Chapter 59: The Crow with Broken Wings
“Miss Evelia, you’re here! Please, come sit down~”
After finishing her last task, Evelia arrived at Anna’s clothing shop. Anna had just finished helping another customer, but as soon as she saw Evelia, she quickly came over and led her to the sofa. She even brought her snacks and tea. Anyone who didn’t know better would think Evelia was a VIP guest at the shop.
“Looks like you’re busy?”
“Yes! Because of the festival, many people have been coming to the shop to order custom-made clothes.”
As Anna talked to Evelia, she continued measuring another lady’s body. She wrote down the numbers in her notebook while helping the customer choose lace and dress styles. After chatting for a while, Anna sent the customer off with a big smile. From the way she looked, it seemed that order had made her a lot of money.
“Miss Evelia, aren’t you planning to buy some new clothes for the festival?”
After sending away her last customer, Anna wiped the sweat from her forehead. While counting today’s earnings, she leaned next to Evelia and began thinking about what kind of clothes would look good on this beautiful girl.
“Clothes?” Evelia was confused for a moment and thought Anna had called her name again. “I don’t need that kind of thing.”
“Ehhh—what?!” Anna exclaimed in disbelief. “You’re so pretty! How could you not want beautiful clothes? I’m not trying to sell you anything, Miss Evelia. I’ll give you a pretty dress for free! You can wear it to the festival!”
“There’s no need for that…”
Evelia had never thought about wearing a dress like that. She didn’t really care what she wore, but she also didn’t want to take advantage of others.
“Aren’t you going to the dance party? Many young ladies come to me to get dresses made just for that. There’s still time! I can make you a custom dress for free! After all, we’re good friends, right?”
Anna’s voice got louder and louder. She moved closer and stood next to Evelia with determination. She clearly wasn’t going to give up until Evelia agreed to wear a new dress.
People who become fashion designers usually have a good eye for beauty. Evelia’s body, perfectly shaped through alchemy, was the kind of beauty they appreciated the most. For Anna, making a dress for her beautiful friend felt like an honor.
“I really don’t need one.”
But Evelia was the kind of person who could calmly say no to this kind of passion.
“Why not~~? Don’t all girls love pretty clothes?”
‘…But I’m not really a girl.’
That’s what Evelia thought in her heart, but instead she gave a more normal answer.
“Because I don’t plan to go to the festival.”
“!” Anna looked shocked and sat down beside Evelia. “You’re not going? The Prolos Festival is so fun! You’re really not going?”
“Mm.” Evelia nodded. “I don’t like crowds.”
“I see…”
Anna looked thoughtful as she glanced at Evelia. With her cold expression, Evelia really did seem like the “cool and distant girl” that people talked about. It made sense that she didn’t enjoy lively places like festivals.
“But the festival is still a lot of fun.”
“Is it?”
Even though Evelia was a native of the city, she almost never left the House of Nightingales unless she had a mission. Because the second prince controlled her, she only went out when he ordered her to. No matter how lively the outside world was, she never paid any attention, because the second prince didn’t tell her to.
“Miss Evelia… it kind of feels like you’re not interested in anything…” Anna tilted her head and looked at Evelia’s calm, expressionless face. “You’re so beautiful… but it’s like you’re carrying something heavy on your back.”
“Really?” Evelia touched her own face. She didn’t feel anything unusual.
“Yes, Miss Evelia, you never smile.”
—Smile.
To Evelia, that word felt very unfamiliar.
If she tried to remember, she had always been a shy child. She liked to hide behind others, didn’t cry or laugh, just quietly stayed there. She didn’t talk much and didn’t get close to people.
Later, she was taken to the House of Nightingales. There, smiling was even less likely. Everyone wore sadness on their faces. They cried and begged just to survive. Smiles were seen as useless. That place didn’t keep people who were lazy or weak. Only those with strength could survive.
After that… some memories were unclear.
She only remembered that once, she thought she found a way to escape. But the person who promised to take her away ended up abandoning her. After she was caught and brought back, she almost died.
If the second prince hadn’t noticed her potential back then, there would be no “Red Crow” now, no Evelia either.
The second prince gave her a chance to live, but he also gave her “fear.” She couldn’t disobey him. That fear became a chain and a mark deep in her soul.
That painful experience, she chose to forget it. There was nothing good to remember. She locked those memories away when she became a Red Crow. Even her old name was thrown away.
Even though the second prince didn’t destroy all the records of her past, Evelia never spoke of her real name again. Since the moment her memory began, she had been a Red Crow, and only a Red Crow.
The “crow” in her name might seem like it can fly, but it always wears a collar it can never take off.
If only she could be free, like other people…
In the past, as a Red Crow, she only dealt with the dead or those about to die. But this time, now, she was facing someone who might stay alive under her watch for a long time, Armand. Evelia didn’t always understand his strange or carefree actions, but she saw that freedom as something she herself could never reach.
To do what you want, when you want…
Is that really so far away for someone like her?
“Miss Evelia…?”
“Yes? What is it?”
“Why do you look a little sad? Were you thinking about something painful? If you want, you can talk to me.”
Hearing that, Evelia noticed the way her eyebrows were tightly furrowed. Just like Anna said, even though she couldn’t see herself in a mirror, she could feel the tension in her face. After Anna’s words, she slowly relaxed.
“No, it’s nothing.” Evelia shook her head. “Nothing worth talking about.”
—The less you know, the better.
That thought suddenly appeared in Evelia’s mind.
She had just received a mission to “kill the one who knows too much,” so she felt it would be safer if Anna didn’t know anything. The less Anna knew, the further she would be from danger.
A killer’s kindness… is more precious than gold.
“By the way, Miss Evelia, about that knight you mentioned last time, did you invite him?”
“Not yet.”
“Did you not get a chance?”
“I forgot.”
“......”
Evelia answered so directly that Anna felt a little awkward.
“Well, um, Miss Evelia, you should try bringing him here sometime. That way I can take a look and help you pick a dress with him!”
“Dress? I’m not really interested in the celebration…”
“No, Miss Evelia, what I mean is—” Anna patted Evelia’s shoulder and looked at her seriously. “If you want him to notice you, then invite him to the festival!”