Chapter 85: You’re Right, But Why Did You Drink Perfume?
Tomorrow was the day of the celebration, and everyone was getting busy.
The marketplace was full of people coming and going. They were putting up lights and fireworks for the yearly fireworks show. Many food and merchandise vendors had come early to grab a good spot, hoping to sell more on the day of the event.
Young men and women were excited about the festive atmosphere. Older veterans strolled slowly down the streets, enjoying the hard-earned peace.
Everyone wore smiles, ready to welcome the lively celebration.
The manor was also buzzing with activity. After all, the head of the manor was the commander of the Royal Knights. It made sense that the manor should be decorated properly too. Some staff who had to stay on duty and couldn’t go out for the festival would still be able to enjoy the celebration right here in the manor.
Evelia was in her dorm, fiddling with the dress Anna had given her. Armand had told her that a maid would help her get dressed for the event, but she was still curious about how such a complicated outfit was supposed to be worn.
She carefully picked up the fancy dress and stood in front of the full-length mirror, moving it around and trying to imagine how it would look on her. Evelia didn’t really understand ideas like beauty or fashion. She didn’t know if the dress looked good on her, she just thought that, judging by what she saw in the mirror, it didn’t look bad.
Evelia took out her perfume and sprayed a few pumps onto the dress. Maybe the bitter taste of the perfume was still fresh in her memory, because when she smelled the scent, even though her mouth was clean, her tongue still reacted with a sharp bitterness.
Armand wasn’t doing much better. By the time he arrived at the Knights’ headquarters the next day, he was still drinking water nonstop, saying the taste in his mouth wouldn’t go away. No one else could smell anything, but that huge gulp of perfume had clearly left a mental scar on him. Last night, even when he sneezed, the air smelled like flowers. Since he was already a light sleeper, the fragrance had even woken him up a few times.
“You didn’t sleep well again?”
Carle, who was sitting at his desk, noticed Armand’s tired face right away. Ever since Evelia came to live at his manor, Armand had clearly looked more worn out than before. Carle had even gently asked if he was doing okay, wondering if Evelia was too much for him to handle. Carle didn’t know Evelia very well, but based on the little he had seen, she seemed like a pretty difficult person.
“Ahh—yeah,” Armand didn’t hesitate at all. He flopped onto the couch in the office, covered himself with his coat, and closed his eyes. “I feel like I’m dying…”
“What happened this time?”
“I got a whole mouthful of perfume last night.”
“What?”
Carle looked at the resting Armand with confusion. He remembered being there when Evelia went to buy the perfume, and he had noticed her strange obsession with Armand. Now hearing Armand say he drank a mouthful of perfume made Carle imagine some very odd things.
“Was it… with that girl named Evelia?”
“Of course. Who else would it be?”
Carle nodded silently. At least this sounded like a pure love story.
“Did it happen after you got back to your manor?”
“Yeah.” Armand shifted on the couch like he couldn’t get comfortable.
“In the bedroom?”
“No, in the office.”
Carle raised an eyebrow at that.
“Is the office even convenient for that kind of thing?”
“What’s the problem? Eve comes to my office all the time. She knows exactly what to do.”
Of course, what Armand meant by “knows exactly what to do” was just the normal things a personal maid would do, like bringing food, cleaning, or pouring tea. Those small daily tasks, Evelia could definitely handle without any trouble.
“Oh…”
But on Carle’s side, because he and Armand were thinking from totally different “starting points”, he paused for a moment and then softly let out a little gasp of surprise. Even though there were only four years between them, Carle felt like there was already a generation gap.
“I didn't expect you two to be at that point already. I used to think you'd never want to try something like that in your entire life.”
“Ahh… I just wanted to taste it a little with the tip of my tongue last night, but she startled me and I ended up drinking a big mouthful. I still feel uncomfortable even now.”
Carle’s eyebrows furrowed more and more deeply.
“This is the first time I’m trying it, you don’t know how weird that taste was, oh my god. And that scent? Actually, it smells good, but still... I’m never forgetting that smell for the rest of my life. Every time I close my eyes, I can see the whole scene again… and that weird look Eve gave me…”
As Armand talked, he got more and more worked up, and was about to sit up and rant. But when he saw Carle’s expression, he froze.
“Why is your expression weird too now?”
“Is it?” Carle rubbed his furrowed brows. “I think… it’s fine. I mean, it’s your first experience, so it’s understandable.”
But actually, it wasn’t really fine anymore.
“So, Armand… what happened next?” Carle was still a little curious about what came after.
“What happened next?” Armand sat cross-legged on the couch. “After she left, of course I started cleaning up my office. I couldn’t hold it in, and I ended up spilling perfume everywhere. Ugh… I don’t know why, but lately she’s been super sensitive about smells. I feel like if this keeps going, she’s going to spray perfume all over the place all the time. Smell me, do I still have that scent on me?”
“I really don’t want to smell you.”
Armand’s long string of sentences without a clear subject made Carle frown again, just when his expression had finally relaxed. When Armand leaned closer, Carle instinctively leaned away.
“Maybe it’s just in my head, but I feel like the smell’s still there… I’m never drinking perfume again…”
“Perfume? Were you talking about perfume this whole time?” When he heard that word, Carle suddenly realized what this was all about.
“Yeah, yesterday Eve went to buy some perfume. She said we had to use the same one. I just wanted to taste it a bit, but she surprised me and I drank a big gulp. After she left, I kept spitting it out, and the whole office smelled like perfume. It took me forever to clean it up. I really need to talk to her, she can’t just spray that stuff everywhere. I don’t want that smell sticking to me, it’d be such a hassle…”
As Armand kept talking, he noticed Carle’s face was changing more and more with every word. Eventually, he stopped talking. His voice got quieter. Then, remembering what he had just blurted out, he hesitated and asked cautiously:
“Carle… you weren’t just thinking something weird just now, were you?”
“Huh? Was I?” Carle played dumb, resting his chin on his hand. “I don’t think so.”
“You don’t think so?”
“Nope.”
After that short exchange, a long silence followed between them. Since they were the leader and vice-leader of the same organization, both of them were experienced at interrogating people. Their eyes were sharp, and they also knew how to act innocent. So they stared at each other for quite a while… and still couldn’t tell what the other was thinking. In the end, it just turned into a silent game of “who blinks first, loses.”
“……”
“……”
“Carle, you were totally thinking something else just now.”
“I was just thinking… why would you drink perfume?”
“Stop changing the subject.”
“But why did you drink perfume?”
“Don’t ask such weird questions…”
“You’re right. But still, why did you drink perfume?”
“Ugh, you’re so annoying—!”