Chapter 49: Holding a Grudge?
It was hard to believe, but the proud captain of the Royal Knights was now sitting there, staring blankly while holding a whole box of ketchup. He really didn’t know what to buy, so he just grabbed a big box of ketchup. If it wasn’t enough, he could just place an order at the market, he could afford it. No matter how much Evelia needed, he could pay for it.
But… giving someone ketchup…
“This is just too weird.”
Even Armand couldn’t help complaining about how awkward he looked, waiting outside Evelia’s room.
Luckily, Evelia’s room was separate from others. If it wasn’t, the servants walking by would definitely start gossiping about him.
“Haa… what am I even doing…”
Tired in both body and mind, Armand sat at Evelia’s door, leaning against the wall, his arm resting on the wooden box full of ketchup.
“……”
From where he sat, he could see the sun outside. Maybe it was because of the dream he had that morning, but he really treasured the warm sunlight on his body.
It felt warm, bright, and gentle.
There was no smell of mold or rot, only the clean scent of sunshine in the air.
He was a man long used to the smell of blood and decay, but he could never get used to the sweet fragrance on Evelia. Every time that scent reached his nose, his heart would start beating faster. Because of that, his feelings for Evelia were always awkward and hard to face.
“……”
“Forget it.”
After sitting quietly for a while, Armand muttered those words to himself and just kept sitting there, looking up at the sun outside the window.
While Armand was at the Knights’ headquarters, it was Evelia’s day off. But she wasn’t the kind of person who liked to walk around or shop. So, she stayed at Anna’s clothing shop, chatting casually. When customers came, she waited quietly to the side. When no one came, she listened to Anna gossip.
She heard about which noble got caught cheating by their spouse in some shady place, and which noble raised a child for years only to find out it wasn’t their own. These stories were cliché and messy, but thanks to Anna’s vivid and lively storytelling, Evelia found them surprisingly fun. If this were another time or place, Anna could probably be a great traveling storyteller.
“So you see, nobles have a lot of messy things going on. Nothing surprises me anymore. Miss Evelia, you don’t need to worry. As long as you don’t reveal your identity, everyone will just assume it’s gossip about the man. The gossipers love to talk like that.”
Hearing the first part, Evelia nodded. But when Anna got to the second part, Evelia gave her a long look.
“W-Why are you looking at me like that?” Anna blushed and tried to hide her face behind a small cookie, which didn’t help at all. “I’m not a gossip! I’m really trying my best to help you, Miss Evelia!”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
“Uwaaah—!” Being appreciated made Anna tear up as usual. “Boohoo… I’m so happy to be Miss Evelia’s friend…”
Evelia didn’t know how to comfort a girl who cried so easily, so she simply picked up a macaron from the table and handed it to Anna. But Anna treated it like treasure, holding it with both hands and looking even more excited.
“Waaaah! Miss Evelia gave me a treat with her own hands, sob sob, I finally have a good friend…!”
Anna kept crying, and it took a while before she finally calmed down after Evelia’s awkward attempts to comfort her. Then, Anna brought out even better snacks and tea for Evelia. Evelia didn’t eat much, but maybe because Anna was so full of energy, Evelia’s quiet heart seemed to warm up a little too.
“Goodbye, Miss Evelia! When you get a chance to bring that knight over, you have to tell me!”
“Mm, okay. Goodbye.”
After saying goodbye to Anna, Evelia didn’t stay any longer. She had just spent a long time listening to Anna excitedly gossip about all the nobles in the royal capital. She didn’t expect it to already be sunset by the time she stepped outside again. Holding the outfit Anna gave her as a “thank-you gift for becoming friends,” Evelia enjoyed the peace of the evening sun as she slowly walked back to the estate.
Back at the estate, Armand felt for the first time that a single day could feel so long.
Even during the toughest training sessions in the past, he never thought waiting for sunset could be this painful.
Just like how Evelia had once stood in the kitchen holding tomato sauce egg tarts, waiting for Armand to come back from the knights’ headquarters. Armand was now doing the same, standing in front of Evelia’s door, waiting for her to come down the hallway.
Back then, Evelia had felt so uncomfortable. Now, Armand was the one suffering.
“Mr. Armand?”
Finally, in the last rays of the sunset, Evelia appeared before Armand. She blocked the light with her figure, but her golden-orange eyes still shone like sunlight.
“Eve, you’re back.”
Seeing Evelia return safely, Armand couldn’t help but smile. Even though she looked beautiful and well-dressed, making him wonder who she had gone to see, he knew his main task was to apologize to her.
“Um, Eve…”
Armand stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes. He had been sitting for so long that he was covered in dirt and felt completely unworthy of standing before such a bright and clean-looking girl.
“This… is for you.”
He swallowed nervously and pointed at the wooden box filled with ketchup. He was more nervous now than he had ever been on the battlefield.
He had done things like kicking the enemy commander’s head like a ball in front of a crowd, but giving a box of ketchup to Evelia made him feel anxious and awkward.
“What’s this?”
Evelia leaned forward and looked at the box by Armand’s feet. That familiar sweet scent floated to Armand’s nose again.
“Ketchup.”
“Hmm?” Evelia raised her head and looked at Armand, as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Ketchup?”
“Yes, ketchup. I picked the best kind…”
“Is it for you to eat?”
“No.” Armand scratched the back of his neck. “It’s… for you.”
“For me?” Evelia sounded confused.
“Yes, for you.”
“But I don’t need it.”
“…Eh?”
Armand hadn’t expected Evelia to reject him so directly.
“You can keep it for yourself. I don’t need any more ketchup.”
“……”
Armand stood there, awkward and frozen, unsure what to say or do.
“Could you please step aside a little?”
“Ah—yes, yes.”
Realizing he was blocking her way, Armand quickly moved aside. But Evelia still wasn’t satisfied with the distance, and she spoke again.
“Mr. Armand, could you please move a bit farther?”
“Huh? Ah—ah… okay…”
“Also, please take the ketchup with you.”
“O… okay…”
Armand answered like that, though he still didn’t seem ready to leave. But seeing how Evelia refused to move as long as he was standing there, he finally lowered his head, picked up the box of ketchup, and walked away, clearly disappointed.
After she was sure Armand had left, Evelia let out a quiet sigh, opened her door, and looked into her room, right at the withered blue rose placed near the entrance.
She thought to herself, ‘If Armand had seen that blue rose while standing at the door, it would’ve been a disaster.’
As for the ketchup… Evelia had already neatly organized all the ketchup she owned. She had marked everything by date. It was just the right amount for her daily use. Not too much, not too little. The storage time was planned perfectly.
If Armand gave her more, it might end up expiring. Rather than waste it, Evelia thought it was better for Armand to enjoy it himself. Those were expensive, fancy brands of ketchup anyway. If he could grow to like the taste of ketchup because of this, that wouldn’t be so bad.
Meanwhile, Armand looked like a stray dog who had just been kicked away. Holding his box of ketchup, he wandered back to the rose bushes that had been trimmed bare.
“So… Eve really does hold grudges… I thought she already got over it…”