Chapter 116: Sincerity Is the Ultimate Weapon
Summer had arrived, and the temperature had gone up quite a bit. While it wasn’t sweltering yet, the night breeze was still warm enough that Evelia didn’t need to wear a thick shawl.
She held Rachel tightly in her arms as she walked toward the main building where Armand lived.
Evelia didn’t really know how to properly carry a child, so Rachel ended up awkwardly wedged between her arms with no proper place to rest her bottom. It felt like with a few more steps and a bit of bouncing, she might slip out and fall. But luckily, Evelia was very strong. Even if she was just holding Rachel by clamping her with her arms, she had the strength to keep her there all the way.
The estate at night wasn’t completely dark. With such a large household, there were naturally both day and night staff working. Along the main path to the central building, small lights were placed every few meters, dim enough not to disturb sleep but still enough to see by. Knights were also patrolling around the grounds.
As for the patrol routes, Evelia had already memorized them. Though Armand changed the patrol rotations now and then, every route that had already been used was firmly in her mind. For any routes he hadn’t used yet. Well, she’d just have to wait and see the next time he made a change.
If she were walking through the estate as the “Red Crow,” she’d be sneaking through the shadows, silently dodging each guard, or maybe even killing them and hiding their bodies in the bushes.
But she wasn’t the Red Crow right now. She was just Evelia.
And all she wanted to do was go see Armand and talk. Maybe calm her mind a bit.
“Ah, Miss Evelia, where are you heading this late at night?”
Evelia didn’t bother sneaking around and instead walked along the well-lit main road. Soon enough, she ran into a young knight with a friendly face.
He wore a black version of the standard knight uniform, specially designed for night duty. There were no shiny decorations or noisy accessories. Just something that looked like a simplified, stealth-friendly version of their normal gear.
But the way he stopped her felt less like a friendly greeting and more like he was questioning her.
“I’m going to see Mr. Armand,” Evelia replied calmly. She was telling the truth, after all.
“This late? You’re going to the captain’s place now?”
“Yes,” she said with a nod.
“It’s really quite late... Are you sure it’s okay? You know, if us knights don’t rest well at night, we’ll have a rough time with training the next day…”
The knight looked troubled. It was hard to tell if he was genuinely worried about disturbing Armand’s sleep or if he was just uncomfortable letting Evelia go there so late at night.
“It’s fine. I know how to make Mr. Armand feel comfortable,” Evelia said flatly.
She wasn’t actually trying to imply anything suggestive. She just wanted to contradict the knight’s concerns. If she admitted that her visit might disturb Armand, this guy probably wouldn’t let her go so easily.
“…Huh?”
The knight froze at her words. Even Rachel, who had been nestled quietly in her arms, looked up with a face that said, ‘Do you even realize what you’re saying?’
Evelia didn’t catch the awkward look in the knight’s eyes, but she did notice that he still wasn’t ready to let her pass. So she added another line.
“I’ll serve Mr. Armand well through the night. I have enough skill and experience, so there’s no need for you to worry.”
What she meant was probably something like, ‘I can take good care of your captain. You don’t need to worry, I’m not going to do anything dangerous.’
But the way she said it, and the wording she used, made the knight’s thoughts go in a completely different direction.
…Could it be that their relationship has already reached that stage?
The knight began to wonder silently.
Even though the knight had heard rumors that his captain and the personal maid had an unusual relationship, especially since the captain had even broken tradition and danced with her at the ballroom.
This… had things really gone that far already?
And what was going on with that child?
Why did Miss Evelia bring the kid along to see the captain?
Was this something a child should be witnessing? Wasn’t it a bit too early for "early education"?
As the knight silently grumbled in his heart, he noticed Rachel’s expression. She looked just as shocked as he felt. From his perspective, it was as if the little girl was thinking the same exact thing he was.
—Wait, even three-year-olds understand this stuff now?! Is this kid a genius in… that area?!
Why would someone be a genius in this of all things?!
“Excuse me, may I go now?”
Seeing that the knight had gone silent for a long time, Evelia, who usually didn’t like talking much, actually took the initiative to speak.
It was probably because she really wanted to see Armand right now.
If Rachel hadn’t brought it up, maybe she would’ve just stayed awake in her room, restless but not acting on it. But the moment Rachel mentioned Armand, something inside her stirred, and from that point on, her heart had felt strangely unsettled.
She could feel it, only by seeing Armand could she calm down.
“Ah—uh, yes.”
The knight awkwardly stepped aside, realizing that if he didn’t make way now, he might end up ruining his captain’s "important matters."
Evelia nodded lightly and continued walking toward the main building with Rachel in her arms. Along the way, she passed more patrolling knights, but just like they had been informed in advance, none of them tried to stop her. She reached Armand’s bedroom door without trouble.
Evelia’s footsteps made no sound. Normally, Armand wouldn’t be able to sense her approaching just by hearing.
But the simple truth was, Armand wasn’t asleep.
From the moment Evelia stepped outside, the knights on patrol had greeted her several times with, “Good evening, Miss Evelia.” Armand, lying in bed, had heard it all loud and clear. As the greetings came closer and closer, he knew exactly when she arrived at his door.
Still… what was she doing, coming here at this hour so openly?
Knock knock.
While Armand was still thinking, he heard a very soft knock, followed by a cautious voice.
“Mr. Armand… are you asleep?”
Of course, right after that came the gentle voice of Rachel.
“Dad, are you asleep?”
She brought Rachel too? What was going on?
Armand couldn’t quite figure it out, but he still got out of bed in his pajamas, walked to the door, and slowly opened it.
Just as he expected, Evelia was standing there, holding Rachel, who looked like she was barely balanced in her arms.
“Eve… and Rachel too. It’s quite late, do you need something?”
It was the obvious question. Evelia had already discussed with Rachel what to say if Armand asked.
‘What if Mr. Armand asks why we came?’
‘Mom, just tell the truth.’
Yes, just tell the truth.
After all, sincerity is the ultimate weapon.
Because of their height difference, Evelia had to look up at him. Her eyebrows naturally arched upward, making her eyes look a bit sad, almost pitiful.
“Mr. Armand… I feel troubled and restless and couldn’t sleep, so… I really wanted to see you.”
And just like that, Armand was almost completely defeated by Evelia’s ultimate move.