CHAPTER 126: RAFINE’S BOLD DECLARATION

"Brother Nolan, I’ll take my leave first!" Alicia exclaimed as she ran up to Nolan and clung to his right thigh in a spoiled manner.

Amused by her behavior, Nolan chuckled and scooped her into his arms.

"Take good care of yourself, alright? And don’t forget your promise to me—to always be a good girl. Got it?" he said, holding up his little finger.

Alicia nodded eagerly and hooked her tiny finger around his.

"I got it, Brother Nolan! Don’t worry!" She replied with a sweet smile.

Nolan gave a faint smile and nodded slowly.

He watched silently as they walked away, gradually disappearing from sight.

Just as he turned to Elina, intending to say something, he was met with a sharp, icy stare from his beloved sister—causing him to freeze on the spot.

"What’s wrong, Elina? Is something bothering you?" he asked, clearly puzzled.

But Elina gave no reply. She merely pursed her lips, looked away, and folded her arms across her chest.

Just as Nolan was trying to make sense of her attitude, a cheerful voice suddenly called out from the front.

"Brother Nolan!"

Startled, he turned his head and saw a little red-haired girl running toward him—Masha.

His eyes widened slightly before a warm smile spread across his face. He quickly crouched down and opened his arms.

The little girl leapt forward and hugged him tightly.

"Hehehe! Brother Nolan, we meet again!" Masha giggled, rubbing her small face against his chest.

Nolan stood up with her in his arms. Gently patting her head, he asked, "Yeah, we meet again. So, where were you during the party? I didn’t see you at all."

Since the party began, the only one Nolan had seen was Masha’s sister, Rafine. Neither Masha nor Anastasia had been visible, as if they weren’t there at all.

Masha giggled and replied excitedly, "I was on the left side of the hall, Brother! And guess what? I made two new friends at this party!"

"Oh?" Nolan raised an eyebrow, his eyes lighting up with curiosity. "Two new friends? Who are they?"

"They’re Princess Eliza and Alicia Caltheron! They’re my friends now! You know them, right?" Masha beamed proudly.

"Eliza and Alicia?" Nolan blinked in surprise, then quickly realized it wasn’t all that unexpected.

Come to think of it, from the start of the party, there were only a handful of children around Masha’s age—Alicia and Eliza included.

It made perfect sense that the three of them, feeling a bit out of place, would eventually gravitate toward one another and become friends.

With a warm smile, Nolan patted Masha’s head and said, "That’s great, Masha. They’re both my sisters, so I’m counting on you to take care of them, alright?"

"Don’t worry, Brother Nolan! Leave it to me!" Masha said confidently, flashing a "V" with her fingers as an innocent smile lit up her face.

"Good!" Nolan nodded with satisfaction, then gently pinched her cheek.

"Masha!"

Just then, a voice called out from ahead. Instinctively, they both turned and saw Rafine standing there with a disgruntled look on her face.

Beside her walked a stunningly beautiful and mature woman—Anastasia.

"Good evening, Prince Nolan," Anastasia greeted politely, her tone soft and a little shy. "We meet again."

Nolan glanced at her and offered a faint smile. "Good evening to you as well, Duchess Anastasia. Indeed, we meet again. How have you been? I hope you’re doing well."

Anastasia smiled softly, covering her lips with one hand. "I’m doing fine, Prince. It’s nice to know you were concerned about me."

She even winked playfully, a visible blush coloring her cheeks.

Nolan: "..."

What was that wink supposed to mean? I was just being polite—was that really necessary?

Nolan sighed inwardly. Sometimes, being too flashy and handsome was a curse.

Still, he had to admit—Anastasia was stunning. She was the perfect embodiment of the "mature woman" often seen in two-dimensional illustrations from his previous world.

On top of that, she hailed from a prestigious marquis-level noble family in the eastern region.

No wonder she carried such a noble and graceful presence—an aura few women could ever hope to match.

Of course, Nolan had no inappropriate intentions toward her. Not only would that be unethical, but he had no desire to become one of those sleazy, scumbag characters straight out of the NTR novels from his previous life.

Standing beside Anastasia, Rafine noticed her mother’s unusual behavior.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she recalled what Masha had said earlier—her mother might actually be interested in Nolan.

Rafine’s eyes widened, and without thinking, she quickly stepped between her mother and Nolan, as if trying to block her mother’s gaze from reaching him.

The sudden gesture left Nolan slightly confused, but he remained silent. His expression stayed composed, as if unfazed.

"By the way, will you two be returning to the eastern region soon?" he asked, gently shifting the topic.

Masha nodded with a sad expression. "Yes, Brother Nolan. If I’m not around... won’t you miss me?"

Nolan couldn’t help but smile in amusement at her dramatic tone.

"Of course I’ll miss you. If I get the chance, I’ll come visit you. How’s that? Sound good?"

Masha’s eyes sparkled with joy. "Of course you can, Prince Nolan! I’ll be waiting!"

Nolan chuckled and gave a slow nod. After that, he chatted briefly with Anastasia and Masha—but completely ignored Rafine, as if she didn’t exist.

That left Rafine feeling both angry and frustrated. But with her pride, she wasn’t the type to show it... was she?

Ten minutes later, the conversation between Nolan, Anastasia, and Masha finally came to a close.

In truth, the two still wanted to chat with Nolan a little longer, but it seemed Alvaron was nearly done speaking with His Majesty.

Reluctantly, they had to bring their conversation to a close.

"Then, we’ll take our leave, Prince Nolan," Anastasia said, bowing her head with grace.

"Bye, Brother Nolan! See you next time!" Masha called out cheerfully from her mother’s arms, waving with obvious reluctance.

Nolan smiled gently. "See you soon, you two. Have a safe journey."

"Of course," Anastasia replied with a soft smile and a small nod.

Then, turning to Rafine, she said, "Let’s go back, Rafine."

Without waiting for a response, she walked out of the hall with Masha in her arms.

Rafine remained where she stood, visibly hesitant—as if torn between two choices. Her feet were ready to leave, but her heart refused to move.

A small voice inside her urged her to say goodbye. If she didn’t, she might end up regretting it.

After a brief moment of inner struggle, Rafine finally made up her mind.

Facing Nolan, who looked a bit confused, she took a deep breath and pointed at him with her index finger.

"Don’t get too full of yourself, Nolan Lorian! I’m going to make you fall in love with me... and make you unable to live without me!"

Her face turned bright red, like a ripe apple.

Before Nolan could say a word, she spun around and dashed out of the hall, chasing after Anastasia and Masha.

Nolan: "..."