Noah groaned in pain, allowing himself a moment to process what had happened to him. On the floor, laid the slipper that had come flying from god knows where, hitting him right into his face with a monstrous force.
"Uff! What have I done?"
He lifted his head, and found the culprit; Aria who stood on her bed, wearing her snow white nightdress and hugging a pillow to her chest. Her unbraided hair were free to hug her slender shoulders, and they bounced a little as she jumped down from the bed; her bare feet landing on the soft rug beneath.
"I...Um...Does it hurt? There was a beetle on the door and I was..."
Noah and Zoey watched as her worried expression morphed into one of fear.
"Eee!!"
She was quick to turn around, and get on her bed as if it was some impenetrable fortress of hers that would save her from the hideous monster that others referred to as a beetle.
"Where is it? Areena! Do you see it? Is it on the floor? Or the walls?"
Her maid glanced around the room, looking for the insect that had terrified her lady. She was partly at fault for opening up the doors to the balcony and letting the beetle come inside. She had her reasons too; her lady had refused to wake up, mumbling against her pillow to let her sleep for a while longer. Areena had to wake her up or else she would be late for the breakfast. Again.
Areena sighed. She was still going to be late the way she was jumping on her bed and panicking at the thought of a harmelss little insect coming near her.
"Pardon my rudeness, my lady."
Noah whispered loud enough for Zoey to hear.
"Even though I had heard that Duke Haeyet's eldest had a weak heart, I had little idea that it was this bad. Dare I say, she's a crybaby."
Zoey slapped his arm.
"Do not make fun of her, Adrian."
Noah's lips curled up into a smirk, a glint of excitement in his honey colored eyes.
"How could I? If anything, I find her strangely endearing."
"Endearing?"
Zoey raised an eyebrow.
"Aren't you a bold one, Adrian?"
"And aren't you a bit too mature for your age? Speaking like some old lady."
"Took you long enough to realize that. Aren't you going to help them catch the beetle?"
"No, I'm fine with watching her panic like that. I haven't forgotten how she had hit me with her slipper."
"A devil. That's what you are."
"Thank you."
"That was not a compliment."
She shoved his back, and Noah stumbled forward a bit.
"Go catch the beetle. I think that I saw it beside the bed's leg."
Noah looked over at the bed, and surely enough, the insect sat peacefully hidden in the leg's shadow.
"There you are."
"What? Is it under the bed?"
Aria's face turned white, and she hopped away towards the far end of her large bed.
"Don't let it come up! Catch it!"
Noah shook his head, and pushed his glasses up his nose.
"What do you mean no? This is no time to joke! You!"
She cried, not daring to leave her safe spot.
"I just don't feel well after being hit by the slipper that my lady threw at me a while ago."
He rubbed his perfect fine temple and slightly shook his head.
"I think I feel a bit dizzy."
Zoey slapped her forehead, shaking her head at the childish antics of Noah. He was not the one to let go of things so easily. Zoey was sure of that now.
"You! You are toying with me! I'm certain of it."
"Well, I'm glad that my lady is smart enough to understand it."
Aria's eyebrow twitched, her cheeks turning red from both anger and embarrassment.
Who was he, anyways? He sure had great courage to mock a princess. Aria was frustrated but she was in no position to lash out at him.
"I apologize for hitting you. I should have said it sooner."
Noah heard her say, those clear green eyes reflecting the sincerity in her words. Noah's smile faded as a stern expression took over his face.
A noble apologized to a lowly servant. Noah was at lost of words, finding it hard to understand how he felt. He was...perplexed.
'If it was that easy to get an apology from a noble then why did my mother have to die without receiving one?'
He brought his hand down to his side, flexing his fingers into a fist to hide their trembling.
Anger?
Frustration?
Sorrow?
Which one of those should he be feeling?
"Are you going to take all day? Don't tell me that you are afraid of a little beetle as well."
Noah snapped his head to the right, and found Zoey standing next to him. She reached out, and touched his hand. Her hand was warm or maybe his was cold. Whatever was the case, he felt his head getting a bit cleared.
She knelt down on the floor, and pulled him by his wrist, urging him to crouch down beside her. He silently obliged.
"That was some scary expression that you were making just now."
She said as she leaned forward and caught the beetle with her bare hands. She brought her hands close to her chest, feeling the flapping of the insect's wings against her skin.
"Did you get it?"
They heard Aria say.
"Yes, sister."
"Thankfully! Whew!"
Zoey got on her feet, and Noah lifted his head, coming across Aria's face that was only inches away from his own for she now knelt on her bed near its edge.
He blinked finding himself caught off guard. His cheeks felt warm for reasons unknown to him.
"It really is all red. Your face. Did I hit you that hard? I'm sorry."
She lifted her hand, and Noah stumbled back, falling on his rear.
"What are you doing?"
He cried, frowning at the tingling sensation inside his chest. Was his magic stone resonating? But it felt somewhat different. Somewhat...warm.