Fallen General's Omega (BL)-Chapter 224: Tired

Noelle adjusted Mimi in his arms as she clung to him like a little koala, her tiny hands clutching at his shirt with an iron grip. Ever since they had returned to the estate two weeks ago, she had refused to let him out of her sight.

He sighed, rubbing slow circles into her back, feeling the warmth of her tiny body pressed against his chest.

"You act like we left you for years," he murmured into her soft curls, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I get it, I do, but dad needs some space, little star."

Mimi only babbled nonsense in response, snuggling deeper into his embrace.

Noelle couldn’t bring himself to mind too much. He had missed her too. But he had also been feeling more tired than usual. His body ached in strange ways, and even though he tried to shake it off, he couldn’t ignore how sluggish he had been. Was it because he and Thorne had gone overboard? His face burned at the memory, but he quickly shoved it away.

A distraction—he needed a distraction.

Just as he stepped into the hall, he caught sight of Thorne disappearing into Duke Remiro’s private study, the door shutting behind him with a heavy thud. Another meeting. Another secret discussion.

Noelle frowned.

"Of course, plotting something definitely not so nice," he muttered to himself, bouncing Mimi slightly as she yawned against his shoulder. "Not that I’d expect anything less."

Still, there was a part of him that wanted Thorne in bed early tonight, if only to help deal with their very attached daughter. Mimi may have been small, but she had the stamina of an army.

As he walked through the estate, he couldn’t help but notice the subtle tension hanging in the air—particularly between Felix and Roman.

Felix, ever the picture of aloofness, was currently pretending that Roman did not exist as he focused entirely on grinding herbs in the greenhouse. Meanwhile, Roman, usually so composed, stood a few feet away, arms crossed, glaring daggers at Felix’s back like a rejected lover.

"What did you do now?" Noelle asked, stepping closer.

Roman’s head snapped toward him. "Me? Why do you assume I did something?"

"Because it’s you," Noelle replied flatly.

Roman scoffed, looking away, but his jaw tensed. Noelle smirked—he wasn’t wrong.

Felix, not sparing them a glance, simply adjusted his gloves and continued working.

Roman finally exhaled sharply. "He’s just being difficult."

Noelle raised an eyebrow. "Felix is always difficult. What’s different this time?"

Roman hesitated before muttering, "He’s mad because I refused to let him poison someone."

Noelle blinked. "That’s... the reason? Shouldn’t you always refuse that?"

Felix’s grinding stopped abruptly. "It wasn’t just anyone," he said coolly. "It was a deserving target."

Roman groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We’ve talked about this. We’re supposed to be professionals, not assassins."

Felix merely sniffed. "Tomato, poisoned tomato."

Noelle bit back a laugh. The tension between them was ridiculous. "I take it this was a very romantic argument."

Roman threw him an exasperated look. "Would you just—"

A sudden squawk interrupted them, followed by a blur of blue-green feathers zooming past their heads.

Noelle ducked instinctively, holding Mimi tighter. "Grape!" he shouted, but the bird was already out of sight.

"Not again," Roman groaned.

Felix sighed and went back to his work. "He’s trying to court again."

Just as the words left his mouth, Grape came zooming back, this time flapping wildly as a furious yellow bird chased after him, screeching at the top of its little lungs.

Noelle burst out laughing.

"Oh, poor Grape," he managed between chuckles, watching the disgraced bird scramble for cover.

"He never learns," Roman muttered.

The sound of shuffling wings and desperate squawks echoed down the hall as Grape made a dramatic dive under a table, hiding from his latest rejection. Noelle shook his head. "At this point, I think we need to have an intervention." frёeωebɳovel.com

Roman smirked. "What, a dating strategy for a bird?"

Felix, finally giving them attention, nodded seriously. "Actually, I’ve been thinking about that."

Noelle stared. "...I was joking."

"I wasn’t," Felix said, deadpan.

Noelle and Roman exchanged glances before unanimously deciding they were not getting involved in whatever Felix was planning.

Mona, who had been listening nearby, suddenly walked up and picked Grape off the floor, cradling the bird as it dramatically flopped against her arm.

"Oh, Grape, you poor little thing," she cooed. "Rejected again?"

Grape made a pitiful noise, nuzzling into Mona’s sleeve.

"I know, I know. But don’t worry, I’ll find you a girlfriend someday," Mona promised.

Roman made a choking sound. "Please do not encourage this."

Noelle, still amused, checked the time. He needed to head back to his room and put Mimi to bed before she started fussing again. She had already begun to rub at her eyes, her tiny face scrunching up in exhaustion.

"It’s late," he said, shifting her weight in his arms. "I need to get some rest before I collapse."

"You do look like death warmed over," Roman commented, earning a glare from Noelle.

Mona reached up to gently touch his arm, her face full of concern. "Are you okay?"

Noelle gave her a reassuring smile. "Yeah, just tired."

Mona still looked worried, but she didn’t press.

He left the lively mess of the greenhouse behind and made his way to his chambers. Mimi was already half-asleep against him by the time he arrived. Carefully, he tucked her into her crib, brushing a few stray hairs from her face before pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

Thorne wasn’t back yet.

Noelle sighed as he climbed into bed, exhaustion settling deep into his bones. He had just started drifting when he heard the door open quietly.

The mattress dipped as Thorne climbed in behind him, his arms wrapping securely around Noelle’s waist.

"You should be asleep," Noelle mumbled.

"You should be, too," Thorne murmured back, pressing a kiss into the crook of his neck.

Noelle sighed, leaning into the warmth of his husband. "How was the meeting?"

"Boring," Thorne replied, his voice laced with sleep.

"Mm."

Thorne’s hold tightened. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just tired."

Thorne hummed. "We’ll sleep in."

Noelle smiled sleepily. "Promise?"

Thorne kissed the back of his neck. "Promise."

And with that, Noelle finally let himself relax, drifting into much-needed sleep, safe in the arms of the man who would always hold him close.