â Miss Noah?
âOh, I got it.â
â âOh, I got itâ? Is this a prank call to the Bureau of Investigation Security? This better be an emergency.
As soon as the call connected, Park Noah was deafened by Kyle Leonardâs nagging. She interrupted his speech and spoke with a hoarse voice, âIâm sick.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
â Yeah?
A laugh resounded from the handset. Dumbfounded, Park Noah scoffed, the image of Kyle Leonard looking at her with pity flashing across her mind.
âI think I caught a cold. My muscles are sore and my shoulder is bruised. Itâs just, you know, itâs not like, itâs not a pain that can be alleviated with physical exercises.
â Itâs not a bad idea to be slightly ill to develop your immune system. Muscle pain is a natural result because you havenât moved your body for so long.
Kyle Leonard replied firmly, unfazed by her sluggish grumbling. And after about three seconds of silence, he added.
â Do you have a headache? Or does your throat hurt? What do you mean your shoulder is bruised?
âSince youâre worried, could you please leave out the nagging?â
â Donât be rude. So, where are you now? Is the train refueling? Then, is it Central Cezanne?
âYes, I got off for a minute to wash up. Iâm going to get on the train again soon, but there was a phone booth, so I called just in case. Sir, when are you coming?â
â I canât go right now. Donât forget to eat three meals regularly and always lock the room door. Go to the hospital as soon as you get off at Battuanu after sleeping like a dead man.
âWhy canât you come right now? The next train will be in four hours.â
â Lunazel and Edman rail networks are on high alert. They say all trains will be temporarily suspended until the railways are cleared from magic.
âWhat? Uh⦠When will it be resolved?â
All of a sudden, she saw a blond snooping around the window of the phone booth, his eyes narrowed.
Are you saying I have to endure this manâs company until Kyle arrives?
â I donât know. Yesterdayâs attack revealed that Laurent was involved, and weâre not making any hasty requests to the Magic Department for their cooperation.
Before responding, Park Noah opened the door of the booth and grouched at the restless man wandering around.
âIâm on an important phone call, could you get out of here?â
âYou said you donât remember, whatâs the point?â
âSo what? By the way, how did you get here when Muell locked you up in the train?â
â â¦the Minister of Magic just left. Miss Noah? Can you hear me?
Kyle Leonard asked sharply over the receiver. She then hastily returned the handset to her ear and answered, âYes, Iâm listening.â
â Who are you talking to now? Is everything all right?
âItâs just a passerby. So, you canât come right now?â
â Yes. So as soon as you get to Battuanu, you should go to the hospital first. What kind of unusual cold did you catch on this warm spring day? Iâll have to get some nutritional supplements.
Park Noah grimaced upon recalling the unfortunate incident, which led to her cold, and decided it was better to hide it from Kyle Leonard lest she be branded as an irrevocably pathetic woman.
â If nothing happens after you arrive in Battuanu, please go up to the capital first. Donât worry, Lenia Valtalere is being watched by the security department.
âOkay, sir. Iâd love to see you, so come here soon.â
â Yes⦠What?
âUh, the phone time is up. Iâm hanging up now.â
The phone beeped exactly after she finished speaking. She placed the handset back in place and left the phone booth. The blond, who had been dawdling in front of the booth a little while ago, had disappeared.
Then, a loud shout from the operator resounded from a distance, announcing the trainâs departure. Park Noah hastened her steps and boarded the train. When she arrived in their room, she was greeted by a blond man comfortably sitting on the couch.
*
âHonestly. You were my stalker, werenât you? Iâve told you twenty times to get out of here. Thereâs no reason to keep hanging around with you.â
The scuffle between the two ended with Park Noah giving up. More precisely, it was more accurate that she was barely in the right condition to prevent whatever scheme he was planning.
Hence, she confronted the man head on. Yet the man easily refuted her accusations while wearing a soft smile on his lips.
âI donât think Iâm stalking, Iâm only following my lover because Iâm worried. Just because you donât remember doesnât mean weâre not together.â
âI donât know why Iâm dating someone who has only a face to boast.â
In contrast, she thought in her mind that Eleonora Asil had been incredibly brilliant.
âAdrian.â The man spoke all of a sudden, transfixed by his loverâs face.
ââ¦What?â
âAdrian. Thatâs my name. You kept calling me âyouâ.â
Adrian. It was a name that perfectly complemented his bright, gentle look. Park Noah uttered the name once.
âAdrian.â
ââ¦..â
âAdrian. Your name is uselessly pretty.â
Park Noah expected a smug retort, along with a smirk, from the man, but she was surprised to hear no response.