Chapter 10: Then Just Run Away!
‘...I don’t want to.’
Just thinking about the Second Prince’s angry face made a wave of fear rise in Evelia’s heart.
‘No… I can’t fail…’
It was fear that came from deep within her soul, an instinct.
She couldn’t disobey the Second Prince. She had to carry out his orders. Only by doing that… could she become the complete "Red Crow."
Absolutely… absolutely, she had to find a way…
No matter what, she had to fool Armand… She had to finish the mission, she didn’t want to disappoint the Second Prince.
‘I must… I have to—’
“By the way, you still haven’t answered my question,” Armand said beside her, still in that light and cheerful tone. “Have you ever thought about running away?”
“…No.”
She felt there was something deeper behind Armand's words, but her mind was so chaotic, she couldn’t figure out what it was.
To avoid giving anything away, she kept her tone cold as usual. But compared to just a moment ago, her eyes had dimmed, and a hint of panic, something she tried hard to hide, crept in.
“Is it that you don’t want to run, can’t run, or… don’t dare to run?”
He drew out the last part on purpose, like he knew about the deepest fear inside Evelia.
“There’s no need to run, Mr. Armand. There’s nothing I need to run from.”
But Evelia chose to ignore him. After all, she was the “Red Crow” of the “House of Nightingales”, the Second Prince’s most loyal servant. The only meaning of her life is to complete the Second Prince’s mission.
Yes… There’s no need to run away…
She can’t leave anyway…
Her life, her soul, her everything… all belong to—
“I see… well—”
Armand looked thoughtful, as if he was about to say more. But just then, a silver-haired man with a wine glass walked over, cutting him off.
“Armand, what are you doing hiding over here again?”
The man was tall and handsome, with long silver hair tied up in a high ponytail. His eyes were a mix of sea green and sky blue. Though he carried two glasses of wine, he didn’t smell like alcohol at all. Judging by his uniform, he seemed to be higher in rank than the other knights. Evelia took a closer look and recognized the badge on his chest.
This was the Vice Captain of the Royal Knights, second in command only to Armand. But his calm, quiet aura was completely different from Armand's cheerful one.
“Oh, just out here catching some fresh air,” Armand said casually, using the same poor excuse he had given Evelia earlier.
“Fresh air? In this freezing weather?”
Carle, who knew Armand too well, immediately caught the lie.
“Aren’t we wearing knight uniforms for a reason? If you can’t handle this cold, you’ll freeze to death when we’re deployed in the snowy mountains.”
Evelia didn’t know most of the knights here, but she had heard of this silver-haired Vice Captain, Carle Morr.
He was considered Armand's equal. Rumor had it that they were close friends, but never went on missions together because one of them always had to stay behind to manage the Royal Knights and protect the capital.
Although his title was "Vice Captain," when needed, he could act as the temporary leader of the knights. If something were to happen to Armand, Carle would be the one to take over.
“Everyone’s waiting for you to come drink with them, and here you are chatting with a pretty girl.”
Carle glanced at Evelia as he spoke. The two of them made eye contact, then politely greeted each other with a small bow. Only Armand leaned against the railing, smiling like a fool.
“Sorry about him. Armand's personality is a little strange, he might have caused you some trouble,” Carle said.
“It’s no trouble,” Evelia replied. “I’m Mr. Armand's personal maid. This is my job.”
“I see. So you’re Miss Evelia. Then I’ll leave this guy in your care from now on.”
“That’s my duty.”
Their conversation was calm and polite. After talking to Armand, who was always unpredictable, meeting someone this normal made Evelia feel a bit relieved.
“You’re not here to make me drink, are you?” Armand asked, looking at the wooden cup Carle was holding. He looked troubled. “Please no, I’ve already had enough. It’s rare for me to step out for fresh air, don’t make me go back to drinking.”
“You’re the main guest today, you can’t run away. And Miss Evelia should come too, right?”
“…Me?”
Evelia was surprised that Carle included her as well. She froze for a second.
“Eve, you don’t like drinking, right?” Armand noticed her hesitation, and saw a chance. “You definitely don’t want to drink, and you won’t drag me into drinking either, right?”
What he really meant was, ‘Please don’t listen to Carle and take me back to drink. For these knights, “drinking” usually meant much more. It meant eating lots of heavy, greasy food.’
Armand really didn’t want to deal with that again. His stomach couldn’t handle it. While most people, even Carle, thought he just had a minor stomach problem, the truth was his condition was much worse. He couldn’t eat oily food at all.
“I actually don’t—”
“No, no, Eve, don’t finish that sentence…!” Armand interrupted, grabbing Evelia’s hand. “You said earlier you don’t need to run. Well, now you do—!”
“—?!”
In the next second, Armand pulled Evelia along, and the girl who looked so delicate suddenly ran off with him. Carle watched the two shadows quickly disappear in front of him and cursed under his breath.
“Got it, Eve? This is what it means to run away! If you want to do something, just do it. If you don’t want to, then don’t. That’s how it should be!”
Armand held tightly to Evelia’s hand as they ran away from the noisy bonfire party. Under the moonlight, the two of them ran side by side, with the cold wind blowing past their ears.
Evelia’s hand was held tightly in Armand's, and she could feel the warmth from his palm. She looked in surprise at the man running ahead of her. His short black hair seemed to shine with color in the moonlight.
Was this… running away?
Evelia matched Armand's pace, running faster and faster.
As they left behind the loud, unpleasant party, the nervous feeling she had when facing Armand earlier seemed to fade away.
So this is what it means to run… to run away from something you're supposed to face.
But… that’s wrong, isn’t it? She had never run or rebelled before, not once in her life.
She believed she had to complete the Second Prince’s mission. Her life had nothing to do with what she wanted. Everything she did was for the sake of the Second Prince.
If he were here, the Second Prince would never let her run away. He would make it very clear what kind of punishment would come from such weakness.
…She mustn’t be disobedient.
That’s what Evelia thought.
She had considered letting go of Armand's hand while they were running, but she realized he was holding on tighter and tighter.
The cold night air didn’t feel as harsh anymore. Her body actually felt warmer from the running.
Running away…
The Second Prince would punish her, but… not right now, right?
Just this once, maybe she could escape from something she hated. After all, the only person she was running from now was Armand.
Evelia’s wrist gradually relaxed. She opened her mouth and took a deep breath of the fresh, flowing air that came with running.
Just for today, she would run.
After all, it was Armand's idea, and her mission was also to please him.
So, just for today… she let herself believe that he was enough of a reason for her to run.