"If you have any questions, you can ask me. We can resolve everything at once." Noah interlaced her fingers and placed them on her lap, looking at Margaret seriously. "I said I would help you revitalize the Lingguang Family. With you, you can completely restore the Lingguang Family to its peak power, or even stronger. Whether you plan to run for chairman of the Supervisory Council or anything else, you need funds. I have already prepared them for you."
"Why?" Margaret had never imagined that Noah would give up everything she had built, simply to prepare capital for her.
"Why what?" Noah tilted her head in confusion. "Isn't this our agreement?"
"...Our agreement… I just asked you to take care of the Nearl Family while I was away." Margaret's confusion, doubt, and bewilderment were almost overflowing. "I didn't ask you to give up everything you own to help me!"
"To me, these are not things that cannot be given up," Noah said. "All of this was what I worked hard to do to fulfill our agreement… So now that the agreement is fulfilled and you have returned, is there any problem with me handing these over to you?"
"These are all your things… I have no right, nor any reason to possess them." Margaret's emotions were a bit unstable. Noah also knew that she couldn't just accept this gift, but she also didn't think these things were a so-called "gift." Rather, these things were merely the "inheritance" Noah could leave to Margaret. As someone with not much time left, the reason she worked so hard to build this family fortune was simply to leave more for her most important friend.
The purpose of these things appearing was to hand them over to Margaret, so she would not back down on this point.
"Margaret, sign your name," she said. "Don't make me regret it."
"..." Margaret didn't respond, but she also had no intention of signing. Instead, she placed the two agreements on the nearby table.
—I won't sign.
She didn't say it out loud because she didn't want to argue with Noah as soon as they met, but her meaning was very clear. Although Noah asked her to sign and inherit everything of hers, Margaret, even if she could understand Noah's actions, could not accept her behavior.
"Noah, we'll talk about this later." Margaret decided to put it off for a while. They hadn't reached the point where they absolutely had to discuss this. Dr. Kal'tsit had said that Noah's body could be recuperated. Although the symptoms were severe and the situation was special, there would always be a way. One must believe in the progress of modern medicine, and even more so, believe that after the Doctor's return, Rhodes Island's research on Oripathy would make significant progress.
"I trust you, so you should trust me too. I don't need a Knight Order, nor do I need that much funding," Margaret replied. "I just want you by my side."
"..." Noah was silent for a long time, feeling a bit at a loss. She had already decided everything she would do next. If Margaret accepted, she could happily retire, stay in Kazimierz for a while longer, and then travel to Sherag. Although she had considered that Margaret might sternly refuse, the other party even made a new request: for her to stay by Margaret's side...
This... this probably won't work, right?
Noah knew her situation. If she stayed by Margaret's side, she would be Margaret's biggest weakness. Who would keep their weakness by their side?
Even with Kuro's protection, the cost of targeting her was far less than targeting Margaret. She might as well go traveling... Noah truly had a million reasons to run away, but Margaret maintained a 'la la la, I can't hear you' attitude, completely rejecting her retirement plan. What did she mean by this? Was she planning to tie her to her side, wait for her to come home every day, watch her competitions, and then cook at home?
Well, she couldn't cook either! Noah was speechless. This was simply... treating her as...
Wait, what was this called...?
Noah finally began to seriously consider what kind of life she envisioned with Margaret. Although it might differ somewhat from what she imagined, wasn't this situation...
"You're not trying to keep me by your side... and take care of me all the time, are you?" Noah pointed to herself, puzzled.
"Yes?"
"Yes, your head!" Noah was genuinely angry. "Do I need you to take care of me?!"
"Why are you angry!" Margaret had originally not wanted to argue as soon as she returned, which was why she hadn't been absolute, but Noah got angry instead. "I just want to protect you... and make up for what happened before."
"First, I didn't ask you to make up for anything. Second, I've already fulfilled our agreement! Third! Let me travel!" Noah was truly exasperated, partly genuinely angry, and partly exploding with shame. What was this? Was she being kept as Margaret's secret lover? She could already imagine how the Red Wine Report would cover it: "Commercial Federation spokesperson and Shining Knight are inseparable, spending the night together, deeply in love, exchanging glances."
What the hell, Margaret couldn't have not thought of these things, could she?
What the hell, what about her retirement plan?!
After finally seeing Margaret, Noah didn't want to argue with her, but today she really felt her temper flaring.
"So why are you angry...?"
"You're a Knight, not a nurse! Asking you to take care of me, do you even hear what you're saying? Even if I jump off here and die from Oripathy, I won't let you take care of me!" Although Noah wasn't a Knight, she had a certain pride. Margaret's behavior clearly wouldn't make her yield. Kuro was already an exception; her being taken care of by Kuro was an irresistible force, but Margaret couldn't!
Absolutely not!
Just imagining it, she knew what Margaret would do. Unlike Kuro, who was incredibly calm internally and rarely showed emotional fluctuations, Margaret was a Shining blockhead. She could do far more things than Kuro!
Noah couldn't even imagine how terrible it would be living with Margaret...
And... and...
Noah instinctively touched her cheek; it was hot. Staying by Margaret's side... it was too dangerous for her.
In every sense of the word.
While the two argued, Kuro and Maria stood outside the door, exchanging glances, listening to the quarrel inside. Maria looked worried, but Kuro sighed, covering her forehead.
These two... how long were they going to argue?
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