Chapter 37: Meanwhile, on the Other Side…
“What? You’re saying that after you dressed up so nicely for him, that man of yours actually started avoiding you?”
While Armand was busy arguing with his “outside support” about whether or not he should apologize to a woman, Evelia also used the excuse of going out to buy wrapping paper for flowers to visit the same clothing shop where she had previously bought lingerie.
“Yes, that’s exactly what happened. And… he’s not my man.”
Evelia’s “outside support” was the cute, cotton-candy-like girl working at the shop. From a business card, Evelia learned her full name was Liliana, but the girl had warmly said, “Just call me Anna,” to feel closer.
“Hmm… that’s strange…” Anna frowned deeply, squinting her eyes as she thought. “So… this man you’re trying to get closer to. If I remember right, you said he’s a knight?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Evelia nodded. “He’s a knight.”
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Evelia didn’t reveal exactly who she was targeting. After all, Armand wasn’t just any knight, he was the captain of the Royal Knights. He often attended public events, and while many nobles didn’t like him, he was still well known among upper-class ladies. Evelia didn’t want to stir up gossip in a women’s clothing shop by saying too much.
“Is he handsome?”
“Yes, very handsome.”
Thinking about all the praise he got in social circles, and combining it with her own observations, Evelia gave a confident answer. That face of Armand's, he could probably live off just his looks for the rest of his life.
“And does he have a good body?”
“Mm-hmm, really good.”
Evelia wasn’t sure why Anna was asking these things, but she still answered honestly.
Armand's appearance was top-notch. His face and body were both perfect. He was naturally good-looking, and after years of knight training, his build was strong and well-balanced. There was nothing to complain about. While Evelia hadn’t seen everything, even just from observation she could guess that there probably wasn’t anything disappointing.
“A handsome knight with a great body… and he’s not interested in a beautiful woman like you? He even started avoiding you after seeing your lingerie? Don’t tell me the man you’re going after is one of those…!”
“One of what?” Evelia tilted her head in confusion.
“You know… the kind who only like men!”
Anna said it with an odd kind of excitement, like she was about to witness some big secret being revealed.
“…So that’s it.”
Evelia suddenly saw the light.
She then understood why, despite all her efforts, she never gained Armand's favor and even ended up with the opposite effect. She realized this by remembering the past rumors about Armand's sexual orientation.
But still…
Should she go back to the Second Prince and ask to be turned back? That didn’t seem possible…
“Yes, Miss Evelia, just look at yourself! You’re absolutely stunning, there’s no way a normal unmarried man could resist your charm. It must be him that’s the problem! That knight of yours definitely has issues. I mean, in the army, the rate of ‘those guys’ is way higher than in normal society! The knight you’re dealing with, he’s totally one of them!”
………………………………………
“Achoo!”
Meanwhile, far away at the knights' headquarters, Armand let out a loud sneeze.
He rubbed his nose and looked at the two men next to him, who had gone from talking about serious national matters to ranting about their wives. On the surface, they were praising their spouses, “gentle,” “smart,” “understanding,” and so on. But anyone listening could tell it was all sarcasm. To Armand, though, it just sounded like them showing off how good their marriages were.
“……"
Armand sat cross-legged on the sofa, resting his face on his hand with no concern for appearances. The two other very proper-looking men had now completely relaxed, too. Their sitting postures were all over the place. If one leg went numb, they just switched to the other. If this were a formal setting, they’d definitely be scolded by the old-fashioned traditionalists.
The way the Crown Prince was half-lying on the sofa would probably give his etiquette teacher a heart attack. But this was the knights' headquarters, Armand's territory. If anyone dared complain, they’d end up as a training dummy.
Carle sat at his desk, talking about his experience raising a daughter. His family was in the business world. While they didn’t quite control the national economy, they were still incredibly rich.
On top of that, Carle’s wife also came from a wealthy merchant family. The marriage was a perfect match of power and money. Right now, their household might be the richest in the entire empire. So even if he argued with the Crown Prince, the prince wouldn’t push him too hard.
Carle’s wife handled the business back home with perfect order, while her husband served as the Vice-Captain of the Knight Order.
To outsiders, going to war always comes with the risk of injury or death. If something were to happen to Armand, then Carle would most likely take over as the commander. Because of this, their family had money, power, and influence. No one dared to play tricks on them in business.
Ordinary citizens even saw them as something to look up to. Some people even wished they could have a talented son right then and there to marry Carle’s daughter, who was only three years old and had been born into wealth and privilege.
As for the Crown Prince, even though he didn’t show much emotion on his face while talking to Carle, when Carle seriously talked about how cute his daughter was, even Armand noticed the look of envy in the prince’s eyes.
“Sigh…”
Armand let out a long sigh. He felt like the atmosphere didn’t suit him at all. The glowing “happiness filter” from the other two men’s married lives was so strong it was blinding.
“Armand, what about you?” The Crown Prince noticed Armand sighing and turned to look at him.
“Huh?”
Honestly, Armand would rather sit quietly in the corner and listen to their romantic stories than be dragged into this topic.
“It’s rare for a woman to catch your attention. Come on, tell us about her. We can give you some advice.”
“No, that’s not necessary,” Armand quickly waved his hand at Carle’s offer.
He couldn’t possibly tell them that Evelia was a spy from the enemy side. How could they give advice about that? If he said even one word, she’d probably be dragged to the execution grounds within the next second.
“You’re almost 30. Why are you still so shy? It’s time for you to start a family.”
“…That kind of thing feels really far away.”
When he heard the words “start a family” come out of the prince’s mouth, Armand gave a bitter smile in his heart.
Someone like him could never have a real family. “Family is a weakness” wasn’t just an empty saying. Just like he had always refused any noble titles from the prince, Armand believed that having a family would only become a burden if he ever wanted to leave everything behind in the future.
"Then don't you want to marry and have children with the lady who's causing you so much internal struggle right now?"
Carle’s eyes felt like a sharp knife stabbing right into Armand's heart. Armand's mouth twitched, and he instinctively avoided his gaze.
“No…”
Armand turned his head to the side and looked down at the floor, but the image that floated up in his mind was Evelia’s face.
“Wow, what a heartless guy.”
Armand awkwardly pulled his legs up and rested his elbows on his knees, his hand covering his forehead as if he were trying to hide inside himself like a ball.
He was only acting this way toward Evelia… probably because he wanted to keep her under control. It’s all for the sake of the royal family’s future…
If only he didn’t know she was a spy. Then even if he was tricked, at least he wouldn’t feel like this now.
‘I wonder what Evelia’s doing now… Is she still mad at me—’
………………………………………
“Anyway, even if he likes men, it doesn’t matter! You can ‘straighten’ him out!”
Evelia on the other side wasn’t mad at all.
“‘Straighten’…?”
She was simply listening to Anna’s advice.
Anna looked sweet and shy, and she would blush and giggle whenever she spoke. But her suggestions were surprisingly bold, and she often taught Evelia strange but… interesting ideas.
“Yes! Straighten him out! He’s just a man after all. Do it for yourself, go all in with a killer move! Show him your charm and win in one strike!”
“…?”
Evelia was completely lost and had no idea what this shop girl was talking about.
“But… if he’s the type to like men, then attacking too aggressively might scare him off. It’s better to go slowly. Like when you pass him something, let your fingers touch by accident. Or pretend to bump into him at a corner. Or have a ‘lucky pervert’ moment while changing clothes. Or drop something like Cinderella. Or get a little cut while working, these are all great! You can adjust your strategy depending on his preferences. If he’s more passive, then you be more aggressive. If he’s strong and dominant, then you act more gentle!”
“......”
After listening to Anna’s long string of advice, Evelia stood there a bit dazed, like she couldn’t fully process everything. After a long silence, she looked up, her eyes firm, and nodded seriously at Anna.
“I completely understand now.”