Aaron finally pushed himself up from the floor.
He ignored the entire crowd surrounding the summoning platform.
The furious queens.
The shocked ministers.
The guards pretending they hadn't witnessed anything embarrassing.
He ignored ALL of them.
Instead, he walked straight toward Noel.
Aaron:
"Are you okay?"
Noel blinked, surprised by his sudden concern.
Noel:
"I'm alright!"
She stood up confidently—
Noel:
"Ah—my back…!" 😖
Her legs wobbled.
Before she could regain her balance, she stumbled forward.
STRAIGHT INTO AARON'S CHEST.
Everyone: 😶
A collective gasp filled the room.
Aaron instinctively caught her by the shoulders.
Noel slowly lifted her head.
And glanced over Aaron's shoulder.
Oh.
Oh, no.
EVERYONE WAS STARING AT HER.
Elda's expression could freeze an entire ocean.
Ashley's eyes practically emitted flames.
Queen Ether looked entertained.
Minister 3 looked ready to write an entire historical biography about this incident.
Noel immediately stepped away from Aaron as though his clothes were on fire.
Noel:
"I'm fine! Completely fine! I can stand perfectly well by myself!" 😅
She took two steps backward.
Almost tripped over her own feet.
Caught herself.
Then stood absolutely still.
Noel (thought):
I want to go home.
PLEASE. JUST LET ME GO HOME.
Aaron glanced at her worriedly.
Meanwhile, Elda and Ashley exchanged a look.
Neither said a word.
Somehow, that was far more terrifying than shouting.
---
One Hour Later…
The royal court had finally calmed down enough to conduct an interrogation.
Well…
Almost.
They were all seated in a small meeting room.
Aaron sat quietly beside the window, his expression unreadable.
Noel sat opposite him, trying very hard to look innocent.
Elda and Ashley sat together on one side of the table.
Queen Ether had joined them, mostly because she refused to miss what she considered the most entertaining event in the palace's recent history.
Minister 3 was also present.
Apparently, he had decided that this meeting was more important than his actual ministerial duties.
The atmosphere?
TENSE.
Elda leaned forward.
Elda:
"So you're saying… you're from the future?" 😑
Noel:
"Yep!" 😁
Ashley narrowed her eyes.
Ashley:
"In that future… there's no omegaverse?" 😑
Noel:
"Correct!" 😁
Elda's expression darkened.
Elda:
"And Aaron was betrayed… and killed by us?" 😑
Noel:
"Right!" 😁
Silence.
Ashley slowly turned toward Aaron.
He hadn't even looked at them since the meeting began.
Ashley:
"So that's why he's ignoring us now?" 😐
Noel:
"Yeah!" 😁
For several seconds, neither Elda nor Ashley spoke.
They simply stared at Noel.
Then, very slowly…
They turned toward each other.
Silence.
A dangerous silence.
The kind of silence that came immediately before a natural disaster.
Then—
Elda:
"YOU WITCH! ARE YOU A SPY?!" 😤
Ashley:
"WHAT THE— SO YOU WANT TO TAKE OVER THE KINGDOM?!" 😤
They screamed at the exact same time.
Noel flinched so hard that her chair nearly fell backward.
Noel:
"WHAT?! NO!" 😨
But the two women weren't finished.
They pivoted toward Noel with frighteningly synchronized movements.
Noel suddenly understood what prey felt like when two predators spotted it simultaneously.
Elda:
"What exactly happened to Aaron when he was in your world?!" 😤
Ashley:
"YES! START TALKING!" 🔥
Noel:
"It's… uh… well…"
She glanced at Aaron.
He looked away.
TRAITOR.
Noel took a deep breath and explained everything in the shortest, most awkward version possible.
How Aaron had appeared in her world.
How he had spent the day at the library.
How he had read the book about his downfall.
How he had refused to return to the palace.
How she'd taken him home.
How they'd visited the abandoned palace.
How they'd accidentally activated the summoning platform.
And, finally…
How they'd fallen on top of each other.
Noel:
"Okay! That's it! Soooo… when can I go back?" 😁
The room went silent.
Elda slowly tilted her head.
Elda:
"What do you mean by that?" 😑
Noel:
"I'm from the future. Shouldn't I… go back to my timeline?" 😁
Ashley stared at her.
Then rubbed her forehead.
Ashley:
"Girl… do you realize something?" 😑
Noel:
"…What?" 😁
Ashley leaned forward.
Ashley:
"We don't even know how you got here." 😑
She paused for dramatic effect.
Ashley:
"Forget sending you back."
Noel: 😶
Her smile disappeared.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
She looked at Ashley.
Then at Elda.
Then at Queen Ether.
Then at Aaron.
Aaron was still staring out the window as though he had absolutely nothing to do with this disaster.
Noel:
"…Wait."
Nobody answered.
Noel:
"WAIT."
Still nothing.
Noel:
"YOU MEAN I CAN'T GO HOME?!"
Ashley:
"That's what we just said." 😑
Noel gripped the edge of the table.
Noel:
"But my house! My job! My phone! MY FOOD IS STILL IN THE FRIDGE!" 😭
Minister 3 raised his hand cautiously.
Minister 3:
"Your Majesty, should we consider this a diplomatic incident?"
Elda:
"NO."
Queen Ether:
"I think it's a miracle." 😎
Noel:
"IT'S A DISASTER!"
Queen Ether smiled even more brightly.
Queen Ether:
"Well, at least my son has another friend."
Noel slowly turned toward her.
Noel:
"FRIEND?! I JUST LOST ACCESS TO MY ENTIRE TIMELINE!" 😭
For the first time since the meeting began, Aaron's lips twitched.
He quickly turned toward the window to hide it.
Unfortunately, Noel noticed.
Noel:
"YOU! DON'T YOU DARE LAUGH!"
Aaron immediately straightened.
Aaron:
"I wasn't laughing." 😐
Noel:
"YOUR SHOULDERS ARE MOVING!"
Aaron:
"I'm breathing."
Noel:
"YOU'RE THE WORST KING EVER!"
The entire room froze.
Noel froze too.
Oh.
Oh, no.
I just insulted the king.
In front of two queens.
And his mother.
Noel:
"…I would like to formally apologize to the royal family." 😶
Aaron finally turned toward her.
For the first time that day, a small smile appeared on his face.
Aaron:
"Apology rejected."
Noel:
"WHAT?!"
Aaron:
"You can apologize again tomorrow."
Noel:
"YOU—!"
Queen Ether burst out laughing.
Even Minister 3 struggled to maintain his composure.
Elda and Ashley, however, exchanged another suspicious glance.
Because while everyone else was distracted by Noel's shouting…
Aaron was smiling.
And he hadn't smiled at either of them once since returning to the palace.
The meeting might have ended without answers.
But one thing was becoming painfully clear.
Noel's arrival had changed something in the royal palace.
And nobody—not even the king—knew what would happen next.
To be continued...