The soft light coming through the window was warm and golden, slowly dancing across the white sheets of the bed on which Noah lay.
The smell of the sea still hung in the air, mixed with the faint scent of polished wood and dried herbs. Slowly, his eyes opened, blinking with difficulty as he stared up at the strange stone ceiling above his head.
"...Where am I?" he murmured hoarsely, bringing one of his hands to his forehead, feeling his skin still damp and his hair sticking up. His whole body felt heavy, as if he had run a marathon... or drowned in the middle of the ocean.
As soon as that thought came, flashes came back.
The sudden drop from the sky.
The water swallowing him up.
His breathing failing.
The darkness closing in.
And then... that reddish glow in his hair, gliding through the water like a living painting.
'Ariel...' he thought excitedly.
He remembered well the scene of her pulling him to the surface.
And just after a blackout... the feeling of something soft touching his mouth to help him breathe.
Noah covered his eyes with his arm, not knowing whether to laugh, be grateful or panic. 'I... kissed a Disney princess?'
Before he could think any more about it, the bedroom door creaked slightly.
Clack.
A young-looking maid, wearing a modest dress and a lace apron, entered with a small tray in her hands. When her eyes met his, the girl widened in surprise.
"Ah! Are you awake?" She asked.
Her voice was so loud that she almost knocked over the tray. She ran to the edge of the bed, looking at him as if she had seen a ghost as she spoke hurriedly. "You... I need to warn the guards! Please wait here!"
Before Noah could say anything, she had already run off, leaving only the sound of her sneakers echoing in the polished stone corridor.
'I think I was saved by some nobleman?' Noah wondered, still confused as to whether this was good news or bad news, considering the tendency of noblemen in this world to be very extreme in their attitudes.
Sitting up with difficulty, he noticed that his clothes were different, clean, with soft fabrics and embroidery, totally different from the earth clothes he had been wearing when he drowned.
And most importantly... the bag with the rings was next to his bed, while all nine rings were still on his finger.
'Thank God... or ROB.' he thought, turning the ring slightly with his fingers, hesitating whether to teleport back or continue in this unknown place. 'I think it's best to wait and see first.'
As he emerged above the ocean and was saved, he was a little worried about having to return to the real world via a random teleportation again.
What if next time he appeared above a volcano?!
After a few minutes of silence, the door opened again.
Two guards in black and red armor entered, looking at him with a certain caution.
One of them said: "Hello visitor, glad you're awake, the queen wants to see you now."
Noah arched an eyebrow when he heard that he was under the care of a queen, which was usually the worst kind of noble in fantasy worlds like this, but he still nodded. "Of course. I have to thank her for her hospitality and treatment."
Placing his feet carefully on the ground, he realized that although he was still exhausted, he could walk normally.
The guards accompanied him in silence, crossing long corridors with red tapestries, white columns, and colored glass windows that projected soft lights across the floor.
Throughout the castle, the atmosphere was tense. Wherever they went, the servants stopped talking and just looked at them with concern and curiosity.
Finally, they stopped in front of a large double door made of dark wood carved with gold and thorn details, as the guard knocked and announced their presence.
The coat of arms in the center of the door was that of a golden crown surrounded by delicate roses, unfortunately with nothing to give Noah any clues as to who this queen was.
After a few seconds, the guard looked at him seriously and spoke. "The queen is waiting."
And with that, the doors slowly began to open.
Upon entering the room, Noah immediately felt the atmosphere change.
The light there was softer, carefully filtered through long purple velvet curtains that descended from the ceiling to the floor.
The smell was of light, expensive incense, mixed with the scent of fresh flowers, but not just any flowers, black roses, placed in crystal vases at strategic points in the room.
The floor was white marble with golden veins, polished to the point of reflecting the ceiling above, where a large crystal chandelier hung majestically, swaying slightly in the breeze coming from the balcony in the background.
And throughout the room there were... mirrors.
Tall, elegant mirrors with detailed silver frames were arranged on the walls as if they were more important than the furniture itself.
Some covered entire columns, others were tilted at strange angles, allowing the image of the person in the center of the room to be seen from all sides, multiplied infinitely.
Seeing these mirrors, a hypothesis about who this queen was began to form in his mind.
In the center of the room, sitting on a black throne with gold details and burgundy upholstery, a woman watched him in silence.
And it was at that moment that Noah froze for a second.
'It's not possible...' he muttered, almost laughing.
The woman was stunning.
Black hair fell in perfect waves over her shoulders, her skin was as white and smooth as porcelain, her eyes were striking and dark.
She was wearing a black dress with burgundy details and delicate silver and ruby jewelry.
There was a coldness in her expression as she looked at him, despite her clear interest...
But what really surprised Noah was how familiar she was.
'She looks like... Gal Gadot?' he thought, trying not to stare too hard.
Gal Gadot was the actress who played the Evil Queen in the live-action Snow White movie, the movie that had shown so many red-flags before its release, mainly because of the attitudes of the actress who played the protagonist, that he hadn't even bothered to watch it.
And now, here he was, being judged from above by that woman with the same exact beauty, only with a presence far more intense and real than any movie screen could reproduce.
The queen slowly crossed one leg over the other and tilted her chin slightly, her eyes not leaving his for an instant.
"Enjoying the view?" Her voice rang through the room, elegant, low... but nonetheless confident, showing genuine interest in what he would say next.
Fortunately for recognizing this queen, Noah was already 99% sure that this was the "Evil Queen" from Snow White, and knowing who this woman was, he knew exactly what to say to keep her in a good mood.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, your beauty really is breathtaking." He said honestly as he bowed his head slightly in respect.
If this were said by an ugly man to a random woman, the woman might even feel offended, but when something like this is said by a handsome young man like Noah, to a woman who values her own appearance so much, the effect was the complete opposite.
Although he didn't say much, Noah noticed a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth, indicating satisfaction, before she continued speaking.
"How nice that you know how to recognize beauty when it's right in front of you." She said proudly, before asking him something. "Tell me, have you ever seen anyone more beautiful than me?"
Although the Queen was extremely beautiful, even more beautiful than the actress who had played her in his previous world, Noah still couldn't say that this was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.
But knowing that this was yet another test from the queen, Noah shook his head negatively and replied. "In this world, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, Your Majesty."
Hearing this, the queen became more satisfied, but still asked aloud to confirm the veracity of this. "Is what he said true?"
Before Noah could wonder if the question was for him, a male voice came up next to the queen. "Yes, Your Majesty, he said it with complete sincerity."
Following the origin of the voice, Noah finally saw a floating white face speaking in the reflection in one of the mirrors next to the throne.
Realizing that he had been analyzed by the magic mirror, Noah sighed inwardly for having chosen his words well, since technically he hadn't lied.
Apart from the queen herself, the only people Noah had seen in this world were the castle servants or the guards, since he couldn't remember seeing Ariel's face.
And compared to the castle maids, the Queen was much prettier, making the statement that she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen in this world true.
With the mirror's confirmation, the Queen's gaze changed slightly as she stared at Noah, becoming even more pleased with this young man in front of her.
"Well done, looks like saving you wasn't a complete waste..." She said proudly, before switching to interest and staring at Noah as she asked. "Now tell me, which noble family did you come from? How did you get here? Wearing clothes with such fine fabrics and with magical jewels on your fingers... there are few families capable of such things in the kingdom of Tabor, but none of them have a descendant like you."
Hearing her deduction, Noah was surprised, but his mind began to think of an answer as quickly as possible.
Considering that she thought he was a nobleman, the best course of action would be not to deny it, since the treatment a nobleman receives is much better than that of a commoner.
And since she already knew about the "magic jewels" on his fingers, he could use that as an excuse so that the 'lie detector' next to her wouldn't reveal the truth.
"I'm Noah Noyer, but I believe the country I came from is a long way from here... have you ever heard of America, your majesty?" He asked, feigning sincerity.
The queen was confused by this name, having never heard it before, so she just shook her head in denial.
Noah then sighed before continuing.
"That's what I imagined... I was working on my magic jewelry..." He said as he raised a hand, showing the rings, and continued. "When an accident happened and I found myself being transported over the ocean, fortunately fate smiled on me and I was able to be saved, something you have my gratitude for, Your Majesty."
Everything Noah said was true, even the gratitude, since when he woke up he smelled herbs that could only have been spent trying to heal him.
Even if this was the "Evil Queen", Noah wouldn't treat someone badly who hadn't done anything wrong to him just because of something he'd read in another world.
So far the queen had only done good things for him, so he had nothing but gratitude for her.
And when the queen realized that the mirror didn't deny anything he said, she was even more pleased with this noble boy.
Looking at the rings on his fingers, and considering that these little things managed to teleport him to such a distant place, the queen became even more interested in him, since she also had a satisfactory knowledge of magic.
"It seems that your control over your magic is not yet so precise, but your magical jewelry shows great potential." She said.
Realizing that this could be a great opportunity, Noah decided to take a chance.
Opening his palm slightly, Noah explained. "Actually, these magic gems weren't made for teleportation, that was just a feature I decided to try out for the first time."
Looking a little hesitant, Noah thought for a few seconds in a slightly exaggerated way, until he sighed and removed one of the rings from his finger.
The queen just watched with curiosity, trying to guess what he was going to do.
Placing the ring in his palm, Noah held it out to the queen and spoke. "In gratitude for saving my life, I offer you this magical jewel as a gift, Your Majesty."
Knowing the importance and rarity of magical items, she was interested in it, not refusing, but not accepting either, as she asked: "If this isn't for teleportation, what use is this magical jewel of yours?"
And with that question, Noah realized that the path he had been looking for on how to develop in this world might now have appeared, which made him stop himself from cracking a big smile.