"What's wrong with her…" Noel muttered in a low voice while clutching his head. He looked down, wondering what had happened.
He had returned to the fort and used the meeting tent to finish the blueprints. But he couldn't put his head into the work because of what had happened.
The scene where Anna kissed his cheek kept replaying in his mind.
'What's wrong with her? I did a lot of things, but I didn't think there was a single thing where it could lead to something like that. That was extremely weird.'
'And Anna looked different just now. She felt nostalgic but distant. It felt like I was watching the same and familiar Anna, yet, I couldn't help but think she wasn't the Anna I knew.'
'I didn't know why, but tears felt like they were about to fall from my eyes. Did she do anything to me? Still, there was nothing major happening where it could lead to such a drastic change from Anna.'
Noel couldn't help but recall all the memories he had with Anna.
At first, he was trying to kill her. Anna was so apologetic back then, even though she still showed her overwhelming power.
Not long after, Anna realized all the things she had done and wanted to atone for that mistake.
Before they graduated, they even found out about the true scheme behind the execution and realized that everything was just a misunderstanding.
And by that time, Anna, who seemed to have a deep hatred toward him to the point she wanted to execute him as well, had completely disappeared. In fact, his actions might have made her so frustrated that she couldn't help but explode. All the words she said to him back then couldn't help but flash in his mind.
Only by bickering that one could understand each other more. After all, they were striking each other's weaknesses, making them know what kind of sides were annoying to the other. This way, they could make changes for the better instead of tolerating each other's annoying side.
And eventually, their relationship progressed and they finally became friends. They even shared the same birthday.
He could still remember the little time they had when they celebrated their birthdays together and ultimately became an adult.
It was a simple but joyous event. Unfortunately, they had to be separated not long after that.
Although they were still cooperating with each other, they didn't meet every day like in the past.
They weren't missing each other because their relationship hadn't gone further and they had their respective goals.
Yet, this time, Anna felt more mature as if she had come to terms with something. The change was so drastic that it completely dumbstruck him.
He couldn't even react after Anna did it.
Now that he had calmed down a little bit, he couldn't help but think, "Does Anna like me or something? That kind of action is not something a friend will do, especially a noble… So, does she see me in a romantic way?"
Noel narrowed his eyes. On the one hand, Anna was the most talented woman in the kingdom and she was among the most beautiful as well. He would be lying if he said he wasn't happy that such a woman liked him.
On the other hand, he simply couldn't believe Anna saw him that way. It might look more believable if their relationship became closer.
Noel soon shifted his focus from her change to the reason for her change. As long as he could understand it, he might find out about her true motive.
Sadly, nothing came to his mind. It felt like Anna did it for a reason that he didn't know.
Though, Noel couldn't forget about the fact that he had to find a woman as well after rebuilding his family. After all, a noble had to continue their legacy if they didn't want their household to be retracted by the royal family.
And Anna was a perfect candidate. They had been together for a long time and knew each other's strengths and weaknesses. They even cooperated with each other.
However, by having a relationship with him, Anna would be thrown right into the vortex. She would face the Supreme Devil Organization, the Royal Family, and even the Third Prince.
And Marquis Stargaze and the entire Stargaze Family would be directly affected by it. There was no way she didn't think of it.
That was why that kiss was completely confusing.
"No, she might've done that just to confuse me… That's right. There is that bet. Don't tell me, she used that method to make me open up to her. By making me fall in love with her, can she crack me open… something like that?" Noel frowned.
He tried his best to deny all the possibilities for their relationship. Yet, a part of his heart knew that it wasn't the answer.
In the end, Noel couldn't get anything from his thoughts. Dimitri was also silent the whole time as he didn't want to intervene in Noel's matters.
Noel could only rely on himself to get to the bottom of this. And due to this thought, he ended up doing nothing for the rest of the day because the thought couldn't disappear from his head.
He could only continue his work the next morning. And there would be a last meeting between the Captains and the Stone Lord before they disbanded the expedition.
Noel gave some input to the meeting, but he looked distracted most of the time.
Although he managed to finish his job, he still couldn't brush off Anna's matter from his head.
Time passed by quickly. Before they realized it, a week had passed since the end of the exploration.
And there was a squad assembled for the research and reconstruction of the mysterious facility.
All of them stood in front of the fort. The one who took over the expedition was the Demon Barrier Squad and a few elite teams specialized in research. Two Elders from the Tower Association and a few research teams from the noble factions also came to get a piece of the pie.
Shale shook the Demon Barrier Squad Captain's hand as a sign of handing over the authority.
Finally, all three squads could finally return to their respective bases.
The expedition had been completed.
