Chapter 45: Do You Need Me to Help You Cool Down a Bit?
“Eve… you, you—huh?”
Armand looked at Evelia beside him, struggling to find the right words. His mind started racing, trying to remember everything that had just happened that morning.
It all started with that annoying dream. His light sleep kept him caught between dreaming and waking, sometimes lost in the dream, other times vaguely aware he was awake. He remembered dreaming about the past… and then a strange scene popped up in the middle of it.
At the time, he didn’t think much about it. But once he woke up, the more he thought about it, the weirder it felt. Why would there be a giant pink dog in his dream? And now, seeing Evelia quietly standing by the bed, he finally realized what the dog in the dream really meant.
She’s that strong… in the dream it should’ve been a cow, not a dog...
Even in a situation like this, he still had the mind to joke to himself.
But thinking about it now, it kind of made sense. Evelia was suspected of working for the Second Prince and came from the House of Nightingales. That made her the prince’s loyal hound, didn’t it? Calling her a dog actually fit her perfectly.
And… she had that habit of licking people. That’s definitely dog-like.
But still, a pink dog? That was just too weird.
Armand was still caught up in that half-finished dream, thinking about the pink dog without even meaning to.
Was there really such a thing as a naturally pink dog? That’d be kinda cool. Could he keep one as a pet?
As he thought this, his eyes fell on Evelia, who stood there quietly as if she had no idea what she’d done wrong, but still kept a respectful posture just in case.
This Evelia… with that smooth white neck, she’d actually look good wearing a dog collar...
Wait, what the hell was he even thinking?
Armand shut his eyes and shook his head, trying to throw out that weird thought.
Earlier this morning, Armand did hear someone enter his room. Even though Evelia had tried extra hard to walk silently, he still noticed someone coming close. He had thought it was the old butler coming to wake him up, so he just kept resting while waiting for the butler to speak.
But that “butler” didn’t say a word.
Armand ended up falling asleep again. In that half-asleep state, he never even considered that it might have been Evelia quietly sneaking in.
Now thinking back to the little “incident” that just happened between him and Evelia, he felt a bit embarrassed, but also a bit uneasy. If Evelia had meant to kill him just now… even if it wouldn’t have been fatal, he probably would’ve gotten hurt.
Armand was pretty confident in his ability to sense killing intent. After all, he was a man who had fought countless life-and-death battles on the frontlines. There was no way he wouldn’t recognize the feeling of death closing in.
And yet, what confused him was that Evelia had never shown any killing intent toward him. Not even once.
He had always believed Evelia was one of the Second Prince’s people. There was no way she would treat him with simple kindness. Everything she did had to be part of a plan or mission.
But… what that goal was, Armand wasn’t sure anymore.
At first, he thought maybe Evelia’s job was just to kill him. That wouldn’t be surprising at all, he was so used to that kind of thing. He had even joked before while eating, “Huh, why is this food poisoned?” and then kept eating like it was nothing. So many people had tried to kill him before, especially those connected to the Second Prince. None of them wanted him to live.
But Evelia… she was really strange. She didn’t seem like someone who wanted to take his life at all. Every day, she just did her own work, no more, no less. She never tried to do extra, and she also never skipped anything. Other than the kitchen, she hardly ever went to any other places.
Armand had always kept an eye on Evelia. His spies reported the same thing over and over.
“Miss Evelia hasn’t done anything.”
Armand couldn’t help but wonder, was Evelia really that simple? Just someone with a shady past who had now decided to turn over a new leaf and stop doing dirty work?
Honestly, from the beginning, the only reason Armand thought Evelia was suspicious was just… a gut feeling. He and the old butler had seen too many assassins in their time. The moment they saw Evelia, they could tell, she’s not just an ordinary girl.
But aside from that gut feeling, they had no real proof. Nothing to show Evelia was an assassin working for the Second Prince.
Well… except for her stubbornness.
People from the House of Nightingales were trained to complete every mission perfectly, from start to finish, without leaving anything unfinished. They had a habit of being extremely stubborn, if they didn’t get the job done, they would never stop.
But in the beginning, that stubbornness wasn’t because they were loyal or determined. It was because they had no choice. If they messed up, even just a little, and someone found out, it could cost them their life. No one would cover for them. And if they exposed the Second Prince’s secret plans, they wouldn’t just die, they’d die horribly. That’s why people from the House of Nightingales were trained to be so careful and complete in everything they did.
But Evelia...
Armand really couldn’t figure her out. She didn’t seem to follow any pattern. She acted like someone who just did whatever came to mind. Armand liked to think of himself as someone with pretty wild thinking, but even he couldn’t understand some of the things Evelia did.
Like those weird ketchup dishes.
Or the time she stuffed underwear into his hands.
Or the time she suddenly picked him up in a princess carry.
Or used a scissors kick.
And now… this strange morning.
“Eve…”
Seeing that Evelia still hadn’t said a word, Armand looked at her and waved her over.
“What is it, Mr. Armand?”
As Evelia walked up to him, Armand stared at her silently. He didn’t say anything or make any move. He was trying to spot a flaw, any sign that something was off. But even after staring so hard it hurt, he couldn’t find anything strange about her, except that she always looked emotionless.
“Haaah…”
Armand, who always acted cheerful and outgoing, had sighed more times than he could count ever since this beautiful personal maid entered his life.
“Mr. Armand, do you need help?”
Still feeling frustrated, Armand heard her soft voice next to his ear.
He thought, ‘When will she finally realize… she’s the one causing all this trouble?’
“No—no, it’s nothing. I don’t need any help…” Armand rubbed his temples and let out another deep sigh. “I think I’m just… overheated.”
Meeting someone like Evelia… how could anyone not feel overheated?
“I see.”
Evelia answered in her usual calm and flat tone.
“Then… do you need me to help you ‘cool down’ a bit?”
It was a line she once read in a novel. She finally found a chance to use it.
But it seemed like she didn’t fully understand what that line really meant.