Adam, still remembering Noel's words, tried desperately to act normal.
Adam's Thoughts:
(Man… act normal… ACT NORMAL…) 😭
He cleared his throat.
Adam: 😐
"Wow… nice dialogue. Who told you that?"
Noel casually grabbed his arm and lifted him up as if he weighed absolutely nothing.
Noel: 😊
"Got to know it by seeing someone."
Adam:
"…Okay." 😐
(WHAT KIND OF ANSWER IS THAT?!)
The two of them started walking toward the door.
Before leaving, Adam glanced back at the unconscious man lying on the floor.
Adam's Thoughts:
(Is he alive…?)
(He looks like he fainted AND died…)
(She's totally opposite to how she looks!)
(This girl… is the MOST dangerous person in the world!) 😱
Adam quickly turned away and followed Noel.
And so, the two left the house.
---
Meanwhile, in the Royal Palace…
Ashley: 😡
"I SWEAR TO GOD—IF SHE ISN'T AT THAT RIVERSIDE PLACE, THEN I WILL KI—"
Elda immediately grabbed Ashley's hand before she could finish her sentence.
Elda: 😅
"Look right."
Ashley slowly turned her head.
And froze.
Ashley: 😶
(Lord, save me…)
Standing nearby was Aaron, whose expression looked like he was seconds away from declaring war on the entire kingdom.
Aaron: 😡
"What?"
Ashley immediately straightened her posture.
Ashley:
"Nothing, Your Majesty! I was just… expressing my love for the kingdom!" 😊
Elda:
(That's the worst excuse I've ever heard.) 😑
Before Aaron could question them further, Guard 3 rushed into the room.
Guard 3: 😊
"Your Majesty!"
Aaron: 😐
"Raise."
The guard straightened up.
Guard 3:
"Uhh… that person has returned, but…"
He suddenly looked as though he'd seen a ghost.
Elda: 😐
"But what?"
Guard 3: 😱
"She brought an Omega back with her… and THAT Omega looks a LOT like Your Majesty!"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Elda: 😶
"WHAT?"
Ashley: 😱
"THE HELL?!"
Aaron, however, seemed to have stopped listening to everyone around him.
Aaron's Thoughts: ❤️❤️❤️
(Is it him…?)
His eyes sharpened.
Aaron: 😐
"Bring them here."
---
A Few Minutes Later…
Click.
The door opened.
Noel walked into the room as casually as someone returning from a grocery-shopping trip.
Beside her stood Adam.
One hand rested on Noel's shoulder for support, while his other hand stayed protectively against his chest. His expression was shy and uncertain.
The moment Ashley saw his face, her jaw dropped.
Ashley: 😱
"He LOOKS like Aaron… but with upgrades?!"
Elda stared at Adam from head to toe.
Elda: 😶
"The heck?! A budget version of Aaron, but somehow PREMIUM?!"
Ashley:
"EXACTLY!"
Elda:
"WHY DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?!"
Meanwhile, Aaron wasn't laughing.
He was staring at Adam with an expression nobody could quite understand.
Aaron's Thoughts: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
(…)
He slowly stepped forward.
Aaron: 😶
"Who is he?"
Noel immediately raised her hand.
Noel: 😁✨
"Oh! He's an Omega I met near the riverside. It's not safe for him to stay there anymore, so I brought him!"
She delivered the entire explanation in ONE SINGLE BREATH.
Ashley:
"HOW ARE YOU STILL BREATHING?!"
Noel:
"Years of experience." 😌
Elda: 😶
"That doesn't explain anything!"
She pointed at Adam.
Elda:
"WHO THE HELL IS HE? WHY DOES HE LOOK LIKE AARON'S LONG-LOST TWIN?!"
Noel blinked.
Noel: 😁
"Oh, that? He's been like this since birth."
Elda:
"THAT IS NOT AN ANSWER!"
Noel:
"Well, it's the answer I've got." 😊
Aaron continued studying Adam's face.
His expression gradually became more serious.
Aaron's Thoughts:
(If my guess is right…)
He looked directly at Noel.
Aaron: 😐
"…Is he the author?"
Noel: 😁✨
"Correct!!"
Elda & Ashley: 😶😱
"HUUUUH?!"
Ashley looked at Aaron.
Then at Adam.
Then at Noel.
Then back at Aaron.
Ashley's Thoughts:
(DO THEY HAVE SOME SECRET BRAIN-TO-BRAIN WI-FI CONNECTION?!)
(BECAUSE I AM UNDERSTANDING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!) 😭
Elda rubbed her forehead.
Elda's Thoughts:
(Same, Ashley… SAME.) 😑
Aaron ignored their collective confusion.
Aaron: 😐
"So… he wrote whatever he saw in this world? Or whatever happened to him?"
His gaze remained fixed on Adam.
Aaron's Thoughts:
(I need to know what he actually witnessed.)
(Because I know one thing for certain…)
(I am not someone who can be kidnapped easily. So how did everything in that book happen?)
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Aaron's Thoughts:
(Was it the truth… or only someone's version of it?)
Noel shrugged cheerfully.
Noel: 😁
"I don't know~ I didn't read the book that deeply."
Elda: 😶
"YOU DIDN'T READ IT DEEPLY?!"
Noel:
"I was busy trying to understand how my life became a historical disaster, okay?" 😭
Adam stood between them, looking increasingly confused.
Adam's Thoughts:
(WHAT THE HECK ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT?!)
(Author? What book? What happened in this world?)
(WHERE AM I?!) 😐
He glanced at Noel.
She smiled at him reassuringly.
Somehow, that only made him more nervous.
(Why is she smiling?! SHOULD I BE SMILING TOO?!) 😭
Aaron finally stepped closer, leaving the others to their internal suffering.
He stopped in front of Adam.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Aaron asked quietly—
Aaron: 😐
"Your name?"
Adam swallowed nervously.
Adam: 😶
"…Adam, sir."
Aaron's expression changed ever so slightly.
Aaron's Thoughts:
(Adam…)
He studied the man standing before him, as if trying to connect a missing piece of a puzzle.
And for the first time since Noel had arrived in his kingdom, Aaron felt that the answers he had been searching for might finally be within reach.
But one question remained.
If Adam was the author… then whose story had he actually written?
To be continued…