Chapter 29: Is That All There Is?
The sound of the wheels turning went clack clack as Evelia and Armand sat face-to-face in the smooth, moving carriage. In this closed space, the two of them were unusually quiet. No one said a word.
Armand rested his chin on his hand, looking out the window. His eyes were pointed outside, but his mind was still stuck inside the carriage. Even though he had decided to send Evelia back to the estate, the inner struggle in his heart wasn’t over.
He kept thinking, if he made one wrong move now, everything could spiral out of control. If getting close to Evelia was the wrong choice, then all the plans he had worked so hard for would fall apart.
It already felt like things were starting to go bad. If he kept forcing this path, who knows what might happen in the future.
Maybe… he really should kill her?
Right here in the carriage. Quietly, without anyone knowing.
The moment they got into the carriage, Armand had already locked the door. It wasn’t a fancy or strong lock, anyone could break it open with one pull. But even that small action would slow Evelia down for a few seconds.
And in close combat like this, a few seconds could decide everything.
Armand tilted his head slightly to look at Evelia. He acted casual, leaning on his arm while carefully looking her up and down, trying to see if she had any hidden weapons.
Her hair was loose, though a few small braids were tied back with ribbons. But judging by the weight and shape, it didn’t look like she could be hiding any weapons there.
Her neck was bare. No sharp pendants or strange crystals. Still, Armand couldn’t help but think. A pretty neck like that deserved to have a bit of jewelry on it.
Armand didn’t care much for jewelry himself, but that didn’t mean he disliked seeing beautiful people wearing accessories that matched their looks. It was just that, because of his job, he always tried to avoid anyone wearing jewelry that looked too sharp or dangerous.
Looking further down, he saw her legs, which were now covered by his knight’s cloak.
Even though there was no wind in the carriage, Armand had still made her put the coat over her legs.
Evelia’s outfit today was very simple. She had no bracelets or jewelry on her wrists or thighs. As for her more private areas, thanks to that little “incident” earlier, Armand was sure she wasn’t hiding any weapons there either.
As for her chest...
With her body shape, it was possible she could hide something there. But... it probably wasn’t a knife or anything dangerous. Hopefully.
That just left the bag Evelia had with her.
It was a black, rectangular paper bag. The only thing printed on it was the logo of a clothing store. That store was quite popular among commoners. It sold men’s, women’s, and kids’ clothes, and had many branches. Since Armand often drank with common folk, of course he knew the store.
But he also knew that dangerous things were often hidden in the most ordinary-looking places. Sometimes, things that looked so normal made people lower their guard.
“Eve…”
Armand hesitated, but in the end, he spoke.
He knew what he was about to do after opening his mouth. But he still said it.
This was part of his plan. What he was doing now... was getting ready to "take care of" Evelia.
—‘Should I kill her?’
Evelia turned to him when she heard her name. She looked calm and simply asked, “What is it? Do you need something?”
“That bag… can I take a look at it?”
Armand’s face wore the same gentle smile he always used. Even as he hesitated inside, his eyes still showed the same warm, practiced expression.
“This?” Evelia looked at the direction he pointed and picked up the rectangular bag by her side.
“Yeah, may I take a look?”
—‘Please, let it just be clothes.’
Even though he was the one thinking of killing her, deep down, Armand still hoped the bag only had some simple clothes inside.
If it really was just clothes, that would be fine. But if Evelia had gone out to meet someone or make a deal, and if she had brought back anything suspicious…
Then he’d have no choice…
“Sure,” she said with a nod.
Evelia reached into the paper bag without any hesitation. Even though Armand should’ve been on guard in case she pulled out a weapon, her calm and confident movement actually made him feel a little relieved.
Then, right in front of Armand, she pulled out a pair of black, lacy, see-through underwear.
“…?”
The tense atmosphere and Armand’s tight nerves instantly turned strange the moment the underwear appeared.
“What’s… that?” he asked.
“It’s black lace panties,” Evelia answered seriously, holding them up and introducing them like it was something completely normal.
The store assistant had suggested that white underwear would suit Evelia better and make her look more pure. But that didn’t mean black didn’t suit her too.
According to what the store assistant said, Armand should first see Evelia looking pure and innocent in white, leaving a deep and sacred impression on him. Then, during an intimate night together, she should bring out this black set to give him a strong feeling of contrast.
‘A girl who looks so pure on the outside, but turns out to be so seductive in private, and willing to turn dark just for you, that’s the sexiest thing ever!’
That’s exactly what the store assistant said. Evelia didn’t fully understand it, but she thought it made sense, so she bought the black set too.
“T-this… You… it’s just underwear…?”
Armand meant something like, ‘Is that all you had in the mysterious bag, just underwear?’ But to Evelia, it sounded more like: You only bought underwear?
“Oh, there’s more. Please wait a second.”
As she spoke, she stuffed the black lace panties into Armand’s awkwardly outstretched hands. Without noticing how his hands trembled, she went on looking through her bag.
“Wait, you—”
“There’s also the matching three-piece bra,” she said, pulling out the matching top and showing it to him with the same serious expression.
“You… you…”
Armand had only ever dealt with noble ladies who tried to impress him, but he had never been in a situation like this. He was so flustered he couldn’t even speak properly, stammering like he bit his own tongue.
“S-so it’s just… this one set of underwear…?”
His emphasis was on “underwear,” it was like he was asking, ‘Is that all, just underwear and nothing else?’ But Evelia misunderstood again and thought maybe one set wasn’t enough.
“Alright, please wait a bit more.”
She casually handed him the bra too, adding it to the pile in his hands.
“You—You—!”
“There’s also this, Mr. Armand. It’s part of the set,” she said, pulling another box from the bag. “I heard this one’s for roleplay.”
—‘That’s clearly a sexy maid outfit!!’
Armand stared at the tiny, fabric-scarce outfit in the box that Evelia held up. Just one look at the white headband and he knew, this was a very revealing and suggestive maid costume.
The top included a white headband, a black choker, two heart-shaped pasties, and a small piece of sheer black fabric meant for minimal coverage.
The bottom had an extremely short maid skirt, see-through panties with cutouts, and a pair of black thigh-high stockings with straps.
“……”
Armand tightly pressed his lips together and quickly looked away, his face a mess of panic.
He didn’t know why, but he blurted out another question without thinking. “So… that’s all… right?”
“……” Evelia gave a small hum, thinking for a moment, then calmly put the box aside.
Armand nervously held the black lace set in his hands. Not sure whether he should keep holding it or put it down. Awkwardly, he lowered his head and reached out, trying to hand it back to Evelia so she could put it away.
But just as he did, he heard the soft rustling of clothes. Not only did she not take anything away, he ended up holding another piece.
A familiar, warm, white pair of panties.
“—?!”
Armand’s head snapped up, and saw Evelia reaching behind her back, trying to undo her bra.
“E—Eve!!”
In a panic, Armand shoved everything into her arms. But he stood up too quickly and hit his head with a thud against the carriage ceiling. Dizzy from the hit, he reached up to hold his face. But caught a faint scent on his hand, which made him even more confused and flustered.
This…
Was this some kind of seduction tactic? Or was she just being shameless…?!