Chapter 212: Mother (2)
"My dear, I know what you’ve gone through during these past months."
She folded her hands neatly on her lap.
"We always kept track of your life. First six months were normal. But after this new year, I was terrified every time I heard that you had found yourself in another dangerous situation."
Her expression turned worried.
"How could one person go through so much in only four months?"
Noah laughed helplessly.
"Haha...I don’t know. My luck must simply be terrible."
He couldn’t help saying that. Ever since he had arrived in this world...
Only four months had passed. Yet those months had felt unbelievably long.
"So many things happened. Many near-death experiences..."
Catelyn looked at him with gentle eyes.
"But I’m grateful you’re safe. You survived every one of them."
She smiled proudly.
"And now you’ve already reached the High Rank of the Awakened Core Realm. Your growth has been astonishing. Even your brother didn’t grow so fast."
Noah nodded.
"That’s true. Those incidents forced me beyond my limits."
Catelyn wasn’t merely the graceful wife of a Duke. She was an exceptionally powerful mage herself.
An Aeternum Core mage. At high core stage.
Moreover she specialized in Ice Magic.
Just like Noah.
’I can finally learn from her.’
Back then, Noah always avoided her lessons. But not anymore. Looks like my summer vacation is going to be busy.
Swordsmanship with Father and Nathan...
Magic lessons with Mother.
His thoughts drifted as Catelyn’s gaze shifted toward the black cat resting comfortably on his lap.
"Is she your new pet?"
A trace of surprise appeared on her face.
"That’s unexpected. You never liked cats or dogs before."
Noah smiled.
"Well, I changed. I found her injured at the academy. I decided to help her. And somehow... I grew fond of how cute she was."
Catelyn smiled gently.
"Hmm. She truly is adorable."
She reached out and gently stroked Nancy’s soft black fur.
Surprisingly this time, the cat didn’t hiss.
Nancy merely narrowed her golden eyes before lazily allowing herself to be petted.
After a brief silence Catelyn spoke again.
"Now, about Ophelia."
The moment that name was mentioned. The atmosphere changed slightly.
Ophelia.
His former fiancée. The woman he had once tried to harass and got exile.
Noah looked at his mother. "What about her?"
Catelyn observed his expression carefully.
"Do you still love her?"
His brows immediately furrowed. As if he was greatly displeased by those words. There wasn’t even the slightest hesitation.
He slowly shook his head.
"No. I don’t love her. Not even a little."
Catelyn quietly studied his expression for another moment before nodding.
"That’s good to hear. Although what you did was undeniably wrong. She also turned the matter into a far greater spectacle than it needed to be."
She sighed softly.
"I’m relieved you’ve let her go."
Then she asked,
"How do you deal with her at the academy? You two are classmates, after all."
Noah answered calmly.
"We don’t speak to each other. We both avoid one another whenever possible."
"Good. Very good."
A satisfied smile appeared on Catelyn’s face.
"Don’t worry, my dear. Now that you’ve become a better man...And such a handsome young gentleman...I’m certain you’ll meet someone far better."
She smiled teasingly.
"I’ll personally find the perfect young lady for you. Someone far more beautiful than Ophelia."
Noah smirked.
For some reason the faces of Arisha and Lyria suddenly appeared in his mind.
Both of them were undeniably more beautiful than Ophelia.
Then he frowned.
’Damn! Why am I thinking about those two?’
He quickly shook the thought away.
"Mother...I think you should worry about finding someone for Brother Nathan first. He’s already twenty-six. And he still doesn’t have a fiancée. I know people don’t marry as early these days... But he doesn’t even have a lover. I think we should be more concerned about him first."
Catelyn immediately nodded.
"You’re right. I’ve tried speaking to him countless times. But he refuses to listen. When I told him to at least try to get closer to women and find someone he could love... even then, he didn’t listen to me and refused to do so."
She sighed helplessly before smiling nostalgically.
"Do you know, your father was twenty-five and I was twenty-three when we got married."
"I know, I know. But you two loved each other and decided to get married. Brother still hasn’t found a woman he loves," Noah replied.
"That’s true." Catelyn nodded thoughtfully. "Love has no age. He might find some one later. But young people naturally tend to find someone they could date. Since they are more interested in those kind of stuff... yet your brother never has."
Her blue eyes shifted toward Noah.
"What about you? Have you found someone you like at the academy?"
Noah was taken aback by the sudden question.
"Me?"
Once again, the images of two young women flashed through his mind.
He quickly shook his head.
"No, Mother. I haven’t."
Catelyn narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"For some reason, I feel like you’re not being entirely honest."
She smiled faintly.
"But you’re still young. If you are feeling something for a woman, then what you’re feeling might simply be attraction rather than love. You might be confused."
"Yes, Mother. You’re right. It’s just attraction. Not a crush or anything." He replied immediately.
"Good."
She nodded in satisfaction before asking another question.
"So... who is this girl that attracted you?"
Noah inwardly cursed.
’Dammit!’
"Mother... there isn’t anyone."
"Oh, come on now."
She folded her arms with an amused smile.
"You just admitted it was only attraction. And I’m your mother. I can tell you’re lying just by looking at your face."
Noah sighed helplessly.
"I guess I can’t hide anything from you."
He smiled slightly before saying,
"Well... there is one woman who interests me."
Curiosity immediately appeared in Catelyn’s eyes.
"And who might she be?"
Noah’s smile widened.
"She’s Morgana Celestine. The head instructor of my class."
The moment those words left his mouth, the reaction on his mother’s face was exactly what he had hoped to see.
’That’s a nice reaction.’ He thought.
Unfortunately for him after that joke, Noah ended up being scolded by his mother for quite a while.
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[A/N: Keke! Sorry, guys, I decided not to include any family drama. I was too tired to write it, so I dropped that idea. Haha!]
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