“Platonic!” Noah’s voice stammered out as she stared at him with wide, doe eyes. A retort that Kyle simply smiled at, causing her to renew her efforts at struggling away.

“So, just because I like you, that doesn’t mean that anything has to change. You will be you and I… I will continue playing my part as your butler.” Noah said as she continued her struggle, the blush on her cheeks never fading away.

Though, when Kyle moved, as if to draw her back into his arms, tears started forming at the corner of her eyes. Reeling away, Noah snapped out, uncaring of the validity of her words.

“I didn’t confess for you to play with my heart like a toy! So, don’t treat me like a piece of meat! We have to keep our distance.” She said, scrunching her eyebrows together as she frowned. “We need to keep our professionalism as employer and employee.”

Stunned and a little bit angry, Kyle quickly retorted with a frown. “Who came into my bed first?”

“That doesn’t matter! I’m allowed to do what I want, you can’t. Just think of it like that.”

So unreasonable. Kyle thought to himself as he stared at her, sizing her up. Noticing her tears, Kyle sighed. “Noah… You’re a tricky little one.” Kyle murmured, his shoulders dropping into a slump.

“Tricky? How? I didn’t do anything.” Noah quickly defended herself, crossing her arms over her chest. Unbeknownst to her, Kyle stealthily and quickly drew himself closer while she was distracted.

She only noticed when it was too late. Kyle had pressed his thumb against her lips, causing her to stiffen in shock.

In contrast to her spiralling thoughts, Kyle’s mind was calm as he idly thought, his gaze sweeping from Noah’s teary eyes to her lips: If we were to kiss each other, is it enough for you to cry?Fortunately for Noah, Kyle didn’t feel the need to force a kiss onto her for confirmation. After all, one mustn’t make advances on a woman whose hands are bound.

With a small half-smile, he pressed his thumb against Noah’s lips harder. “Don’t bite your lips. Just forget about what you said.” He said, completely dropping the matter for Noah’s convenience.

For Kyle, even if Noah insisted that a black object was actually white, if Noah said so, then it was so. Thus, if she wanted a platonic relationship, then it had to be for the time being.

How different would it be? Kyle thought before internally laughing at the thought. Not at all; he had been tailoring her actions according to Noah’s whims ever since she found herself in Eleonora’s body, after all.

Seeing her dumbfounded look, Kyle couldn’t help but tease her.

“Though, I don’t know if it’s possible that our relationship stays platonic.”

“Why not? I think it’s very possible.”

Moving his thumb away from her lips, only to cup the side of her face with his hand, Kyle simply smiled and said, “We’ll see if I can continue strictly liking you platonically.”

A puzzled look fell over Noah’s face. She asked, “That… Does that mean you like me?”

“Of course. Like the way I like Muell.”Hearing her own reply being used against her, Noah’s jaw dropped in surprise before she realized it. Seeing her dumbfounded expression, Kyle grinned and finally pulled his hand away, pushing himself off the bed to a stand.

Sensing the weight of his hand going away, Noah felt equal parts relieved and disappointed. But, seeing and feeling Kyle lift himself entirely off the bed, Noah’s eyes immediately focused on his form, alert and worried.

“Where are you going?”

With a smirk on his face, Kyle replied slowly, “You said you wanted to sleep alone.”

At that, Noah sat more upright, her face constantly going through a myriad of colors. Kyle hid away his smile at the sight. He could guess what was going through her mind. Noah was scared to sleep alone, thus she had asked to sleep together. But, after everything that happened, Kyle thought that that’d be tempting fate.

Noah really didn’t want to sleep alone. She bit down on her bottom lip as she worried. All those thoughts and emotions, they were displayed plain as day on Noah’s face. However, no meant no.

I don’t have to push my patience to its limit, Kyle thought idly as he grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around Noah. In a straightforward manner, he said, “There’s no basis for platonically sleeping in the same bed. Thus, from here on out, if you do something that goes against the definition of platonic, I’ll take it as a sign that I can cross the line. Alright?”

Silently, Noah contemplated the offer for a moment before nodding quickly. Then, she tucked her head into the blanket and settled herself on one side of the bed.

Kyle, exhausted, merely patted her back after sighing softly.

Feeling the rhythmic pressure, Noah loosened her guard and quickly fell asleep.