The door's handle came to a rest behind Noah's back; Zoey and Areena were off to set the beetle free and Noah was quick to get up from the floor. Whatever witchery that innocent looking girl planned to do, he would not fall for it.
"I shall take my leave, Princess. The breakfast is yet to be served."
He tugged at the bowtie around his neck, adjusting it to look a bit more acceptable. Aria nodded, sitting up straight on the bed's edge. It took her a moment to realize that both of her legs have gone numb from kneeling so long.
"Um...could you..."
She lifted her hand to get the man's attention but he had already turned his back to her. Still, she reached out, and in her attempt to grab a hold of his shirt, she had stumbled forward.
"Eee!!"
She shrieked, unable to break her fall.
Hmph!
Falling on her face was supposed to be very painful, our clumsy princess was well aware of that. So when she did not feel any throbbing pain in her head or face, she allowed herself to open her eyes which she had shut reflexively a moment ago.
She was met with a pair of honey colored eyes looking at her from behind those large round rimmed glasses.
Majestically beautiful. That was what Aria thought they were except for the annoyance that was clearly evident in them. It did not take Aria long to find the cause of Noah's annoyance; she had clutched the back of his head tightly in her attempt to keep herself from falling over.
"Eee!! Sorry!"
She instantly let go of him, and leaned away from his hold. She raised both of her palms up.
"I swear that I haven't done it on purpose! I was falling from the edge! Thanks for catching me by the way! I'm sorry! Ah! Don't make that scary face!"
Noah's eyebrow twitched.
"Scary?"
He growled lowly, and Aria jumped to her feet; the numbness of her legs no longer a pressing concern for her.
"No! Not scary at all! I shall go get ready now! Yes! Good day to you!"
She continued her pointless ramble, but it did little to hide her intention of fleeing from that man's sight.
But would you believe her luck? She happened to trip over her own feet, and bump into Noah's shoulder.
"Uff!"
"Why you!"
He grabbed her by her shoulders.
"Can you not stand upright for a moment, my dear lady?"
He said with gritted teeth, finding it hard to keep a polite smile on his face.
"What? Of course, I can! What do you take me for?"
She huffed from where she sat in front of Noah; the two of them kneeling on the floor beside her bed.
"How about a clumsy princess who cries at the sight of a mere bug?"
Her mouth hung open with disbelief.
"I hadn't cried!"
"You were about to! I can bet on it!"
Aria frowned; the tip of her nose turning beet red with embarrassment and Noah did not even try to hide his smirk of triumph.
She slapped his chest angrily but for that fully grown man, it was not much of a threat.
He grinned at her though it did not last long when he felt the wig on his head shifting a bit.
'Don't tell m-'
His wig fell off his head, rolled down his chest, and landed in his lap.
Eyes wide, he looked up from the wig and at the princess in front of him. She looked at the wig in his lap and then up at his face.
"What...You..."
She mumbled, pointing at the wig and then at him repeatedly. He could feel the gears turning inside her head.
She opened her mouth, and sucked in a breath.
'Shit!'
He instantly pounced at her.
"There's an imposter- Hmph!"
Noah pressed his palm against her lips as he pushed her down. She fell on her back; her dark locks sprawled all around her head. She had a cold scowl on her beautiful face as she glared fiercely at the man hovering over her.
"Your glare can really kill someone, princess."
He whispered, eyes locked at the woman he had just taken hostage. His now uncaged blonde hair fell freely across his forehead, making his eyes look a shade darker.
"But I do not wish to die today. I would love it if you do not tell a single soul about me being an imposter."
Aria shook her head vigorously, struggling under his strong hold.
'What does he want?'
"It makes me sad to learn that you do not remember me, princess. Truly, it breaks my heart."
He pouted, and Aria frowned at his words before she realized the meaning behind them.
'The rich commoner from the bookstore!'
He smirked upon seeing the look of enlightenment on her face.
'You are too easy to read, Aria.'
"So you do remember me-Huffff!"
Noah groaned at the electrifying pain that shot through his lower half. Aria was quick to hit him once again with her knee, and he no longer had the strength to pin her down. Grasping her only chance to escape, Aria scrambled to her feet.
The man laid in front of the door; clutching his thighs as his face got drained of all its color.
"Yes, I do remember you! Maybe you had forgetten what I had done to that man in the room!"
She stuck out her tongue at him, and turned around; her white dress twirling around her slender frame.
Out in the balcony, she glanced around for any knight or servant in sight. There was none to be found, so she decided to do the only thing that she could think of amidst her panic.
She climbed on top of the stone railing.
"Aah!"
She cried in fear as she slowly stood up on the stone slab. The ground looked too far away.
'I'll certainly break my neck if I fall down.'
Hiccup!
She shook her head as if to shake off the fear that filled her mind. She looked ahead at the trees that stood about more than two and a half feet away from her balcony. She grabbed the side of her dress.
'I can reach them!'
A gust of wind blew past her, making her dress and hair flutter. She gulped.
"No, I can't reach them!"
"Ugh..."
She gasped upon hearing the man groan from inside her room. She bit her lower lip.
'I must do it! Yes!'
She hardened her resolve.
"What the heck!"
"Aaah!"
She shrieked as she was swept off her feet. Wind hissed inside her ears, and she saw the world spinning before it all came to a rest.
She was in Noah's arms; one of his hands pressing her head against his chest. She peeked at him through her parted locks that fell across her face.
"Do you have a death wish, princess? Who in their right mind jumps off from second floor?"
He yelled at her making her flinch. She scowled, feeling anger building up inside her. She hit his chest with her fist.
"Let go of me! You villainous man!"
"Ugh...Just shut up already..."
Aria shrieked; grabbing him by the front of his shirt as he fell down on his rear.
"Hey!"
She cried, looking up at him from where she sat in between his parted legs. He pressed his back against the stone railing, and let out a sigh.
"You sure can kick a man, princess."
He whispered.
"Of course, I can! You better let go of me! Areena will be back any moment now! I'm telling you!"
"I will kill you before that."
She gasped; eyes wide and face as white as a ghost. He smirked.
"So you are scared of death? Hah! I almost believed that your recklessness knows no bounds."
She lowered her head, hiding behind the curtain of her rich black hair.
"Listen, princess. I do not intend to harm anyone in this household as long as you or anyone else doesn't get in my way."
He had expected to hear one of her witty responses but she had grown completely silent. He could not help the frown that took over his face.
"Hey? Are you listening to me?"
She gave him a slight nod, and Noah saw her grabbing the turns of her dress tightly into her fists.
Tch!
'What a pain...'
"I can make a promise if you don't believe my words."
She instantly lifted her head.
"You will?"
'Finally.'
"Really? Do you mean it?"
She cried, inching closer to his chest and looking up at him with her emerald green eyes. Noah felt an unfamiliar panic tingling his insides and he looked away.
"Huh? Yes! That's what I have said, haven't I?"
"Go on then!"
She lifted her wrist, and Noah hesitated a moment before grabbing it.
Gently.
"I swear to not harm anyone in the Duke's Haeyet household until I'm done with my business here."
He said, and Aria watched with an amazed expression as a band of pure white light encircled itself around her wrist. It gradually began to fade away leaving a cool soothing sensation behind.
"There you go. It's a promise now."
She looked up at his face and her smile got replaced by a cold scowl.
"What is it now?"
"You were going to kill me! You villain!"
"I said that I will kill you not that I was going to."
She raised her fist.
"Do not act smart with me! You!"
Noah raised his arms up in front of his face, but she had abruptly stopped.
"Wait. What's your name?"
Noah peeked at her from above his arms.
"Huh? It's Adrian."
She hit him in the back of his head.
"Do not act smart with me, Adrian!"
She had not intended to stop at just one hit.
"Ow! Wait! Ow! Ow!"