Chapter 218: A Fork in the Road of the Future
When the old maid Stacey turned around and saw Armand, she was startled.
She had been keeping her eyes on the door, trying to help cover for Armand, but she didn’t realize he had somehow already appeared behind her. The surprise made her take a deep breath in shock.
But Armand didn’t say anything or explain. He simply pointed quickly at the nearby window, which had been left slightly open for ventilation, and then motioned for Stacey to stand up.
Someone like Stacey, who had lived a long life, had seen a lot of things. She quickly stood up and pretended nothing had happened, walking with Armand back to the stone path while saying in a formal tone, “You see, this is our estate’s front garden…”
“Captain Armand!”
Just a few seconds later, Derrick came rushing out from the mansion’s front door. Whether he was excited or had simply run downstairs too fast, his face was red, and his eyes wide open with excitement.
“Hm? What’s wrong?” Armand turned slowly, pretending he didn’t know anything. “Did you find out where Viscount Scassia is?”
“Ah, yes—sort of!”
Derrick bowed a little as he smiled in a sickeningly flattering way. Just like his father, he had a bad habit, when he was pleased with himself, he’d rub his fingers together constantly, looking just like a fat fly buzzing around.
“I remember my father once said something like, ‘Business hasn’t been good lately, too many deals have lost money. I better go hide at the old house so no one comes collecting debts.’ So, although I don’t know exactly what he did wrong, if you're trying to find him, you might have luck checking the old house.”
As he said this, Derrick helpfully handed Armand a piece of paper. It had very detailed directions to the old house, even pointing out which fork in the road had a specific tree nearby. Even someone terrible with directions would have no trouble finding it.
“Oh? I see.”
Armand took the paper and nodded. Even though he already knew where the old house was, he didn’t bother explaining. He simply folded the paper and tucked it into his pocket.
“Then, Captain, please hurry and go arrest my father.”
“You seem awfully eager. This is the first time I’ve seen someone push for their own father to be caught.”
“Haha, well… I’m just standing on the side of justice! If my father did something wrong, of course he should be arrested!”
“Even if it’s the kind of crime that means losing the noble title and dragging the whole family into prison?”
“Of course! Even if—”
Mid-sentence, Derrick froze. He suddenly realized something was off. The excited look on his face vanished, replaced by fear.
“W-What did you just say?!”
His voice cracked sharply, so high-pitched and harsh that it didn’t even sound like a man.
Armand, always good at controlling his expressions, didn’t laugh out loud. But old Stacey standing nearby was clearly struggling not to. Her already wrinkled face scrunched up even more as she tried to hold in her laughter.
“Hm? Did I say something just now? Ah, right. You gave me that address. I should go find Viscount Scassia. If I catch him, that should be enough to convict him, right?”
As if he were deliberately poking at Derrick, Armand patted the pocket where he had just placed the note. Then, without another word, he turned and started walking back the way he came, heading straight for his next destination.
“Wait! Captain! Please wait!”
“If you slow me down and I miss the best chance to catch him, can you take responsibility for that?”
“Ugh… Ah… S-Sorry. Then… safe travels.”
Derrick looked like he wanted to say more, but Armand’s overwhelming presence crushed him. Even though Derrick cursed the Royal Knight Captain behind his back for being so arrogant, when speaking to him face to face, he had no choice but to give in.
Derrick didn’t follow him. It seemed that Armand’s line about “dragging the family into prison too” had thrown him into panic.
So, in the end, only the old maid Stacey walked Armand to the front gate.
Armand had come here quickly and was now leaving just as quickly. But based on his status, he should’ve been considered an honored guest of this little viscount’s family. Yet it was clear they didn’t welcome him at all, only an old maid came to see him off.
Not that Armand minded. In fact, he didn’t like this place at all. If a bunch of people had come out to say goodbye, he’d just have to pretend to be polite, which would be even more annoying.
And frankly, he probably wouldn’t even bother pretending.
“Captain, take care.”
“Mm. Thanks.”
Armand nodded and stepped out the gate. But then, as if something had crossed his mind, he turned around and walked back over to Stacey.
“If you ever think about changing jobs, come work for me. Just tell the head butler your name. I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”
This was a real olive branch, thrown toward this kind-looking old maid. A chance to work in the Royal Knights’ household, something many servants dreamed of, was now being offered directly to her.
Most people would’ve immediately thanked Armand and excitedly accepted the offer. But Stacey was different.
This white-haired old woman simply shook her head and gave Armand a warm, kind smile.
"No thank you, Captain. You see, I’ve spent my whole life in the Scassia household. If I moved somewhere else, I wouldn’t be used to it. I was a little maid here when I was a child, and now I’m the old maid here. I know the environment here isn’t as good as where you live, but… when you get old, new things stop being exciting. I just like staying in this old familiar place. This place has become my home."
"I see."
Armand didn’t argue with her choice. He simply accepted her answer with a calm smile. After all, it was her decision. He had only offered her an option, not given her an order.
"Captain," Stacey continued sincerely, "you said there are many people in the world, and lots of them look alike. But you really do remind me of someone from the past… Ah, never mind that old story. Maybe it’s because the two of you really are alike, so… I hope you live a happy life."
She spoke with deep emotion. For someone who likely didn’t have many years left, the thing she treasured most was probably her memories.
"Did you serve Baron Scassia before?" Armand asked. "I mean, the older son of this family, Derrick’s brother."
"Yes, I was a maid in that house. That young master was really a pity... He had a great future ahead of him, but died so young in the war. Whenever I see young people like you becoming knights or soldiers, it hurts my heart. But... people like us, commoners, still need your protection. Sigh... I know it sounds silly, even at my age I still feel conflicted."
"It’s not silly at all. I feel the same. As the captain of the knights, I’ve already prepared myself for the day I might have to sacrifice my life. But then one day... I suddenly realized, I don’t want to die."
With his rank and current health, death was almost a certainty for Armand. He might die in battle during a mission, or maybe the toxins in his body would slowly eat away at him. He had long accepted this fate. Death wasn’t something he could avoid, so he told himself he just had to face it calmly.
He used to think that dying before completing his goals would feel like a failure. But even so, he believed he could accept it.
But then one day, something changed.
This man who had already decided where he’d be buried and even half-wrote his will… suddenly didn’t want to die anymore.
To be more accurate, he wanted to live.
Ironically, the person who gave him this desire to live… might also be the one who would eventually kill him was Evelia.
That woman he had once been suspicious of the spy from the Second Prince had now become the very reason he wanted to stay alive.
He didn’t know when it started, but he found himself wishing he could live longer just to spend more time by Evelia’s side. If something bad were to happen in the future, the longer he lived, the more he could protect her.
But because he now had a desire to live, life became harder for him.
He wanted to be a coward, he wanted to run away. But instead, he was forced to act like a brave man who could die at any moment.
And yet, he still wasn’t sure… if any of it was worth it.
Would Evelia choose him in the end? He had no confidence in that.
What if, one day, Evelia turned her blade toward him? How would he respond?
He had imagined this many times. The day Evelia, as a spy for the Second Prince, would stop pretending and become his enemy.
In the past, he thought he could kill her without hesitation, even feel pity as he did it, because he was the captain of the knights, and he had a duty.
But now? That resolve felt like a joke.
He had even started thinking… if Evelia did kill him, how should he arrange his duties with Carle before that happened?
He was already imagining it, what he would do before death, at the moment of death, and even after death.
"Captain."
Stacey took a step closer. Her rough old hand gently patted the back of Armand’s hand, a young man she thought highly of.
"You’re still young. You don’t need to think like an old woman who’s near the end of her life. You should believe your future is still full of choices. I might be sighing over the past, but you’re choosing your future. The past is fixed, but the future isn’t. Don’t trap yourself with negative thoughts. Life never only has one path. Don’t use your own sadness to block off all the other roads."
"......"
Armand listened quietly. For a moment, he didn’t know how to reply.
He stood there, silently thinking. Maybe it was just a few breaths’ time. But those few words made him think about a lot of things.
Then, after a while, he chuckled softly and said,
"It’s a pity you won’t come work for us."
Stacey laughed, "If you had asked me 20 years ago, I might’ve said yes."
She let go of Armand’s hand, still smiling.
"…Haha."
Armand just smiled back. He didn’t say anything more.