Chapter 178: Sunglasses
Even though Evelia had closed her window, Armand didn’t leave.
He leaned against the wall right next to the door Evelia would have to use if she came out, arms crossed, tapping his fingers on his arm over and over.
…What did I do wrong?
Armand thought for a moment, a question mark practically floating over his head.
Lately, because of work, he hadn’t interacted much with Evelia, just the usual small daily moments. He hadn’t done anything to upset her on purpose, and Evelia hadn’t come looking for him either. So in theory, there shouldn’t be any conflict between them.
But… something had gone wrong.
Why was she so angry? Or rather what was she holding a grudge about?
Was it because she got mad when I accidentally saw her without clothes before?
“Hmm...”
Armand let out a small hum at the thought.
Although other girls might be mad about something like that… maybe it was rude to think this, but he didn’t feel like Evelia was that kind of person.
So, was it something else? Did something happen while he was busy with work?
But that angry feeling from her was clearly directed at him. That meant he must’ve done something wrong.
…Well, in any case, he should find a way to apologize.
A real man should be able to be humble when needed. As a knight, how could he let a lady stay upset like this?
He would just have to ask her directly.
Even if pretending not to know what he did wrong might make Evelia even more angry. Honestly, Armand really had no clue what the problem was.
But people are supposed to talk things out. If there’s a problem, you bring it up. Armand didn’t think of himself as particularly smooth with words, and maybe he wouldn’t be able to talk Evelia out of her mood… but at the very least, he could try to comfort her.
Still… had Evelia finally learned what "anger" is?
Though honestly, it felt more like resentment than full-on rage, but it was still an emotion, still a kind of feeling.
From that point of view, Armand actually felt a bit relieved.
Even if she ends up beating me up for this, it’s okay. Because wounds heal, but emotions don’t come out of nowhere so easily.
Alright, he’s ready for it!
Even if Evelia beats me black and blue, that’s fine! As long as she starts to understand what feelings are!
While Armand was hiding in the corner, mentally preparing himself for the worst, he suddenly heard quick footsteps—tap tap tap—running toward him. Judging by the lightness of the steps, it had to be that little girl Rachel in a hurry.
Sure enough, Rachel soon appeared in Armand’s line of sight. She looked around quickly, and then turned her head and spotted Armand waving at her from the corner.
“Hmm?”
But when Rachel turned her head toward him, Armand looked at her more closely with curiosity.
Because at the moment, even though Rachel was still wearing her usual outfit and had her hair tied up messily in a braid she probably did herself… she was also wearing a huge pair of sunglasses.
Yes! Big, adult-sized sunglasses. They were so oversized for her face that she had to tie them on with an elastic band, kind of like old-fashioned reading glasses, just to keep them from falling off.
She looked cool, but also kind of ridiculous.
“Rachel… what are you doing? Is this some kind of new role-play?”
“Ahem ahem—”
Rachel didn’t answer Armand’s question. Instead, she just gave a little cough, spread her feet apart, put her hands on her hips, and tried her best to act serious, fierce, and a little bit cool to match her big sunglasses.
But because Rachel was so short compared to the tall and strong Armand, no matter how hard she tried to look tough, she still couldn’t beat the calm, half-smiling expression Armand had as he tried to play along.
It might sound dramatic, but Rachel even felt like Armand could squash her flat with one foot if he wanted to.
‘Oh well, for Evelia, for my “daughter”... I’ll do it!’
So Rachel gathered all her courage and shouted:
“Mom! That dumb old dad is right here!!!”
“Whoa, did you just call your own dad a dumb old man...?”
Armand couldn’t help but comment on Rachel’s bold words. Just as he spoke, he noticed someone else slowly approaching from the side.
Rachel also took a couple of steps forward, and soon stood side by side with Evelia in front of Armand.
As soon as Evelia arrived, the mood around them instantly changed.
She wore her usual maid outfit, and her long hair still flowed loosely down her back. But just like Rachel, Evelia now wore a pair of sunglasses.
Because of Evelia’s naturally sharp and intense aura, once she put on the sunglasses, Armand could even feel a slight killing intent. The mood she gave off was completely different from Rachel’s silly attempt at looking cool. Suddenly, the air around them felt colder.
What are these two even trying to do?
Normally, if someone with this kind of vibe came toward him, Armand would immediately be on alert, ready to defend himself. But with Rachel and Evelia in front of him, he just couldn’t treat it the same way.
As for why the two of them were wearing sunglasses. Well, it was Rachel’s idea. She thought the sunglasses would help cover Evelia’s red, puffy eyes.
Evelia hadn’t said anything about it, but Rachel knew. There’s no way Evelia would want Armand to see her looking so sad and vulnerable. With her eyes red like that, she probably wouldn’t have stepped outside at all.
But!
Armand had to see it!
He had to know!
You! You made Evelia cry!
If you make my “daughter” cry, you have to face the guilt and consequences!
Rachel went to the old butler and found two pairs of sunglasses. Even though Evelia’s eyes were still red, Rachel got her to put on a pair and dragged her outside to find Armand and let out her anger.
Rachel even tied the sunglasses on with elastic bands herself. They kept slipping down her face every few steps, but she didn’t care. For Evelia’s sake, she powered through. In the end, she successfully convinced Evelia to wear hers and come out.
So now, the two of them, both wearing matching sunglasses, stood right in front of Armand, with one goal in mind, to make this man into a punching bag.
Evelia stood silently in front of Armand. The two stared at each other, neither saying a word.
“Mr. Armand!”
“...Huh?”
The words sounded like something Evelia would say, but the voice was Rachel’s.
She had become Evelia’s “spokesperson,” like a comedy act where one person moves their mouth and the other does the talking. She stood just slightly behind Evelia, speaking on her behalf.
“Rachel? What are you...” Armand looked confused as he stared at Rachel peeking out from behind Evelia.
“Don’t call me Rachel! I’m acting as Mom’s official representative!”
She stuck her head out dramatically from behind Evelia, and because she moved too quickly, she had to push the oversized sunglasses back up on her nose.
"Why do you just call me by name, but when it’s Eve, you politely call her 'Mom'...?"
"No complaining, Mr. Armand!"
"Okay, okay..."
Armand, who was about to say something sarcastic, had no choice but to keep quiet to match Rachel’s serious tone.
If this silly act could help Evelia feel a little better, then he didn’t mind playing along.
"Now, Mr. Armand, please come with me!"
After saying that, Rachel turned to the side and gestured for him to follow. Evelia also turned the same way, copying Rachel’s movement, as if Rachel really was her official spokesperson.
"Shouldn’t you be saying ‘sir’ instead?" Armand couldn’t stop himself from throwing in another comment.
"I said no complaining!"
"So strict..."
And just like that, Armand followed behind Rachel and Evelia. The two led him around the mansion, avoiding most of the servants, and brought him to the back yard where the trash was taken out. The trash had just been cleared, so it was unlikely anyone else would come by.
"We’re here, Mom," Rachel whispered, gently poking Evelia’s finger.
"......"
Evelia didn’t answer with words. She just nodded, glanced at the empty trash can that had just been cleaned, then looked at Armand, who was still confused.
"Mr. Armand."
This time, it was Evelia’s voice. Even though she still sounded calm, Armand could hear that her voice was slightly hoarse.
"Please come here."
"Uh... okay."
Not knowing what was going on, Armand walked over to Evelia. He tried to see her eyes through the thick sunglasses, but all he could see was his own confused reflection in the lenses.
Still, this was his own estate. She probably wouldn’t do anything too extreme. Plus, Rachel was with her.
So, Armand stepped closer.
He wanted to get near enough to ask what was going on.
Even if it was just to complain or blame him, she needed to say it out loud.
"Eve—"
Just as he reached out his hand, Evelia suddenly grabbed his arm.
"What are you—"
Before Armand could even finish his sentence or react, everything happened too fast.
In just a second, Evelia had pressed her back against him—
“Wha—ugh?!”
And with that, she threw him over her shoulder in a perfect judo flip. In a flash, Armand flew through the air in a clean arc and landed straight into the trash can nearby.
It was a flawless throw. Even if the Second Prince were here, he would’ve given her a perfect score.
"Nice shot!"
Rachel even cheered from the side and stood on her tiptoes to high-five the expressionless Evelia.
"Ugh..."
Because he landed butt-first, Armand ended up stuck upside down in the trash can, legs in the air. He couldn’t move his arms or legs properly and just wobbled around awkwardly inside the metal can.
Even though Armand had prepared himself to maybe get beaten up by Evelia, he never expected to get thrown into a trash can.
If he had known about Evelia’s identity as the “Red Crow,” he probably should’ve been thankful that he was thrown in alive, rather than chopped into pieces and then thrown in.
“Alright, Mom! Mission ‘Throw Dumb Dad into the Trash Can’ is a complete success! Mom, give me the sunglasses now. I need to return them to Grandpa Butler later.”
“What do you mean ‘Throw Dumb Dad into the Trash Can’—”
Halfway through his sentence, Armand’s voice suddenly stopped.
Because Evelia had taken off her sunglasses, and he saw that her eyes were still red.
“......”
In that moment, he couldn’t say a single word.
Evelia turned her head slightly to glance at Armand. She hadn’t meant to show any particular expression, but the moment her eyes met Armand’s, her brows gently furrowed, without her even realizing it.
It wasn’t like the times she used to pretend to look “sad and pitiful.” Now, she really looked pitiful.
Seeing Armand’s reaction, Rachel knew her mission was done. As expected, without her, this family really would fall apart someday.
“Ahem—alright, Mom. Let’s just leave Dumb Dad here and go take a walk in the garden, okay?”
As she said this, Rachel made sure to speak loudly, so Armand could hear every word clearly. She even put special emphasis on the words ‘the garden,’ as if telling Armand, ‘That’s where you can find us later.’
“......”
Evelia didn’t say anything. She simply looked away from Armand. Her eyes lowered, like she was feeling down, or maybe like she wanted to look at Rachel beside her.
‘I didn’t expect this little girl to stay by my side…’
Evelia thought to herself, then gave a small nod and turned to leave with Rachel.
“......”
Even after Evelia and Rachel’s figures disappeared from sight, Armand still couldn’t say a word.
Maybe it was because he felt too embarrassed sitting in a trash can like this, and didn’t think it was the right moment to say anything serious to Evelia.
Or maybe… he still didn’t know what to say.
“...Haaah...”
Still stuck in the trash can, he looked up at the sky.
He still didn’t know exactly what he did wrong. But whatever it was, his conscience was feeling crushed.
Helping Evelia understand emotions was supposed to be a good thing, but...
Why did the first emotion she learned have to be sadness?
Even if it had been anger, it would’ve been better than this.
He didn’t want to see Evelia crying. He wanted to see her smile.
If someone like Evelia, who used to have no feelings, ended up with teary eyes because of him… then what kind of jerk was he?
Still, the fact that Evelia didn’t leave the estate, didn’t resign, and didn’t kill him meant things could still turn around.
He has to go to the garden...
As he thought this, he tried to twist his body and escape the trash can that had trapped him.
But unfortunately, he was really stuck. The iron can was solid and tight, and no matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t get himself out.
Clang!
In the end, he and the whole trash can just toppled to the ground together. And still, he was stuck.
“Haaah...”
Armand lay there on the ground, helplessly stuck to the trash can.
“Someone... help...”