Chapter 7: Collar

Chapter 7:
Collar

 

A MAN ARRIVED at Lelia and Noelle’s apartment—a professor, to be precise—named Clement. He was a tall, extremely muscular man sporting makeup and a T-shirt tight enough to show the outlines of his muscles. For as masculine as he appeared, his manner of speaking was extremely feminine.

Though he wore the guise of a normal teacher, he was actually a knight in service to House Lespinasse. He had used his position at the academy to watch over the girls from a safe distance. The only reason they had been able to enroll there to begin with was thanks to the efforts of former Lespinasse retainers.

“Lady Lelia, I am afraid Lady Noelle has been taken into the Barielles’ custody.” Clement’s voice was solemn, and his face had drained of all color.

Lelia wasn’t panicked by the news, if only because she’d gotten word already. “I see.”

“You’re not surprised?”

Normally, Clement spoke more effeminately, but since this was a serious conversation, he had dropped the act entirely. It felt a bit off to Lelia, but this wasn’t the kind of situation where she could comment on such things.

In truth, Lelia was completely calm on the inside, despite the abruptness of the situation. Seeing as how Loic changed his ways, I’m sure my sister will be more willing to accept him now. Besides, if things go according to plan, he’s supposed to end up the Guardian anyway.

Noelle’s partner wasn’t supposed to be Leon, but Loic. That was the correct story route.

“I know you and the others have tried to protect us,” said Lelia. “Considering we had no troubles enrolling, that was pretty obvious. And I know how much you personally looked out for us, Professor Clement.”

Clement dropped to one knee. He had regularly watched over the twins. That had included coming to check in on them at their apartment, as well as covering for them at the academy. “So you already knew?” he asked.

“It was hard not to once I really thought about it, but my sister still hasn’t noticed.”

“I am sure she hasn’t.” Clement could surmise that, based on his interactions with her, Noelle was still none the wiser.

Lelia had only figured it out because she had previous knowledge of the game. In it, the protagonist was a descendant of House Lespinasse, one of the (formerly) Seven Great Houses, and even after the fall of her family, she still had the support of their retainers.

“Still, I didn’t expect Lady Noelle to be chosen as the Priestess,” said Clement.

“You didn’t? Why not?” Lelia tilted her head. “Mother and Father told me that I didn’t have the qualifications, so it could only ever have been her.”

Clement furrowed his brows. “Oh, no… I merely thought you were the more likely candidate to be chosen. I knew nothing about these qualifications. Though I was a knight to your family, I was of lower rank.”

Lelia sighed. “Well, now you know she’s the Priestess. So what are you and the others going to do?”

“Your safety is the bigger priority. We have no way of knowing how House Barielle will choose to act next. We should take our leave from this place immediately.”

It seemed he intended to look after Lelia, but she wasn’t as panicked as he was. After all, she had known it would happen. “It’s fine,” she said. “Emile will be coming to get me.”

“What?”

Noise broke out outside. Clement peered through the window to see a number of cars with the Pleven crest on them. Knights wearing their dress uniforms accompanied Emile, who was clad in a suit.

“Emile?” Clement muttered before spinning to face Lelia.

“Would you like to come along as well?” Lelia asked. “Emile and his family will be looking after me.”

However, in order to update the others serving her house on the new situation, there was much she still needed to discuss with Clement. Regardless, now that they had arrived at this turning point, Lelia finally felt at peace, certain that the scenario was proceeding apace.

 

***

 

Marie was in a panic.

Aaaaaah! I can’t believe I let Loic steal Noelle while my brother was away. He’s gonna have my head for this, I just know it!

She had never dreamed that Loic would pull such a bold move as to snatch Noelle away in broad daylight. It would have been difficult for her to put up much resistance against him, given the circumstances.

Marie cradled her head in her hands and groaned.

“You’re like an endless supply of entertainment, Rie. I absolutely adore you,” said Cleare.

“Yeah, what an honor,” Marie grumbled sarcastically. “Anyway, why didn’t you inform me of this sooner?! If I had known Loic was going to come storming in, I would have grabbed Noelle and made a run for it!”

“I’m sure he sent people down to the harbor to head us off in case we tried that. I did notice an increase in security ships keeping an eye on the Licorne lately. But who could have guessed that was the first step in his maniacal plan.”

“If you knew that much, you should have told me! If my brother is furious with me, are you going to kowtow and apologize too? That’s the key question here!”

“Nice self-preservation instinct! But to be honest, I think we would have had no choice but to concede to Loic even if Master had been here.”

“Huh?”

Cleare had been eavesdropping on the conversation between Loic and Noelle. “I’m not just sitting around, y’know. I am collecting info. It’s true they chose to strike because Master wasn’t here, but either way, they would have made a move eventually.”

“So I was right! They did come here because my brother’s gone!”

“Uh, no, that’s not quite it. Loic’s target was Elle, but the Great Houses have their own aims here. From the looks of it, Barielle is trying to take down Rault.”

“What?” Marie wrinkled her forehead, confused by the sudden switch to Alzerian politics.

“Oh, I love that look on your face—like you’re utterly lost! Okay, well, to dumb it down, Alzer is experiencing political upheaval, which would still have happened even if Master hadn’t left. That said, Loic sure is impressive. He used himself and his men as hostages to coerce Elle.”

When Cleare relayed how Loic had threatened to have every last Alzerian die fighting for Noelle, Marie’s expression soured.

“That’s not the love interest I know from the game.” The Loic who Marie knew was far more charming. This one was downright rotten to the core.

“Master would be repulsed by his attitude as well. Which, Rie, is precisely why you don’t have to worry. In fact, if we really think about it, isn’t this exactly how the scenario was supposed to go? As long as Elle gets with Loic, it’s happily ever after, right? Well, for everyone except her, that is.”

Marie lowered her gaze. “But I want her to be happy too.”

“That’s asking for the impossible. Given our present situation, everyone else’s happiness is contingent on her sacrifice.”

As Marie recalled all the time she’d spent with Noelle, she felt even more miserable for being so powerless.

A carefree voice suddenly echoed from the front entrance. “I’m back! And I brought you all gifts!”

It was Leon.

“Oh, Master’s back!” Cleare chirped. “Maaaster!” She flew off to meet him.

Marie gritted her teeth. Could you have gotten back even five minutes sooner?!

 

***

 

When we arrived at Marie’s estate, Miss Cordelia’s eye began twitching.

“What is this place, a pigsty? It’s as though no one has done any cleaning at all.” As a maid, she couldn’t hold her tongue.

Kyle had raced down the stairs to greet them, and he quickly retorted. “We should be praised for keeping the place looking this good, considering how few of us there are to look after it. Besides—” He continued haughtily defending himself, his attitude unsurprising given he was still little more than a child.

Miss Yumeria dropped her travel bag and flew toward him, cutting him off. “Kyle!”

“M-Mother?!”

It was a touching reunion that brought tears to the eyes. Even Miss Cordelia had enough sense to read the room and keep her mouth shut.

“Kyle, I actually came to work here so I could look after Earl—I mean, Lord Leon. That means we’ll be able to be together from now on!”

Yumeria smiled, but Kyle wriggled out of her embrace. He wrinkled his nose, the blush on his face extending all the way to the tips of his ears.

“I’m working right now! Besides, why are you here? They should have picked someone else.”

His words came as a shock to Yumeria. “Kyle, you don’t want me around?”

Kyle peeked over at me and Miss Cordelia, clearly conscious that they were being watched.

Is this dork going through puberty already or what?

“I-I didn’t say I don’t want you around, but I told you, I’m working! It’s improper to let private affairs affect one’s job!”

Such dedicated professionalism. But since his words left Miss Yumeria utterly dejected, I had to cut in.

“Kyle, I get that you’re getting in touch with your tricky adult hormones and all that, but try being a little nicer to her. No one will think you’re any less dutiful for it. Now go on, give her a big hug.”

Kyle’s cheeks flushed. “You’re still a kid too, you know!”

Moron. This is my second life. Growing up only happens once, and I already did that a long time ago.

“Don’t lump us together,” I huffed. “I am an adult.”

“Hah, as if!”

“I must agree with him,” muttered Luxion, floating beside me. “It does feel as though you’re permanently stuck in puberty.”

“Hey!” I snapped. This stupid AI shows no respect for his master.

As our group fussed amongst ourselves, Cleare came flying into the room.

“Master, welcome back!”

“Thanks! Any changes while I was gone?”

“Oh, not much,” said Cleare, as casually as if we were discussing the weather. “Just that House Barielle swooped in and stole Elle, but that’s about it. Oh! I see you brought gifts. Rie will be delighted with these sugary snacks.”

“Oh, okay. So not much then,” I mumbled without thinking, until my mind properly digested the information she’d just given me. “Wait a minute, that sounds like a whole lot!” Then I realized how quiet the mansion was. “Uh? What happened to Julius and the guys? What could they possibly be doing during this kind of emergency?”

Admittedly, they were pretty worthless, but I’d always thought they could at least make use of themselves during a crisis like this.

Marie crept in, a cold sweat pouring down her face.

“Hey, what happened to your little reverse harem?” I demanded.

“I, um, chased them out.”

“You did what?”

“I chased them out!” she bellowed back. “When summer break started, they wouldn’t help around the house, and they took off with our savings! And you know what they used all of that money on? Some useless flower bouquets! Not just one or two, no—enough to fill the whole foyer! Do you have any idea what a pain it was getting rid of them all?”

By the end of her tirade she was mostly mumbling, but at least I got the gist of it.

“Uh, you sure they’re gonna be all right on their own?”

Cleare laughed. “No need to worry. I’m keeping an eye on them. If you’d like, I can show you how well they’re doing later. It’s definitely worth a peek.”

“As long as they’re alive and well, that’s all that matters.”

I understood why Marie might want to throw them out. They could definitely have stood to learn a little more about the outside world. Honestly, what a bunch of worthless losers. Were they really otome game love interests?

 

***

 

I retreated to a deserted room with Marie and Cleare so I could get the full story. The topic wasn’t something I wanted the rest of our company to hear.

“And that’s how it went down,” said Cleare. “Loic used Alzerian soldiers as a shield to bully Elle into going with him.”

“He really went that far, huh?”

Noelle being chosen as the Priestess wasn’t unexpected, but the timing was inconvenient. On top of that, Loic’s behavior was way out of bounds. What could be going through his head, using himself and other people as hostages?

“Please don’t blame Rie, okay? I’m sure even if you’d been there, Master, you’d have had no choice but to send Elle off as well,” said Cleare as Marie cowered behind her.

Right now, I was more concerned with thinking up some kind of plan to get us out of this mess. But there was one thing I wanted to say. “If I had been here, I would have stopped Noelle no matter the cost.”

Cleare paused. “But I think Elle would have still gone with him, in any case.”

“Huh?”

Marie was still hiding behind Cleare, which made her difficult to see. Hiding would have been an impossible feat for anyone else, but Marie was petite enough that the tiny, floating robot could easily obscure her. “You big dunce,” she muttered.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I turned a smile at her, and she squeaked, reeling back.

Luxion shook his red eye from side to side, exasperated by our antics. “Well, Master, what shall we do?” he cut in. “Will we fight the republic? Or shall we allow things to run their course and see where that takes us? It’s entirely up to you.”

“House Barielle plans to marry Loic to Elle,” Cleare informed us; she had been gathering information on the situation. “I suspect they’re aiming for him to be the next Guardian.”

Something about that bothered me. “Hold on a second. The crest on Noelle’s hand—which tree is it from?”

It was probably best to clarify whether the Sacred Tree had chosen her or if Sappie had.

We turned our gazes to Cleare, who giggled. “Eh he he! I figure it’s probably from the sapling, but lacking the necessary data, I can’t say for sure.”

“That’s a pretty important detail, don’t you think?!”

“There is no need to worry,” Luxion interjected. “It was the sapling that chose her.”

Marie’s eyes widened. “What? But how do you know?”

He didn’t respond. Instead, he turned to me. “Master, it’s up to you how we handle this. Strictly speaking, Noelle is currently following the scenario as intended. Are you sure you still wish to involve yourself with her?”

“Are you stupid?” I shook my head. “If he took her against her will, then we’re not actually following the game’s scenario. There’s no happy end if the protagonist is miserable. Instead, our route’s taken a bad turn. We’re gonna get Noelle back. Worst-case scenario, we flee to the kingdom for a while.”

“So you are going to save her after all?”

That bastard Loic was incorrigible. He didn’t deserve Noelle.

Marie opened her mouth to say something before promptly closing it.

“Oh, right, there’s one more thing,” said Cleare. “Louise Rault is engaged to Hugues Druille now. You’re close with her, aren’t you, Master? You sure you don’t want to celebrate their union?”

Seriously? Is it just me or did a bunch of plot points trigger in my absence?

 

***

 

“That swine… The moment we returned, he holed himself up in a room with Marie.”

Cordelia had already changed into her maid uniform and was cleaning what she had deemed to be a genuine sty. The moment she learned that Leon and Marie were alone together, she cursed him. Ordinarily, they wouldn’t have been allowed to live under the same roof, which was all the more reason why Cordelia viewed their current proximity as a betrayal of her mistress.

She glanced at Yumeria, who was helping her clean. The elf woman was staring absently at a transparent case on the table, which contained a small sapling.

“Miss Yumeria? What is it?”

Yumeria’s shoulders jumped. “O-oh, I’m sorry! Um, I just…couldn’t help but notice that little one there.”

Cordelia peered at the tiny tree. “Yes, it is an odd decoration, considering its lack of flowers. Perhaps it’s an Alzerian custom?” She wanted to change it out immediately, but she thought it best to receive the owner’s approval first. “I do think it’s a bit plain for the table, but it might upset someone if we moved it without asking. I will check with them later.”

Cordelia was always exceedingly professional about her work. Yumeria, on the other hand, seemed distracted.

Perhaps she’s feeling depressed after her son spurned her earlier. It might be better for her to rest for now. Either way, Cordelia was sure Kyle’s cold treatment had something to do with it. “Miss Yumeria, if you’re tired, please feel free to rest. I will take care of things here.”

“B-but—”

“Go have a talk with your son. Once things get busier, you won’t have as much of an opportunity to do so.”

“Y-yes, you’re right!” Yumeria hurried out of the room.

As soon as she was gone, Cordelia realized… “Drat! If I have to do all the cleaning by myself, I won’t be able to investigate that swine!”

Unable to abandon her work, Cordelia scowled in frustration and resumed cleaning.

 

***

 

On her way to find Kyle, Yumeria paused in the middle of the hallway and looked around.

“Who’s there?”

The corridor was deserted, but she could have sworn someone called out to her. Normally, she would have jumped at the sound, but the voice was just so soothing. When she glanced out the window, she spotted the symbol of the Alzer Republic looming in the distance—the Sacred Tree. It towered almost like a mountain.

Yumeria spaced out as she stared at it. “I wonder what it could be… It’s like…” She stepped toward the window, but before she could go any further, someone interrupted her.

“Mother? Shouldn’t you be working?” Kyle sighed at her.

Yumeria whipped around. “Oh, um, you see… Someone called out to me!”

“But there’s no one here.”

Yumeria hesitated, unsure of how to respond to that. Finally, her gaze fell to her feet. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know what to do with you sometimes.” Kyle shook his head. “Just hurry up and get your cleaning done.”

 

***

 

“House Barielle is poised to have Noelle—pardon, the Priestess—marry their heir, Lord Loic, immediately.”

“A wedding already?” Albergue stroked his chin as he listened to his subordinate’s report.

They were moving so quickly. It was hard not to suspect that they had known everything beforehand.

I know Bellange doesn’t like me being the assembly chairman, but does he really intend to steal the position from me like this?

That posed a problem. Albergue needed to think of a countermeasure quickly. “Contact Fernand,” he told his subordinate.

To think that one of the Lespinasse girls who survived would be the next Priestess… I wonder if this is fate?

 

***

 

Noelle was confined to a room in the Barielle Estate. They claimed to be protecting her, but the door was locked, so she couldn’t have run away even if she’d wanted to. Furthermore, her windows were barred, and someone stood guard at her door around the clock.

Noelle sat on her bed, looking up at Loic who had come to visit her. In his hand, he held a collar from which a chain dangled.

“This will be your wedding band,” he said.

“Is something wrong with your brain?”

“Calm down. Listen. This device is embedded with a part of the Sacred Tree. Normally, a servant wears the collar while their master wears the bracelet attached. That way, the one wearing the collar can’t run away.”

Once the collar and bracelet were both secured in place, the chain disappeared. However, neither servant nor master would be able to venture far from one another. If the one wearing the collar tried to make a run for it, the chain would reappear and forcefully return them to their master’s side.

It could also never be removed.

“To think such a thing even existed…” Noelle had never heard about it before.

“We have found more ways to make use of the Sacred Tree as of late,” said Loic.

“Hah! Yes, I can see you’re truly doing fascinating new things with the tree. How generous of it, to not steal your crests even though you’re taking advantage of its power.”

Loic stepped toward Noelle, seizing a fistful of her hair as he pressed his face close to hers. “You won’t be able to run from me anymore.”

Noelle glared at him. “Do what you like, but I will never love you. Not when you’re willing to sacrifice thousands just for me.”

Loic laughed. “Headstrong as ever, I see. I look forward to seeing how long that lasts. Once we’re married, I’ll show you who’s really on top.”

Noelle’s eyes went round. “M-marriage?! Did you say marriage?!”

“Yes, that’s right—a ceremony that will bind us together forever! It will also be a day of celebration for Alzer, since it will at last have a Priestess and a Guardian again.”

Noelle averted her gaze. “The Priestess has to choose the Guardian, and they have to be worthy of the title.”

“Who could be more fit than I? I am the heir of the great House Barielle, and I have more than enough strength with which to protect the Sacred Tree. Not to mention, I am in love with you. No one is more qualified.”

Noelle eyed him. “You really are a fool. It was the Sacred Tree Sapling that chose me as its Priestess. The current Sacred Tree—which gave you the crest you currently bear—has no interest in me. Too bad for you, Loic.”

Loic grinned. “So what?”

“Huh?”

“I care not whether it’s the Sacred Tree or the Sacred Tree Sapling. It changes nothing. My house merely needs to take it into custody and look after it. Barielle will be leading this country henceforth.”

“But Leon has the sapling—”

“The sapling chooses the Priestess and Guardian. If some outsider tries to take off with it, we will retrieve it by any means necessary—whether by diplomacy or by force. I wonder how much it will take to buy the sapling from him? No, we’ll discuss it with his country instead. No matter the cost, the republic will pay it.”

Loic was confident they would reclaim the sapling, and Noelle had no idea whether Leon and his friends even understood the tree’s true value. It would be worthless to anyone without the Priestess, at any rate. Since Noelle was in the republic’s clutches, Holfort could do nothing with it. It was more likely they would use it as leverage in negotiations, but even if they didn’t, Loic didn’t care. All he wanted was Noelle, and all Bellange wanted was the chairman’s seat.

“Noelle, you can’t escape.” Loic shoved her down on the bed, straddling her—and thrusting the collar around her neck.

“L-Let go of me!”

“Be still!”

His fist found her cheek as she struggled. Noelle stilled, shocked by the impact. Loic used that opportunity to secure the collar in place and then fit the bracelet on himself. The chain promptly disappeared, just as he’d said it would.

Loic gazed at his bracelet and planted a kiss on it. He remained on top of Noelle, pinning her to the bed. “This is your fault for trying to resist me, Noelle,” he murmured to her. “But don’t worry. As long as you do what you’re told, I’ll be nice to you.”

Loic’s expression relaxed, perhaps finally assured that she couldn’t escape him. He reached down and stroked Noelle’s red, swelling cheek. “I love you. So please don’t anger me. I don’t want to hurt you.”

A knock sounded on the door, and a voice called from the other side. “Lord Fernand has sent word, my lord.”

Loic clicked his tongue before peeling himself away from Noelle and slipping out of the room. She remained splayed across the bed, her arms spread helplessly. When she finally reached up and felt the collar around her neck, tears trickled down her cheeks.

 

***

 

If people thought I was the type to go storming in through the front door all the time, they had another thing coming.

“Honestly, creeping in through the back like this fits my personality way better.”

We were sneaking onto the Barielle estate where Noelle was being kept. The suit Luxion had prepared for me was practically like a cloaking device, making me almost entirely invisible. I managed to slip right by the guards standing watch—thanks in part to some sweet soundproof shoes.

Luxion had also cloaked himself and was floating beside me as we stealthily made our way in. “Master, I have mapped out the layout, and I have discerned where they are keeping Noelle.”

“Awesome. I’ll be counting on you to navigate.”

“One question: Do you truly intend to escape with her?”

“Yeah? I don’t see the problem with it. She’s being forced into a marriage she doesn’t want.” Besides, Loic seemed way too dangerous.

“And what about after you save her?” Luxion asked.

“We take refuge in the kingdom for a while.”

“That isn’t part of the game’s scenario at all.”

I shrugged. “We’re adapting on the fly.”

Some security guards came down the hallway. Not servants either—fully armed soldiers. It made the estate seem far more imposing than it normally would have.

“Even assuming you’re able to rescue her, I do not think she will be able to choose a Guardian,” said Luxion.

“Why not? She’s a girl. I’m sure she’ll have no trouble falling in love with someone.”

“Because, as of right now, you are the Guardian, Master.”

“Yeah, well, jury’s out on whether I accept. And while we’re on the subject, can you do something to get rid of this crest?”

True, the sapling had chosen me as its protector, but the order of things was all wrong on a narrative level. Nothing was going the way it was supposed to, and that made me nervous.

“I can, but for a Guardian to be chosen, they must be capable of protecting the Sacred Tree. I still do not believe romance has anything to do with it.”

“Okay, but this is the second installment of that stupid otome game. I don’t think logic applies. I doubt they came up with any specific lore reasons for why things are the way they are.”

The whole point of an otome game was romance. Everything else was secondary. Giving it any more thought than that was a waste of time.

“It is unwise to be so dismissive. Must I remind you that, in the end, there was a reason underlying Holfort’s matriarchal society?”

“Yeah, and it was a stupid reason. I was better off not knowing.”

I froze in place as someone passed by. Once they were gone, Luxion motioned for me to continue forward. We overheard a conversation between some of the servants and soldiers, who had let their guard down thinking no one could eavesdrop.

“I heard the Priestess is going to marry the young master.”

“That means Lord Loic will be chosen as the Guardian.”

“House Barielle will be even more powerful than it was before.”

Yeah, I don’t think he’s gonna get picked, actually. Mostly because Noelle hates his guts.

This mansion was enormous, but we finally made it to where Noelle was being kept. Several guards were posted outside.

“There’s two out front and six more in the neighboring rooms on either side,” said Luxion.

“Time to put them all to sleep.”

I slipped a pistol out of my pocket and secured a silencer to the end of it. Since this was a fantasy world, the bullets within weren’t lethal but rather the type that tranquilized whoever they shot.

“We’ll start with the two in front of the door.”

“Please be careful,” said Luxion.

I took aim and shot my rounds.

 

***

 

Noelle absently stared up at the ceiling as a thump echoed outside, as if someone had collapsed. The nearby guards must have been alarmed, because there was a scrambling of footsteps, soon followed by raised voices spilling into the hallway.

“Hey, what hap—agh!”

It seemed that whoever took out the first guards did the same to the ones who rushed to the scene.

Noelle lifted herself up into a sitting position. A nervous sweat lined her brow. Could it be House Rault? Have they come to assassinate me?

She could still vividly remember that day so many years ago when she escaped their burning mansion—the day House Rault overthrew House Lespinasse. Noelle could only imagine that they had come to kill her, now that they knew she’d survived. As she inwardly panicked over what to do, she heard the other guards collapse one after another.

When the door slowly creaked open, Noelle spun around, looking for anything she could wield as a weapon. Alas, no such item had been left in her vicinity. The man who entered was fully cloaked in black, save for his eyes, but even so, Noelle recognized him.

“Leon?”

She also recognized him by his build, and to top it off, Luxion was floating beside him as well. Noelle couldn’t help the instant joy that rose within her at seeing him again.

Leon peeled off his cloth mask and stretched his hand toward her. “Noelle, I came to get you. Let’s get outta—hey, what’s that collar around your neck?”

“O-oh, this? This is…”

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter. You can give me the details later. Right now, we need to run.”

Noelle reached out to take his hand but stopped herself, pulling back.

Leon furrowed his brows. “Noelle?”

She was thinking of what Loic had said to her. He had held thousands of lives hostage to get his hands on her. If she were to run away, there was no telling what he might do.

Besides, she couldn’t go with Leon for other reasons. If I did, I would only cause him more trouble.

Not to mention, he was already engaged to two other girls. Noelle couldn’t afford to complicate things for Leon. She didn’t want to rely on him. If anything, she wanted to forget him as quickly as possible.

Noelle peered up into his face, her voice trembling. “Go back…”

He gaped at her.

This time, Noelle spoke with more determination. “I said, go back to where you came from! I am Alzer’s Priestess. I-I can’t be involved with someone like you. I assume it’s only passing interest that brought you here, but you shouldn’t have bothered. I’m here of my own free will.”

It was all lies, but Noelle said them to keep Leon from getting wrapped up in her problems. If you stay any longer, it will just make me look more pathetic. Hurry up and go.

It was bad enough that Noelle had fallen for a man who was taken, but she had almost fallen into the trap of letting him rescue her on top of that. She was embarrassed by the thought of relying on him yet again. She didn’t want to burden him any more than she already had.

She dropped her gaze. “Go away.”

Luxion remained silent as Leon finally shut his gaping mouth and left the way he had entered. Before the door could close, Noelle lifted her face and stretched out her hand. In truth, she wanted him to rescue her. She wanted to scream, “Save me!” at the top of her lungs. But she clamped a hand over her mouth before she could and sank to the floor. The door clicked shut, and tears sprang to her eyes.

This is…this is for the best. I did the right thing. I’m the only one who needs to be sacrificed, and everything else should be fine.