Chapter 42: Feeling Safe Is Enough
“Ow… oww…! Can you please be a little more gentle…?”
“Don’t… don’t press so hard…! Not any deeper…!”
“Not there! Please have mercy…!!! If this keeps up, my brain’s going to break—!”
What do you think is happening?
Actually, all of these painful cries were coming from Armand.
If the room’s soundproofing had been a little worse, and if more servants happened to walk by, they might have thought something very strange was going on inside.
But truthfully, it was nothing more than cleaning ears.
“Don’t move around, Mr. Armand. That’ll make it hurt more.”
“It hurts even if I don’t move…!”
“Mr. Armand, please be still.”
That familiar frown of hers again, that face full of annoyance, as if she couldn’t figure out how to smile properly, made Armand gulp and turn his eyes away.
It was just ear cleaning, and yet Evelia’s awkward hands made it feel more like torture.
Armand had no idea where she found these ear-cleaning tools, two cloth pouches, one with soft tools, one with hard ones. At first glance, it all looked very professional. But when Evelia picked up a cold, shiny, needle-like tool with a serious frown, he honestly thought she was about to start an interrogation.
“Mr. Armand, are you uncomfortable?”
Seeing his expression, which looked nothing like the calm and relaxed model in the instruction book, Evelia paused and stopped poking his ear.
“Ah…” Armand looked a little awkward. “Well… maybe not that uncomfortable?”
It hurt like crazy, but even he didn’t know why he said that.
“Hmm…”
Evelia thought for a moment, then put the tool back in the cloth pouch.
“Mr. Armand, please wait a moment while I check something…”
There was a rustling sound as she pulled out a small booklet from who-knows-where and began flipping through it under the light.
As for Armand, ever since Evelia dragged him onto the bed, he’d been lying down with his head resting on her thighs. In other words, getting a lap pillow.
Though “resting” might not be the best word, since from the start, Evelia had been poking his ears like she was performing torture. Still, at least she wasn’t using her full strength. If she used the same strength she had when lifting him princess-carry, his brain might really have come out of his ear.
Now that Evelia was distracted reading the small book titled "Sleep Aid Manual," Armand finally had a moment to relax.
To make the lap pillow more comfortable, Evelia had pulled down her stockings and lifted her skirt slightly so that the softest part of her thigh supported Armand's head. Of course, she had also carefully removed the hidden blades in her skirt. Just in case she accidentally cut Armand and made him start overthinking things.
Evelia finally stopped attacking his ear, and Armand quieted down. At first, he thought this kind of close contact was something he should refuse. But deep inside, he didn’t actually dislike it.
He could clearly feel Evelia’s warmth, and when he took a deep breath, that familiar scent from her body filled his nose again.
Armand lay on Evelia’s lap. Even though the person next to him was the very one who often made him feel uneasy, hearing her calm breathing made him slowly feel more at peace.
As Evelia’s stomach rose and fell with each breath, Armand, lying on his side with the back of his head resting against her body, slowly moved a little closer without even thinking.
Noticing his movement, Evelia gently reached out and patted his tense shoulder. She had never learned how to comfort others before, but somehow, she now found herself patting his shoulder softly, stroking his back like she was caring for a child. It was as if her body knew how to comfort someone even without her thinking.
“…I’m not a child, Eve.”
That’s what he said, but as she softly patted him, Armand instinctively curled up a bit.
“I know, Mr. Armand. You’re eight years older than me.”
“You don’t have to make me sound that old…”
“But if it helps you feel safe, isn’t that enough?”
“What kind of answer is that…”
Still, anyone would relax from something like this. It brought back happy childhood memories.
“Mr. Armand, what have you been worrying about all this time?”
As she spoke, Evelia closed the small booklet she had just finished reading. Then, she picked up her tool pouch again and pulled out a peacock feather.
“Worry? I guess… I’m not really worried about anything.”
The soft feather brushed past his ear, and the gentle touch made Armand shiver. He had heard about this kind of ear-cleaning before, but for him, it was totally new. As someone used to handling weapons, he never had the chance to enjoy anything like this.
“If you’re not worried, then why do you have trouble sleeping?”
“Hmm… There are many types of insomnia. Maybe I just can’t fall asleep tonight, that’s all.”
Armand didn’t want to admit that she was the reason he couldn’t sleep, so he quickly made up a harmless lie.
“I see. Well, do you feel a bit better now?”
Evelia didn’t care whether he was lying or not. Right now, she just wanted him to feel relaxed. Normally, a quiet moment like this would be the perfect time to ask deep questions, but Evelia felt she and Armand weren’t close enough yet. She didn’t want to scare him off, so she decided not to ask too much tonight.
“…A little better.”
Armand gave a simple reply.
“That’s good. Please try to relax. No need to stay so tense.”
Her soft voice came from beside his ear. That sweet whisper should have helped him relax… but lying there, Armand felt more and more awake instead. His nerves were buzzing, and he couldn’t calm down at all.
The peacock feather brushed his earlobe, then gently slid deeper into his ear. Even though the feather was soft, the brushing sound was so close that Armand could hear it clearly. His head was filled with the whispering sound of the feather lightly scratching at the edges of his ear.
“Mr. Armand, are you allergic to peacock feathers?”
“…Huh? I don’t think I am…” Armand turned his head in confusion to look at her, wanting to know why she asked.
But instead of seeing Evelia’s face, what he saw was the curve of her body.
From this lap pillow angle, her chest was so big that Armand couldn’t even see her face clearly.
“You’re not allergic?”
Evelia didn’t notice the way his eyes trembled. She just gently patted his shoulder again and reached over to softly touch his ear.
“Your ears are really red.”