Chapter 206: Thoughts and Words
While the ladies were already discussing what kind of bridal lingerie would be best to win over someone like Armand, who was a bit old-fashioned when it came to love. The "groom-to-be" himself was still lying on the couch in his office, flipping through report after report.
“That sweet smell, did you bring it in?”
Carle sniffed the air. It was clearly a flowery fragrance, which stood out since neither of them, two grown men, ever used scented products. Even though Carle’s wife liked the smell of black tea, Carle himself never carried that scent around.
“...Ah, yeah, probably.”
But the scent on Armand clearly hadn’t just rubbed off on him by accident. It had been directly sprayed on him.
“So how close are you two now? Already shared a room together?”
“Hmm… I guess.”
Armand, eyes still focused on the report in his hands, didn’t seem to be paying attention to Carle’s question at all.
“That’s pretty fast. So when can we expect to drink your engagement wine?”
“Maybe later.”
“Really? And besides the adopted Rachel, are you planning on having another kid?”
“Whatever.”
“...You’re seriously saying ‘whatever’ to something like that?”
“—Hmm?”
After placing the finished page down on the desk, Armand finally sat up and turned to look at Carle, who was fiddling with an empty pen.
“What did you just ask?”
“…Forget it. Pretend I didn’t ask.”
“You didn’t get an answer anyway. I wasn’t really listening.”
“You punk…!”
“Whoa—easy now.”
Raising his hand, Armand caught the pen cap Carle tossed at him. Then he stood up, stretched a bit, and walked over to Carle. With a soft click, he snapped the pen cap back onto the pen in Carle’s hand.
“I was talking about you and that little maid of yours.”
“She’s not that little…”
Armand muttered while sitting on the desk again, absentmindedly glancing back at the report in his hands. But this time, he was actually listening a bit to what Carle was saying.
“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. I was just curious, do you actually plan on getting married?”
“Married?”
Hearing this word, which felt kind of foreign to him, Armand turned his head toward Carle.
“Who are you talking about getting married?”
“You, of course. You’re already twenty-six, and there’s only a few months left in the year. You’re about to be twenty-seven. Don’t you think it’s time to settle down?”
“Me?” Armand tilted his head. “Who would I even marry?”
“That girl, Evelia. Evelia Croyelle, if I’m saying her full name right.”
“Me and her? Hah, forget it.”
Just thinking about marrying Evelia made Armand laugh a little.
One of them was the Second Prince’s “dog,” the other belonged to the Crown Prince. How could people like them ever be allowed to match? Unless the reason was because they’re both dogs.
Even though the two of them were still playing house, acting like parents, when it came to “real marriage”, Armand still had way too many doubts.
No matter if it was the current political situation, their identities, or Armand’s health, he was not someone suited for marriage.
Right now, he was not only the public face as the Commander of the Knights at the center of a political storm, he was also secretly working for the Crown Prince, doing shady things in the background like a “retired assassin brought back to the job.”
And on top of that, he didn’t have many years left to live. That kind of normal happiness regular people enjoy just didn’t belong to someone like him.
Alright, he wasn’t completely cold-hearted. If he really had no emotions or desires, he would have become a monk long ago to stay away from this political mess.
But spending time with Evelia had slowly made him more greedy for that happiness.
The moment Carle said Evelia’s name, Armand even imagined what she would look like in a wedding dress, standing in a church. It was like that small, beautiful wish you make right before blowing out birthday candles.
That’s just the kind of person Armand was. He acted like he was totally against the idea, but in private, he had already thought about baby names.
But at the same time, he was someone who could clearly tell the difference between dreams and reality. So even though he had imagined many “what-ifs,” reality only left him with one path to walk, and he would walk it.
People call that: “all heart, no guts.”
In a way, he was a very pitiful man. You could praise his strong will, but at the same time, he deserved to be called too stubborn for his own good.
“Armand.”
“—Hm?”
Snapping out of his thoughts, Armand heard Carle call his name. He glanced in his direction and saw a complicated look in his old friend’s eyes.
“You’ve thought about it, haven’t you? Something like this.”
His longtime friend could easily see through the little feelings Armand was trying to hide.
“Have I?”
Armand didn’t admit anything. He just mumbled it casually.
He looked over at Carle, and for some reason, his eyes landed on the ring on Carle’s finger.
Even though Carle was a rich businessman, his wedding ring was incredibly simple. Just a plain platinum band with a few small, sparkling diamonds. You’d never guess it belonged to the richest man in the royal capital.
“If you like, I can have someone custom-make a pair of rings for you and Miss Evelia.”
As the vice-commander of the Knights, Carle had a sharp eye, he instantly noticed Armand looking at his ring. He didn’t hide it at all. In fact, for a second, he even wished he wore that ring on his middle finger, so he could show it off even more boldly.
“There’s nothing like that,” Armand replied.
“You can lie to me, but don’t lie to yourself.”
“......”
Armand’s eyes shifted slightly, clearly avoiding the question.
“What are you so unsure about?”
“Nothing.”
“That doesn’t sound like nothing.”
Carle gave up trying to be polite. He walked around the table and sat beside Armand on the desk.
“Is there really nothing you want to tell me?”
He crossed one leg over the other, just like back when they were young, sitting on a fallen tree during a break on the battlefield. They had once been fearless young men full of energy.
Now, one had a family and had learned to be careful about everything. The other was poisoned and didn’t have much time left.
If Armand really died one day, Carle wouldn’t just step up and take over as commander like the rumors said. There was a high chance he’d quit and go home. After all, the only reason he stayed in this job was to keep his old friend company.
“…Nothing,” Armand said.
He knew Carle was truly close to him. But because of that, he couldn’t say anything.
Getting Carle involved in all this would only put him in danger.
“……”
Carle silently stared at the ceiling, his thumbs turning around each other in his palms. Looking at Armand now, and remembering how Anna had described Evelia’s behavior when they visited the shop, Carle suddenly understood something.
Armand and Evelia were both the type to keep running into walls without ever turning back.
Watching two stubborn people fall in love was exhausting. It felt harder than unclogging a toilet.
Maybe for their wedding gift, he’ll just give each of them a plunger.
Was there some kind of medicine to cure people who can’t be honest? He couldn’t take this anymore…
Carle’s face stayed calm, but in his mind, he’d already written a full page of complaints. He’d always been the type to say sarcastic things, but ever since he had a family, he had learned to hold back.
Still, deep down, he hadn’t changed. If you gave him the chance to speak freely, he’d probably talk even more than his cousin Anna.
“Let me just ask you one thing, Armand.”
After silently complaining in his heart, Carle finally opened his mouth and picked the most normal-sounding question.
“Do you like the way your little family of three feels right now? Do you like Rachel? And do you like Miss Evelia?”