Noel took a slow breath, trying not to panic as Evelina clung to him like a koala. Her tiny hands wrapped around his waist, her face buried in his chest, and for some reason, her soft scent... lavender and vanilla... made his head spin. He wanted to push her away, yes, but... she was so damn cute. Of course, she's the female lead of this world. And strangely, she looked so young.
'Oh, crap. This is... ridiculous,' he thought, trying not to blush. 'I've faced crazy fans before, but this? This is on another level.'
"My Noel... No, My Lord," Evelina whispered, lifting her head just enough to look at him. "Do you... Like Evelina's room?"
Noel's eyes scanned the walls, the bedsheets, the curtains. His own face was everywhere... paintings, tapestries, embroideries, even tiny figurines shaped like him. They were everywhere. He swallowed hard before answering.
"Well..." he started carefully, forcing a smile, "it's... good, my lady."
Evelina's face lit up like someone had just handed her the crown jewels.
"You... like it?"
"Yes," he said, nodding earnestly. "It's... very... uh... inspiring."
'Smooth, Noel. Very believable,'he thought, trying to keep his voice calm while internally screaming.
She twirled once in front of the large window, her gown swirling like a soft wave of silk.
"I designed it for us. It's going to be our room... once we're married."
Noel furrowed his brows.
"Wait... our room?" His head tilted slightly, a subtle comedic pause. "Isn't the bride supposed to move to the groom's house?"
Evelina folded her hands delicately and tilted her head.
"I... I don't know if my brothers would want Evelina to move."
'Brothers,'Noel repeated internally. His memory clicked: the triplets from the movie. They were minor characters... mentioned three or four times in the original plot. They were obsessed with keeping their little sister happy, yes, but... ultimately forgettable.
'Hmmm. They are just minor, insignificant and irrelevant characters,' he reminded himself, already trying to push them from his mind.
But Evelina's gentle gaze snapped him back to reality. "Are you... Okay, my lord?"
He touched the back of his head. It throbbed like a jackhammer.
"I'm fine," he said quickly, hiding the pain. "But... please... tell me what happened. How did I hit my head yesterday?"
Evelina's expression hardened. Her eyes were cold, empty of conscience, yet framed with subtle innocence.
"Huh? Don't you remember? Evelina... did it," she said simply.
Noel froze. "Excuse me? You... hit me?"
She nodded. "Yes."
He blinked. One, two, three times.
"Why... why would you..."
She sighed, theatrically wiping her eyes with a handkerchief as though she had suffered a tragedy.
"We... We went to the party yesterday. It was our relationship debut. I thought... I thought it would be a perfect evening for us... but you..." She paused, biting her lip. "You abandoned Evelina. You chased other ladies. So..."
Her hand lifted subtly to the bottle she described, though Noel couldn't see it.
"...I hit you with whatever I found close to me. A wine bottle"
Noel's jaw dropped.
"You... smashed a bottle on my head... and you're telling me this... like I should feel sorry for you?"
She dabbed at her eyes again, small fake tears glinting in the candlelight.
"I... Evelina was hurt, my lord. You abandoned Evelina."
Noel staggered back mentally, blinking.
'This is... insane. I've died once, and now I'm alive to experience this? Oh, perfect. Perfectly horrifying.'
He took a deep breath, pushing down his rising panic.
"Right... Well... um... I... ah...fuck"
Noel, always the actor, remembered his father's instructions: apologise to your fiancée. Even if he had done nothing wrong. His modern brain screamed, This is ridiculous, but his survival instinct understood: the last Noel would have died for less.
He stepped forward carefully, took Evelina's hand in his, and pressed a delicate kiss to her knuckles.
"I... apologise, my lady," he said softly, letting his voice carry a tone of formal, sincere nobility. Then, he stretched the bouquet his father prepared for her.
Evelina's eyes widened as her cheeks flushed red. She felt a delicate shiver running through her body as she took the flowers and sniffed them..
"Oh... my lord... we... we should get married... tomorrow," she whispered, voice trembling with excitement.
Noel's stomach twisted.
'Tomorrow? I barely survived a bottle incident, and now she wants a wedding... oh, Noel, calm down, think! If I can deal with this... This is the perfect time.'
Gathering all his courage, he straightened his back, took a steady breath, and spoke carefully.
"My lady... I... I believe... this must end."
Evelina froze. Her small hand pressed to her chest. She opened her mouth to speak... then realised she couldn't.
"I... am not... fit for someone as perfect as you," Noel continued. "You deserve... someone better... someone... safer. Me... I..." He swallowed hard. "I cannot... continue this engagement."
Her eyes went wide. She could barely comprehend the words. Her lips quivered, but no sound came out.
Noel nodded, pressing his hands together formally, bowing slightly.
"I... apologise... once more."
Without waiting for a response, he turned, his coat swirling around his legs, and left the room. Each step felt like walking through a storm of dread and relief at the same time. He didn't even look back to see what kind of expression was on her face.
.
Outside, the carriage awaited. Noel exhaled dramatically and lifted his hands toward the sky. "Freedom!" he shouted. "I... am... finally free!"
Rowan flinched. "Do not scream like a lunatic, Young Master Noel." He reached for him, steadying him with one arm as they both climbed into the carriage.
Noel waved his hands dramatically in the air. "But... you see, Rowan, my plan worked. She will no longer attempt... murder by love!"
Rowan's stormy grey eyes narrowed. "I do not understand a single word you're saying and I do not wish to."
Noel leaned back, settling into the plush seat.
"It's not something you can understand. All I wish is to break the engagement with Lady Evelina. Who knows? She could grow obsessed with me and kill me."
Rowan listened in silence, fists clenched on his lap, jaw tight.
"What kind of insane person would get obsessed with you? I wouldn't recommend it to my enemy."
Noel crossed his hand over his chest and pouted.
"What do you mean? I'm handsome and petite."
"Petite?" Rowan sighed, covering his face with a palm. "You will be in big trouble,"
"I know. I can just talk to my father about it," Noel replied confidently, though a small part of him shivered. He didn't know how to approach that man or convince him to approve of his broken engagement.
He doesn't wish to die the second time. All he wanted in this new world was to complete what he couldn't do in his past life and that's to find a perfect boyfriend and be in his dream relationship.
Rowan's eyes flicked to him.
"It's not your father I'm talking about. It's her brothers."
Noel froze mid-breath.
"Her... brothers?"
"Yes. They will not forgive this affront. You... will have trouble. A lot of them. They'll do anything and everything to make you go back to their little sister and beg on your knees." Rowan's voice carried the weight of inevitability.
Noel waved a dismissive hand, trying to appear unconcerned.
"Oh! Scary! I will be fine. I... have survived worse... well, sort of."
He was sure that those minor characters wouldn't be able to do anything.
.
.
Meanwhile, across the city, in one of the many offices of the Ashford family's vast empire, Arthur sat behind an enormous mahogany desk. His fingers hovered over a telegram. He considered ignoring it since he had too much work, but something compelled him to look.
It was from his sister. Evelina.
He rushed to see it and he stared at the content. It was a single line.
Arthur's blood ran cold. Every detail of the room seemed to chill around him. He summoned his two brothers immediately.
They left whatever task they had and rushed down to the company. The three of them conferred in tense silence, their expressions sharp and dangerous as they stared at the letter again and again.
"We must deal with the rat who made our sweet sister cry," Arthur said, voice clipped and cold. "He will pay. There will be no mercy."
"Noel, was it? I guess he deserves a death wish," Bennett frowned.
"Our sweet Evelina... What does he see in that puny boy? Should I dissect him and create a new Noel for our princess?" Cedric clenched his fist tight as he banged it on the table.
"Be calm now, brothers," Arthur picked up the phone, calling his secretary. "Bring me all the information about Noel Hartwell. I need them in five."
The secretary hesitated.
"Five... hours, sir?"
Arthur's grin was icy.
"Five minutes. You already have fewer than five. Do not fucking delay."