She had only placed her one leg up on the bed when Noah pushed her forehead with his finger and said,
"What do you think you are doing?"
'She is being way too forward... where is my cute and shy little sister gone to?'
She was worried that his dream of having a cute little sister would be gone if his alarm clock were gone.
He couldn't have it. He wishes to experience waking up beside her little sister in a bunny outfit at least once.
Noelle held the place on her forehead where she had been poked. It wasn't painful but she still acted like it hurt and rubbed it.
"I wasn't doing anything."
She giggled a little, and looked at him seductively, parting her lips.
Noah did not miss out on that, and to be honest, he did feel drawn to her. His one hand was pressing his roaring dragon inside the quilt.
Noelle opened her mouth and hummed for a while before saying,
"Brother. Do you want a massage?"
Noah looked at her, puzzled; he couldn't understand what she was trying to do.
Well, he did know what she was trying to do, but couldn't understand it through her actions at all.
'Is she doing this herself, or is it all based on what her mother had said?'
"No, I don't, Noelle. You are acting weird today. Now, can you go back to your room, I need to sleep."
Noah said flatly, killing of expectations she might have.
However, it wasn't enough to make her leave though. Though, it did have some impact on her.
"Then..." she once again went close to him and continued, "What you taught me this morning, will you teach me again?"
Her hands were trembling for some reason when she asked that question, if only Noah could watch her legs, he would have realised one thing.
Noah smirked after hearing that. She was finally being direct, not how he wanted, but it was still better.
"Oh... did you like it that much?"
How could he even let this moment go? He was for sure going to tease her for this.
"Fine, I can. As your brother, I can at least do that much, right? Though I never expected you would be so into it, my dear sister."
He did not let go of his grin that was plastered on his face, fully expecting Noelle to react shyly like before, but what happened next did shock him.
Noelle was unfazed by what he said, and instead she responded with, "However, I don't want you to do it with Rose."
Noah couldn't believe what he just heard.
'Ain't no way this much will change just because her favourability rose this morning?'
Still, he asked, "What do you mean?"
Noelle smiled strangely when asked that question and replied with, "What do I mean? It's simple actually, brother."
With her words, she also went close to him, bringing her face near his with each passing moment.
"I don't want you to do it with anyone else, brother. I know this is wrong but..."
She was only an inch away from touching his lips when he stopped her again and said,
"What do you think you are doing Noelle? I am your brother."
He said firmly.
How can she even try to do something like that when they are siblings?
They are literally related by blood.
This is a taboo.
An upright person like him will never even think of doing anything like that.
He needed to teach her about morals, as a family, they can't do something like this.
What if their mother actually finds out about this?
What will they do then?
So, he needed to set the boundary right now.
"We can't do that, Noelle. Teaching you that was only my responsibility, but I can't go beyond that."
He pushed her back once again and spoke in a firm yet gentle tone.
"Whatever you are thinking, we can't do that. What if mother finds out about that?"
'She will send you to the far corner of this world and me to the basement if she finds out about this.'
Noelle was shaken a bit when Noah outright rejected her, "B-but..."
"No buts there, Noelle. Go back to your room now. I won't say it twice."
He turned his face away from her, pretending to feel sad. He felt like shedding tears right now.
Not because he was hurt from Noelle's actions, but because he couldn't accept such an invitation.
Anyone would be willing to die to even hear something like that from a girl like her.
She lacks nothing, absolutely nothing.
And yet, he had to reject her.
He never imagined there would come a day when a 10 out of 10 baddie like Noelle would ask him to be her man, and he would reject her.
'I have to get stronger... very soon.'
It was more than enough reason to ignite the motivation to grow stronger in him.
He at least had to surpass his mother soon, at least to not be afraid of her.
Noelle watched as her brother turned his face away from her in disappointment.
Her heart ached with pain.
'Why did I do? I rushed it too soon.'
She was blaming her impatience. Maybe if she had tried slowly, making her brother fall in love with her, then maybe she could have instigated this.
But now?
She ruined it.
At least that's what she thought.
She bit her lips, enraged and disappointed by her own actions.
Her foolishness ruined her chance.
She couldn't stay inside the room for long after seeing her brother like that so she moved out.
Leaning against the wall outside his room, he tightened her fist.
'Noelle, you idiot. Brother must be disgusted by me now. He will probably hate me forever. Why did I even do that?'
She was only following the teachings of Eleanor. She told her to be direct, but Noelle forgot one thing here.
It would have worked well if the other party hadn't been her brother.
No sane brother will accept such an offer. Not that he is sane though, still he has his predicament.
She was so angry at herself that she had no idea what she was going to do now.
She couldn't shake the feeling of her brother hating her forever.
'No, I don't want him to hate me.'
For years, she has felt his hatred already, and it was unbearable. Her brother who swore to protect her forever... she couldn't handle it when he turned cold against her.
If he were to do that again, then she for sure won't be able to bear it, since this time, her actions were what led to that outcome.
She squatted down, almost about to cry out.
She had mustered so much of her courage to confess her feelings just now. Even though she did very badly at it, she gave it her all. She was so nervous inside, only she knew of that. Hiding her nervousness and embarrassment for so long, she was shaking by the end.
She wanted to go back inside again and apologise to him right away.
She wanted to do that, but she stopped when she saw another figure coming towards her.
She was hidden by a huge vase so the other party couldn't see her, but Noelle saw her clearly.
Naturally, the other person wasn't coming towards her but towards Noah's room and that person was none other than the mother of two, Eleanor.
Noelle blinked twice when she saw her mother approaching her brother's room, and even that, at night.
She wouldn't have thought too much about that at any other time, but right now?
It was suspicious.
That too, when she was wearing something like that.
Eleanor was wearing an elegant yet alluring silk robe, closing, hugging her voluptuous and mature body with very few areas where it was loose.
'Why is mother here?'
Noelle asked. She wouldn't have even given it a second thought before, but right now she felt something was wrong.
For some reason, she wouldn't help but be nervous, as if something bad was about to happen.
Eleanor knocked on the door, with an excited face. Her face was red with an unusual expression which Noelle had never seen before on her face, but she had seen that same exact expression on someone else, and that wasn't very long before.
It was that exact expression that made her heart fasten its speed.
She felt a void in her stomach telling her to stop this, but before she could speak a word, the door to the room opened, and Eleanor walked inside.
She knew something was wrong there, but she couldn't just go in there and ask, and then suddenly, she remembered the colourless cloak Noah had given her.
Noelle looked at the ring on her finger, which Aurora had given her just now.
It was a spatial ring, where she had kept that cloak.
She took out the cloak from the ring and stared at it for a second.
'Why do I feel so uneasy?'
For a moment, a thought crossed her mind. An improper one, something taboo that she shouldn't even think about.
Maybe because she loved her brother, but she couldn't help it.
Still, he wore the cloak and decided to peek inside the room.
For some reason, it wasn't fully closed.
Noelle extended her neck trying to peek inside the room and what she found was enough to break her world apart.
A new world she never knew was before her.