Chapter 186: Handsome Man and Beautiful Woman
Because of the event, this street had become lively and crowded. Men and women, old and young, everyone was wandering between book stalls, either looking for good finds or just enjoying the fun. Now and then, you could even see groups of novel lovers gathered in corners, excitedly discussing their favorite characters and story moments.
Unlike Evelia, who dressed very simply today, Armand stood out a little more. He was wearing sunglasses, copying the look that Evelia and Rachel had used that day. He looked quite noticeable in them.
It wasn’t because he wanted to look cool or because he saw himself as a public figure trying to hide his face. In fact, even though Armand was a well-known name, he rarely showed his face at public events. So, in ordinary civilian areas, most people wouldn’t recognize him.
The real reason he wore sunglasses today was simple, his eye was still swollen.
Evelia had punched him a bit too hard. He was lucky it hadn’t broken any bones or hurt his eyeball. But the big, dark bruise around his eye wasn’t going away anytime soon.
Although Armand had applied medicine to it, it wasn’t working fast enough. He couldn’t just walk around with a black eye in public, and he didn’t want to miss out on this trip with Evelia, which was officially for book shopping but really just a nice chance to go out together. So, following Evelia and Rachel’s example, he asked the butler for a pair of sunglasses.
Wearing sunglasses in a busy street like this looked a little silly, especially on someone as tall and strong-looking as Armand. It naturally drew attention.
But no matter how silly it looked, he had such a handsome face that it didn’t matter. As people say, “Clothes make the man, but a good-looking guy can be stylish even in rags.” So when Armand and Evelia walked into the section for girls’ novels, many girls instantly turned their heads to look at him.
After all, this was the girls’ section. These girls dreamed of meeting a man like the ones in their books. They didn’t know anything about Armand’s personality or background, but just his looks alone already gave him a huge advantage.
Some of them were holding copies of “The Maid’s Knight”, and the moment they saw Armand, complete with a sword at his side and a strong, upright posture. They instantly imagined him as the main male character brought to life.
And if they actually knew Armand’s real-life background, they would realize he really was like a romance novel hero.
Let’s talk about his wealth. As the captain of the royal knights, of course he had money. He often thought he wasn’t rich, but that’s only because his close friend was the super-wealthy merchant Carle. In the entire royal city, almost no one could match Carle in wealth. Compared to Carle, Armand might seem average, but compared to regular folks, he had saved up quite a lot over the years.
His social status? He was the leader of the Royal Knight Order, directly under the royal family. His name carried serious weight, wherever he went, people would bow and show respect.
His living conditions? He owned a beautiful, grand estate. The atmosphere there was so good, other servants from different homes were jealous and dreamed of working for him.
His personality? He was gentle and kind, very warm and easy to talk to. His strength? Come on, he was the leader of the knights. Of course he was strong.
Even if people on the outside called him a fool or said he didn’t have brains, all these qualities were enough to cancel that out. He was pretty much the dream male lead in a romance story.
But if those girls also knew that Armand’s health was bad, and that he probably didn’t have many years left to live, some of them would probably cry out in despair, ‘Why is fate so cruel to someone so perfect?!’
All those girls’ eyes fell straight on Armand. Evelia’s “danger radar” immediately activated. She quickly walked up to him and tightly held onto his arm. She even made sure to place Rachel in a very visible spot beside them, just to send a clear message to those girls.
This man is already taken.
And more importantly, they even had a child together!
Okay, maybe not by blood… but as long as it scared off the others, it was good enough.
Evelia shot a fierce glare at those clueless young women. Her sharp, intimidating eyes made the girls break out in a cold sweat, as if just one more glance at that man would get their eyeballs gouged out, thrown to the ground, and stomped on, or worse. With that scary expression, it looked like even getting skinned alive wasn’t impossible.
—What an annoying couple of a handsome man and beautiful woman, and they even have such a cute kid!
The young women could only admire and envy them in their hearts.
Many of them had been paying attention to Armand, but once Evelia appeared beside him with a dark expression, taking his arm like it was completely natural, they immediately knew. They didn’t stand a chance.
Armand had amazing qualities, but Evelia wasn’t lacking either.
If you really thought about it, Evelia, as the “Red Crow”, might not have been an officially recognized noble or public figure, but she still had a decent amount of fame. In fact, on a nearby bookstall, there was even an adventure novel based on the legend of the “Red Crow.”
In that story, the main character was a powerful, cold assassin. Someone who always had the perfect plan, could climb walls and leap across rooftops, and was basically a superhero. The book described the character as having a cool, beautiful appearance, a powerful and striking presence, and a cold, unfeeling heart. A mysterious and deadly young man.
When Rachel saw the character introduction in that novel, she glanced toward Evelia.
That cold and strong protagonist in the story... really didn’t match the pink-haired girl beside her now, who was holding a romance novel, dragging Rachel by the arm, and angrily hugging Armand to show everyone he was hers.
It was such a huge difference it was almost funny.
But when Rachel remembered that Evelia was her own “creation,” she felt a little proud again.
Because Evelia was her masterpiece, she of course had a beauty that matched Armand’s perfectly. When it came to appearance, very few people could beat her.
As for money, Evelia didn’t have much herself, but if you stretched the truth a little, anything she asked the Second Prince for would probably be reimbursed. Which meant her “wealth” was pretty much half the royal treasury. And if Evelia really wanted money from the Second Prince, he likely wouldn’t say no.
As for her personality—
Wasn’t Evelia super cute?
Being cute was more than enough.
So, no matter how you looked at it, Evelia was someone who could stand next to Armand without feeling out of place. The only mismatch between them was probably their positions. They were like Romeo and Juliet in the world of politics.
“Eve?”
Armand looked down at Evelia, who was hugging his arm tightly again. It felt like if she used just a little more strength, she’d lift him right off the ground. After surviving her scissor-lock and then the black-eye incident, Armand now had a very real understanding of how strong Evelia actually was.
“......”
Evelia pouted a little and looked up at Armand. Then, still holding his arm, she pulled him aside under the jealous gazes of the other girls, like she was proudly saying, “Look! He’s mine!” They walked to a shaded spot under a tree nearby.
“Mr. Armand, wait here for me. I’m going to buy the books.”
She looked very serious, clearly not wanting him to be stared at by other random girls any longer.
Armand was supposed to belong to her only.
“Huh? But I had a few books I wanted to check out—”
“I’ll get them for you,” Evelia said firmly. “Just tell me the titles.”
“Ah—”
Armand was about to agree and let her help, but then he remembered something. The books he wanted to read had ridiculously long and embarrassing titles, those over-the-top ones you’d never want to say out loud.
So, he quietly closed his mouth again.
“...Nothing I really have to buy.”
His expression was a little awkward, but thanks to the sunglasses, it wasn’t too obvious.
Yeah… books like that are better to buy when I’m alone.
“Alright then, Mr. Armand, please wait here for a little while.”
Evelia nodded firmly and turned to head toward the romance novel section. Rachel, who also wanted to check out some novels, decided to follow Evelia instead of staying with Armand under the tree.
That book The Maid’s Knight seemed to be especially popular. There was even a whole booth dedicated to that series. Evelia had a clear goal in mind and headed straight toward the booth.
“Hey, man.”
“Hm?”
As Armand sat under the tree, watching Evelia’s figure disappear into the crowd, a man’s voice suddenly spoke beside him. Armand glanced to the side and saw another man wearing sunglasses like him. This man looked a bit mysterious, hiding in the shade as if he was avoiding someone.
“This spot’s great for hiding, right? And you can see the booth perfectly. Which book are you the author of?”
The man with short dark-blue hair leaned closer, thinking Armand was like him, hiding out for the same reason.
“No, you’ve got the wrong guy,” Armand replied, adjusting his sunglasses. “I wear these because of an eye injury. I’m just here waiting for someone.”
“Oh, I see. I thought you were an author like me.”
“Author? May I ask which book you wrote?”
“That one.” The man pointed at ‘The Maid’s Knight’ booth. “That series is mine. I wanted to come see the popularity and sales in person.”
“Oh?” Armand looked the guy over with new interest. “That’s a romance novel, right? I thought it would’ve been written by a woman.”
“I just like trying all kinds of genres. Right now, I’m planning a new book. A spin-off, since this one’s doing well. This time I want to make the lead characters a little more twisted. Like… a corrupt and wicked knight commander and a righteous maid.”
“Oh?” Armand tilted his head, intrigued. “Why does the commander have to be ‘wicked and corrupt’?”
“Well, think about it,” the man said, getting into it. “A knight commander backed by royalty, he’s got money, power, influence, and a whole squad of soldiers. It only makes sense he’d rule over his area like a tyrant. Even if the current knight commander doesn’t have any major scandals, who knows what he’s hiding in private? He could be drinking, smoking, chasing women… stuff like that suits powerful people, right? I mean, with a position that high, a little corruption almost feels expected.”
“Hm…”
Armand just smiled, listening to the man rant beside him about what he thought the current Royal Knight Commander might be like.
“Say, brother, you’ve got a sword. Are you a knight too?”
“Of course,” Armand said with a chuckle. “I’m doing pretty well in the knight corps, actually.”
“Oh? Perfect! That’ll give me more material for the next story. What’s your rank?”
“Commander.”
“...Huh?”
The man clearly froze after hearing that.
“You said you’re…?”
“Commander of the Royal Knights,” Armand said, folding his arms and leaning casually against the tree, smiling as he looked at the man who still hadn’t fully processed what he just heard.
“So, what do you think? Am I corrupt enough for your story?”