Noel thought no one would be able to recognize him, at least with just a single glance. However, he might have severely underestimated Rose's senses.
She instantly picked all the details with her eyes. The different colors in his eyes, hair, and sword, but a similar body figure. There might be one more thing so detailed that Noel forgot to match so that Rose couldn't see through him.
It was his movement. Yes, Rose could see the familiar way of walking. It wasn't something other people could easily pick, but Rose saw all those details just from a glance.
The moment their eyes met, all the clues clicked in her head, pinpointing the identity of this person.
Yes, even though he was different, Rose knew the person standing before her was Noel.
Desperate, she jumped forward and tackled Noel to the ground, refusing to let him go anymore.
Noel was startled because he didn't expect Rose to pounce on him. He ended up falling to the ground with Rose on top of him.
"Wait, what? Who are you? What are you doing?!" Noel asked in panic with a slightly heavier tone to match his disguise. "Hurry up and release me. Who are you?!"
"Noel," Rose called his name.
Noel's heart skipped a beat. However, he tried not to show it in his action as he shouted, "If you don't move away, I'm going—"
He couldn't complete his words when he felt something touch his cheek. It was wet.
In that instant, he raised his head and saw Rose's face, filled with tears.
"Why are you crying, woman? Hurry up and release me!" Noel shouted, gritting his teeth.
"Even if you're using a disguise, I will always know who you are." Rose smiled. "This might be one of the rare times that I'm so glad I have these senses…"
"What are you saying? I don't understand. Who is Noel?! You must have got the wrong person. I am—"
Again, Rose lowered her head, resting it on Noel's chest. Her body was trembling and her shaking hands held Noel's hands. Relief and fear, happiness and sadness, all of them mixed in her heart.
With a coarse tone, she uttered, "I'm glad… I'm glad. Thank god… you're alive. I…"
Noel's body shook a bit. This was the first time he saw Rose break down. In fact, he was aware that Rose might be hit the hardest by his plan, but Noel couldn't do anything because he had to ensure his life as well.
Still, when seeing Rose like this, Noel began to doubt whether it was alright for him to continue lying to her. She was supposed to find out his identity sooner or later after all.
He contemplated whether it was alright to admit it or not since it was best for the rumor about his death to keep spreading for a bit longer.
Ultimately, Noel let out a long sigh and said in his original voice. "Ah, I give up!"
Rose's body shivered when she heard that voice. She was convinced this person was Noel before, but she hadn't confirmed it. But when the other party had admitted it, she felt relieved that he was the right person.
She hurriedly tightened her grip as if refusing to let Noel go, afraid he would truly leave her for good this time.
Noel checked Rose's condition once again before saying, "I'm sorry, Rose. I didn't want to hurt you like this, but I had no choice but to do it. Well, I'll explain it to you, but can you keep it a secret from the others for the time being? I'll also give you the reason for that."
"Mhm…" Rose nodded weakly but still refused to let him go.
Noel scratched the back of his head as he tried to push his body upward. Surprisingly, Rose also matched the movement even though she still buried her head in his chest.
'It seems that it was too much for her. Maybe I should let Stella witness it instead… But if I let anyone else witness my death, Anna would be in danger… Well, I can understand why she is like this.' Noel gradually stood up before holding Rose's hand. "Sorry, Rose. But with this, I can't go anywhere now."
Rose's body shook before she nodded, knowing he meant she was holding his hand now, so she didn't need to fear him leaving again.
"Well, let's go somewhere else to talk. Since I'm not used to this area, do you mind showing me a place where we can talk without being found out?" Noel asked with a gentle tone.
Rose nodded timidly and turned around as fast as possible, not wanting to show Noel her face. She gently pulled him to another spot where she usually cried by herself.
It seemed she was embarrassed by the earlier outburst. She had been a cool elder sister to Noel in the group, so showing that side of her to Noel was the same as breaking her character.
After reaching the area, Rose sat down on the ground while covering her face with her knees. Though, she didn't let go of his hand.
Noel made a sad smile before saying, "Well, there is a lot to explain. But I'll try to make it as brief as possible. So, where do I start…"
Noel began to tell her the whole story about how his life was at risk. The only reason he disguised himself like this was to fool them. And his death had to be done and witnessed so that the information spread.
He also gave her the reason for choosing her. He just never expected that the Blood Berserker was the target of her revenge. That was why the impact hit her more than Noel originally expected.
After listening to his reasons, Rose couldn't really bring herself to blame Noel. If he didn't do that, he would die sooner or later but in a more tragic way.
Of course, Noel also blamed himself for her current state. He knew he had his reason, but it didn't change the fact that he had hurt her like this.
Noel ended his explanation with, "Sorry, Rose, for making you go through everything. And thank you…"
