Chapter 196: A Curious Boy and the Saint
Noel remained seated on the stone floor of the lookout, still trying to process what he had just heard. The evening breeze cooled his face but didn’t quite ease the quick thudding in his chest. Charlotte had already stood up, looking down at him with a gentle smile—half amused, half affectionate.
"So... shall we go where you wanted to go?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
Noel looked away, clearing his throat. "Yeah. Let’s go."
Charlotte turned and walked toward the platform while he got up a bit awkwardly, brushing off his pants. They began their descent in silence. The platform moved smoothly, but to Noel, it felt like the whole world was moving faster than usual.
Charlotte didn’t stop watching him. Her hazel eyes gleamed under the soft glow of Valon’s lights, as if trying to read his thoughts.
Noel, on the other hand, avoided her gaze entirely. He focused on anything else—the rooftops, the support rails of the lift, even a lone night bird soaring overhead. His mind raced.
’Is this what it feels like?’ he thought. ’I kind of expected something eventually... Clara did say a few things... but this... this was direct.’
He remembered how Clara had tried to invite Charlotte on a tour around the city several times, always getting rejected. Then came the moment when Noel casually mentioned he’d be taking Charlotte himself—and she didn’t reject him. Clara had looked at him strangely after that, as if she was starting to suspect something.
’Did she already see this coming? Was I really the last one to notice?’
The embarrassment rose from his stomach like a warm, fizzy drink. Uninvited. He had two girlfriends already—Elena and Elyra—but this situation felt entirely different. Back on Earth, he’d never been the guy girls paid attention to. And now...
’Is this normal here? Having three? Four? And how is anyone supposed to survive that without imploding?’
He sighed and stared at the floor.