer in the affirmative, he might ask with a blank look on his face, “Do you love me? You said you loved me, but it was a lie, wasn’t it?”
I shook my head as if to disperse my anxious thoughts. After experiencing several prediction failures, I felt relieved that he was not that crazy. In the end, it could be that my head went crazy.
“A man and a woman who are not even married, in the same room!” (Diana)
I was never this conservative to begin with, but I was willing to give anything to say no. Noah didn’t say anything but only made a ‘hmm’ sound.
“We’re going to be husband and wife tomorrow, can’t we do it one day earlier?” (Noah)
“I’d rather take my time getting married. Why don’t you try dating a little longer?” (Diana)
“Yes, we’re dating.” (Noah)
What kind of relationship did we have then? I looked at him with stunned eyes.
“We can’t be in the same room if we are dating? I’m not going to do anything, don’t you trust me?” (Noah)
‘Of course, I don’t.’ (Diana)
‘How am I going to endure the test of his love or death all night long?’
“I’m conservative.” (Diana)
“So you were conservative? I guess I’ll dismiss the whole thing.” (Noah)
“No……. That’s not the kind of reward I’m looking for.” (Diana)
Noah brought a rocking chair and put it next to the bed, then sat down and leaned his back against it.
“Well, I guess I’ll watch you sleep, then.” (Noah)
“Okay.” (Diana)
I replied nonchalantly and laid down on the bed. Noah, with a slightly dissatisfied expression, pulled the blanket up to my chin and sat back down on the chair. I could at least show him that I slept.
He started rocking and made squeaking noises.
The creaking sound of the chair was too loud! It must be a sign of his dissatisfaction with the continued rejection.
“Noah, the chair is too loud and it’s bothering me. I can’t sleep like this.” (Diana)
“I’m not going to sleep today.” (Noah)
The words uttered with a restrained face contained a strange bizarreness. If I respond to those words, he might find fault again.
“Did I do something wrong?” (Diana)
“Didn’t the Princess break off the engagement immediately after you proposed to me first?” (Noah)
“Why are you making me a bad woman……?” (Diana)
“Why are you making me sad?” (Noah)
Noah had a sad expression on his face to show his sincerity. I slowly got up and looked at Noah, who was sitting on his chair.
“You can’t sleep?” (Diana)
“No. I couldn’t sleep because my engagement was broken off.” (Noah) (lol this guy)
“I didn’t break off the engagement. I said we’d talk about it later.” (Diana)
“I know.” (Noah)
Noah leaned towards me and rested his face on my lap. One side of his face was visible and his hair was tilted to the other side. Suddenly, I had the urge to touch his hair. Noah’s eyes turned to me as I carefully swept through his soft hair.
“Diana.”
“Yes?”
Surprised, I pulled my hand away and Noah grabbed my wrist. He kept my hand on his hair.
“You don’t need me?” (Noah)
“No, I need you…..” (Diana)
“You said you love me…” (Noah)
Noah sat up and spoke with a sad voice with lonely eyes.
“You act like you’re fine without me.” (Noah)
“I’m not okay………” (Diana)
Despite his sensual appearance and languid voice showing an attitude of desire, he never crossed a certain line and felt rather ascetic. Besides, the way he vented his loneliness was not threatening in the slightest. My conclusion was that I had no idea what this man was really thinking. There must surely be a reason for him to do this to me.
I was also afraid that if he got what he wanted, he would change his attitude, saying he has achieved his goal. The content of his cold and sudden change to Celine was very heartbreaking to see in the original text, but I think it would be cruel if it actually happened.
Of course, he didn’t act this way to Celine, because he just misunderstood her ambiguous words and attitude, but it was very charming.
“Did you misunderstand? That’s interesting.”
The scene in which the gentle gaze was replaced with sarcasm and contempt was terrifying.
“Noah…..”
I was trying to ask something I wanted to know so badly, but hesitated.
“Yes?”
Noah waited for my words with gentle eyes.
“Do you like me?” (Diana)
At my question, the corners of his lips rose gracefully, his dimples showed clearly.
“Yes, I like you. That’s why I don’t want the Princess to die.” (Noah)
Although I was relieved by Noah’s answer, my heart sank so much that I wanted to run away. I don’t know why he liked me. That one fact stuck me with a terrible dread and filled me with a current of anxiety. In the end, I concluded that I shouldn’t believe those words, but in the midst of it all, my heart started beating and pounding in my chest. It was an uneasy feeling.
“So don’t go anywhere without me.” (Noah)
I couldn’t breathe because he sounded so sincere. Does that mean he likes me so much that he’d kill me if I ran away? It was difficult to determine whether it was an abnormal possessive desire or protection from the Admiral who was after me. He had said this at first.
“I’m the one who came to save you.”
I was confused by the crazy man in front of me, and I struggled to create a smiley face.
“I’m not going anywhere.” (Diana)
The word “like” stung deeply in my lungs, making me itchy and uncomfortable.
“Go to sleep. You must be tired.” (Noah)
Noah got up, pulled the covers over me, and left the room. For the first time, my room felt empty and lonely without him. I closed my eyes tightly because the loneliness I had forgotten seemed to hold my ankles.
“I like being alone. I have fun being alone. That beautiful madman enjoys my embarrassment…”
I muttered as if to brainwash myself and awakened my natural inclination. If you don’t keep it in your heart in the first place, you won’t get hurt. I don’t want to experience the feeling of being left alone after leaving someone in my heart. So it’s better to be alone from the beginning. When my parents passed away from an accident, huge insurance money and inheritance was left to me, but everything has been empty since then.
So I just moved along with everyone around me and lived my life without caring about anyone else. The selfishness of wanting Noah to like me was just so I could survive.
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It was a late morning and I lazily roused myself. While I ate a quick meal of soup and bread, Noah came in and took a seat next to me. He seemed to have gone somewhere since morning.
“I got your citizenship.” (Noah)
Noah pulled out something from his coat pocket. It was like a small notebook, and looked exactly like a passport. The flag pattern of Progen was engraved on the indigo blue outer cover.
“I couldn’t use your real last name.” (Noah)
“Diana Parsene.”
I didn’t know my birthday, but it showed December 25th, Christmas. I don’t know if he knew and wrote it down, or if he just decided on his own. I marveled at Noah, who had made my citizenship so easily.
After all, there was nothing that power and money could not buy. Noah was sitting next to me reading the newspaper and he read aloud a sentence in the newspaper.
“General Shepherd said to Black Shepherd. You may go to the wolf’s territory.”
It sounded like a passage from a fairy tale. His voice was subtle and somber.
“Is it a fairy tale?” (Diana)
“Yes. It’s going to be serialized in the newspaper. I’ll read it to you before you go to bed.” (Noah) (*again, this man? he’s so nonchalant, I’m dying lol)
There’s nothing like reading a fairy tale with puppies in it. The more I knew this man, the more new aspects of him surprised me.
“Yes, I like dogs too. By the way, when are we going back to the castle?” (Diana)
At my question, Noah stuck his face out of the newspaper and smiled.
“We’ll be here for a while.” (Noah)
“Why?” (Diana)
“You’ve never even been to a debutante. We need to have one.” (Noah)
In the original story, it was written that the ball held on the day of Celine’s social debut was packed with attendees, and the coming of age ceremony held at the mansion was very lavish. Of course, Diana, who was discriminated against, could not have one.
“How do you know?” (Diana)
“I know everything.” (Noah)
I asked seriously, but Noah didn’t give me a clear answer. He folded up the newspaper he was looking at and pushed it off to one side.
“I’ll take you to the ball, and we’ll have your coming of age ceremony at Christmas. You won’t have your debut, since its main goal is to find a husband.” (Noah)
“I didn’t bring any dresses.” (Diana)
“You can buy a new one.” (Noah)
Those who can afford to do so are different. I am poor here. I remembered buying a lot of clothes, shoes, and bags in my original life and leaving them unattended without even opening the package. It was a boring life full of emptiness and meaningless.
I felt it was easier to live a passive life now, with someone else taking care of me, than it was then.
“We can go to the Imperial Ball tomorrow. You can go shopping while I do my business. You will have to spend all the money I have set aside for you.” (Noah)
He kept me busy by keeping me busy. It was selfish, but I didn’t have anything to say about it because it was for my own good.
He was a strange man.
After breakfast, I stopped by a famous tailor shop with a butler, a maid, and a servant. Noah gave me an excessive amount of money and we had to buy a lot of dresses, shoes, hats and accessories to match our eye color and hair. I was afraid that it would be a disaster later on. I shouted at him, saying it was enough, but the butler insisted that if I could not spend all this amount, I would not be safe. (Lol got threatened to spend money ?)
When I was choosing pajamas to fulfill the amount, I was surprised when the maid recommended a very revealing slip. After paying the bill, the servants and the butler left in a large carriage full of luggage, and I got into an automobile with a driver.
My back was aching after trying on different dresses as if I were playing dress-up.
‘I’ve never been to a ball, and I can’t even dance, so what am I supposed to do?’
But Noah was a thorough man. He had already invited a noble lady to teach me how to dance. Countess Elizabeth Moray, who was waiting in advance at the mansion, was an elegant and beautiful woman.
“The gentleman will lead you once you know the basic steps.” (Countess)
“Gentleman……………………”
I didn’t know what expression to make when Noah suggested dancing. I learned to dance and the etiquette and unspoken rules of the ballroom, and before I knew it, the day was over.
“Have a meal and go.” (Diana)
“No, my husband is waiting for me at home. I’m also very tired.” (Countess)
The Countess covered her mouth and smiled graciously as she left in the car that she had come in. While eating dinner alone, I recalled Countess Moray’s shy smile.
Someone was waiting for her at home. An emotion I had been turning away from came up, but I did my best to push it back in. After dinner, I went up to my room to wash up and read a book, enjoying my alone time. Then I suddenly felt like I wasn’t alone and looked at the door of my room absentmindedly, but there was no one there.
Someone kept trying to squeeze into my lonely world where I was the only one. Someone had gradually reduced and filled the empty space. He carelessly but kindly touched me, without permission. I was reluctant for someone to be part of my world. Because I didn’t want him to become all of it.
I inhaled, holding my face in my hands, and let out a heavy breath.
Knock. Knock.
There was a knock on the door as if to break my anguish. I stood up quickly and opened the door. The maid at the door said she would take care of my bed, but it was just an excuse. And what she got in her hands was the very naughty slip she recommended earlier.
“It’s a bonus from the store so I bought it. No one knew about it.”
The maid smiled with a meaningful expression. She must have thought I was too embarrassed to buy it… this girl…she was thoughtful for nothing.
“Ah!”
I hurriedly took the slip from her. I was going to hide it where she couldn’t see it.
“What’s wrong?”
A familiar voice interrupted. Noah, who came out of nowhere, was standing behind the maid, looking at me. His gaze went to the slip that was in my hand. The maid bowed.
“I’m leaving, Master.”
‘No, you can’t! You created this awkward atmosphere all of a sudden, now you just leave!’
The maid left, and I hid the slip behind my back and made a distraction.
“What is it?” (Noah)
“A rag.” (Diana)
“Does the princess also do cleaning?” (Noah)
“I have mysophobia.” (Noah)
“How ugly is the rag?” (Noah)
The slip in my hand went to his hand in a blink of an eye. Noah unfolded the cloth without hesitation.
“It’s a great rag.” (Noah)
“Give it to me!” (Diana)
He must surely have been considered I was a “revealing woman” because he found obscene books in my room and now lewd pajamas. My face turned as red as a tomato as embarrassment overwhelmed me. I jumped up and down trying to take it back, but I couldn’t reach it because Noah lifted it high like a flying flag. Noah looked at me and chuckled, then spoke as if teasing me.
“Did you prepare this to seduce me? It’s amazing.”
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*This couple is so cute and funny. Their interactions are the best.