Chapter 196: An Unsteady Position
Armand and Evelia stared at each other in silence.
Armand had no idea what Evelia was thinking right now, but in his mind, he kept trying to remember if he had done something wrong again.
Even though he was the extremely high-ranking Captain of the knights, and very respected in the Knight Order. At home, just one sentence from his maid could send him spiraling into reflection about whether he’d messed something up recently.
If Evelia were a nun, Armand might have started confessing his sins on the spot.
“……”
Evelia let out a low, rumbling sound from her throat, like an unhappy little cat.
Seeing this, Armand quickly brushed the hay off his clothes, gently patted Luna, and told it, “Go back to the stable first.” Then he walked over to Evelia.
However, since there was still some dirt stuck to his body, he had to stand at a respectful distance from her.
Still, Evelia didn’t say a word. She kept staring at Armand, as if waiting for him to do something, or maybe she just didn’t know how to express herself.
“Uhm…”
Seeing Evelia stay silent, Armand pursed his lips and fell into a few seconds of deep thought.
After some “observation” over time, Armand realized something. For Evelia, the usual trick of “if the girl’s upset, the guy should just apologize first” didn’t work at all.
Because every time Armand apologized, Evelia would immediately say things like, “No, Mr. Armand, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s all my fault.” And then the two of them would get stuck in a cycle of endlessly apologizing to each other.
So when it came to Evelia, Armand knew he couldn’t treat her like an ordinary girl.
Ahem.
Armand gave a small cough and quickly reviewed the lines he had prepared in his head.
Then, as if he was ready to risk everything, he took a deep breath and said.
“—Well, look who it is! Isn’t this my dear Eve! Oh my goodness, Eve, you look absolutely adorable today! What brings you here to see me? Oh my God, if I weren’t covered in hay and mud, I would totally give you the biggest hug!”
Armand stretched his arms out stiffly, mimicking the kind of overly dramatic lines from the stage plays he’d seen. He awkwardly opened his arms, offering Evelia a hug.
As he spoke, he felt so embarrassed he thought his toes might curl hard enough to poke through the bottom of his shoes.
But sometimes it’s not about being clever, just about what works.
“Puff.”
Evelia didn’t hesitate for even a second, she threw herself straight into Armand’s arms. If he hadn’t been prepared, he might’ve been knocked over by the impact.
…Whew.
Armand let out a breath of relief in his heart and gently patted the pink-haired cat girl in his arms.
Since Evelia was still willing to interact with him, that meant it wasn’t anything too serious.
If it were like that day when she shut the window on him, then there would really be trouble.
Though Armand had said a lot that day, and even got to see a rare smile from Evelia, nothing much had really changed afterward.
Evelia was still Evelia.
Quiet and expressionless.
She still silently served him her tomato dishes, then stood to the side and watched him eat every bite.
She sometimes still furrows her brows tightly like before, which puts a lot of pressure on Armand, who can only force himself to eat the food in front of him.
Because of his stomach problems, Armand doesn’t eat much. He mostly relies on the special nutritional supplements approved by the royal family.
Unlike his soldiers, who act like they want to eat the entire dining table along with the food, Armand usually feels full after just a few slices of bread. If he gets really hungry, he might add a fried egg.
But under Evelia’s “training,” Armand suddenly realized… he could actually eat quite a bit.
Even though Evelia didn’t know much about the outside world, she could still tell that Armand ate way too little every day.
To take care of him, whenever she was in charge of cooking, she would always fill his plate to the brim.
At first, when faced with food that was more than double his usual amount, Armand tricked her into eating two-thirds of it by coaxing and persuading her. But it didn’t take long for Evelia to catch on. Her sharp mind saw right through Armand’s little tricks, and she stopped falling for them.
Once she finished preparing the meal for him, she would stay nearby the whole time. No matter what Armand said, she wouldn’t take a single bite. She would just quietly stand there and watch him eat the entire carefully prepared, nutritious meal, looking like he was being tortured.
That was the first time since his poisoning that Armand experienced the feeling of being too full.
But to be fair, after that, his appetite did improve a bit.
The way he barely ate before made Evelia feel like he had the words “I have an eating disorder” written on his forehead. Now, although he still couldn’t finish everything Evelia cooked, he did eat noticeably more than before. And that long-lost feeling of being full actually made Armand feel surprisingly refreshed.
Even though Evelia’s goal had been to get close to Armand and eliminate him once he was no longer useful, she now seemed to be taking very good care of him. She even worked closely with the kitchen staff to create the most suitable meal plans for his body.
Even Armand himself felt like, if this kept up, Evelia would fatten him up into a chubby little thing.
Back to the present, Evelia was still hugging Armand tightly, like she was afraid he might run away.
Armand didn’t quite understand why, but he still responded to her need for comfort.
Hugs really were something interesting. Normally, Evelia looked like she could punch a bull to death, but in his arms, her waist felt very slender and soft, like a delicate girl’s.
The kind of softness that made it hard to let go.
It was completely different from the heavy “injured soldiers” he usually had to carry during combat training.
The difference in their body sizes made it easy for Armand to hold Evelia close. That feeling of their bodies pressed together, like she was wrapped up tightly in his arms. Armand found it surprisingly pleasant.
It even gave him the illusion that she belonged to him.
But then again… maybe that wasn’t entirely impossible.
Thinking this, Armand’s thoughts drifted in another direction.
Even though Evelia now clearly worked for the second prince, maybe he was being overly hopeful, but Armand felt she probably had a good impression of him. Unless everything she was doing right now was fake, Armand believed that he might actually still have a chance.
If he could get Evelia to surrender peacefully...
Even if she didn’t provide any useful information, at least she could stay by his side—
…Haah.
Armand suddenly let out a sigh in his heart.
But what’s the point of her staying by my side? I probably don’t have many years left. I might not even survive this winter.
And once I’m gone, whether it’s the crown prince or the second prince who wins, I doubt either of them will keep around someone like Evelia, who doesn't have a clear side.
Even if the side I support wins, even if I give up everything, my entire life's honor, to save Evelia’s life… in a few years, when I die… I still won’t be able to protect her.
Sigh…