Chapter 130: Meant to Be
“Mr. Armand?”
Evelia caught the faint, bitter smile that flashed across Armand’s face. Not understanding the reason, she looked at him with clear curiosity.
“—Hm?”
Armand replied instinctively. He hadn’t been thinking for long, and Evelia’s eyes were still filled with the desire to know what he thought of her.
She still wanted to know what kind of evaluation she would receive from him.
“Mr. Armand.” Evelia said his name again, as if urging him to speak.
Armand hesitated for a moment, because a dangerous thought in his head was starting to overpower his reason.
—Why not just take her away from the second prince?
That idea echoed in his mind like a devil’s whisper. Once it appeared, it wouldn’t go away.
—If she became his, wouldn’t all these problems disappear?
And honestly, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
Right now, it was just a matter of turning someone to your side or being turned. And strangely enough, Armand’s thoughts were lining up with little Rachel’s plans as well.
To fix the current problem, the conflict caused by their different positions, the simplest solution was to make sure they both stood on the same side.
Armand had always been stubborn about these kinds of matters. And especially since his relationship with the second prince was already beyond repair, there was no way he’d bow his head just because of Evelia.
So he thought, why not pull Evelia over to his side?
Not to the crown prince’s faction, just to his personal side.
—But why?
Just as he was starting to form a plan in his head, that question popped up.
‘Why?’
That simple word was one of the hardest to answer.
Why was he so determined to do this? He had plenty of chances and methods to cut ties completely, so why go through the trouble of bringing a potential spy to his side?
And not only did he have to figure out how to persuade her, but he also had to be prepared for what to do if he failed.
This was a risk, a gamble, and the outcome would affect more than just himself.
And Armand was someone who hated cleanup work. He was the kind of guy who, when assigned a mission, walked straight in through the front door while everyone else snuck in through windows. He didn’t like complicated or messy things.
But still, he wanted to do it.
When his own thoughts asked him why he was making this choice, he could only give one answer.
‘Because I want to. I want to keep Evelia by my side.’
“Eve, I—”
But just as he opened his mouth, the words got stuck.
A breeze swept through, rustling the leaves. Through the falling greenery, a glint of light passed through a small gap, revealing a golden banner in the distance.
It was the banner of the Royal Knights, his banner. A symbol of his position… and the responsibilities that came with it.
—So annoying.
Looking at that flag, and hearing the faint training chants of the knights in the background, Armand felt more and more frustrated.
‘…This won’t work. I’m still the commander of this country’s knight order! If I act on my own selfish desires—’
“Do you not like me?” Evelia’s voice suddenly broke through his thoughts.
“No—!”
Armand blurted it out almost on reflex. The words flew out before his brain caught up.
“So… you do like me?”
“…I don’t dislike you.”
Compared to saying “I like you” or “I don’t like you,” saying “I don’t dislike you” was much more neutral.
When Armand saw the way Evelia paused, unsure how to respond to that answer, he couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.
‘…Man, I really want to quit this job.’
Armand sighed inwardly.
If he were a nobody right now… would he finally be able to do what he want? Could he finally act on his own thoughts and desires?
But… no.
This was his duty, and the price he must pay.
To get revenge for a dear friend from the past, Armand had borrowed the power of the Crown Prince. Because of that, he had no choice but to follow the Crown Prince’s orders. Until everything was over, he had to keep his focus on that mission.
...In the end, how was he any different from her? They’re both just people on a leash.
In his eyes, Evelia's reflection appeared, her loyalty to the Second Prince was like a mirror showing his own situation.
Armand had never been able to escape from the grip of the royal family. He often joked bitterly that all he’d ever done was jump from one sewer into another.
The only difference?
The second sewer maybe didn’t smell as bad. But still, who the hell wants to eat crap anyway?
“It’s enough that you don’t dislike someone like me, Mr. Armand.”
Evelia didn’t seem fully satisfied with Armand’s earlier answer, but since it was still a somewhat positive one, she accepted it calmly.
“Eve.”
“Yes, Mr. Armand?”
“Do you remember the question I asked you not long after we first met?”
As he spoke, Armand walked over to the fence and leaned back against it, as if trying to relax.
Though he wasn’t standing especially close to Rachel, his movement caused the fence to creak and shake a little, which startled the little alchemist, who had been hiding and watching them so seriously she even felt worried on their behalf.
“The question…?”
“Have you ever thought about running away?”
That was something he had asked her under the moonlight long ago. Evelia had never forgotten that word, escape.
But that word, which Armand claimed had defined his entire life, had always been more of a way for him to comfort himself.
He had run from many things. But he had never been able to run from his responsibilities.
Back then, he had carried the weight of “taking that friend away” and charged forward to break free. And even though some dead branches broke his fall when he fell off a cliff and saved his life… Honestly, sometimes he felt like it would've been better if he had just died.
It looked like he had escaped, but in truth, it felt like he was still trapped.
Now again, he was burdened with a mission. “Commander of the Royal Knights” might sound impressive, like a high-ranking official who could lie around at home all day eating free meals. But the truth was, many families' lives were in his hands. One wrong move… and it would all fall apart.
He kept running forward, but it felt like the chains on him only got heavier and heavier.
“Mr. Armand.”
Evelia stepped to his side, standing tall and straight.
“I’ve thought about it.”
“…!”
Her answer was completely different from the one she gave him before.
“I have thought about it. And it was you, Mr. Armand, who taught me that word.”
“…Ha.”
For some reason, Armand chuckled.
He, the one who always wanted to run but could never break free. And Evelia, who once said she would never run, was now saying she had learned how to.
What the hell is this…?
A helpless smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, like he’d just heard the most ridiculous joke.
“Mr. Armand, why did you suddenly bring this up?”
Evelia noticed his strange reaction and asked gently, trying to understand why he suddenly mentioned this.
“Nothing really, I just suddenly thought… If only I weren’t the Knight Commander.”
“......”
Evelia paused when she heard that. She turned her head to look at Armand beside her.
After thinking about it for a long while, she softly replied.
“If you weren’t the Knight Commander, Mr. Armand… then I probably never would have met you.”
“...Ha—”
Armand was surprised at first, then laughed out loud.
“Maybe… this really is fate, Eve.”
He smiled and stretched his arms, standing up straight.
“You and I meeting each other. It must’ve been meant to be.”