[Lifespan Remaining: 21 days, 22 hours, 24 minutes.]
"Your hair is clean."
"...Thanks."
Noct wiped the water from his face before standing carefully. Whatever had been bothering her, she clearly wasn’t eager to discuss it. He glanced toward her once more, then made his way to the pool.
The water was just slightly too hot, but still, he continued down until Noct found himself a submerged ledge and lowered onto it.
"Ahh..."
He leaned back against the edge, keeping his injured shoulder and neck above the water as he finally allowed himself to relax after everything.
From here, he could see through the broad window overlooking the estate. The glass was clearer from the inside than he had expected. Beyond the gardens and the outer walls, Rexford stretched into the distance.
Rows of white buildings crowded together, with carriages moving between them like small wooden toys, occasionally disappearing after turning the corner.
In the distance, several towers rose above the surrounding districts, and beyond even those, he could just make out another section of the city walls.
’This place really is huge...’
The game had described Rexford as the heart of the kingdom. A prosperous capital where nobles, merchants, scholars, and adventurers gathered from every territory.
At the time, it had simply been the place where Robin went to attend the Academy. A few scenes to give the players a feel for the place, but was then buried under plot quickly.
Looking at it now, Noct realized how little those scenes actually conveyed the liveliness of an actual, breathing capital.
There were people living under every one of those roofs. People opening shops, preparing meals, and worrying about things that had never earned so much as line of dialogue in Ending Fantasy.
And soon, quite a few of them would have something much worse to worry about.
’The royal succession...’
Noct’s eyes drifted toward the palace rising above the city.
The conflict between Crown Prince Axel and Second Prince Roland had already begun before he had even opened his eyes in this world.
Finn had mentioned as much before the examination, complaining about how one of his brothers was using Altaire to attack the other’s faction.
For now, they could still pretend it was ordinary court politics, though Noct knew that just wouldn’t last.
Once the succession struggle truly began, even remaining neutral would become a decision other people took offense to. And the Arcadias, as one of the Great Houses, were far too influential to be left alone.
’Which means I won’t be left alone either.’ Noct frowned.
He had originally intended to spend his time at the Academy collecting monster cores, reducing his demerits, and acquiring whatever useful things Robin failed to appreciate.
That plan was already becoming considerably more complicated.
Faust was dead earlier than he should have been. Finn was alive when he shouldn’t have been.
And Noct himself had survived long enough to become a problem for people who had probably expected his curse to do their work for them.
’How much of what I remember is even going to happen the same way?’
He let out a long breath and sank slightly lower into the water. Thinking about it now wouldn’t make the answers appear.
Besides, Stella had promised to explain what was happening over dinner. Until then, there was little point in exhausting himself with guesses.
Though Noct noticed that Noelle was just sitting on the floor just behind him. Her legs were folded neatly to one side, with the towel still wrapped around her.
Both hands rested in her lap, and she seemed to be staring distantly into the distance, frowning slightly.
"You’re not coming in?" Noct asked. "The water’s pretty nice."
She glanced toward the water. There was obviously enough room in the pool to probably fit everyone in the building inside, yet she had settled on the stone floor just next to him.
"I shouldn’t, Young Master..."
"Why not?"
"The bath is reserved for members of the household."
"You live here too."
"That isn’t what I meant."
Her fingers tightened around the towel, the gesture so small that anyone would’ve overlooked it. But not Noct.
"I’m just a servant," she said quietly. "I’m not worthy of sharing it with you."
The sudden change in personality made Noct question himself. She wasn’t one to deny his request unless it endangered him or was something important.
Yet this was the only exception he’d ever seen.
’Ever since she got scolded by Trevor, her expression has been strange...There’s no way she’s scared of the guy.’
He stared at her frowning face once more.
’Definitely something else.’
And without much dawdling around, Noct decided to confront her. "You can tell me. I’ll keep it a secret, I promise."
"Pardon?"
"As Your Master, I should know everything that you do, shouldn’t I?" Noct repeated, half-jokingly. "Now get to it."
"...Young Master, that’s not fair—"
"So are you going to tell me?"
Noelle lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him. But instead of answering, she asked a question of her own, the atmosphere turning more serious than Noct would’ve liked.
"Young Master...what do you actually know about me?"
"What?"
"About me," she repeated. "Other than what I do for you. Other than being your personal maid."
He opened his mouth, only to find that nothing immediately came to mind. She was capable and loyal, occasionally stubborn enough that arguing with her would be a waste of breath.
But those were all things he knew because she was his maid.
Ophelia had brought her into the household when they were both children. Noelle had been a few years older than him, though he couldn’t remember ever asking exactly how many.
After that, she had simply always been there.
"My mother hired you."
"Yes."
"And you stayed to look after me."
"Yes."
"Your contract..."
"Was with Lady Ophelia."
Meaning whatever obligation she had to fulfill had ended with his mother’s death. Yet Noelle was still here.
Through the years he had spent bedridden, through the original Noct’s worsening temper, and even after everyone had seemingly decided he wasn’t worth the trouble.
"Then why did you stay?"
She continued to remain silent, but as Noct continued to stare at her longer, the pieces started to connect inside his head. Not the full picture, but a hypothesis.
Noct remembered the way she had gone quiet when he praised her, Trevor’s scolding outside the bedroom, and the servants watching her leave, gossiping behind her back.
’Is that it...?’
Guilt.
It wasn’t confirmed, but the more he thought about it, the more the explanation seemed to fit.
’She feels guilty about something. And the fact that she mentioned my mother could only mean that it was something related to her...’
’Still...am I just an obligation?’
The aching thought that their relationship was just dangling on guilt, that she served him all these years simply because of something that happened in the past...
It wasn’t pleasant.
Noct pushed himself out of the water, towel still dripping wet as he headed for the doors. Noelle, who had her head down, flinched as soon as he did and began standing back up.
"Young Master, where are you—?"
"I’m heading to dinner."
"Do you need me to—?"
"No, you don’t have to do anything else."
The sentence left her speechless. And after a while, Noct disappeared through the doorway.The young maid continued staring at the doors even after her Young Master had left, with an aching feeling inside her heart.
"Noct..."