Chapter 234 Part 2: Pretending on the Stage
Luckily, once the poison was suppressed again, that “toilet” would flush smoothly like before.
When the royal doctor came to that conclusion, he was actually excited, saying he might finally get to witness someone developing dementia at thirty. And since it was the rare type that came and went, he said that once Armand really did start to lose his memory, he might even bring his apprentices to observe and take notes.
Armand didn’t really care about being observed or studied, but to this day he still didn’t understand why that guy compared his brain to a toilet. Sure, he had a certain reputation, but he thought he still seemed pretty normal.
Anyway, maybe by then he would have already retired?
When he reached his thirties, maybe he’d be alone in the countryside, rocking in a chair, breathing the fresh air of a world without royal drama. He’d farm when he felt like it, grow flowers, dig up some vegetables if he wanted to eat light, or go hunt in the mountains if he wanted meat. That kind of peaceful life didn’t sound too bad...
…Probably.
Armand shook his head and opened his eyes to the sound of his horse breathing deeply nearby.
…Had he fallen asleep just now?
It was only a few minutes, but it seemed like he really had blacked out for a short while.
…That’s not a good sign. I’d better stop taking this medicine for now.
Jeez. In the next life, I hope I’m born with a healthy body. Imagine me, a knight captain, turning into the sickly type.
“You rested enough?” He stood up and patted the horse’s side, then put one foot on the stirrup.
The horse let out a strong snort, it definitely sounded more energetic than before. Armand nodded, swung himself up into the saddle, and continued riding toward his destination.
On the other side, Evelia slowly opened her eyes.
Maybe it was because she was “outside,” but she didn’t really sleep much.
At first, Rachel was full of energy, but maybe because Evelia didn’t want to talk, she eventually got bored and drifted off to sleep. Evelia just sat quietly, listening to Rachel’s peaceful breathing all night. She didn’t move, and she didn’t say a word.
Evelia woke up very early, while the sky was still just starting to lighten.
She was used to the daily schedule at the estate, so waking up in this unfamiliar place felt a little strange.
She stood up and quickly tied up her long hair. After spotting the bathroom, she splashed some water on her face, then walked into the kitchen, planning to make breakfast.
The ingredients here were simple, no fancy meat or fish, so she kept it simple too. She made a fried egg for each of them, three in total. Each one was topped with a thick, very generous layer of tomato ketchup. So much so that the eggs completely disappeared under the red sea of sauce. It looked more like a plate of ketchup that just happened to come with an egg underneath.
“Lord Red Crow, what are you…?”
Although Grey Dove was an assassin too, she still knew how to enjoy life. When there were no missions, she would let herself relax a little. Sleep in, take it easy.
She had planned to sleep in today as well, then wake up looking refreshed so she could greet her Lord Red Crow in top form. She had already decided, whatever Evelia wanted to do today, she would fully support her.
But early in the morning, she heard the sound of someone washing dishes and pans at the stove. At first, she was still groggy and confused. But then she remembered the way Evelia had cooked yesterday and figured it out, slowly getting out of bed.
But then she remembered how Evelia had stuffed her hands with ketchup yesterday and how she had “poisoned” Rachel with that meal, and Grey Dove instantly bolted upright and ran straight to the living room.
Unfortunately, she was already too late.
By the time she turned the corner and arrived, Evelia had already finished making all three fried eggs. The bright red food now sat neatly between the two of them.
“It’s breakfast.”
Grey Dove looked at the plate in front of her, completely covered in tomato ketchup, and her eyebrows twitched slightly as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself.
It seemed like she and Armand might actually have something in common when it came to ketchup.
“Breakfast… ah…”
Grey Dove took the steaming hot ketchup-covered fried egg. Even though she had killed countless people and wasn’t afraid of death at all, she still gulped nervously.
Evelia noticed that little gulp and, misunderstanding its meaning, quickly pulled Grey Dove over to the table and said.
“If you’re hungry, then eat.”
Clearly, she thought Grey Dove was drooling because the food looked good.
“Haha… okay, okay, Lord Red Crow.”
But Grey Dove was a bold and straightforward person. Since it was a command from her idol, and she had already promised herself she would follow everything Lord Red Crow said today, she took a deep breath and pointed her spoon at the hellish-looking breakfast.
As she brought a spoonful of ketchup toward her mouth, she hesitated.
Then, like a light bulb turning on in a moment of crisis, she suddenly remembered, they weren’t the only two people in this house.
There was also that child! That girl named Rachel!
Yes, this was a test! If Rachel was going to be part of the family, she needed to go through this trial too!
So, Grey Dove decided to drag Rachel into this.
“Lord Red Crow, what about the child? Since breakfast is ready, we should call her too. Otherwise, the food will get cold.”
“......”
Evelia heard Grey Dove’s words and glanced at the still-steaming fried egg on the table. She thought for a moment about how lazy Rachel usually was, she never woke up before noon, and then shook her head.
“Rachel won’t wake up at this time. This one’s for you. You look hungry, so eat more.”
Then, she reached out and pushed the extra plate of fried egg toward Grey Dove.
“...Eh?”
Grey Dove froze and stared at the breakfast she had hoped to pass on to someone else, only to have it pushed back to her.
“...This… You’re giving it to me?”
Grey Dove swallowed again without thinking.
“Mm-hmm. Go ahead. If it’s not enough, there’s more.”
As Evelia spoke, she took out even more ketchup from her alchemy seal storage and placed them in front of Grey Dove.
Ever since Armand refused to eat her tomato dishes, Evelia had ended up with a stockpile of ketchup she couldn’t share with anyone else. But now that Grey Dove was here, it was finally the perfect chance to use them up.
“......”
Grey Dove held her spoon, her hands shaking more and more.
But like she had said before—
Since this meal was made by her idol, and she had promised herself she would obey everything Evelia said today, she had to go through with it.
“—Alright. I understand.”
Determination filled Grey Dove’s face.
For her beloved Lord Red Crow, what was a little tastebud sacrifice?
So, without hesitation, she put the spoon down, picked up the whole plate—
And chugged it down like a drink.
As the saying goes, smooth going in, straight down the throat. The thick tomato ketchup slid down Grey Dove’s throat, and she felt like her brain exploded from the sourness.
Because of Evelia’s personal taste, she had apparently bought the extra sour kind of ketchup. The sharp tang hit Grey Dove so hard, it felt like she could see her great-grandmother flash before her eyes, especially in her still-groggy state from waking up early.
But for her idol, her Lord Red Crow, she gulped it down in one go.
“Guh…”
Grey Dove leaned on the table, looking like she was just about to admit defeat.
“Do you want more?”
“Ahhh—no thank you! Lord Red Crow!”
Grey Dove quickly shook her head, letting out a sour burp and patting her stomach.
“I’m already super full! Thank you for breakfast, Lord Red Crow!”
“I see. Good, as long as you’re full.”
Evelia nodded and calmly continued eating her own portion.
“……”
As Evelia ate, the room fell silent again. Grey Dove stared at her, at Lord Red Crow, expressionless, eating that mountain of ketchup. She wanted to speak but hesitated.
Evelia simply ate. And Grey Dove simply watched. But the longer she looked, the deeper her frown grew.
Was Lord Red Crow… really the kind of person who would do something like this?
Taking care of a child, cooking breakfast. Why had she changed so much?
Was it all just an act?
Grey Dove didn’t fully understand why Red Crow had turned into a girl like this, but considering how pretty she looked, it probably had something to do with “using beauty as a weapon.”
Could it be… that Lord Red Crow was trying to play the role of a gentle wife and loving mother? Was that what the knight commander liked. Those calm, caring, motherly women?
The more she thought about it, the weirder it felt. For some reason, a strange thought popped into her head, ‘She’s someone who could be my mom!’
But the biggest question still was—
“Um… Lord Red Crow.”
Grey Dove looked up at Evelia. But Evelia’s golden eyes were half hidden behind her bangs, and Grey Dove couldn’t see what kind of emotion lay in them.
Evelia didn’t say anything. She just kept drinking her ketchup and gave Grey Dove a quick glance.
“Are you and that knight commander… together?”
When Grey Dove thought about Evelia’s reason for going to that place, this was the first thing that came to her mind.
After all, she was an assassin working under the Second Prince. She’d been around long enough to understand what kind of person he was, so the phrase “honey trap” instantly came to mind.
Even if she didn’t really understand how Lord Red Crow had changed from a young man to a girl, she wouldn’t put it past the Second Prince to come up with a plan like that.
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
And Evelia’s reply was the truth.
Even though Grey Dove was also an assassin, her emotions were clearly much more vivid and alive than Evelia’s. Ever since “that event,” Evelia had closed off her heart. Her feelings were a blank page. Untouched, uncolored. The Second Prince had never allowed her to have any colors.
“—I mean…”
Grey Dove trailed off.
Normally, as the daughter of a back-alley woman, she should understand this kind of thing best. But when she looked at Evelia now… she just couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.
What was the reason?
Was it because she didn’t want anything dirty or useless to taint Lord Red Crow’s purity?
Or was she afraid that someone like her, born from the mud, would be hated by Lord Red Crow?
Probably both.
After all, Grey Dove just wanted her idol to stay perfect forever. So she didn’t say anything. She just let out a small laugh and looked away.
Grey Dove felt that Evelia’s reaction of “not understanding” earlier wasn’t fake. So, she didn’t want to disturb that purity.
If Evelia didn’t understand emotions, then she obviously wouldn’t get involved in those kinds of relationships. That meant there was nothing to worry about between Evelia and the knight commander.
So, it really was all just for show. That knight commander was just a stepping stone for “our” side, someone they could throw away at any time.
Phew, if that’s the case, then that’s great.
While they were talking, the door to the room was half-open. Inside, Rachel who had already woken up from the sound of Evelia cleaning up breakfast had heard the entire conversation between Grey Dove and Evelia.
Of course, she had heard the part where Grey Dove tried to drag her into that tomato sauce disaster, but what really caught her attention was what came after.
Grey Dove… was checking if Evelia was in a relationship with the knight commander?
She was worried about something like that?
It wasn’t confusion Rachel felt, it was fear.
Evelia might not understand, but even after just half a day, Rachel already had a pretty good idea of what kind of person Grey Dove really was.
—A complete and utter lunatic.
Sure, there was a bit of intuition involved in that judgment, but Rachel also came to that conclusion through careful observation.
Unlike Grey Dove, who always stumbled onto the truth by accident, Rachel had been carefully analyzing everything going on.
Even though she didn’t really understand much about Cyan Hawk, Blue Sparrow, or the unseen White Dove, and the few words she overheard didn’t tell her much about their personalities, Grey Dove had spent a little more time around her. Even though it was only half a day, it was enough for Rachel to form a clear impression.
And that impression was, ‘Grey Dove is insane.’
Based on how she acted, it was clear she was deeply obsessed with Evelia, as the assassin known as “Red Crow.”
And people with that kind of fanatic devotion were the hardest to deal with. They were unpredictable. They could do things no one would ever expect.
Just like earlier, when she saw Evelia’s “gentle and caring” side, Grey Dove had shown a look of near madness.
Rachel could clearly feel it. Grey Dove wasn’t obsessed with Red Crow as a person. She was obsessed with an idea.
But Rachel wasn’t sure yet what that idea really was.
What she was sure of, though, was this. Grey Dove would never accept the feelings growing between Evelia and Armand.
If she found out that the two of them had been hugging and acting all lovey-dovey, Rachel was certain Grey Dove wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Evelia might be okay. After all, she is Red Crow. Grey Dove probably wouldn’t go too far with her.
But Armand…?
If Grey Dove found out about him. That crazy woman would definitely try to kill him.
Rachel didn’t really know how strong Armand actually was. Sure, she had “been there” during that alley fight where Armand beat up the kidnappers, but she had just been a dangling keychain at the time.
As a knight commander, of course he could beat up a few low-level criminals. That didn’t prove anything.
And more importantly, there was Evelia’s position to consider.
If Evelia, who was still unsure of her loyalties, ended up choosing the Second Prince, meaning the side of the House of Nightingales...
That would be the worst possible outcome.
Rachel lay in bed, frowning deeply, her mind full of worries.