Chapter 165: Rest
Maybe it was because the atmosphere now was just too peaceful and quiet, so peaceful that even though Armand was trying to stay awake, his eyelids kept fluttering like old window blinds. If he didn’t make an effort to keep them up, they would slowly fall shut.
Evelia was lost in her own thoughts, completely silent. Armand also didn’t feel like starting a conversation, so the two of them sat together in silence.
It felt a bit like how married couples fall asleep to each other’s breathing. For someone like Armand, who often struggled with insomnia, hearing Evelia’s soft, steady breaths and his own calm heartbeat slowly started to make him feel sleepy.
Maybe it was because he wasn’t paying attention to anything else, but as he began to drift off, all he could hear in his ears and in his mind was Evelia’s quiet breathing.
Even though it wasn’t nighttime, Armand was now half-asleep, half-awake. In that state, his mind could easily float between reality and dreams. Sounds reached him only in bits and pieces.
Just like before, when everything had gone quiet, Evelia gently placed her hand over Armand’s eyes again. This time, there were no fluttering lashes to tickle her palm. As his vision turned dark, Armand’s eyes finally closed.
He looked like he really needed to rest.
His hands were crossed and placed on his chest. Even though he had fallen asleep, his posture was still a little stiff, like he hadn’t fully relaxed. That meant he probably wasn’t in a deep sleep, just a light one. He wasn’t in the kind of deep rest where Evelia could make any big movements while he was lying on her lap.
In fact, even if Evelia just moved her hand now, Armand would likely wake up right away.
If someone asked Evelia whether she had thought about doing something while Armand was asleep, she would definitely say, “Yes.”
After all, assassins never waste the chance to act when their target is unconscious. Whether it’s a killer or a thief, they all prefer it when their target is unaware and unguarded.
When Evelia went to buy wine earlier, she even thought, if Armand got drunk and fell asleep, she would help him get comfortable in bed, and then use the chance to search the room for anything useful.
Unfortunately, in that “drinking battle,” Evelia was completely defeated by the “cheating” Armand with no suspense at all.
But now, this was another opportunity.
This was the first time she had ever seen Armand quietly resting with his eyes closed. Usually, whenever she came into this room, Armand had already gotten up and was either training or had just finished. Even that one time when she came hoping to nap with him, she was the one who fell asleep first and ended up sleeping all the way until morning.
So now, seeing Armand lying there quietly, breathing evenly with his eyes closed. It felt strangely new to her, even after all these months.
Unlike Armand, who once seriously considered killing Evelia when he saw her peacefully sleeping by his side, Evelia, who was supposed to be the “villain,” didn’t feel such strong murderous intent.
Looking at Armand sleeping so defenselessly on her lap, Evelia did feel a sense of accomplishment, like her plan had succeeded.
But… her “plan” only went as far as getting Armand to fall asleep. As for what came next, she wasn’t sure what to do.
Even though Armand looked peaceful, like someone who could be sent off with flowers, his mind was still alert, ready to wake up at the slightest touch.
Honestly, punching him now might be the best option, knock him out cold, then do whatever she wanted. And when he woke up, she could just pretend and say, “Oh no! You slept the whole day!” and brush it off.
That thought almost became action, Evelia had already raised her fist.
Click.
But just as she was about to go through with it and knock Armand out, there was a sound from the door.
Even though Evelia could be a bit clueless at times, she still had a sense of professionalism.
After hearing the strange sound at the bedroom door, Evelia quickly pulled her hand back and pretended nothing had happened. She lowered her head and looked at Armand like she hadn’t heard anything at all.
It wasn’t until the door let out a soft creak and slowly opened that Evelia finally turned to look toward it—
“...?”
At first glance, she didn’t even see anyone. She thought maybe the wind had blown the door open.
Considering how freely someone had just entered Armand’s bedroom, Evelia figured it must be the old butler coming to check on Armand. She even thought, if she helped Armand, who suffers from serious insomnia, finally get some rest, that should raise her reputation with the old butler, right? He clearly cares a lot about Armand. Evelia had even planned to use this chance to gain his trust and make things easier for herself in the future.
But just as she straightened up and tried to look proper, she realized she was completely wrong. The person who came in… wasn’t the old butler at all.
After all, there’s no way the old butler would casually enter Armand’s room when he knew Evelia was already inside.
Looking again, this time she lowered her eyes and saw Rachel, who was struggling to squeeze through the doorway while holding a big bag of things. She was trying so hard that her chubby cheeks were getting squished by the doorframe.
Rachel was actually the oldest person at the estate in terms of real age, but she also looked the youngest.
She had the appearance of a cute little girl, but her thinking was like that of a mature adult. While she could come off as a little too serious sometimes and wasn’t easy to joke around with, her obedient and considerate behavior had always made her well-liked.
Over time, she became something like a favorite among the servants in the mansion. Every day she snacked on sweets and desserts, and even just now, when the old butler asked her to deliver a bag of clothes to Armand’s room, he also gave her a piece of milk candy as a small treat.
That candy looked just like the one Armand had given her on the carriage before, but the packaging and taste were a little different. After tasting the one from the old butler, Rachel began to suspect there might’ve been something wrong with the one Armand had given her…
“Mom?”
When Rachel saw Evelia, she blinked. Holding that big bag of clothes, she walked with her small steps to the side of the bed and lifted her arms to place the bag down.
At first, when she saw that the old butler had packed a maid outfit and told her to deliver it to “Dad’s” bedroom, Rachel seriously wondered if Armand had developed some strange fetish. She even imagined a few weird, hard-to-accept scenarios in her head.
But after seeing Evelia, she understood, it was her outfit.
—Or so she thought.
What the heck?! Why is “Red Crow” dressed like that and staying in Armand’s room?!
“Mom… why are you here?”
Rachel stood at the side of the bed, looking at Armand peacefully lying on Evelia’s lap, his eyes gently covered. He looked so calm and still that Rachel suddenly panicked, was her “lifeline” already killed by Evelia? Did she cover his eyes because he died with them wide open?!
“I’m keeping Mr. Armand company while he sleeps.”
Evelia answered honestly, but the words filled Rachel’s little head with question marks.
She looked again at Evelia’s clothes, clearly one of Armand’s shirts, just thrown on.
Keeping… Armand company while he sleeps?
Was “keeping company” a verb here… or a noun?
And how did things get to the point where you’re not even wearing pants?!