System vs Rebirth

"Ugh." Noel gradually opened his eyes. His head was hurt and his body was exhausted. Judging from the amount of light piercing through the curtain as well as the temperature of the room, he was sure that it was already midday.

He had never woken up this late, so his body reacted instinctively, trying to lift him up from the bed.

Suddenly, he found something weighing on his left side.

"!!!" Noel turned around and saw the naked Anna hugging him tight.

"Mhmmm?" She let out a groan, waking up because of the movement.

Seeing her made him remember what happened last night. He couldn't help but mutter inwardly, 'Ah. Right… last night…'

As soon as they reached the room, Anna surprisingly locked the door and even blocked the curtain.

"I guess you're pretty tired too. Let's sleep." Noel nodded, ignoring her actions.

However, right when he had just finished taking off his tuxedo and unbuttoned the top part of his shirt, Anna suddenly pushed him down.

"What?" Noel was taken aback and fell on the bed. He looked at Anna with a dumbfounded face as she sat down on top of him as if she were trying to restrain him. "Anna? What's going on?"

Anna didn't answer him immediately. She took a close look at Noel's face as if she were unsure whether to say it or not.

"What's wrong?" Noel was concerned. This was the best day of their lives, so he didn't want her to feel bad about something.

"I know that you're respecting me by not touching me."

Noel raised his eyebrows as if he had gotten the gist of the discussion. "That's because…"

Before he finished, Anna continued, "I know. It's because you don't want me to be pregnant and lose a few months of my life, not being able to do anything but focus on the baby, right? I understand and am thankful for your consideration. It's just…"

Anna bit her lips before saying, "You're taking it too extreme. Just like how you are banning yourself from alcohol. With your power, you can actually burn the alcohol content and enjoy the drink, right?"

The answer was obvious. With his current skill, it was an easy task and Noel would never be drunk. He abstained from alcohol because he didn't want to make a decision he would regret. But Anna was trying to say otherwise.

"This is the same. I don't have a lot of compelling arguments for this and I have been waiting for our wedding before saying this. But I wish you would make me completely yours…"

Noel wanted to open his mouth, but Anna stopped him by placing a finger on his lips. She opened the drawer next to the bed and took out several things.

"That's…" Noel looked surprised.

"I have asked Harley, Dimitri, Khalid, my father, and even your grandfather." Anna looked a bit embarrassed. "Harley gave me these best quality rubbers imported directly from the Greenwood Kingdom. They are said to be the best in the world.

"Dimitri told me about the way to control my essence for one specific reason. Khalid even gave me this pill that he said would help me avoid pregnancy. It was said to be popular in the Zaecuria Kingdom for lustful nobles who didn't want illegitimate children.

"My father advised me to do it on certain days while your grandfather asked me whether you were impotent or not." Anna scratched the back of her head. "I know that you are a perfectionist.

"Even if you can burn the alcohol, you will still consider the 0.01% chance of you failing to do it. I know you're like that too in this scenario. It's just…I feel a bit empty as if something is missing."

Noel widened his eyes in shock. She prepared all those things because she respected his decision.

But in this way, Noel realized that his decision was just his selfishness. Unlike the alcohol that impacted only him, this was a decision coming from both of them.

He never thought that his decision to respect her would turn into selfishness before knowing it.

Anna should know that even she forced herself on him, he wouldn't reject her. But even with all this, she still didn't do anything. In the end, she wanted him to make his decision.

Noel was obviously restraining himself. He was open to that idea. In fact, he had been trying to distract himself whenever he was tempted with all kinds of activities but never reached that last step.

"It seems that I have made you suffer…" Noel's expression mellowed.

"No. I'm happy that you are trying to consider my condition. It's not something you should apologize for. It's just… do you not want to?" Anna asked with a pleading gaze.

It broke Noel's last line of defense. He flipped her over.

"Wha—!" Anna was startled, but Noel was already looking at her with a passionate gaze. "Alright. Action speaks louder than words in this case."

…

Noel covered his eyes when he recalled what happened last night. They both were Spirit Grandmasters, so the last thing he knew was that the morning sun had risen slightly before they fell asleep.

"Good morning." Anna let out a soft moan while rubbing her fuzzy eyes.

"I think the sun is already right above our head." Noel gave a wry smile, thinking they had overdone it a little bit.

"Ehehe…" Anna let out a cheeky laugh before she lifted herself up and placed her head on Noel's chest. "Somehow today… I don't care about anything else. I just want to do this for a whole day."

Noel's heart melted. He touched her forehead while saying, "You selfish little cute thing. Sadly, it's enough selfishness for today. You can be selfish later once we return to our city."

"Right?" Anna stuck out her tongue.

"I'm going up and greeting our guests first. You can take your time here. I'll call the maid to prepare you some food." Noel gently freed himself from Anna and put on some clothes.

When he was about to leave, Anna called him. "Noel."

"En?" Noel turned his head around, seeing Anna sitting down on the bed while covering herself with the quilt.

"Thank you…"

Noel scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed. "I should be the one thanking you. Whenever I'm being too excessive, don't be shy and just slap me. You might be the only one who has the courage to say it directly to me."

As he said, even if he gave permission to Dimitri and the others, they would be a bit more reserved. While Anna could say it directly, she wasn't the type of person who could only whine.

Even a baby could cry if they didn't like something. That was why she prepared all that before confronting him. This was what Noel probably needed.

It also confirmed the doubt in his heart. There was no one other than Anna who would be perfect for him.

"I'll go with you as quickly as possible."

Noel waved his hand. "Take your time… I want you to take care of yourself first."

"En."

Noel nodded and finally left the room.

Anna dropped to the bed once again while covering her eyes with her arm. Still, there was a big smile on her face. She felt fulfilled.

As soon as Noel came out, he immediately headed to the garden where his family gathered.

He could see his grandfather talking with his father-in-law and mother-in-law.

"Mhm?" Both Raincart and Kevin instantly noticed him and turned their heads around while it took Vivian a moment to realize Noel's presence.

Kevin simply nudged his wife secretly. As if understanding what he wanted, Vivian stood up and walked to Noel. "Has she woken up yet?"

"Yes." Noel nodded gracefully.

"Then, I'll check on her."

"Thank you."

As soon as Vivian left, there was an awkward atmosphere between the three men.

Raincart was the first to open his mouth. "I will let you choose, do you want my right fist or my left fist?"

Noel gave a wry smile while scratching the back of his head. "Please spare me, Grandfather. I know I was wrong."

"I'm just joking." Raincart shook his head. "This is your life, so you do whatever you want. I don't think I have to tell you this, but your case is very different from that of a normal noble. Normally, because of multiple wives, the biggest decision will be yours. However, in your case, you have to consider her opinion as well."

"Yes, Grandfather. I'll take your lesson to heart."

"That's good then. You don't have to worry about today. I and your father-in-law have discussed it and will take care of those nobles ourselves. Just spend your time quietly for today."

Kevin nodded in agreement. "I have told Dimitri and Charlotte to adjust your schedule. Don't worry about today."

"Thank you." Noel smiled. He might have become a good fighter and a good noble. But unlike them, he didn't have any experience as a husband or even a father in the future. That was why Noel lowered his head. "I'm still inexperienced, but please take care of me."

Kevin patted Noel's shoulder. "I'm proud of you. I believe that your parents are also proud of you. So, just like your grandfather said, just relax for today."

"Yes." Noel bowed to them, expressing his gratitude.

Raincart looked at Noel's back when he was leaving. He mumbled, "You know… When his father stole my daughter, the only thing I wanted to do was rip his father apart. But there… I found my daughter having the biggest smile in her life. I wish that your daughter would be the same."

"Yes, father-in-law." Kevin closed his eyes, thinking that the dream had already come true.

"Let's take care of the rest as their elders, shall we?"

"Indeed."