Noah remained silent.
Not because he didn’t want to tell her. Rather, he was trying to rember what he knew about Ophelia’s past.
He let out a small sigh.
"Hah... honestly, I don’t know the details. I an, I don’t know exactly what happened. But I do know the overall story."
Myra looked at him curiously.
"What is it?" she asked.
Noah’s expression turned thoughtful.
"Well... her mother was killed by demons when Ophelia was a child. Right in front of her own eyes. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. There was a demon invasion at her house... I don’t know why they did it."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Her mother was also soone strong and an exceptional sword user. But those demons were powerful. She lost her life while protecting Ophelia."
Mary covered her mouth in shock.
Her eyes behind her glasses trembled slightly.
"I-I had no idea sothing like that happened to her."
Noah nodded.
"Yes... neither did I. After that incident, she must have decided to take revenge on those demons... or demon. I don’t know the exact details, whether it was a single individual who killed her mother or multiple demons. Though Ophelia seems to know and wants to kill him... or them."
Mary’s expression slowly turned understanding.
"Oh... no wonder she trains so hard."
"Yes."
A trace of sadness appeared on Noah’s face.
"Sadly, her little half-brother has better talent and potential. Because of that, it was clearly decided that he would beco the future heir of the Thornveil House."
Then his expression beca serious.
"While Ophelia’s marriage was decided with ... the second son of the Eldritch Family."
Mary nodded slowly.
"Yes... you two were engaged."
"Damn, don’t use that word."
Noah frowned imdiately.
"We didn’t have any engagent ceremony. But well, it’s true that she was my fiancée. If a lady of a noble house doesn’t have the potential to beco the heir, then her duty is to marry into a good family and strengthen connections."
Mary’s brows furrowed.
"That’s really bad... a girl should have the choice of who she wants to be with. Though I understand how nobles think."
Noah let out a helpless chuckle.
"Hah... she simply didn’t want to get married. And that’s why she always hated . Not to ntion how much of a waste of a man I was back then."
Myra glanced at him and shook her head slightly.
"Hm... but you don’t look like that anymore."
A faint pink color appeared on her cheeks.
She quietly moved a few strands of hair behind her ear.
Noah chuckled while looking ahead.
His footsteps matched hers as they continued walking.
"I am really happy to hear that from you."
A genuine smile appeared on his face.
"Thank you."
Myra smiled softly.
"You don’t need to thank ."
She hesitated briefly before speaking again.
"So... did you really do that?"
Noah blinked.
"What?"
She looked slightly uncomfortable.
"I an... the reason your engagent was broken."
"Oh, that."
Noah’s smile faded a little.
"Well, I won’t say it was false. It was true that I tried to force myself on her. But, you know... I liked her a lot back then."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"And at that ti, I was really drunk. I pushed her onto a bed while saying things like ’I love you so much’ and other nonsense."
He shrugged.
"But it was far from an assault."
"Because..."
Noah paused.
Myra looked at him attentively.
"Because?"
"She was stronger than back then."
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"Much stronger."
He continued calmly.
"And I was so drunk that I barely knew what I was doing. At that ti, she could have avoided easily, pushed aside, or even beaten up."
Mary listened carefully.
Then suddenly her eyes widened as realization struck her.
"So..."
She hesitated.
"Did she act like she was being assaulted? Like... so helpless girl?"
A grin appeared on Noah’s face.
"Ding dong! You got that right!"
He pointed at her.
"She did exactly that so she could break off the engagent. Then she could try again to beco the heir and grow stronger to achieve her goal."
Mary’s expression beca conflicted.
"That’s... bad."
She lowered her gaze slightly.
"I an, what you did was wrong. But if she acted like that... then she was also wrong, since you suffered a lot because of her."
Noah imdiately shook his head.
"Don’t say that."
His voice beca calm.
"Whatever happened, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have done that, even if I was drunk."
He smiled faintly.
"So let’s just say I received my punishnt, and it’s all good now."
Noah looked noticeably more relaxed than before.
A small breath escaped him.
"And I’m happy to share this with soone who actually cares about ."
He looked at Mary for a mont.
"I wanted to tell this to soone... and now I feel much more relaxed."
Mary’s eyes softened.
A look of concern and closeness appeared on her face.
"You..."
She held his gaze.
"You can always count on . If there’s ever sothing you want to share, or a burden weighing on your heart, I’m here for you!"
A gentle smile appeared on her lips.
"I’ll always be willing to listen."
Noah was surprised to hear those words from her.
To be honest, it wasn’t really weighing on him.
That Noah was soone else.
The current Noah was a different person living inside Noah’s body.
He did feel so guilt.
But not that much.
More than guilt, he had simply felt annoyed and irritated.
He had wanted to tell soone.
That was all.
So he was genuinely shocked by how kind Mary was being.
She was willing to listen to his worries and sadness.
Even any that might co in the future.
Without realizing it, a genuine smile ford on his lips.
"I’ll take you up on that offer then."
His smile widened slightly.
"I hope you’ll listen to in the future too."
Mary let out a cheerful laugh.
"Hehe, of course I will."
The two of them continued talking as they walked through the academy streets together.
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