System vs Rebirth

"This is your room, Young Master." Elsa opened the door for Noel.

"Thanks." Noel smiled and entered the room, looking at the nostalgic room.

Elsa also felt the nostalgia from Noel and left the room. "Then, please excuse me."

"Mhm." Noel nodded while looking around. The familiar table, bed, and window position. He was small at that time, so he had to use the chair to look outside. But this time, he could simply reach for the window and look at the town.

This was one of the reasons why he loved being in this room. He could see the bustling street that was the exact opposite of his laziness.

Every time he visited, he would be with his parents. This time, however, he stood here alone, watching the bustling city.

Noel's expression contained his sorrow and loneliness. He thought that he should have spent more time with his family instead of lazing around. He should have accepted their invitation every time they visited this place.

Unfortunately, no one knew regret until they experienced it. And Noel was too late to realize it as his parents were no more.

He closed his eyes for a moment, recounting all those images in his mind. He subconsciously clenched his fists and muttered in a low voice, "Don't worry, Father, Mother. I'm going to exact my revenge. I'm sorry that I couldn't spend more time with both of you, but I have to move on. Sorry and thank you, Father, Mother."

He took a deep breath while trying to brush this thought so that he didn't show it to this family. Although it was fine, he believed it would just bother them.

Unbeknownst to him, there was an old man leaning his back on his room's door. He also had a sad expression. Despite Noel's volume, he could hear it just fine.

It took him a while before he straightened his back and knocked on Noel's door.

*Knock!*

*Knock!*

"Noel, it's me."

"!!!" Different from her grandmother, he could barely recognize the voice. It took him a few seconds to realize it was his grandfather's voice.

He hurriedly opened the door and saw his grandfather. "Grandfather!"

The old man had long white hair coupled with a white beard. His aged face looked completely different from her grandmother's. He didn't seem to be filled with energy.

"Noel. It's been a few years." He nodded with a warm smile.

"Yes, Grandfather. I apologize for not visiting you."

"Are you tired?"

"Not really."

"In that case, do you want to take a walk with me?"

This kind of invitation was important, considering his grandfather was the one sending Ilzen and the others to pick him up. So, he agreed without hesitation. "Yes. I'd love to."

His grandfather, Raincart, nodded and started walking to the garden. "Well, you can meet the others later during dinner. As for me… I just want to see my grandson's condition. Are you living well?"

"Yes. Absolutely." Noel answered without hesitation, not trying to worry him.

"Is that so?" Raincart paused for a moment. "I don't know what I am supposed to say now that I'm with you. But I guess let's talk about some important stuff right away. I'm sure this is the reason why you come here, right?"

"Well.." Noel chuckled, feeling a bit embarrassed since Raincart saw through his purpose.

"It's fine. What do you want to talk about… Just ask me questions. Is it about why I'm not helping your family? Or is it about the conspiracy in the Muivell Kingdom?"

"I'm not very sure. There are many things I want to ask, but I guess I want to know this first. What do you think about my parents? Do you hate them?"

"Silly child. There's no way I'm going to hate them. Even if that bas… I mean, your father stole my beloved daughter, I never hated them." He shook his head. "If you're asking whether I hate them or not, it must mean that you're curious about why they didn't escape to this place. With our strength, we should be able to avoid the execution…"

"Y-yes." Noel nodded, confirming his doubt.

Raincart smiled while looking at the sky as if imagining their faces. "Your father actually sent me a letter, asking me not to help them."

"My father?" Noel widened his eyes in shock. "What do you mean?"

"Yeah, your father asked me not to intervene in this matter. I don't know the reason, but no matter how hard I decline their request, they keep telling me to. My only concern is you. After they leave you just like that, I don't know what will happen to you.

"But seeing you are standing in front of me like this, I think everything is going according to their plan." Raincart let out a long sigh. "It's not that I didn't want to help; they were the ones who didn't want my help."

"I understand." Noel nodded in understanding. If it was his parents' wish, even Raincart would be in a hard position.

"Thank you for your understanding. Since you're already aware of the situation, let me share you some information." Raincart walked to the table in the middle of the garden where he usually enjoyed his tea. He sat down and asked Noel to sit across from him since they were going to talk about a more important topic.

As soon as Noel sat down, he asked, "Grandfather, do you know the reason why my parents didn't want you to intervene?"

"I don't know. All I know is your father is shrewd even though he looks like a good guy. So, that leaves me to start some conspiracy theories after knowing some facts… I guess it's fine for me to tell you about this thing…" Raincart smirked while raising his finger. "Don't you think this is strange? For your parents to be executed."

"Mhm? I don't think it's strange at all." Noel shook his head.

"No, it's very strange from my perspective. After all, Marquis Stargaze was your father's best friend, who had gone through life and death many times."

"!!!"