Noah left the lobby in a hurry, his steps growing faster and faster. But after covering quite a distance, he suddenly stopped.
" What the fuck am I really doing?"
He looked around, hoping some miracle would tell him where to go next.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
The problem wasn’t that he lacked options.
The problem was that he didn’t even know where he was.
Acting on impulse right now could easily end in disaster.
As he stood there, more students passed by, throwing curious glances his way. Noah frowned when he finally paid attention to what they were wearing.
Everything was white.
White shirts.
White jackets.
White skirts.
White trousers.
White everything.
The sight made him grimace.
Shit.
What a bland way of dressing.
Were they trying to look like angels or something?
Damn it.
Why couldn’t he remember a thing?
At least this body should have left behind some decent memories about the place.
But no.
Nothing.
Not even a tiny clue.
Then there was the strange feeling he experienced earlier around those two alphas.
At first he hadn’t felt anything.
He was certain about that.
So what exactly changed?
Because whatever that overwhelming pull toward Damian was, it was embarrassing as hell.
His stomach had practically tied itself into knots.
For a moment he had felt like collapsing at the man’s feet.
And that had never happened to Noah before.
Never.
So why now?
" Ashton! Wait up!"
Rose’s voice reached him from behind.
Noah rolled his eyes.
Good thing to know her voice wasn’t angelic.
It seemed the author of this novel was definitely Gen Z because everybody here spoke like they had escaped directly from social media.
He turned around and sighed.
It was always the blond ones.
Why the fuck were they always disturbances?
" Rose, what is it now? I’m trying to remember where my damn room is."
Rose immediately facepalmed.
The look she gave him was filled with horror.
" Are you actually serious about not remembering anything?"
Noah stared at her.
Then he scoffed.
" What did you think before? That I was faking it? Are you kidding me?"
He genuinely felt offended.
Rose shrugged.
" I can never predict you, Ashton. It’s not my fault. You behave irrationally all the time and constantly push me away. Honestly, it’s my fault for sticking by you because you make it so damn hard."
Noah blinked.
Wow.
She had been holding that inside for a long time.
To be fair, the original Ashton was irritating.
Even when Noah had been reading the novel, he found himself cursing the guy almost every Chapter.
His life choices were terrible.
The guy cried over everything.
Always played the victim.
Always chased after attention.
Especially from the male leads.
And every single attempt ended miserably.
Honestly, it was pathetic.
Imagine chasing after people who clearly didn’t value you.
How low did your self-respect have to sink?
That was something Noah would never understand.
One rule he always followed was simple.
Never chase them.
Let them chase you.
Then there was another issue.
The thing that annoyed Noah even more.
The guy was poor.
Like genuinely poor.
Painfully poor.
The type of poor that made Noah’s soul ache.
" Okay, Rose, I get it. So what exactly do you want me to do?"
The question caught her completely off guard.
Rose blinked several times.
" Me? You’re actually asking me?"
Noah looked around.
Was there another Rose standing nearby?
Of course he was asking her.
Who else?
Rose noticed the irritation beginning to build in his expression and immediately composed herself.
One thing everybody knew about Ashton was that tiny things annoyed him.
Very quickly.
But who would’ve thought the person standing before her now felt completely different?
Louder.
More expressive.
Almost flamboyant.
Like he had swallowed confidence overnight.
" Look at yourself," Rose finally said.
" You almost got killed. Those men are probably behind it. Isn’t that enough of a lesson? Stop chasing them. They don’t care about you and they never will."
That statement hit differently.
Not because Noah cared.
But because the emotions inside this body reacted strongly.
The problem was that those emotions weren’t his.
The original owner was dead.
So why were these feelings still lingering?
It was annoying.
Very annoying.
" You really think they had something to do with it?"
Noah’s voice lowered.
The surrounding pathway had become empty.
The two of them were completely alone now.
Rose nodded.
" They were found near the crime scene. Maybe not all of them, but some. They’re always together. That’s why nobody messes with them. And that’s exactly why I’m warning you."
She paused.
" Stay away from them if you want to live long."
Noah slowly nodded.
" Fine."
Rose blinked.
" Fine?"
" I’ll avoid them."
The words came out so casually that Rose almost thought she imagined them.
" Wait."
She stared at him.
" What did you just say?"
Noah sighed.
" I said I’ll avoid them."
Rose looked ready to faint.
Ashton Lane.
The same Ashton Lane who followed the Four Princes around like a devoted puppy.
The same Ashton Lane who ignored common sense whenever they were involved.
And now he was saying he would avoid them?
Impossible.
Noah patted her shoulder.
The action made her freeze.
His hand felt strangely cool.
Gentle.
" I thought that’s what you wanted."
" It is."
" Then there you go."
Rose continued staring.
Noah shrugged.
" Maybe I’ve finally realized I don’t want them anymore. Maybe whatever feelings I had are gone."
That explanation sounded reasonable.
At least partially.
But Rose still couldn’t believe it completely.
The change was simply too sudden.
" Anyway."
Noah changed the topic.
" Can I skip school today? I have a lot to think about."
Rose nodded immediately.
" Actually, you already have permission. I managed to convince the administration to give you two days off because of your injuries."
She hesitated.
" Though now it seems your memory was affected too."
Great.
Just great.
" Follow me. I’ll take you to your room."
Noah happily agreed.
The two began walking through the academy grounds.
And honestly?
The place was insane.
The architecture alone was enough to leave him speechless.
Massive towers stretched toward the sky.
Elegant bridges connected floating platforms.
Students flew overhead on strange creatures.
Magic flickered in the distance like fireworks.
This definitely wasn’t going to be easy.
Because this wasn’t an ordinary school.
It was a supernatural academy.
And unfortunately, Noah remembered one very important thing from the novel.
Ashton Lane was powerless.
Completely powerless.
He wasn’t even an impressive villain.
He was a punching bag.
Bullied.
Mocked.
Ignored.
And eventually killed.
The realization sent chills down Noah’s spine.
What he desperately needed now were the original host’s memories.
Because Ashton had left behind one giant mess.
As they passed a crystal-clear lake, Noah’s eyes widened.
The water shimmered like liquid diamonds beneath the sunlight.
Nearby stood several small cabins surrounded by flowers and magical trees.
One particular cabin came into view.
It looked adorable from the outside.
But when they stepped inside—
Noah froze.
His jaw dropped.
The interior was stunning.
The room looked luxurious.
Comfortable.
Beautiful.
And somehow magical.
Noah couldn’t stop himself.
" This is absolutely insane."
His eyes sparkled.
" I love it."
He was practically giggling.
Rose couldn’t help staring at him.
The change in him was becoming more obvious by the second.
Maybe his powers were finally awakening.
If that was the case, she genuinely felt happy for him.
Because despite everything, Ashton had suffered enough.
" Well..." Rose suddenly said.
" You might not love your personal room."
The smile instantly disappeared from Noah’s face.
" Why?"
" Your roommate hates it."
Noah narrowed his eyes.
Roommate?
Excuse him?
He hated sharing rooms.
Despised it.
Loathed it.
Why would he willingly share one?
" It’s a guy, right?"
Rose blinked.
" Obviously."
Good.
At least it wasn’t worse.
" Maybe you should clean it too."
Noah frowned.
" Clean what?"
Rose gave him a look.
A very specific look.
The type that made people nervous.
Then she opened the door.
And Noah almost died.
Mountains.
Actual mountains.
Of clothes.
Everywhere.
On the floor.
On chairs.
On tables.
On the bed.
The place looked like a clothing apocalypse had occurred.
Noah immediately covered his nose.
" I didn’t do this, did I?"
Rose slowly nodded.
" You absolutely did."
Silence.
Pure silence.
Then Noah looked toward the ceiling.
Why?
Just why?
Not only was Ashton a spineless omega.
Not only was he poor.
Now he was apparently a dirty pig too.
Fantastic.
What else?
Was he secretly collecting garbage for fun?
Then Noah noticed a large mirror hanging nearby.
Immediately abandoning the clothes mountain, he rushed toward it.
And froze.
His eyes widened.
Was that really him?
Purple hair and silver glowed softly like magical embers.
Silver lashes framed them beautifully.
His skin was flawless.
His features looked almost unreal.
High cheekbones.
Sharp nose.
Perfect jawline.
Elegant lush like lips.
Everything looked balanced.
Everything looked expensive.
Everything screamed royalty.
Noah stared at his reflection.
Then stared again.
Then again.
" Holy shit."
The words escaped automatically.
Ashton Lane was gorgeous.
Not just attractive.
Dangerously attractive.
The type of beauty that could ruin lives.
Noah didn’t even remember the female lead being this attractive.
How was he supposed to stay unnoticed looking like this?
Then another realization hit him.
Silver eyes.
If he remembered correctly, only powerful supernatural beings possessed silver eyes.
The strongest bloodlines.
The rarest creatures.
The most feared individuals.
His heart dropped.
" Oh shit."
Then again.
" Oh shit."
And one more time.
" Oh shit."
This was bad.
Very bad.
Because if he was right...
Then remaining unnoticed was no longer an option.
Rose watched his horrified expression and burst out laughing. She doesn’t have a genuine reason for laughing but she Just felt like doing so.
" Told you."
Noah continued staring at his reflection.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, the full gravity of the situation finally settled on his shoulders.
He hadn’t entered some harmless romance novel.
He had stepped directly into a disaster.
And from this moment onward...
Things were only going to get crazier.