Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

"No, my body isn't that fragile. But Enya, your fight with Enthyodis just now... was probably part of the plan, right?"

"...Is it obvious?" Enya said, a little embarrassed. "I thought I acted well."

"There's some genuine feeling, but it's true that you interrupted Sir Harold so many times that it was a bit deliberate." Noya smiled. Enya wasn't a famous actress, so it was understandable that she didn't understand the balance between tension and relaxation. "Also, although you and Enthyodis had made plans, you still let your true feelings show in the middle, didn't you? You can't fool me."

"...I didn't expect to deceive you." Enya lowered her head, her boots gently scraping across the snow, leaving a half-moon-shaped trail. "Actually, I've been wondering what I can do for Kjerag. Although after that incident, the three major families all recognized me and considered me the chosen leader, and I was mentally prepared, in reality, I still need Enthiotis to share most of the responsibilities. This time, too, he took the initiative to come to me and ask for cooperation."

"You've done well, Enya. Don't forget, you're not alone—you're not the only Saint." Noya reached out and took Enya's hand. She cupped it, blew on it, and rubbed their hands together. Soon, both of their hands were warm, and her smile seemed to melt the cold wind. "If you have any trouble, come to me. If you have anything to say, come to me. If you have anything to complain about—you can come to me, too. Every day I'm in Kjerag, I can be your tree hole. I won't be bored, and I will listen carefully to what you say and be a qualified listener."

"That's too much trouble for you." Enya was tempted, but she still declined. "Besides... if you were in Kjerag, I could find you, but what if you left? You're busy somewhere else. I can't leave Kjerag to see you, right? So... I'd better deal with these problems by myself."

"Enya, this isn't a big deal. I'm lucky to be able to do something for my friends." Noah shook his head. "Also, although I don't intend to interfere with your family affairs, you and your brother can't continue like this. If possible, I also want you to reconcile."

"...Let's not talk about this, it will easily cause an argument." Enya lowered her head, unwilling to delve into the topic, and Noah could only smile.

"Okay, I won't talk about it today."

"Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, I don't want to talk about it either - about that guy... I will handle it myself."

"Well, I believe you, Enya."

Enya blushed slightly, and reluctantly pulled her hand away from Noya's embrace. She placed her palm on her already cold cheek and whispered, "Thank you for warming my hands."

"It's just a small favor." Noah's body temperature has been adjusted, and it has always been as warm as a small stove. When standing next to Noah, you will feel like you are bathed in spring breeze. Enya unconsciously leaned towards Noah. The two of them walked until they were near the Yinxin Lake Station before they separated. Margaret followed behind them. Yaer had already run away, but Margaret was a little dazed... After all, she had just learned a shocking fact.

——"I deliberately created a situation where you were alone with her."

why?

Margaret didn't understand. She thought Jian should be her love rival. Obviously, Jian, like her, had feelings for Noah that went beyond friendship. Even according to Noah's inclination, she preferred Jian who had always been with her to Margaret who couldn't stay by her side for a long time. It could be said that although Margaret did not admit defeat, reason told her that the outcome had already been decided.

The mace had already entered Noah's heart. He had lost the initiative and would never be able to fight back in the future.

However, Jian told himself that she was deliberately trying to match him and Noah?

Why is that?

Margaret is not a rigid person, but even with her intelligence, she is a little out of control at this moment.

Of course, Miss Yaer was very supportive of Margaret's pursuit of Noah, and even gave her some advice, providing her with many famous couples' spots in Kjerag. Regardless of whether Margaret wanted it or not, she just talked to her a lot, so now Margaret's mind kept echoing some... scenes that made her feel a little blushing.

For example, on the snowy mountain, Margaret and Noah hugged each other, looked into each other's eyes, and then...

No...what am I thinking...

Margaret quickly shook her head, shaking off those beautiful thoughts along with the fine snow falling on her head, but her face was already extremely red.

"Margaret?"

"..."

"Margaret?!"

"..."

"Really... Hey." Margaret felt something suddenly hit her head. She raised her head in confusion, looked at Noah who was a little angry, and blurted out a sentence without thinking.

"Where's Miss Enya?"

"We separated at the station. How distracted were you?" Noah said helplessly. She reached out and brushed away the snowflakes that had accumulated rapidly on her head, even though she had just shaken off some of them. She couldn't help but find it a little funny. "Why are you so blank? If you keep going like this, you'll turn into a little snowman in no time."

"...I..." She shook her head, "I wasn't paying attention. Sorry."

"Alright, alright, what's there to apologize for?" Noah blinked and said with a smile, "There's snowflakes stuck to your eyebrows. You look... like you've aged several years. Your hair has even turned snow-white."

"...If I could grow old with you, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing." Margaret felt a little strange about herself now, as if she couldn't keep her inner thoughts to herself. As soon as she opened her mouth, her hidden thoughts came out. "...Your hair has turned white, and while it looks good, in my mind, you're still the same...with beautiful long black hair, rarely smiling, and not particularly fond of people. I don't know when it started, but as long as you're around, my eyes will always follow you."

"In the past..." Noah also recalled some things in the past, "Was I so gloomy before? Why don't I remember it?"

"I remember it very clearly..." Margaret whispered, "But it wasn't gloomy, it was quiet. Every time I went out for exercise, my blood was boiling, and when I got home I was still noisy and excited. My parents couldn't do anything about me. But as soon as I saw you - you liked to read in the garden at that time, I would calm down. Come to think of it, I didn't realize at the time that I had actually fallen in love with you."

"...You bastard." Noah's face flushed slightly. "So you were just planning to use this as an excuse to tease me?"

"Of course not." Margaret quickly shook her head. "I... no, I'm just expressing my true feelings. Besides, aren't you at all wrong, Noah?"

"I...?" Noah pointed at himself, a little confused. "What did I do wrong?"

"Didn't Grandfather tell me back then that I should learn from you, that I should calmly judge the situation? And then every time we sparred, you deliberately lost to me!" Margaret brought up the past. "You thought I couldn't see that you always held back, and even deliberately fed me moves, making me think I had the upper hand, only to end it with a flaw. And every time, you deliberately let go and dropped the wooden sword. I saw it all!"

"..." Noah turned his head with a guilty conscience, "Look... so what if I saw it? My body isn't as good as yours. My wrist is sore, so of course it's easy to knock the sword away."

"You used to practice archery...your wrist strength is stronger than mine, how is that possible!"

"Shut up! I mean it!"

"You're so anxious! You're like this every time I talk to you, and last time, no, not last time, it was when I went back to Casimir, you took out the transfer contract for me to sign! You also said it was for me, and that you had already made a will or something, do you know how I felt at that time?" Margaret was actually not very good at quarreling with Noah, but quarreling, in essence, is about seeing how much negative information you have about the other person, and then digging it out one by one, and these two childhood sweethearts know too many of each other's weaknesses, so no matter how bad she is, she will never run out of ammunition.

"I was truly in a precarious position back then. I was doing this to keep a way out, and you have absolutely no business sense! I wouldn't trust you with everything! I've already made all the arrangements for my funeral! Don't you think about who I'm doing this for?" Noah was also a little exasperated. Indeed, when she asked Margaret to sign, her mindset was questionable, perhaps even a bit like entrusting someone else with her care. But she didn't think she had done anything wrong. "You have to be prepared for everything. No matter what the situation, you always have a contingency plan. I've told you this countless times—not only do you not understand it at all, but you're using this kind of thing to bully me!"

"I know you did the right thing, but you didn't consider my feelings. I just returned to Casimir, and the first thing I did when I saw you was to sign your inheritance distribution contract? Don't you think it's ridiculous?" Margaret Linguang was truly moved this time. "Noah, I know how you feel and why you did this, but reasonable doesn't mean fair. Can't we always get through this together? Do I have to make any sacrifices?"

"What do you mean by sacrifice? I'm not dead! I just handed over my assets to someone I trust, and the will can be redrafted. As long as I'm alive, the will won't take effect. The words you owe are about the same as toilet paper! What's so important to you?"

"I just care a lot, idiot!"

"You are the one who calls others stupid!"

"Huh...huh..."

"Huh...huh..."

The two of them panted and glared at each other. Theresa, who had listened to the entire argument, felt her cheek ache and a motherly smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. If she had a beer in her hand, she would definitely slam it on the table without hesitation and shout, "Why haven't you gotten married yet?"

Although they were indeed arguing, in Theresa's opinion, it was just a show of affection...or in other words, any quarrel that was not intended to break up was a show of affection.

Hey... I didn't eat any candy, but why does my cheek hurt?

"Ahem...you two." Just then, a voice squeezed in between them. They turned around and realized they were arguing in front of a clothing store. The store manager was looking at them with a half-smile, the smile in his eyes almost overflowing. "Ahem, is this your first time traveling to Kjerag?"

"...Ah...no...it's not the first time." Noah was a little flustered, thinking that the two of them were arguing and disturbing the boss's business. "Well...I'm sorry to interrupt your business. So, let me buy some clothes before leaving."

"No, this is also my problem. I'll pay for it, boss. I'm really sorry."

They were arguing one moment, and the next they bowed and apologized at the same time in tacit understanding, and the boss's smile became even wider.

"It's okay, it's okay. I opened the shop just to make it lively. I'm happy when you two are having fun. That's right, you two young lovers have to find a place where there is no one around to have a fight. Look, the neighbors are watching you." The boss pointed to both sides. Noah and Margaret realized that many people on both sides had stopped at some point. Although they were not watching, their eyes were already focused on the two of them.

In just a moment, steam began to rise from Noah's head - this was really red fever, and the snowflakes on his head sublimated directly into smoke.

"I...I'm...I'm really sorry..."

"Hey, little girl, arguing isn't the best idea. So, if your girlfriend isn't happy with anything, tell me and I'll take care of it for you." The boss found Noya adorable the more she looked at her, and she patted her chest. "And don't even think about buying her. I'll give you some clothes. I'm telling you, traveling in Kjerag is all about wearing Kjerag-style clothes. It's fun and warm. You're wearing too little—be careful of catching a cold."

"Haha..." Noah wanted to say that he wouldn't catch a cold, but the enthusiastic old lady had already grabbed Noah's hand and pulled him into the store. Margaret couldn't stand the embarrassment of the smiling onlookers around her, so she quickly followed in. When the excitement died down, the crowd dispersed. Maybe they thought they had seen something good, but the whole street seemed to be filled with joy.

——After all, who doesn’t like to see sweet couples showing their affection?

Chapter 19: Wedding Dress

The two people who were mistaken for a young couple were forced to enter the store. After all, there would be only more people watching outside. In addition, Noah's face that looked like the Honorary Saint, so staying outside was definitely not a good idea. However, after entering the store, the boss immediately stuffed a set of clothes into her arms, and then pushed her into the dressing room, without giving Noah a chance to explain. So in the dressing room, Noah hugged a bunch of clothes, and after a few seconds of freezing, she sighed softly.

Forget it, since I'm here, I might as well try on the clothes.

As the owner of a clothing store, and also an experienced seamstress who ran a shop downstairs from her own house, the owner had assessed Noya's measurements almost immediately. After sending Noya to the dressing room, she walked around Margaret, quickly confirming her size in her mind, before suggesting, "Girl, your figure and height are indeed rare in Kjerag. I don't have clothes that fit you. And in my opinion, you don't look like an average tourist—ah, don't get me wrong, my husband is a soldier, and I'm not from Kjerag either. I'm from Victoria."

"Victoria... I see." Margaret glanced around, realizing the stark difference between the style of this clothing store and Kjerag's. It turned out the owner was actually from Victoria. Victoria boasted a wealth of fashion designers. After all, it was a renowned power on the Terran continent, and its abundance fostered complex rituals and attire. Victoria's designs were renowned both within and beyond the borders of the land. A dress of exceptional quality could fetch an outrageous price. "You must be an exceptional designer."

"Thank you for your compliment. I'm not a great designer, I'm just an experienced seamstress." The old woman smiled, lifting her glasses with her fingers. Her clear eyes seemed to pierce through the thick lenses, revealing the wisdom brought by a rich life experience. "Although I probably don't have a dress in your size, if you have time, I can make one for you. What do you think?"

"...Um, ma'am, you may have misunderstood. I didn't come to Kjerag just to order a custom dress."

"No, no, no, I'm not mistaken. I just saw that your body proportions are perfect, and I'm a little tempted." The old woman waved her hand. "And your girlfriend is gentle and quiet. Even when we argue, her voice is so pleasant. She has a good figure too. You are a lucky person."

"...She...isn't my girlfriend either." Margaret lowered her head awkwardly. "I do like her...but she hasn't agreed yet."

"Hey, do you know that old saying?" The old woman looked at the troubled little girl and smiled softly. "Slapping is love, scolding is love—the fact that she can argue with you like this is because the relationship between you two won't become alienated by a simple quarrel. She obviously can't let you go."

"...You...I'll take your kind words." Margaret smiled bitterly. "But the matter between her and me is quite complicated, and it's not something that can be explained in a short time. I owe her too much, and it's normal for her to be unwilling to accept me. I won't interfere with her choice. However, I will also reserve the right to do as I please."

"Haha, you young people are so creative - it was different in our era. It was really the parents' orders and the matchmaker's words. When I got married, I had no idea what kind of person my husband would be. I only knew that he was a soldier. Hey, raise your hands so I can see your arm span." The old tailor had already started writing and drawing on the paper. Compared to handing over the clothes directly, she could judge the approximate range at a glance. If she wanted to customize the dress, it was obviously necessary to measure carefully. So she took out a tape measure, measured Margaret's arms in detail, and other dimensions, and then wrote them down in a small notebook. Her serious look made Margaret cooperate.

"Later, luckily, he treated me very well. Although we got married before falling in love, but... fate in life is fleeting. Believe me, if you have met many times, you are destined to be together. Don't deny it casually. Love, love is always right. I know that young people nowadays value responsibility, value choices, and think carefully. This is a good thing. I also think that a marriage should be taken with caution. However, being too cautious will only lead to missed opportunities - and once you miss them... I don't know if you can get them back."

The old woman's words made Margaret fall into deep thought. She was silent for a while, then shook her head.

"You're right, but... more than me being happy, I hope she doesn't have to suffer with me... I used to think I had to keep her by my side, letting her choose again and again. But then I realized that making choices is very tiring. I never thought about how much thought she had to put in, how many times she had to choose her words before responding to me or rejecting me. Ultimately, I only thought about myself. I thought that with her around, I would be happy - and that I would give her happiness, but what if there were other options? What if... there was a better choice than mine?"

"Hey, so young people always think before they think after..." The old woman sighed, feeling somewhat helpless about this clueless piece of wood. He had such a handsome face, but wasn't it all wasted? "Your head is full of responsibility, with no room for love or hate. Each of you thinks you're doing the other good, so your mouths are glued together. If there really is such a strong glue, then apply it to your hands, and you'll be inseparable forever."

"Ma'am, you must have a very happy family," Margaret smiled. "You have a very open-minded outlook, and you're not that old. You look only in your early twenties."

"Tsk tsk tsk, you should go and coax your girlfriend with that little mouth of yours." The old woman was obviously pleased and smiled, holding her cheek. "Okay, the measurements are almost done. Your little girlfriend is still shy. Bring her out and show me if this suit fits."

"Oh." Margaret also felt that Noah had taken a little too long to enter the locker room. Worried, she agreed to the old woman's request and came to the locker room.

"Noah, have you changed your clothes?"

"..."

"Noah? Why aren't you talking?"

"...I've changed it, but I feel...it's not quite right..."

The voices in the locker room were muffled, more hesitant and vague than usual. Margaret frowned. Noah rarely felt so shy. Thinking back to the noise of the argument just now, she wondered if she had just said something too harsh. Noah was indeed like that. When he was emotional, he would say something harsh, and then later he would regret his harsh words. Her tone softened unconsciously.

"If it's about the argument we just had, then I was wrong and shouldn't have argued with you. No matter what it is, we should go back and talk about it. Okay, no need to reflect and feel bad, let's go home together."

"...No, it's not that." Noah stood in the dressing room, her face flushed with embarrassment. She had never expected that this would be such a dress. It was indeed a dress...but it wasn't the type of dress you should wear normally! Especially not in front of Margaret... She covered her cheeks, feeling a little hot, but she put it on anyway. When Margaret arrived just now, she had just finished dressing and was looking around in the mirror. Unexpectedly, Margaret came over at this moment.

There's no way... Wearing this dress might be the lifelong dream of many girls. Noah is also a girl, so naturally she can't avoid suspicion.

There are always some things that girls in this world cannot refuse, such as sweets, cute things, and... the dress that Noah is wearing now.

"...If you still care...I can trade it back with Mace. I'll go protect Enthiotis and let Mace return to you." Margaret looked a little downcast. She thought her performance had displeased Noah. If that was the case, then it would be better to let Mace return. Regardless, Margaret acknowledged that she was the perfect match for Noah.

Mace can accompany Noah throughout her life and will not make her angry. There is probably that kind of relationship between them.

Margaret actually knew all this, but she just pretended not to know.

It is always easier to deceive yourself than to deceive others. Even the most upright knight will not forbid him from deceiving himself.

In fact, Margaret had long thought about whether her appearance would cause trouble to Noah. It could even be said that her identity was just like an entangled ex-girlfriend... No, maybe she couldn't be considered an ex-girlfriend, but just an entangled childhood sweetheart.

Is she really qualified to stay with Noah?

Does Noah really want me to stay by his side?

Although such thoughts only appear in my mind occasionally, they always linger.

"...Of course not for this reason... What on earth are you thinking?"

Noah immediately denied it, saying she just didn't feel like going out right now. How could she possibly hate Margaret being around her? No, didn't that idiot Margaret already know that? She was his first love, the one he still couldn't let go of. What on earth could she be thinking? Could it be that besides love, there was only disgust? And she wasn't that kind of person!

"...I'm just thinking about something that should be taken for granted, right?" Margaret sighed. "Noah, you're a gentle person. I know you're concerned about me, but if it bothers you, I'll leave on my own."

"Eh... no, why did the topic develop to this point?" Noah was confused. "We were just arguing. We've had arguments before. What are you thinking?"

"I..." Margaret didn't know what she was saying or thinking, but the old woman's words just now still touched her somewhat. After all, the old woman fell in love with her husband after getting along with him for a long time. It seemed that... the same was true for Noah and Jian. Jian was always by her side. Compared to herself who was just a flower in the mirror and the moon in the water, he was obviously more trustworthy, so it was reasonable for him to reject her.

"Noah... I just..." She looked at the curtain in front of her. There was only a curtain between her and the girl she loved most was on the other side of the curtain, but she felt so far away that even her voice was a little slow. Love is the words on the lips, but the sorrow that cannot be expressed. No matter how handsome Margaret was, she was just a girl. It was natural for her to feel depressed, especially after the old woman said those words.

"You're just what! You guys, stop thinking about running away all the time!" Finally, Noah couldn't help it anymore, and the anger rushed to her heart. Before Theresa could stop her, she lifted the curtain and grabbed Margaret's arm. "You guy! No matter when, you are like this, why didn't you just chase me when I ran away? It's always like this. Are you really so happy to be late? Do you know what I was thinking when I came back from Rhodes Island? I thought I wanted to spend my last days with you! But then you were expelled by Casimir. I really... How much do you like missing out on me?"

"...Huh?" Margaret was stunned. It wasn't because of Noah's words. No... Noah's words did shake her, but sight always takes precedence over hearing. She looked at the girl in front of her, but she felt she might be misinterpreting it. The locker room was dimly lit, but in Margaret's eyes, the girl seemed to glow. Her bright almond-shaped eyes were tinged with a hint of shyness, but more of it was worry. What was she worried about?

——Oh... yes... she is worried about me... worried that I will leave her again?

Margaret lowered her head and looked Noah over from head to toe. Ivory-white satin wrapped around her slender shoulders and neck, and vine-shaped patterns made of pearls meandered along her waistline. The fishtail skirt spread on the ground, dragging very long. The wedding dress seemed to be always very long... so long that someone had to hold it up from behind.

…Margaret never imagined that she would actually be wearing this dress in the dressing room…

This...wedding dress...

Margaret suddenly felt it was worth it. At least she was one step ahead of Jian in one thing...

If someone can still think rationally about the person they love wearing a wedding dress in front of them, most likely only mathematics is on their mind.

At this moment, all rationality was irrelevant, because rationality had turned into the trembling tears in the corners of the girl's eyes, which were about to fall, and were the impulse that was entangled in her heart.

——It doesn’t matter anymore…

She was probably the first person to see Noya in her wedding dress, but seeing the shy beauty before her, Margaret could no longer contain her inner emotions and hugged Noya close to her. She even thought she was using too much force, causing Noya to feel a little pain. However, she soon lost consciousness because Margaret whispered something in her ear.

"Noah, I love you, I—want to marry you."