“Ugh…”
In the small room on the second floor near the church garden, Noi curled up like a shrimp, lowly moaning on the bed.
‘My stomach hurts so much…’
A burning, stabbing pain in her lower abdomen had started on the way home this afternoon, but Noi was too exhausted in body and mind, so she just collapsed and fell asleep.
The bleeding between her legs was unstoppable; she didn’t even need to look to know that area was surely soaked in blood.
She glanced at the clock—it was 9:30 p.m.
She had slept at least seven or eight hours.
Her head was still buzzing, and the discomfort made her want to lean over a trash can and vomit.
‘So annoying. Why do I have to be a woman? I hate Lyte, hate marriage, hate my period, hate myself.’
Noi grabbed the edge of the dressing table, resting her arms on it, and carefully studied her haggard reflection in the mirror.
Compared to the day, she looked much worse—how could she ever compare to the nobles of the Imperial Capital?
‘No… didn’t I promise myself to give up on Lyte?’
The veins at the back of her neck ached painfully with each heartbeat.
It was unbearable.
Noi fumbled to turn on the bedroom light, pulled up a small wooden stool, and sat by the window, focusing on the view opposite—the home that once belonged to her.
The living room light was off, empty and without a shadow of a person; the curtains were still the brown floral fabric she had put up.
‘What should I do? Why do I still care about him so much?’
Her eyes looked toward the nearby rented room, and an inexplicable bitterness welled up inside her.
She imagined another woman moving in there…
Lyte lying with another woman in the bedroom, while she could only watch helplessly.
So close, yet she could only see the man she loved betray her.
‘Does this count as cheating? I don’t know… I really don’t know.’
Noi placed her feet on the edge of the stool, then stood up with her petite body trembling.
Her belly tingled and ached gloomily, and the sound of blood rushing in her head was so loud it seemed to pierce her ears, like nails on a chalkboard.
Women on their periods were overly sensitive and fragile; intense emotions would trigger varying degrees of negative reactions.
Her constitution was decent, but this was her first period.
‘It really hurts… I don’t want to be a woman anymore.’
The crimson moonlight poured through the window, illuminating Noi’s red eyes like sparkling jewels.
‘God, please, let me return to Earth. I really don’t want to be tormented by Lyte anymore.’
The night breeze fluttered the window curtains; her dress was crumpled, arms wrapped around her bent legs, her chest pressed against her thighs like a firm pancake.
Lowering her head, quietly looking at the cleavage in front of her and the blue gemstone necklace, Noi sank into thought.
‘Should I… still try to win Lyte back? Though he hated clingy, messy women, I’m not willing to just give up like this.’
“Knock knock knock.”
There was a knock at the door.
Noi slowly turned her gaze toward the door.
“Hello? Noi, are you awake? It’s Tina.”
“Yes…”
The hushed voice belonged to Tina’s lively tone.
She hadn’t drunk water for too long, so her voice sounded a bit hoarse, like a guzheng string snapping.
The door opened, and Tina, now in pajamas, came in.
Seeing Noi’s terrible complexion, she was startled, then immediately rushed over and squatted before her.
“How’s your body? Do you need to see a doctor?”
“I’m fine, just need some rest.”
Tina hesitated, as if wanting to say something else to Noi.
At the same time, Chenxi, also in a thin nightgown, walked in.
“Noi, take a shower first. As women, we have to take care of ourselves first.”
She gently stroked the white-haired girl’s head.
The stubborn cowlick drooped miserably; she looked completely drained.
Chenxi turned her head, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes, reluctant to tell Noi the truth.
That afternoon, they noticed Noi suddenly came back and found it odd.
Then they received a text on the landline phone in the dining room from Lyte, only minutes apart from Noi’s return.
As for the message… Lyte officially resigned from his position as Guardian Knight, demanding Noi return his Hero Necklace.
The sword sheath had been thrown away; the corresponding money would be reimbursed after returning to the Imperial Capital.
They paced back and forth dozens of times outside Noi’s room, stopping by the door each time to listen for any sound inside, to see if Noi was awake.
“Shower?”
Noi timidly put her legs on the floor, gasping at the pain.
“Chenxi… I have to work tomorrow.”
“No, you must rest well these days. Don’t see anyone.”
Chenxi firmly refused her, signaling Tina to help her into the bathroom.
Most of Noi’s clothes were still at the rented place, so Chenxi went back to her own room to find her some comfortable, loose-fitting clothes to wear for now.
* * *
“Drip, drip, drip.”
In the bathroom, Noi pulled out a blood-soaked small towel, still dripping on the floor.
Tina had come late and, seeing Noi’s alarming amount of bleeding, couldn’t help but tremble.
“Don’t move. I’ll get you medicine and fresh towels!”
Tina hurried out, loudly calling for her reliable blue-haired younger sister, bringing along more clothes as well.
The bathroom fan was on, and the shower was running at full blast.
Looking at her pale body in the mirror, Noi touched her cheek, eyes filled with sorrow.
‘If I weren’t so ugly, what would happen? Would Lyte still choose me?’
Thinking of this, a suffocating resentment grew in Noi’s heart.
With nowhere to vent, she began to despise her own body, rubbing her chest harshly with the towel.
‘Since you gave me this body that can tempt Lyte, why not make me look better! Let me hold Lyte tightly in my hands, so he won’t think about other women or abandon me.’
Silently screaming in despair, Noi knelt on the floor, no longer able to tell if the drops on her cheeks were tears or warm water from the shower.
‘I’m so unwilling… I want to do it with Lyte.’
Suddenly recalling the strange dream she had just had, Noi smiled weirdly.
‘Yes… as long as I force myself on him, responsible Lyte will surely take me as his concubine. As long as I can be by his side, I will use any means necessary. There’s no way I can see him like this now. I must get myself together first.’
Noi’s eyes scanned the sink area, then fixed on the medicine, clothes, and towels Tina had prepared for her…
“Click.”
The bathroom door opened.
Noi finished quickly; she had no interest in skincare, and the hairdryer on Tria Planet worked well, so it only took ten minutes.
Chenxi sat on the wooden stool in the bedroom; on the bedside table was a tray with food Tina had brought.
Seeing her come out, Chenxi pointed to the tray, “Want to eat?”
Noi shook her head and said, “No, I have something to do.”
“Is she really going now?”
“Yes.”
Chenxi nodded without saying more.
“If you need anything, call us. We’ll wait for you to come home.”
“Okay.”
Noi hesitated for a moment, then nodded seriously before leaving the room.
She took back her phone, which she had placed inside her dress.
She bought the phone initially for its location feature, so once they got it, they all turned on this function.
And now, it was useful—Lyte was currently inside a bar…
Multicolored lights shone on the noisy crowd.
Thumping drumbeats roared in her chest, seductive drinking companions pulled at drunken young men, blatantly stealing money from their pockets.
Noi’s steps quickened; she had just taken all the medicine—over a dozen pills—and now the aftereffects made her feel nauseous.
The lights were dazzling and disorienting.
The standing air conditioner in the corner hissed out cold white mist.
The old parts moaned softly.
This was her first time in a bar; the chaotic environment left her feeling lost.
‘Lyte… where are you?’
Pushing away a sleazy man trying to flirt, Noi weaved through the dancing crowd toward the bar and found the curly-haired youth.
“Lyte.”
He held a bottle, skillfully tossing it between his hands.
The bottle moved obediently under his control, without stiffness or pause.
A heavily made-up drinking companion in his lap eagerly clapped, then pressed a kiss on his cheek, leaving a bright red lipstick mark.
“No… no way!”
Seeing him kissed by another woman, Noi couldn’t hold back her voice.
Her body reacted before her thoughts, grabbing the drinking companion and pulling her off.
“No, no, Lyte is mine, he’s mine.”
Lyte lowered his eyes, coldly looking at the white-haired woman wiping his cheek with a tissue, as if she were just a stranger to him.
Behind the bar, the barman quietly swayed his body, elegantly mixing ingredients to make a deep black cocktail, then slid it in front of Lyte.
“Your heartbreak ballad, sir. Hope you find a new love soon.”
He casually wiped the table with a white silk cloth and went to prepare other drinks.
Lyte lightly swirled the colorful cocktail, then drank it all in one gulp without even glancing at the girl in his lap.
Seeing this, Noi had to take the initiative, “Lyte, come back with me. I’m willing to do anything for you. Please don’t let other women touch you.”
“…Get lost.”
He said coldly, then gestured to the waiting drinking companion.
She understood immediately, dragging Noi away from Lyte’s lap, then shamelessly fondling him—these women’s boundaries were very loose, nothing held them back.
Lyte frowned in displeasure at her overstepping and her subtle scheming to rise in status.
But to force Noi away, he bore it, continuing to drink silently without a word.
Noi stayed because she was passionate and filled with endless love for Lyte.
But she really couldn’t logically craft words to make this prodigal return.
She was just a clumsy woman in every move.
“Lyte, I know you don’t want to hear anything now, but I have a request I have to say.”
She knew her words were self-contradictory and full of errors, but she didn’t care anymore.
Being this humble and low was already her limit.
“Can… I become your concubine? I know the nobles in the Imperial Capital keep many beautiful women as concubines.”
Lyte put down his glass and looked at Noi with clear eyes for the first time.
He seemed very surprised—not by what she said, but that it was Noi who said it.
Seeing he paid attention, Noi grew more excited, thinking he must agree with her idea, so she pushed further:
“I… I found a lot of weird stuff online. Didn’t you say women in the Imperial Capital are more experienced than me? I’m adaptable; I can be more dazzling than them, I…”
“Enough. You don’t have to go that far.”
His magnetic voice calmly stopped her from listing her advantages.
“…What? Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“What I want? You’re really bold to say that.”
It seemed to hit Lyte’s funny bone.
He patted the drinking companion’s heavily made-up pale face and mockingly asked, “Hey, guess what I want now?”
The drinking companion playfully tapped his chest, “Master~ How dare I presume to guess your thoughts? Your status is far more noble than mine.”
Her answer pleased Lyte greatly.
He nodded, then looked contemptuously at the stunned Noi.
“Hear that? Your brain is worse than a drinking companion’s. She knows not to guess my thoughts. You slept with me a few times and actually think you matter? Pathetic.”
He shook his head as if thinking Noi was beyond saving.
“Really, you should look in the mirror and see what you look like now. You’re not even worth a drinking companion.”
The drinking companion laughed, teasing him flirtatiously in agreement.
“…”
Noi’s spirit had been battered multiple times in one day and was close to breaking.
‘I’m such a foolish woman. Completely toyed with by Lyte.’
Feeling utterly cold inside, Noi stumbled back several steps, bumped into the partying crowd, and didn’t even apologize.
Her mind was blank as she rushed out of the bar without looking back.
Lyte looked at her departing figure with a trace of sadness, then cruelly turned his head away, refusing to watch her, but he also stopped interacting with the drinking companion, only drinking quietly.
Having completed the boss’s orders, the drinking companion now sat properly on a high stool at the bar.
The barman served her a golden cocktail named “Flying Yellow and Soaring.”
“Hah… I really think you two don’t need to quarrel like this, like some Mary Sue romance drama. It’s exhausting to watch.”
Lyte casually lifted the rim of his glass with his middle finger and thumb, took a sip of the freshly served cocktail, and replied indifferently:
“From my perspective, you’re just a paid drinking companion. You don’t need to say this nonsense. How I stage my drama is my business. You’re just a background player with a paycheck—know your place.”
“Ugh—”
Drinking down her cocktail gloomily, the companion felt somewhat dissatisfied.
After all, which heroine in a romance drama would be so clumsy?
Not even knowing the tricks of the white lotus or being aloof—what respectable woman would use such lowly means to win a man’s heart?
That only drags one’s own status down to the same level.
‘Ah, such a pitiful dumb girl. Such a pretty face and enviable figure, yet she doesn’t know how to use them. If it were me, I would have taken down this rich young master long ago.’
Drinking enthusiastically, Lyte kept downing cocktail after cocktail, switching to beer, giving himself no moment of rest, until finally he passed out drunk.
The drinking companion shook his body slightly, confirming he was indeed unconscious.
A mischievous thought crossed her mind, but recalling his noble status and the cost of messing with him, she reluctantly gave up.
She found his phone in his pocket.
The screen was locked with a password, so she used the emergency call feature to contact the top-listed emergency contact labeled “Wife.”