Chapter 162: The Olive Branch
“Eve? What’s wrong?”
Armand looked up and met Evelia’s distant gaze. She seemed lost in thought, deep in her own world.
It was like her body was stiff, and she was subconsciously trying to relax. She gently moved her fingers, running them through Armand’s messy hair. Compared to her own long hair that reached past her waist, Armand’s short black hair felt different. Honestly, it felt like she was petting a big black dog in her lap.
“It’s nothing, Mr. Armand.”
Her wandering thoughts were interrupted by Armand’s voice. She lowered her head and looked at the man in front of her, someone she believed she still knew nothing about.
As someone from the House of Nightingales, Evelia had never been truly honest with anyone. Even now, when she wanted to let her guard down and talk freely, she still couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“Eve, you’re always pointing out that I have dark circles under my eyes, but you don’t look that energetic yourself. Don’t you have dark circles too? You don’t sleep well either, do you?”
Armand’s words made Evelia instinctively touch the corner of her eye. But when she looked at him again and saw his grin, she realized he was teasing her.
“So I was right,” Armand said with a smile. “You slept like a log when you stayed here last time, so I figured you don't usually get much rest. Should I reduce your workload a bit?”
If it were anyone else, they’d probably say “Thank you, sir” right away. But Evelia was different, she was the type to finish exactly what she was given, even if it was more than she could handle. She’d still find a way to get it done.
“No need, Mr. Armand. I can handle my current workload just fine.”
She told herself that none of this was a big deal. No matter what, she would always complete her tasks perfectly. Not just her “maid” duties, but also her missions as the Red Crow.
“I’ve never lived in a place as big as this estate before, so I don’t really understand how the servants rotate. Eve, I don’t know what you’ll choose in the future, but if you’re okay with staying here, why not stay a bit longer? Haha… At least here, things like promotions and raises are easy to talk about. If you’re tired of being a maid, remember I told you before, you could always become a knight here.”
If this were a workplace, this would be considered offering an olive branch.
Armand wasn’t one of those uptight, stiff nobles. He might have the reputation of a tough general, but everyone knew he was easy to get along with. Plus, the servants sent to work under him were carefully selected, so they were all good people. That made the work environment quite nice.
Armand was a good master, and his servants were all loyal. That’s why his estate had such a great reputation. In fact, even the nasty rumors about him had started to disappear.
Many servants from other places wanted to transfer here. But Armand wasn’t running a charity, if there were no open positions, he wouldn’t take anyone new. And none of his current servants wanted to leave either. So, in a way, his estate was “hot property”, people outside wanted in, and people inside did their best to stay.
More importantly, every single person working in the estate, whether maid, gardener, cook, knight, laborer, or any other staff, had been thoroughly background-checked. Learning someone’s full story took a lot of effort, and figuring out if they were hiding anything took even more.
Even now, Armand hadn’t found anything unusual in Evelia’s personal records. If it weren’t for his own gut feeling, careful observation, and knowledge of the House of Nightingales, he never would’ve guessed this girl was actually sent by the second prince.
Just like back when he had no reason to get rid of Evelia, Armand didn’t want to bring more “strangers” into the estate. That’s why he hadn’t hired anyone new.
Instead, he kept Evelia, someone he already knew was “not ordinary”, close by. Better to deal with a known danger out in the open than to risk a sneak attack in the dark. At least this way, he could stay on guard.
Still, if Armand originally wanted Evelia to stay for work-related reasons, then now, as he gently offered her this “olive branch,” it was clear there was a lot more personal feeling involved.
“…Thank you, Mr. Armand.”
Even so, Evelia still didn’t give a direct answer. As expected.
“I see… Then I hope that, in the future, you can live somewhere where you can sleep peacefully.”
For people like them, this was actually a very practical blessing. Being able to sleep well meant having a peaceful life.
And for both Armand and Evelia, a life like that was something they could only dream of.
“Yes, Mr. Armand.”
Her answer sounded distant, because she was very aware of her own situation.
“……”
Armand didn’t say anything to that. He fell silent, thinking about what to do next. He was wondering how he could make Evelia stay, and if she did stay, how he could protect her.
If he didn’t handle things properly, he wouldn’t just be going against the second prince, he might even lose the support of the crown prince.
Even if the crown prince let him go out of old friendship, that definitely wasn’t the kind of ending Armand wanted.
Sigh… Being a man is hard. Trying to be a good man with a stable life and family is even harder…
“Mr. Armand.”
After a moment of silence, Evelia spoke again. She gently moved her hand across and covered Armand’s face with her palm.
As a warrior, the most important thing is to never lose your vision.
So when his eyes were suddenly covered, Armand instinctively reached up to grab her wrist. But once he held it, he stopped himself.
“…What are you doing?”
Facing Evelia, he chose to ask first. Even though she was the one he trusted the least, she was also the one who made him break his own rules.
Evelia was, in a way, the embodiment of all of Armand’s inner conflicts.
“I just want you to sleep peacefully for a little while, Mr. Armand. I hope you can have a life where you sleep well too.”
Evelia gave that same blessing back to Armand.
And she felt that, compared to her, Armand might have a better chance at finding peace.
Before the storm came, it might be nice to just enjoy a little bit of quiet like this.
Even though no one knew when that storm would arrive, during this moment of calm, the best thing they could do was cherish this countdown-like peace.
“Please rest well, Mr. Armand.”
Maybe to keep the surroundings quiet, she spoke in a whisper. Her voice sounded softer than usual, almost gentle.
“……”
Armand opened his mouth slightly and moved his hand that was still holding her wrist.
“Eve… will you leave?”
That heavy question broke the quiet atmosphere, like invisible waves starting to rise.
Armand’s question clearly had more than one meaning.
“I’ll stay with you… until you wake up.”
Evelia gave her answer, but it was also a way of avoiding the real question.
Armand didn’t say anything more.
He just smiled bitterly… and let go of her wrist.