The Killer Queen ( Noella Briony ) novel Chapter 333

[Was she seriously ill or something?]

Noella raised an eyebrow as she read the two messages in quick succession.

Just as she opened the chat with Horatio, she was bombarded with a flurry of texts full of his grievances.

[She’s nuts. She really is nuts.]

[She actually said… said I’m quite a looker!]

Horatio, though an odd monk, was a genuinely profound spiritual figure. Legend had it that Horatio was the reincarnation of a high-ranking monk, born with a natural affinity for spirituality, carrying endless merits from his previous lives. Right from birth, he was sent to the Dragon Monastery.

In all these years, he had never encountered a woman so… disrespectful!

Noella could almost picture the expression on Horatio’s face as he texted.

She quickly replied: [It’s probably just the pressure of her research making her tease you as a way to unwind. Who doesn’t go a bit crazy at work? Just bear with it. Think of it as part of your spiritual practice.]

Spiritual practice?

Horatio felt like crying.

Never before in his life had he encountered such a method of spiritual practice! Especially since Elara didn’t just compliment him verbally for being handsome; she got handsy!

While eating, Noella texted back.

[Look at your ancestor. Didn’t you say he always remained calm in the face of female benefactors? Horatio, you still have a long way to go on your path to enlightenment.]

Upon sensing the schadenfreude in the message, Horatio closed his phone in dismay. He knew he shouldn’t have vented to Noella!

Seeing the smile on Noella’s face, Palmer asked, “What's up?”

“The monk says my sister is harassing him.”

As she spoke, Noella dialed Elara to get the full story.

Elara, while fiddling with a beaker and observing a sample, answered. “Oh, that? I wasn’t harassing him. I just said his skin looks so good, and asked what skincare product he uses. I did it to de-stress. After all, complimenting other men comes with risks. Noella, you wouldn’t believe it. I once asked a male colleague how his project was going, and he thought I had a crush on him! He even posted online, saying he felt insecure because of my position!”

Recalling the experience, Elara wanted to roll her eyes endlessly.

“Thank goodness Jasper saw that post and figured out the guy was talking about me. I was so disgusted! Since then, I’ve learned it’s best to not speak to men. But Horatio’s different. He surely won’t take it to heart, so there’s no risk.”

In Elara’s mind, Horatio was hardly considered a regular guy.

After a moment’s thought, she found a more fitting description. “Noella! Horatio is like a sister to me! That’s his payback for refusing my request for him to predict if I’d ever meet my idol!”

Resigned, Noella rubbed her forehead. “Horatio is a monk, not a fortune teller.”

“I don’t care. If he’s such a high-ranking monk, he should find a way! There’s this amazing bakery near our lab. I’ll bring you something after work!”

To Elara, Noella was the baby of the family, deserving of all the pampering. Whenever she tasted something delicious, Elara always remembered to bring some back for Noella too!

Sienna had invited Malvina Gruber to dine with the Schnabel family that evening, making a point to have everyone present, including Palmer.

It was going to be a family dinner!