Chapter 77: A Strange Feeling
When Armand returned to the estate and didn’t see Evelia, or find any of those strange tomato sauce dishes she always made for him, his first reaction was to think back on everything he’d done recently.
Did he say something wrong? Did he do something that upset her again?
Later, when he heard from the servant delivering breakfast that Evelia had handed out some strawberry cookies and then went to the back garden, Armand didn’t even touch his breakfast and ran straight there to look for her.
When he found Evelia near the old blue rose bushes, she was sitting with her head down and saying nothing. Her long hair hung down, covering the side of her face, so Armand couldn’t see her expression clearly.
But judging from the gloomy air around her, Armand could tell she wasn’t in a good mood. He almost felt like he could see a dark cloud floating over her head.
Seeing how unhappy she looked, Armand once again started wondering if he had done something to make her upset.
After going through everything and confirming he really hadn’t done anything wrong this time, he walked over to Evelia. He was still thinking about how to start the conversation when he realized she hadn’t even noticed he was there.
A trained assassin who made no sound while walking surprisingly didn't notice approaching footsteps.
He walked closer, then squatted down in front of her. Evelia looked lost, biting her lip without realizing it. She looked so vulnerable that it made Armand’s heart ache.
“What’s wrong?”
He spoke softly, but stayed in that position. Even though he was tall, right now he looked small, squatting in front of her like that.
“.......”
Evelia didn’t answer. It was like she was trying to calm down inside. The wind gently blew her long hair, and a few strands of pink got caught on the corner of her lips.
Since she stayed quiet, Armand didn’t break the silence either. He slowly reached out and brushed the hair away from her lips. His fingers touched her cheek lightly, and Evelia’s eyelashes trembled a little from the touch.
Still, she didn’t say anything. But she let out a soft sigh through her nose, and tilted her head just slightly. Then, before his hand could move away, she leaned her slightly cold cheek into his warm palm.
Maybe she just wanted to feel more of that warmth. She even rubbed against it a little without realizing it. Armand’s hand, rough from years of using cold weapons, wasn’t exactly gentle, but Evelia didn’t care. In fact, it was the roughness that made her feel he was really there with her.
Evelia closed her eyes. She listened to the wind, to the rustling of the leaves, and to the sound of Armand’s breathing. And in that moment, she learned what it meant to feel “at ease.”
Of course, she might not fully understand what the word “at ease” even meant. But at the very least, she knew that whenever Armand was nearby, the mess in her heart seemed to quiet down.
Why was that…?
Evelia asked herself in her heart.
Why did Armand feel so different from the others? So different from those who made her feel “disappointed”? They were all just regular “people,” weren’t they? So why… why did it feel so different?
...Forget it.
Evelia couldn’t figure it out.
So she gave up.
She didn’t want to keep thinking about it anymore.
This stubborn girl, Evelia, actually chose to give up, to stop trying to understand this strange feeling.
Because even though she didn’t understand emotions well, she still had a kind of sixth sense, something like instinct. And that instinct told her, if she kept digging into this unfamiliar feeling, she might end up finding an answer she wasn’t ready to hear.
So… she ran away from it.
Evelia didn’t know how long had passed, or how many deep breaths she had taken, before she finally opened her eyes. As she expected, when she looked up, Armand was still looking at her.
Even though she had closed her eyes and couldn’t see him, his gaze had never left her.
“Mr. Armand.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“Can you... sit here with me for a little while?”
As she spoke, Evelia gently patted the empty spot beside her.
“Sure.”
Without any hesitation, Armand stood up and sat down next to her. They didn’t sit too close, there was still a polite distance between them.
“Can you tell me what’s wrong?”
Seeing that Evelia’s emotions had calmed down a bit, Armand asked the question that had been worrying him.
“Other people... don’t like me.”
“Hmm...?”
Even though that was a very normal sentence, it still sounded strange coming from Evelia.
After all, she didn’t seem like someone who would get upset just because others didn’t like her. Armand had always known she was not very good at dealing with emotions. So he was surprised she actually cared about what other people thought.
But then again, it wasn’t like she chose to be bad with feelings. Thinking about that made Armand feel a little sorry for her. And the more he thought about it, the angrier he became, especially at that second prince. He really couldn’t stand that guy.
But now wasn’t the time to focus on the second prince. Armand already disliked him enough. What mattered more was figuring out what exactly had happened to Evelia.
“So tell me, who’s been mean to you?” Armand tilted his head, looking at her. “Just say the word. You know you hold a pretty high position in my team. If anyone’s stepping out of line, I’ll make sure they get punished.”
“Everyone.”
“Huh?”
Armand blinked. What? Did something like bullying happen?
Who in the world would dare to bully Evelia? Were they crazy?
“What exactly happened?”
Evelia didn’t answer right away. She just placed a broken bag of strawberry cookies into Armand’s hand. Since the tomato sauce inside had leaked, the bag looked like it was stained with blood.
If Armand hadn’t already smelled the strong tomato scent, he might’ve genuinely suspected that she’d killed whoever had been bothering her, and that this “cookie” was all that remained of the evidence.
But one glance at the cookie, shaped like a strawberry but smelling like tomato, and it was obvious Evelia had made it herself.
Still, she didn’t seem like someone who’d be upset just because a snack didn’t turn out right... or maybe... to make Evelia feel this down, something truly heartbreaking must’ve happened.
“Everyone didn’t like it.”
Evelia stared at the broken cookie in Armand’s hand. Her face didn’t change much, but her words sounded as pitiful as someone being bullied.
“They didn’t like what?”
“The cookie.”
“...Ah.”
Now Armand started to understand. Did she maybe organize a little tasting event, and no one showed up?
“I’ll try it.”
Since no one else appreciated it, then he would make sure to show her some support.
Thinking this way, Armand didn’t hesitate to open the bag and put half a cookie into his mouth. Although the tomato sauce inside had already dried up and no longer had that juicy feeling, the strong sour taste still made him frown.
To avoid showing an ugly face, he quickly covered his expression with his hand. The sharp sourness even made him suck in a few sharp breaths.
When Evelia saw Armand eat that half of the cookie, she quickly followed and put the other half into her own mouth. Unlike Armand’s exaggerated reaction, Evelia handled the sour taste just fine and even looked like she was enjoying it, thinking she had done a good job.
“How is it, Mr. Armand?”
“Ah... I’m still alive.”
“I wasn’t asking about you. I meant the cookie I made.”
“Ah—” Armand took another breath. “Well... how do I say this... it’s a bit... intense.”
“I see…”
After hearing his answer, Evelia looked a little disappointed.
Seeing that his reaction had made Evelia feel down again, Armand sighed.
“Eve, have you ever had alcohol before?”
“A little.”
“Do you like it?”
“...Not really.”
Evelia needed to stay alert to take on missions at any time, so even though she had tried alcohol before, she never drank it on her own. But if it was an order, she would follow it without question.
“Then do you hate bartenders?”
“Bartenders? Why would I hate them?”
“Exactly. It’s like that. Some people like strong drinks with 90% alcohol or more, and some people won’t even touch a drop. But not liking to drink doesn’t mean you can’t get along with the bartender. The same goes for the tomato sauce, maybe the taste is just too sour for some of them. If someone poured you a glass of 96% alcohol, you’d probably struggle with that too.”
“If you needed me to drink it, I would.”
“Eve…” Armand shook his head when he heard that. “Didn’t I tell you before? You should be able to make your own choices.
Not everything has to be about taking orders. You are you, not someone else. It’s your freedom to choose what you do. Even if tomorrow you decide you don’t want to be my maid anymore, I can’t force you to stay, right?”
“You wouldn’t try to stop me?”
“Huh?”
“If I left tomorrow, you wouldn’t ask me to stay, Mr. Armand?”
Armand had just been talking about life lessons, trying to help Evelia feel better, but she had clearly focused on the example he gave in the second half.
“Ahem… I already said, it’s your freedom.”
“You really wouldn’t try to stop me?”
“……”
Seeing Evelia staring hard at him, Armand held back for a moment. Then he leaned back slightly and raised both hands like he was surrendering, finally giving in.
“Okay, okay, I would ask you to stay. I would do everything I could to make you stay.”
Of course, that was the truth. But the reasons behind it were complicated. It had to do with his role, but also his personal feelings.
“I see.”
Evelia pulled her body back slightly. Her face still didn’t show much emotion, but she didn’t look as sad as before.
Armand thought that no matter what, as long as Evelia felt a little better, that was enough.
“Mr. Armand.”
“What is it?”
Hearing Evelia call out after a short silence, Armand quickly responded.
“I’m glad you’re here.”
Evelia still couldn’t really understand why most people didn’t like her cooking, but luckily, Armand was still here. Armand hadn’t left her.
“Look at you, saying things like that.”
Armand didn’t know why, but even though Evelia’s words were supposed to be touching, he felt a strange emotion in his heart.
She was glad he was here? What did she mean by that?
They were supposed to be on opposite sides, so why would she say, ‘I’m glad you’re here’?
He now felt just like Evelia had a moment ago, suddenly a little bitter, and even strangely unsure of himself.
So annoying...
It felt like someone who didn’t deserve to be trusted was being relied on, and worse, the person trusting him was someone he himself wasn’t sure he should trust either.
They were basically two liars.
“Mr. Armand.”
As the smile faded from Armand’s lips, Evelia looked at him again and scooted a little closer to him.
“Yeah?”
This time, Armand answered too, though his voice didn’t sound as cheerful as before. Still, he quickly put on his usual polite smile.
“Do you remember the healing magic from before?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“Could I ask you to use it on me?”
Even though Armand was by her side, Evelia was starting to feel strange emotions too.
She wasn’t as good as Armand at understanding her own feelings, but she still realized, maybe she was walking a path that didn’t belong to her.
So right now, she needed that special feeling of peace. The kind that only Armand could give her.
“Ah... okay.”
Wanting to help Evelia feel better, Armand reached out his arm. He thought maybe just putting a hand on her shoulder wouldn’t be a big deal.
But the moment he stretched out his arm, Evelia suddenly threw herself into him, pressing herself tightly against his side and wrapping her arms around his neck.
“You...”
Armand started to say something, but in the end, he didn’t say anything. His arm, frozen in the air for a moment, slowly came down and rested gently on Evelia’s back. After hesitating a bit, his other arm followed, and he pulled Evelia into a full embrace.
After a while, he even moved his hand up, softly stroking the back of Evelia’s head with his big palm, as if he wanted to hold her whole body close and keep her safe. He lowered his head too, resting his cheek on the side of Evelia’s neck.
It was Evelia who had asked for healing magic, but now, it was hard to tell, who was really healing who?
Two loyal hounds of royalty, now hugging each other quietly like two wounded dogs, gently licking each other’s wounds in silence.
Maybe this so-called “magic” really did work. Their restless feelings seemed to drift away with the wind. But even after they calmed down, they didn’t want to let go.
Because they both knew, as soon as they let go, all that confusion and trouble would come back and mess up their hearts again.
While Evelia stayed in that hug, she seemed to learn a new kind of feeling, though she didn’t understand it, or even notice.
A tiny seed had been planted in her heart. Just like a rose waiting quietly to bloom.