Chapter 236 Part 1: The Response She Hoped For
Evelia sat quietly in the carriage, not saying a word. Sitting across from her was Grey Dove, wearing her usual cloak.
Although their cloaks were slightly different in style, for people who had lived in the Nightingale House for years, it was easy to recognize these were specially made garments with certain functions.
Even without the cloaks, long-time members of the Nightingale House could often identify each other just by small details, because some things were simply too familiar to them.
The carriage swayed gently as it moved. Evelia and Grey Dove sat steadily inside, and the driver who had been arranged beforehand was silent, simply doing his job of transporting the two passengers.
Grey Dove just genuinely wanted to take Evelia out for a walk. She didn’t understand why Evelia always talked about “going back” or “leaving.” She had no idea what kind of place could possibly attract someone like Evelia, someone who seemed to have no desires or attachments. So instead of guessing, she just decided to take her out to see things directly.
As for Rachel, the poor Rachel, she had been left behind in the house. More accurately, she had been injected with a dose of tranquilizer and dumped inside. Grey Dove wanted time alone with Evelia and didn’t want to risk Rachel running away, so she gave her a strong enough dose to keep her asleep for the whole day. She figured no one would be going near that place anyway.
Sometimes luck is part of strength too. If, by some bad luck, Rachel got kidnapped by passing human traffickers or something… Well, Grey Dove would just think that she wasn’t fated to be part of the Nightingale House.
Evelia, on the other hand, was calm as always. Maybe she was just easygoing, or maybe she was very thorough. After making sure the house was locked and Rachel, chained up in a hidden spot, was fast asleep, she followed Grey Dove out without complaint.
If she was being careful, then she certainly hid Rachel well. If she was being careless, then she was clearly assuming Rachel had the same physical endurance as Nightingale-trained assassins, not even worrying that the tranquilizer might accidentally kill her in her sleep.
Even though Evelia now saw Rachel as family, her attitude was still a bit too casual for someone taking care of a child. If this is how she treats Rachel now, it’s hard to imagine what kind of parenting she’d do if she had her own children in the future.
Back when she confidently said she wanted to have three or four kids… hearing that now kind of sounds like something from a horror story.
But this little outing with Grey Dove wasn’t for any mission. Grey Dove didn’t drag Evelia all around the city. Instead, as the sun was setting, she brought her to a nearby hilltop.
Evelia stood in silence at the top of the hill. The wind blew through her tied-up pink hair, and the golden light of the sunset covered her figure like a soft glow.
Below their feet was the royal capital. It was massive, even from this distance and height, they still couldn’t see its full edge.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Grey Dove said softly.
She took off her hood too and let the autumn wind brush past her face, taking a deep breath.
This autumn was especially cold. If it weren’t for her cloak, Grey Dove might’ve shivered just from that one breath.
“They say the snow will come early this year. The capital will look even more beautiful when it does.”
Grey Dove caught a maple leaf that had already turned red and held it in her hand. Its bright red color looked like a small flame burning in her palm.
She loved red, the color of blood, the color of Evelia, the Red Crow. It was a color that felt both burning and mad.
But she loved white too. Just like she once said, she loved how the capital looked when it snowed.
Because in her eyes, winter was the warmest season.
That feeling of curling up beside a torch only lit in the cold months…
That’s what warmth meant to her.
And white, pure and flawless white, that was the color Grey Dove truly longed for.
She had dreamed so many times, ‘If only I could be like that too.’
To become a color that couldn’t be stained, pure white. No matter what happened, the paper would only ever show that untouched white.
But now, she seemed to be walking the complete opposite path.
She couldn’t be white anymore. Instead, she became black.
The kind of black made by all colors mixed together. A color that, no matter what you added to it, would never change. Because she had already become the darkest shade of all.
“Is that really such a bad thing, Lord Red Crow?”
Grey Dove turned her head and looked at Evelia, who had been silent the whole time.
She didn’t know what Evelia was thinking. She only hoped this Red Crow would keep going on the path she was on.
She was Evelia’s biggest fan. But in the end, she only wanted Evelia to follow her expectations.
A controlling, obsessive follower.
“What do you mean?”
But Evelia was never the type to speak in riddles. She was always straightforward, she didn’t bother guessing what hidden meaning was behind Grey Dove’s words. She simply turned her head to look at her, calm and emotionless.
“......”
Even though Evelia’s golden eyes never reflected her, Grey Dove wasn’t angry. Because this was the Red Crow she loved. That empty, distant gaze that never reflected any desire.
And Evelia really was like that. She always seemed like she had no wants, no needs. Her golden eyes seemed to stare off into the distance, rarely focusing on the people around her.
…Except for Armand.
Up until now, maybe the only person reflected in Evelia’s eyes had been Armand. She would always quietly watch him. Those sapphire-colored eyes of his that always sparkled with laughter.
Evelia never understood why he was always smiling. Why did Armand always look so full of hope for the future?
She couldn’t understand, there were too many things about Armand she just couldn’t figure out.
People said it was because he was too simple-minded, that’s why he could laugh so freely, like he had no worries in the world.
But… was that really the truth?
Evelia was a little curious. What would Armand look like if he ever felt true sadness?
She didn’t think she had ever seen him truly angry or upset. His gentleness was like a permanent part of his face.
He seemed like a prince or knight from a fairy tale, gentle, kind, and brave.
And truthfully… that was what drew Evelia to him.
That kind of person, someone who would always reach out a helping hand. That was what Evelia had been looking for all along.
She had always known she was stuck in the mud. She had tried to fight it, but she failed miserably. Since then, she had stopped struggling.
Until now.
Now she could feel it. Armand was reaching out to her.
It might sound strange, but that’s truly what Evelia felt. It was like he was holding tightly onto her arm, trying to pull her out of the darkness.
That feeling, it was familiar. So familiar it made her hair stand on end.
Had it happened before? Had someone else once reached out to her like this?
That fake, lying man, that cunning person full of sweet talk and empty promises…
Yes. That person, too, once reached out to her with a hand.
The young Evelia, who didn’t know any better, reached back. But instead of pulling her up…
He pushed her down.
So disgusting.
—This feeling… is so disgusting.
Every time she thought about leaving, every time someone hinted at the idea of escape or brought it up indirectly, Evelia would always feel this wave of nausea.
She felt disgusted by those people’s fake kindness.
She felt disgusted by her own naive self back then.
She felt disgusted by the liar who abandoned her.
And she felt disgusted by her own desire to take that first step forward.
But if you asked her directly, "Deep down, do you still want to leave?" Evelia probably couldn’t give a clear answer.
Even if someone reworded the question or tried to make it easier for her to answer, she still wouldn’t know what to say.
Right now, she was simply thinking about her Armand. Could she ever become like him? Could she ever smile no matter what happens, just like he always does?
Maybe if she became a little dumber… went crazy or lost her mind, she could live without worries too.
“Are you really going to go back there, Lord Red Crow?”
Seeing that Evelia wasn’t even interested in the view of the royal capital, Grey Dove finally asked the question that had been sitting in her heart.
She had brought Evelia out here hoping to show her something, to remind her that once the second prince succeeded, all of this would belong to them. But clearly, Evelia wasn’t the type of person who cared about things like that.
“......” Evelia paused for a moment at the question, then nodded.
She had promised Rachel she would go back. And besides… Mr. Armand was probably waiting for them too.
Just like she and Rachel had guessed before. Right now, Armand was probably worried about them, wasn’t he?
—Was he, really?
Evelia hesitated at that thought. She still couldn’t fully trust this relationship, couldn’t fully believe in it.
What kind of face would Armand make when they returned? Would it be sad?
Even though these questions filled her mind, she still couldn’t picture what Armand would look like if he were truly upset. More likely, when they returned, he’d just greet them with that same gentle smile and say, “Welcome back.”
…Not bad.
If he welcomed her back like that, like family, like someone waiting for her with open arms and a warm smile…
That didn’t sound bad at all.
“It's His Highness’s mission, Grey Dove.”
In response to Grey Dove’s concern, Evelia directly brought up the second prince. By calling it the prince’s mission, she was clearly warning Grey Dove not to stop her.
“His Highness…”
Grey Dove hesitated. She thought back to the Evelia she saw before, the one acting so gentle and caring, the one who looked like a perfect housewife. She didn’t know what to say anymore.
Does His Highness even know what you’re doing now? Is this really what he wants from you?
But she didn’t say any of that, because she was obedient.
Grey Dove might seem wild or unpredictable on the surface, and even the second prince had trouble fully controlling her, but deep down, Grey Dove was obedient.
If she weren’t, she wouldn’t have followed the prince’s orders so faithfully, traveling from city to city for all these “field missions.” Sure, she enjoyed seeing different places and cultures, but these tasks were troublesome. If she weren’t obedient, she wouldn’t have kept taking them on.
To Grey Dove, the second prince was someone worthy of admiration and respect. Maybe it was because she admired his “calm and collected” personality.
Even though the prince always wore a smile in public, Grey Dove could sense that he was someone who kept his distance from others.
He seemed warm and friendly to everyone, but anyone who got even a little closer would know. Privately, he was a very serious man. Always thinking silently on his own. No one could guess what he was really thinking behind that handsome, unreadable face.
This was exactly why Grey Dove had always stayed by the Second Prince’s side, because the Second Prince fulfilled the kind of emotional connection she longed for.
That’s also why Evelia’s simple lie was enough to fool her.
Because Grey Dove knew the Second Prince was someone who liked to wear a mask, she easily accepted Evelia’s excuse of “it’s for His Highness’s mission.”
She even told herself in her heart, “Lord Red Crow would never betray us.”
As a devoted admirer of Red Crow, Grey Dove still firmly believed that the Evelia standing before her was the very same “Red Crow” she had always admired.
Even though a part of her had started to feel uncertain, she still chose to trust her beloved Red Crow.
If anything went wrong, she would simply believe it was someone else’s fault, that Evelia had been brainwashed or misled.