Episode 108. Will You Date Me?
On the day Noah moved out on his own, she personally picked out a room for him. She told him to make this room his bedroom because it gets plenty of sunlight.
"Yes, that is correct."
“...”
Beatrix could not bring herself to ask back if the two of them were sharing a bedroom. It was because, even though she was her mother, it was a question that crossed the line and was meaningless.
There is no way Noah would go out of his way to give up his bedroom to his wife and sleep somewhere else.
However, she was simply surprised by the fact that Noah, who could not sleep even in the moonlight, was sleeping in the same bedroom with someone. He could not sleep in his mother's arms, let alone in his nanny's.
Beatrix, who had been frozen in bewilderment, soon smiled and slowly turned around.
A moment later, she stepped into the garden at the tail end of autumn and gazed up at the tree. The dry tips of the leaves looked precarious, as if they could fall at any moment.
“Whenever I looked at Noah, sometimes... it felt like looking at a leaf just before it falls, so I felt anxious.”
Mrs. Falsman, the head lady-in-waiting standing beside her, raised her head, following the Queen's gaze.
As the sunset disappeared below the sea and darkness descended, the atmosphere of the banquet heated up. The orchestra played songs of the sea incessantly to liven up the mood, and the nobles and naval officers mingled together to chat or dance.
The problem was the sea breeze and the cold.
Admiral David’s wife solved the problem with a partition and the navy’s favorite drink at sea: blue brandy. Her solution—to raise body temperature with high-proof liquor to make them forget the cold—worked, and the atmosphere of the banquet heated up with the alcohol.
However, the problem was those who did not enjoy drinking or did not get drunk.
Noah belonged to the latter group.
“So, you see! I rode my horse for quite a while, and just when I thought I was almost at my destination! Oops, I left the documents behind!”
“Hahahaha! Hahahaha, where on earth have you left your mind!”
"Oh my, the moon is full!!"
“Hahahahaha!”
The drunken ones laughed at trivial remarks and cackled, attributing meaning to meaningless figures.
Noah quietly rose from his seat.
He's done enough. Time was dragging on so slowly that he was tired and bored.
The intoxicated ones did not even notice Noah, who had stopped participating in the conversation at some point, getting up.
Noah took out a cigarette for the first time in a while, put it in his mouth, and walked slowly toward a place where there were no people. As Meson, who had been standing in the distance, quickly approached, Noah suddenly asked.
“Where’s Jonan?”
"He just arrived."
At those words, Noah stopped walking and turned his head. Jonan, having caught Meson's gaze, quickly approached and hurriedly reported to the impatient prince.
“Her Majesty the Queen visited around noon, and it is said that Her Royal Highness woke up around that time. Her fever still seems to be fluctuating, but she reportedly had a bowl of thin soup.”
Noah, who had been listening quietly to the report, nodded slightly and turned his head. Jonan glanced at him and cautiously added.
“Um... Her Highness... asked me to convey that he sis sorry she could not come with you, Your Highness.”
“...”
"She told you to have a safe trip."
The Prince simply stared at the dark sea. For the first time in a long while, the cigarette smoke enveloping him was thick like sea fog.
After finishing a cigarette, he thanked Jonan for his hard work.
"Good job, Jonan. Go rest."
"Yes!"
“Meson, you go and rest too. I’ll stay a little longer and then head back on my own.”
Then, without even giving the two of them a glance, he walked away to a dark place where the banquet lights did not reach. Meson and Jonan, left behind, looked at each other's faces, shrugged their shoulders, and turned away.
Isabelle watched the three men walk in their own directions.
Jackson, who was beside her, was already completely intoxicated and unconscious, while she hadn't touched a single drop of alcohol.
Isabelle rose from her seat and walked toward the darkness where Noah had disappeared.
Noah leaned against the stern's railing and smoked another cigarette.
Emotions surged in like waves and kept slapping him repeatedly.
At first, his emotions seethed with anger toward the noblewomen who had mistreated Olivia. That anger even spread to Olivia herself.
The emotion that layered over his anger was a suffocating numbness. Upon hearing that she had finally fallen ill because of that damn corset, the rage that had been filling his head to the point of explosion turned into emptiness, and a suffocating numbness that he could not possibly overcome washed over him.
Watching Olivia writhe in pain with every breath, he kept imagining scenes he had never seen before.
Olivia was cornered, surrounded by ladies showering her with mockery. As he pictured Olivia trembling in fear, holding her breath, he felt as if a stone were stuck in his throat.
A strong urge arose within him to gouge out the eyes of those present, including the Countess Timberlin.
Noah stayed by Olivia's side all night and made a promise.
He will make sure this never happens again. He will make them all kneel at her feet.
But the flood of emotions did not end there.
Noah pictured Olivia hanging her head, shedding pearl-like tears amidst anger, a heavy heart, and a fierce determination.
“I’m asking if you really want to do that filthy thing right next to me, Olivia.”
The words spat out with the tip of his tongue became daggers that kept pricking his heart.
Noah covered his eyes with his left hand, which was not holding a cigarette, and let out a long sigh.
He was desperate because he had absolutely no idea what to do with her.
He would have liked to go back right now, but he had to attend breakfast tomorrow.
It was when Noah, having run his left hand down his face that had been covering his eyes, was raising his body from where he had been leaning against the railing.
"Are you having a hard time?"
Noah lifted only his eyes, keeping his chin tucked in. The woman's face was reflected in the oil lamp burning behind him.
There was a face there that bore the exact likeness of Mrs. Seymour, who had been wearing a cruel expression. The words she had whispered to Olivia at the polo field flooded in.
If a proper example had been set back then, would something like this have been avoided?
Noah glared at Isabelle with an intense gaze.
However, Isabelle, blinded by love, misunderstood that gaze. Wanting to be everything to Noah, she trembled at the fact that the man's eyes were fixed only on her.
At the same time, she was convinced.
He does not love his wife. Of course, he does not love Isabelle Seymour either.
At one time, she dreamed of loving him, but she accepted that he was a man who could not. Having given up on winning his heart, she wanted to at least take his body.
It was because she felt that she needed to have it, even if it meant doing so, to break the cycle of this terrible thirst.
Isabelle, who had never learned to give up, could not possibly resolve this heart-crushing feeling on her own.
Isabelle stepped into an even deeper darkness.
"You aren't happy with your married life, are you?"
Darkness, thick as sea fog, obscured Noah's expression, and Isabelle's emotions masked Noah's fiery energy.
In a dark corner of the romantic maritime banquet, Isabelle ended up whispering words she should never have said.
“Would you like to date me?”
And at that very moment, fireworks exploded in the pitch-black night sky.
Bang, bang, bang!
As splendid fireworks colored the night sky with a roar, the Prince's face, which had been hidden in the darkness until now, was clearly revealed.
He smiled, pulling up one corner of his mouth.
His verdant eyes, holding colorful flames, could not have been more beautiful. Drawn in by his smile, Isabelle found herself taking a step closer to him.
“Date me, Your Highness.”
As the flames disappeared, darkness returned.
Isabelle reached out her hand toward Noah.
It doesn't matter if it's just for fun or a one-night fling. She just wanted to fall asleep in his arms tonight.
However, just before her hand touched his chest, Noah asked.
“Why me?”
On the day Noah moved out on his own, she personally picked out a room for him. She told him to make this room his bedroom because it gets plenty of sunlight.
"Yes, that is correct."
“...”
Beatrix could not bring herself to ask back if the two of them were sharing a bedroom. It was because, even though she was her mother, it was a question that crossed the line and was meaningless.
There is no way Noah would go out of his way to give up his bedroom to his wife and sleep somewhere else.
However, she was simply surprised by the fact that Noah, who could not sleep even in the moonlight, was sleeping in the same bedroom with someone. He could not sleep in his mother's arms, let alone in his nanny's.
Beatrix, who had been frozen in bewilderment, soon smiled and slowly turned around.
A moment later, she stepped into the garden at the tail end of autumn and gazed up at the tree. The dry tips of the leaves looked precarious, as if they could fall at any moment.
“Whenever I looked at Noah, sometimes... it felt like looking at a leaf just before it falls, so I felt anxious.”
Mrs. Falsman, the head lady-in-waiting standing beside her, raised her head, following the Queen's gaze.
"Did you do that?"
“Weren’t his eyes just like autumn leaves? At a time when they should have been lush and green, he was always anxious, like a fallen leaf ready to drop, so weary and listless. It wasn’t that I didn’t know where that weariness stemmed from... yet I didn’t know what to do.”
Since he has no attachment to anything, she wonders if Noah will eventually feel that even the act of breathing is meaningless.
She was always afraid of it.
But...
Beatrix turned her head and looked up at the bedroom where Olivia was.
So how could she not be grateful?
However, the Queen's eyes, which had been looking up at the bedroom, slowly grew heavy. Madame Falsman, the head lady-in-waiting, noticed the Queen's intentions and asked quietly.
“I have secured a list of the noble ladies who were present at the time. What shall we do?”
After a moment of silence, Beatrix walked toward the waiting carriage and answered lightly.
"Call everyone. I’d like to have a cup of tea for the first time in a while."
Even though it was difficult to retaliate as she had done to the Countess Timberlin, a warning had to be issued.
How dare you?
Her gentle blue eyes took on a cold light like polar ice.
“Weren’t his eyes just like autumn leaves? At a time when they should have been lush and green, he was always anxious, like a fallen leaf ready to drop, so weary and listless. It wasn’t that I didn’t know where that weariness stemmed from... yet I didn’t know what to do.”
Since he has no attachment to anything, she wonders if Noah will eventually feel that even the act of breathing is meaningless.
She was always afraid of it.
But...
Beatrix turned her head and looked up at the bedroom where Olivia was.
So how could she not be grateful?
However, the Queen's eyes, which had been looking up at the bedroom, slowly grew heavy. Madame Falsman, the head lady-in-waiting, noticed the Queen's intentions and asked quietly.
“I have secured a list of the noble ladies who were present at the time. What shall we do?”
After a moment of silence, Beatrix walked toward the waiting carriage and answered lightly.
"Call everyone. I’d like to have a cup of tea for the first time in a while."
Even though it was difficult to retaliate as she had done to the Countess Timberlin, a warning had to be issued.
How dare you?
Her gentle blue eyes took on a cold light like polar ice.
***
As the sunset disappeared below the sea and darkness descended, the atmosphere of the banquet heated up. The orchestra played songs of the sea incessantly to liven up the mood, and the nobles and naval officers mingled together to chat or dance.
The problem was the sea breeze and the cold.
Admiral David’s wife solved the problem with a partition and the navy’s favorite drink at sea: blue brandy. Her solution—to raise body temperature with high-proof liquor to make them forget the cold—worked, and the atmosphere of the banquet heated up with the alcohol.
However, the problem was those who did not enjoy drinking or did not get drunk.
Noah belonged to the latter group.
“So, you see! I rode my horse for quite a while, and just when I thought I was almost at my destination! Oops, I left the documents behind!”
“Hahahaha! Hahahaha, where on earth have you left your mind!”
"Oh my, the moon is full!!"
“Hahahahaha!”
The drunken ones laughed at trivial remarks and cackled, attributing meaning to meaningless figures.
Noah quietly rose from his seat.
He's done enough. Time was dragging on so slowly that he was tired and bored.
The intoxicated ones did not even notice Noah, who had stopped participating in the conversation at some point, getting up.
Noah took out a cigarette for the first time in a while, put it in his mouth, and walked slowly toward a place where there were no people. As Meson, who had been standing in the distance, quickly approached, Noah suddenly asked.
“Where’s Jonan?”
"He just arrived."
At those words, Noah stopped walking and turned his head. Jonan, having caught Meson's gaze, quickly approached and hurriedly reported to the impatient prince.
“Her Majesty the Queen visited around noon, and it is said that Her Royal Highness woke up around that time. Her fever still seems to be fluctuating, but she reportedly had a bowl of thin soup.”
Noah, who had been listening quietly to the report, nodded slightly and turned his head. Jonan glanced at him and cautiously added.
“Um... Her Highness... asked me to convey that he sis sorry she could not come with you, Your Highness.”
“...”
"She told you to have a safe trip."
The Prince simply stared at the dark sea. For the first time in a long while, the cigarette smoke enveloping him was thick like sea fog.
After finishing a cigarette, he thanked Jonan for his hard work.
"Good job, Jonan. Go rest."
"Yes!"
“Meson, you go and rest too. I’ll stay a little longer and then head back on my own.”
Then, without even giving the two of them a glance, he walked away to a dark place where the banquet lights did not reach. Meson and Jonan, left behind, looked at each other's faces, shrugged their shoulders, and turned away.
Isabelle watched the three men walk in their own directions.
Jackson, who was beside her, was already completely intoxicated and unconscious, while she hadn't touched a single drop of alcohol.
Isabelle rose from her seat and walked toward the darkness where Noah had disappeared.
Noah leaned against the stern's railing and smoked another cigarette.
Emotions surged in like waves and kept slapping him repeatedly.
At first, his emotions seethed with anger toward the noblewomen who had mistreated Olivia. That anger even spread to Olivia herself.
The emotion that layered over his anger was a suffocating numbness. Upon hearing that she had finally fallen ill because of that damn corset, the rage that had been filling his head to the point of explosion turned into emptiness, and a suffocating numbness that he could not possibly overcome washed over him.
Watching Olivia writhe in pain with every breath, he kept imagining scenes he had never seen before.
Olivia was cornered, surrounded by ladies showering her with mockery. As he pictured Olivia trembling in fear, holding her breath, he felt as if a stone were stuck in his throat.
A strong urge arose within him to gouge out the eyes of those present, including the Countess Timberlin.
Noah stayed by Olivia's side all night and made a promise.
He will make sure this never happens again. He will make them all kneel at her feet.
But the flood of emotions did not end there.
Noah pictured Olivia hanging her head, shedding pearl-like tears amidst anger, a heavy heart, and a fierce determination.
“I’m asking if you really want to do that filthy thing right next to me, Olivia.”
The words spat out with the tip of his tongue became daggers that kept pricking his heart.
Noah covered his eyes with his left hand, which was not holding a cigarette, and let out a long sigh.
He was desperate because he had absolutely no idea what to do with her.
He would have liked to go back right now, but he had to attend breakfast tomorrow.
It was when Noah, having run his left hand down his face that had been covering his eyes, was raising his body from where he had been leaning against the railing.
"Are you having a hard time?"
Noah lifted only his eyes, keeping his chin tucked in. The woman's face was reflected in the oil lamp burning behind him.
There was a face there that bore the exact likeness of Mrs. Seymour, who had been wearing a cruel expression. The words she had whispered to Olivia at the polo field flooded in.
If a proper example had been set back then, would something like this have been avoided?
Noah glared at Isabelle with an intense gaze.
However, Isabelle, blinded by love, misunderstood that gaze. Wanting to be everything to Noah, she trembled at the fact that the man's eyes were fixed only on her.
At the same time, she was convinced.
He does not love his wife. Of course, he does not love Isabelle Seymour either.
At one time, she dreamed of loving him, but she accepted that he was a man who could not. Having given up on winning his heart, she wanted to at least take his body.
It was because she felt that she needed to have it, even if it meant doing so, to break the cycle of this terrible thirst.
Isabelle, who had never learned to give up, could not possibly resolve this heart-crushing feeling on her own.
Isabelle stepped into an even deeper darkness.
"You aren't happy with your married life, are you?"
Darkness, thick as sea fog, obscured Noah's expression, and Isabelle's emotions masked Noah's fiery energy.
In a dark corner of the romantic maritime banquet, Isabelle ended up whispering words she should never have said.
“Would you like to date me?”
And at that very moment, fireworks exploded in the pitch-black night sky.
Bang, bang, bang!
As splendid fireworks colored the night sky with a roar, the Prince's face, which had been hidden in the darkness until now, was clearly revealed.
He smiled, pulling up one corner of his mouth.
His verdant eyes, holding colorful flames, could not have been more beautiful. Drawn in by his smile, Isabelle found herself taking a step closer to him.
“Date me, Your Highness.”
As the flames disappeared, darkness returned.
Isabelle reached out her hand toward Noah.
It doesn't matter if it's just for fun or a one-night fling. She just wanted to fall asleep in his arms tonight.
However, just before her hand touched his chest, Noah asked.
“Why me?”
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