Chapter 97: Running Free from the Cage
Compared to the mixed scent of perfume and incense inside the ballroom, the air outside the window was much fresher.
Evelia stood at the edge of the balcony. The evening breeze during this season wasn’t too cold, but it was enough to cool down the warmth on her body.
Evelia liked quiet places, and so did Armand. Although they seemed to have opposite personalities, deep down, the two actually had a lot in common.
Even though Armand had closed the door, it wasn’t completely soundproof. The two of them could still hear the dull music coming from the ballroom, and from time to time, they could catch bits of whispering from people passing by.
“Sorry, Mr. Armand.”
“Hm?”
Because of the misunderstanding and silent treatment from last time, Armand had become a little sensitive to Evelia’s apologies. Whenever she said "sorry" or "I apologize," he would be startled for a second and start wondering if he had done something wrong again.
“I dragged you out of the ballroom without asking.”
“What are you saying? It’s not like you forced me. I also wanted to get some fresh air.”
Honestly, if Evelia hadn’t said anything first, Armand might have been the one to bring her out to the balcony, though he probably wouldn’t have asked so politely. He would’ve just pulled her out to this quiet spot on his own.
“You must’ve been looking forward to the festival… but I pulled you away from it.”
Evelia looked down slightly, her fingers nervously rubbing the smooth white marble railing of the balcony.
She regretted acting on impulse just now. She didn’t know if what she did would make Armand see her in a worse light.
After working so hard to get closer to him, what if this “selfish” moment pushed him away again? That thought troubled Evelia deeply.
“Looking forward to the festival?”
Armand repeated the words without thinking.
To be honest, he wasn’t looking forward to the festival at all.
He didn’t want to spend even one more second in that noisy place. He had even insisted on canceling the speech he was supposed to give. Thankfully, Carle was one of the “investors” behind the event, so his words carried weight. As for the noble families, Armand didn’t care what they thought.
In any case, the two princes would take care of everything, though the mood between the brothers was always tense, when it came to getting things done during their “campaign period,” no one was more efficient than them.
“But it looked like you were really prepared for the dance,” Evelia said. “You worked so hard to make time, wore such fine clothes and jewelry, and practiced your dancing seriously. Doesn’t that show you were excited about it? I’m sorry. I ruined it. I should’ve stayed by your side and made a proper appearance with you.”
Evelia thought maybe apologizing could fix it. Because she didn’t know what else she could do.
If there was any way to make up for it, she was even willing to go back into the ballroom with Armand and keep dancing with him. She had practiced so hard just to avoid embarrassing herself tonight.
She didn’t want Armand to dislike her… just because of her impulsiveness.
Even though Evelia tried to look calm, her face didn’t quite match what she was trying to feel inside. The change in her expression was small, but from Armand’s point of view, he could clearly see the difference.
She was supposed to be a tool without emotions. Yet at this moment, she had let herself feel something “selfish” that she shouldn’t have.
“Ladies and gentlemen, knights, the ball—”
Just then, the voice of the second prince came from the other side of the door.
He seemed to be making a toast or speech to the knights. Since Armand didn’t want to do it, the second prince had taken over the job.
When Evelia heard that familiar voice, her heart skipped a beat.
Her master was just outside. She didn’t know whether he was aware that she was right here. Just behind the balcony door, not far away, together with Armand.
If he knew that she might mess up her mission, what would he think?
At the center of the ballroom, the second prince was busy trying to get closer to the knights. Did he have any idea that his "Red Crow" was currently in such an awkward position?
She didn’t want him to see her like this.
Evelia instinctively gripped the balcony railing more tightly.
While the second prince was giving a confident speech on the other side of the door, Evelia found herself too nervous to say a word.
His sudden appearance only made her more anxious. She worried about her mission, and she worried about what she was feeling inside.
Her emotions were confusing. Some were positive, some were negative, but they all mixed together and made it hard for Evelia to think clearly.
Armand noticed her tension. His eyes fell on Evelia’s clenched hands. He could hear the second prince’s voice behind the door, but he stayed silent, as if deep in thought.
As the commander of the Royal Knights, Armand felt that his mission at this place was already complete. He had found the answer to something he had been unsure about for a long time.
But as Armand... things were not over yet.
He gently placed his hand on Evelia’s head.
“Eve.”
His voice was soft, but since they were standing so close, his words easily drowned out the second prince’s voice behind the door.
With his hand pressing lightly on her head, Evelia lowered it slightly and mumbled, “Mr. Armand.”
“Think carefully, why do you think I finished my work early and made time for tonight?”
“To attend the ballroom”
“Right. And who did I come to the ballroom with?”
“...” Evelia paused, feeling the warmth of his hand on her head, gently stroking her hair. “…With me?”
“And those fancy clothes and jewelry. Normally, I only wear my knight uniform. I don’t wear jewelry either. Who do you think I got all this ready for?”
Armand didn’t answer her directly. Instead, he just asked the next question.
Hearing that, Evelia looked down at the elegant dress and beautiful accessories she was wearing. Slowly, she lifted her head.
“…For me.”
This time, her answer was a bit more confident than before.
“Then why did I practice dancing?”
“To dance…”
“I can’t exactly dance alone, can I?”
“To…” Evelia said, lifting her head even higher this time and looking straight at Armand, “To dance with me, right, Mr. Armand?”
Even though she said it like a question, deep down, she already knew the answer. Because she had done the same.
She didn’t just practice dancing to learn a skill. It was because...
“Yeah. To dance with you.”
Armand said the words out loud. Just as she had thought them, perfectly matching her feelings.
“So, Eve… it’s not the dancing I was looking forward to. It was going to the ballroom with you.”
Even though Armand still had some personal plans in mind, he wasn’t lying when he said that.
“Thank you, Mr. Armand.”
Evelia pressed her lips together and managed to get the words out quietly.
“Hah, so you’re not going to keep apologizing now?”
Armand let out a small laugh. Seeing Evelia stop saying “sorry” over and over again made him feel a lot more relaxed too. Especially since, in truth, his reason for bringing her here wasn’t so innocent either.
At the very least, everything he said was true.
“Th-then… I’m sorry, Mr. Armand.”
“Dummy.”
Armand lightly pressed down on Evelia’s head, catching her off guard and making her close one eye. But she didn’t stop him, she just let him gently ruffle her hair, like someone doting on a stray kitten.
“Ah—oops, I messed it up.”
Just as Armand was really getting into it, he suddenly realized that they were at a formal party, and Evelia, standing next to him, was a well-dressed lady. What he just did, messing up her hair like that, was probably not appropriate. If they went back into the ballroom like this, people would definitely say something.
“It’s okay, Mr. Armand. It’s just hair.”
But Evelia didn’t seem to mind. While Armand was still trying to figure out how to fix her now-messy hair, Evelia simply untied the ribbon and let the wind blow through her long hair.
Her hair fluttered around her face like soft pink petals blooming in the breeze. Armand stared in surprise.
“…Ha.”
Then he laughed.
It was rare to see a woman just undo her hair like that so freely. Or rather, it was something almost impossible to see. But with Evelia, it actually made sense.
She seemed so reserved on the outside, but in certain moments, she had this unexpected wild side.
Armand stepped behind her and gently ran his fingers through her long, slightly curled hair, helping smooth it out. Under that flowing pink waterfall of hair, the pale skin of her neck peeked through.
Without thinking, his fingers traced lightly down along the line of her back. When he reached the bottom of the open back of her dress, he muttered, “Why is this dress cut so low in the back…” Then without hesitation, he let her hair fall naturally to cover it.
“Oh right, Eve, you said you wanted to see the fireworks, didn’t you?”
“Mm.”
Listening to Armand’s voice from behind her, Evelia realized she had completely forgotten about the second prince’s voice coming from inside.
“Alright then.”
Armand leaned over the balcony railing to take a look, then, with one swift motion, he jumped right off the balcony.
“?!”
Evelia gasped and quickly leaned over to look down. Luckily, it was only the second floor. Armand had landed easily and stood there just fine, so she finally let out a breath of relief.
“Come on, Eve, I’ll catch you.”
Armand stood below her, arms open.
“Mr. Armand, what are you doing?!”
“We’re going to watch the fireworks. You weren’t planning to just watch them from here, were you? That’d be boring.”
“You mean… you’re going to leave the ballroom just to see fireworks?”
“Of course! Running away is what I do best. If I had to pick one word to sum up my life, it’d be ‘run.’”
“……”
Even though Armand said it as a joke, that one word “run” touched something deep inside Evelia.
It reminded her of a time she could never forget. A time when she tried to run away… and failed. That one moment had changed her life.
Back then, she didn’t make it out. And because of that, she lost the courage to ever try again.
But this wasn’t the first time Armand had pulled her into a “run.”
The first time was when they’d just met, and he dragged her out to the market to buy snacks for drinking. The second was at the bonfire party, when he pulled her away to avoid drinking. The third time was now.
But… could they really run away this time?
Ever since that incident when she was a child, Evelia had started to hate all kinds of so-called promises. She stopped believing in words that had no proof behind them. But after she met Armand, she somehow found herself agreeing to things again and again, without even meaning to. This festival was one of those times. He kept his word and brought her here right on time. And now, he was also fulfilling her casual wish to “see the fireworks.”
“Eve, I’ll catch you! Jump!”
For Evelia, a second-floor jump was nothing. Even in a long dress, she could easily land without getting her skirt dirty. She didn’t really need Armand’s help.
But she chose him anyway. At least for now, she chose to trust.
She jumped. She could’ve landed on her own, but instead, she went straight into Armand’s arms.
And Armand caught her steadily, just like he said he would.
It wasn’t one of those romantic “princess carries.” To avoid dirtying her dress, he held her slightly higher, not sideways but upright. One arm supported her lower back and dress, the other wrapped tightly around her back.
Because of how he held her, she was a little taller than Armand in that moment. To keep her balance, she instinctively held onto his shoulders and looked down. Her long hair fell and brushed against Armand’s ear, creating a soft curtain around them. In that pink shade, they stared at each other, completely focused.
“See? I told you I’d catch you,” Armand said with a small laugh, still holding her tightly so she wouldn’t fall.
“Yes.” Evelia nodded, her grip on his shoulders growing stronger. “I knew you would.”
This time, Evelia’s trust wasn’t misplaced.
He really did catch her. Firmly, without hesitation.
Still holding her, Armand carried Evelia away from the muddy ground and stepped onto a cleaner stone path. Since he’d run through the palace grounds many times before, he knew all the side exits by heart. They just needed to sneak through a back door, and they’d be out. As for the guards? They were all his trusted people. They were so used to Armand’s escapes that no one would question it.
“We’ve got to hurry a bit.”
He looked at the large clock in the royal courtyard and did a quick estimate. If they walked slowly, they might miss the grand opening of the fireworks show.
So he stepped forward and held out his hand to Evelia.
“Can you run, Eve?”
“Of course.”
Thankfully, her dress wasn’t too tight, it didn’t stop her from moving. Without hesitation, she grabbed Armand’s hand, and the two of them began to run.
Just like Armand had said before, his life was all about “running.” And now, Evelia… she seemed to be making her life about “running with Armand.”
Under the same moonlit sky, just like before, Armand once again ran with Evelia by his side. And Evelia couldn’t help but think, if back then she had been able to hold onto someone’s hand like this, maybe she could’ve escaped too.
But… that was just a “what if.”
And “what ifs” don’t exist. So, all she could do was focus on the present.
She had run out of the ballroom. She had followed Armand, right under the second prince’s nose, down the garden path and away.
When they first met, she had felt uneasy about this kind of “escape.” But now, she was willing, completely willing, to run by Armand’s side.
In the moonlight, Evelia looked at Armand’s back as they ran. Her hand gripped his tightly, her face relaxed. And at the corners of her lips, a smile quietly appeared, one she didn’t even realize was there.