Chapter 70: Why Are You Like This?
“Mr. Armand.”
“What is it?”
After carefully recording every single one of Evelia’s measurements, Anna walked over to Armand, holding the measuring tape that still carried Evelia’s body warmth. She looked him up and down. In her eyes, Armand was already the perfect male model to match with Evelia. It would be such a shame to let him go just like that.
“Would you like to try on a new outfit?”
It seemed Anna even used a polite tone on purpose to persuade him.
“No, there’s no need. I’ll just wear my knight’s formal uniform when the time comes.”
“You’re just as stubborn as Miss Evelia...!”
Annoyed, Anna immediately dropped the respectful tone she’d just used.
“Right? I think Evelia is pretty stubborn too.”
“That’s not the point!”
Anna couldn’t understand how their brains could switch between being sharp and dense so easily. Was the signal in this place messed up or something?
“Don’t you want to wear a matching outfit with Miss Evelia at the ballroom? Like a couple’s outfit?”
She leaned down and whispered softly into Armand’s ear. His eyes lit up immediately when he heard that.
“Still no need.”
But he still refused.
“Why not?!”
“Well... it’s not like we’re actually a couple or anything…” Armand’s gaze shifted slightly. “I’m just going to the festival with Evelia. We don’t have to wear matching clothes. We’re not at that stage.”
Even though Anna had whispered, Armand answered in his normal voice. That startled Anna so much she quickly turned to look at Evelia, who was standing in front of a rack, browsing through dress styles.
Evelia clearly heard what was said, but she didn’t react at all, as if she agreed with Armand completely.
And the truth was, she really did.
Evelia knew that her relationship with Armand was still just that of a manor lord and his maid. Even if she stretched it, it was just “master and personal maid.” The idea of wearing “matching couple outfits” was still way too far for them. She hadn’t yet reached her goal of “becoming the woman who lies beside Armand at night.”
From Evelia’s point of view, Armand had always treated her with a kind of distant politeness, so she just assumed he didn’t have much interest in her.
As for Armand, his lack of warmth wasn’t because he didn’t care, but because he was caught in his own complicated emotions.
“But you two really look so...”
When they first entered the store, Anna could sense a bit of distance between them. But as Evelia was being measured, the way Armand looked at her showed he wasn't really keeping his distance anymore. When he looked at Evelia, his expression wasn’t as obvious as a couple in love, but that quiet softness, that hazy tenderness, was definitely there in his eyes.
And yet, now Armand was trying to draw a line again.
And Evelia didn’t object. She didn’t show any reaction, just calmly continued looking through the dresses, as if silently agreeing with what Armand had said.
“Why...”
Anna couldn’t help but mumble, “Why are you doing this, Mr. Armand?”
“What?”
As if he didn’t catch what she meant, Armand pulled his gaze back from Evelia’s back and looked at Anna again.
— ‘There it is again, that look,’ Anna thought.
He clearly couldn’t take his eyes off Evelia, so why wouldn’t he take just one step forward?
“Could it be… you have some reason you can’t say out loud?” Anna asked in a soft voice.
“A reason you can’t say out loud…?”
“For example… um, pardon me, but I still want to double-check. You’re not… into men, right?”
“?”
Armand’s smile froze for a moment.
“Do I really look like I’m gay?”
“If you’re not into men, then could it be…”
Anna looked at Armand’s lower part with an expression that seemed to say ‘poor guy…’
That look, Armand knew it all too well. Back then, those old noble geezers would spread rumors just to stop their daughters from developing feelings for someone like him. They claimed that the Royal Knight Captain refused to get married because he had, well… certain physical issues.
In the past, Armand didn’t really care. He’d think what does it matter to them if he was fine or not? He was not interested in their daughter anyway. He was just planning to retire peacefully in the little house he’d prepared for himself. Their business was none of his concern, and his had nothing to do with theirs.
But now, somehow he started caring a lot more about those rumors.
“Don’t say stuff like that…!”
He quickly tried to explain himself when he noticed Evelia had, for some reason, turned halfway around.
“I’m completely normal, okay? Don’t go around saying that—”
He defended himself nervously, but Evelia, who had just turned a bit, seemed to have just walked over to pick up a ribbon. She was holding it up and comparing it to a dress design she’d seen in a book.
“……”
Seeing how completely uninterested she looked, Armand, who had already stood up in a panic, awkwardly sat back down again.
Watching him flustered like that, Anna raised an eyebrow. If Armand wasn't interested in Evelia, then something's seriously wrong.
“But seriously… why?”
Anna was still curious. From the way Evelia talked before, she always seemed troubled about her relationship with Armand.
So Anna had assumed Armand was a cold, distant person. And that’s why Evelia didn’t know how to deal with him.
But now, looking at him like this. If Evelia’s feelings were real, then wasn’t this a two-way crush?
Isn’t it?! What else could it be?!
Honestly, if they just made a little more effort, they’d probably end up in bed! Or already have a kid running around the house!
Based on Anna’s vast experience reading countless romance novels even at her young age, these two definitely had something going on.
And yet... why?
Why were they like this?
Could it be something even more dramatic than a novel?
Like some tragic love-hate story between noble families?
Maybe a forbidden romance between a noble lady and the son of her family’s enemy?
Or worse, they’d been together for years and suddenly discovered they’re half-siblings?!
Or maybe their positions were so different that their love could never cross the gap between them?
While wondering “why,” Anna had already made up an entire 300,000-word romantic drama in her head.
“There’s really no big reason. In short, we’re just not at that level yet.”
That’s all Armand said, with a smile. After all, it wasn’t something Anna needed to know. To him, she was just an ordinary young girl. The less she knew, the better. If she knew too much, it could cost her her life.
Armand wasn’t worried about the Royal Knights doing anything to a civilian like her. But Evelia’s side… well, she was probably a professional at “silencing witnesses.”
“Sigh… okay, fine.”
Seeing that Armand wasn’t going to say more, Anna wisely swallowed her curiosity and walked back over to Evelia, curious to see what kind of outfit she had picked out for herself.
“Wha— Miss Evelia!!”
Anna suddenly shouted in shock after seeing what Evelia had matched together. “You can’t wear lingerie to a ballroom!! That’s not okay!”
“?”
Armand, nearby, let out a big confused “Huh?”
Wait… what kind of outfit are we talking about?!