Chapter 127: The Little One Who Was Watching
Originally, Armand and Evelia were sitting together on Luna’s back, but since Luna was still lazily trotting around, Armand eventually decided to jump down and lead Luna on foot, letting Evelia sit on the horse alone.
“Did I take your seat, Mr. Armand? If it’s inconvenient for you, I can get down,” Evelia said as she looked down at Armand walking beside her. She seemed unaware of why Armand had suddenly gotten off the horse.
“Ah, no,” Armand said, pausing for a moment before answering, then shook his head a bit awkwardly. “I just sat for too long and thought I’d stretch my legs for a bit.”
Armand had originally planned to walk around a little more with her, even take her to a high point behind the hills so she could see the whole area from above. But because of Evelia’s “sudden move,” he gave up on that plan like a coward.
After Evelia held onto the handle of his saddle, Armand couldn’t stop thinking about that moment. His mind even wandered, imagining what might happen next. Although his reason stopped the fantasy before it went too far, Armand still couldn’t focus with Evelia right next to him. That was the main reason why he jumped off the horse without hesitation.
The secondary reason? Well, Luna just wouldn’t behave. Even after everything, she kept on bouncing around nonstop, making it impossible for Armand to sit still. In the end, he had no choice but to jump down.
When Armand got off the horse like someone trying to flee the scene, Luna let out a “cough cough” kind of sound, as if she were laughing at him for running away.
Back at the estate, Armand helped Evelia down from the horse. She landed steadily on the ground with his support.
Luna, who still seemed full of energy, nudged Armand’s arm with her head after Evelia got down, almost like saying, ‘That woman’s off the horse, now let’s go for another run, right?’
“Alright, alright,” Armand said, understanding what Luna meant. He reached out and rubbed her head. “We didn’t come out today just for your fun, okay? Take it easy.”
“Hmmph…”
Luna snorted, clearly unhappy.
“Don’t you start acting upset. You know exactly what you did,” Armand said.
Since Evelia was standing right next to him, Armand couldn’t say too much out loud. So he turned to her and said, “Wait here for a bit,” then led Luna off to the side.
Evelia didn’t try to listen in on what Armand was saying to Luna, she didn’t think it was important. From a distance, she could tell just by watching his gestures and expression that although Armand seemed a little worked up, most of it was just helplessness. He didn’t know how to deal with Luna.
After all, what could he do? Even though he often came to vent about life to Luna, he still knew deep down that she was just a horse. No matter how long they spent together, she’d never truly understand human feelings or words.
Some distance behind Evelia, a small figure was sneaking around, secretly nibbling on a red bean bun while peeking at the two of them.
That’s right, it was that little rascal, Rachel.
Her hair no longer looked like it had been blown by Armand's level-8 hurricane. After the old butler carefully brushed it, her two playful braids stuck out and bounced up and down with her movements, showing off the kind of cuteness only someone her age could have.
Armand had never learned how to braid hair. Even in the past, when he didn’t have time to cut his own hair and let it grow out, he would either just let it fall down loosely behind him or cover it with a hood. When he pulled the hood tight and let his bangs hang down to hide his face, it actually gave him a mysterious look and helped him keep his real appearance hidden.
So, under the hands of someone who had no idea how to do hair, Rachel’s braids had ended up looking like a tornado in a thunderstorm. Armand had even pulled out a few strands of her hair with his rough hands, and then blamed the hair tie for being too tight.
As for why Rachel was now running out here while chewing on a red bean bun, of course it was because of Evelia and Armand!
To grow up strong and healthy, nutritious food is important. For someone with an alchemical body like hers, there were special foods mixed with alchemy ingredients that could make her even healthier. But right now, Rachel didn’t have access to that kind of stuff, so she could only eat whatever else was available.
But this red bean bun? That was just because she was craving sweets. The whole “I’m eating for nutrition” excuse was just her way of comforting herself. Basically, lying to herself.
Still, the reason she came out here for Evelia and Armand wasn’t a lie.
At night, she had tried to help the two of them grow closer by making sure they sat nearer to each other. In the morning, she even gave them a shared private space in the bedroom.
But now, what kind of scene was this?
Rachel, who had taken a little longer because she was picking snacks, bit into her bun and had no idea what was going on anymore.
She had already set the perfect mood for them to spend time alone together, even with a little leftover tension from the night before.
Rachel had thought her mission was done, that she could sit back and relax. But unexpectedly, the two of them didn’t stay in that nice, big bed where any position would’ve been easy to manage. Instead, they ran off to the horse yard.
When Rachel heard they had left, she quickly ran over, only to see them already galloping away on horseback.
After eating a mouthful of dust kicked up by Luna as she ran, Rachel watched them disappear like the wind. From the look of it, it was like they were determined to not come back until they had spent the whole night outside. That made Rachel feel a little relieved. She spat out the sand in her mouth and went back to the sweets kitchen at the estate.
But when she was expecting to see some romantic scene under the starry sky, like a man and a woman returning home together, sitting close on horseback. Instead, Armand and Evelia came back not long after they left. They went out early in the morning, and returned just as early.
So Rachel rushed over again, only to find this ridiculous scene. Armand had left Evelia to the side and was whispering to a horse.
Has he lost his mind, or have I lost mine…?
Rachel couldn’t help but slap her own forehead.
How could anyone choose a horse over my “masterpiece” Evelia? Is my “daughter” really not as good as a horse?
Can this “son-in-law” really be trusted…?