Noel stared at the scene before her.
Noel: "…What the—? 😶"
Her expression changed instantly.
Calm → Confused → ANGRY LIONESS. 😡🔥
Noel: "HOW DARE YOU TOUCH HIM, YOU OVERCOOKED POTATO!!"
Before the man could even blink, Noel delivered one perfectly aimed kick to his stomach.
WAAAPPP! 💥
The man flew backward and landed directly on the bed.
CRAAAAACK!
Unfortunately, the bed decided it had suffered enough and collapsed beneath him.
Bed: It was nice knowing you all. 🪦
Adam: "…"
Slowly, Adam's eyes widened as he watched Noel standing in front of him like a superhero with anger issues.
This was the same woman who had visited his house for absolutely no reason other than to ask questions and, apparently, find food.
Now she had just kicked a grown man across the room.
Adam (thinking): I gave her one small piece of advice. HOW DID THAT TURN INTO A WWE RESCUE MISSION?! 😐
Noel immediately knelt beside him.
Her expression softened.
Noel: "Are you okay, mister?" 😊
Adam tried to answer, but Noel accidentally glanced down at him.
Her eyes widened.
Noel: "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! WHAT—WHY—WHY IS YOUR CHEST SWOLLEN?! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?! 😱"
She immediately jumped backward as if she'd spotted a poisonous frog.
Adam: "A-ah… careful…" 🤕
Noel noticed him struggling to sit up.
Her panic vanished.
She rushed back, helped him sit upright, and wrapped a blanket around him like a burrito.
Then she gently patted his head.
Noel: "There, there. You're safe now."
Adam stared at her.
Why am I being treated like a burrito?
In the background, the man remained unconscious on the broken bed.
Man: 😵🛌
Noel glanced at him.
Noel: "Good. Stay there. Think about your life choices."
She turned back to Adam, wearing a surprisingly sweet smile.
Noel: "So… what exactly happened here?" 😊
Her voice was gentle.
Far too gentle.
Adam could practically feel the danger radiating from her smile.
Adam: "…Nothing." 😐
Noel looked around the room.
The broken bed.
The overturned chair.
The scattered furniture.
Then she looked back at him.
Noel: "Sir, your house looks like a hurricane came here to do squats. That is NOT 'nothing.'"
Adam sighed.
For a moment, he remained silent before finally asking the question that had been bothering him.
Adam: "Why did you help me?"
Noel tilted her head.
Adam: "People here know me, yet nobody even bothered to check what was happening. But you barely know me. Why?"
Noel blinked.
Then she smiled as if the answer were obvious.
Noel: "Oh, I thought we were friends!" 😊
Adam froze.
Adam: "…Friends?" 😶
Noel: "Yeah! 😊 Who gives advice to a total stranger for no reason? Only friends do that!"
Adam stared at her.
He didn't know what to say.
He had expected suspicion, questions, or perhaps a demand for something in return.
Instead, this strange woman had kicked someone through a bed, wrapped him in a blanket, and casually declared them friends.
Is this what friendship feels like?
He felt oddly touched.
And slightly afraid of her.
Adam: "…Right." 😐
After a brief silence, he lowered his gaze.
Adam: "He was my mate."
Noel's smile faded.
Adam: "He rejected me when I was eighteen. But when I started looking a little like King Aaron, he became obsessed with me again."
His fingers tightened around the blanket.
Adam: "That's why this happened today."
Noel went silent.
Same-gender relationship? Fine. Having a mate? Fine. But treating someone like that? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Trash-can behaviour. Even the trash deserves better. 😤
She glanced around, searching for Adam's clothes.
Noel: "But why are you living out here near the border? Can't you live inside the kingdom?"
Adam avoided her eyes.
Adam: "It doesn't matter where an Omega lives. Even if he's a ruler, if someone more powerful wants to mistreat him, they will."
He gave a bitter smile.
Adam: "That's just how the world works."
Noel went completely silent.
His words stirred a distant memory in her mind.
A classroom.
A teacher's stern voice.
And a history lesson she had never forgotten.
Flashback
Teacher: "Noel, I'm asking you one last time. Who assaulted King Aaron?" 😤
Thirteen-year-old Noel frowned in confusion.
Young Noel: "But… why was he assaulted if he was the ruler?" 🤔
Her teacher sighed deeply.
Teacher: "No matter how powerful an Omega is, some people will still mistreat them. That's why you must learn their history. Understand their pain, so you don't repeat their mistakes."
Young Noel tilted her head.
Young Noel: "…Isn't this question inappropriate for a thirteen-year-old, though?" 🤔
Teacher: "It is. But the world is worse. Now sit down!" 😤
Young Noel: "Okay!" 😤
Teacher (thinking): This girl is too smart. If only she studied properly, she'd top every exam! 😤
Flashback Over
Back in the present, Noel quietly found Adam's clothes.
She walked over and handed them to him.
Noel: "Here. Put these on." 😊
Her voice was gentle, as though she hadn't just launched a man into another dimension with one kick.
Adam looked at the clothes, then at her.
Confused.
Touched.
And just a little frightened.
Adam (thinking): Who exactly is this woman? 😶💧
To be continued...