Chapter 243: Such a Lovey-Dovey Couple
Most of the servants didn’t know that Armand had already come back. For the servants in the Knight Commander’s household, it wasn’t strange that their master was often away from home.
After all, as a knight and a warrior, there would always be times when he had to go on a mission. When such orders came, it wouldn’t be unusual to be gone for half a year or more. So right now, Armand’s absence didn’t raise any concerns. Everyone continued with their duties, and the old butler made sure everything was running smoothly.
As for Evelia, she said she had “accidentally fallen down a slope on her way back” and got injured. Using that as an excuse, even after returning to the estate, she didn’t show herself in front of others.
The area where Armand worked and rested was rarely approached by anyone. When he was "not home," only people very close to him like the old butler or Carle would go there. The guards posted were also knights Armand trusted the most, so they knew how to handle things. That’s why even if Armand was lying openly in his bedroom now, no one would break the rules and go into his private quarters.
Oh… besides the old butler and Carle, there was one more person who could enter Armand’s bedroom freely, Evelia.
As Armand’s personal maid, Evelia had many reasons to go in and out of his bedroom. While she could only enter his office when he was there, in theory, she could wander through every corner of the estate if she wanted to.
And in fact, she had done exactly that.
But Armand’s security was so tight that even Red Crow, a highly skilled assassin, couldn’t find anything useful in the entire estate. That’s because Armand simply didn’t bring anything important home.
—And Armand had been especially cautious around Evelia. He had long known that Evelia was actually a “spy,” so he was always on guard against her.
But no matter how careful he was—
“...Mm... Mr. Armand...”
—he couldn’t stop Evelia from sneaking into his bed while he was burning with fever.
If their genders were reversed, Armand might really be in danger right now.
Actually, even without switching genders, the situation was still a bit dangerous.
Late at night, Evelia was lying in Armand’s bed, tightly hugging him like an octopus. She held him close, listening to his heartbeat, feeling his breathing, and even his little unconscious movements.
Everything started a few hours ago.
Maybe because Armand had briefly regained consciousness, the “smell of death” that had been surrounding him started to fade. Evelia, who had been tense, began to relax a little.
But that didn’t mean she was completely at ease. She stayed by Armand’s side the whole night, watching him go from deeply unconscious to slowly showing signs like rolling over in his sleep, as if he had come back from the dead.
Still, Evelia bit her lip. She felt like something was stuck in her chest. But when she saw signs of Armand recovering, she also felt genuinely happy.
Her emotions were mixed. Just like how she didn’t understand why Anna started crying loudly instead of smiling when they met again, Evelia now saw that Armand was getting better, but still felt a strange kind of sadness.
Rachel also wanted to stay with Armand and Evelia. After all, among the three of them, Rachel was the one who knew the most about illnesses. She should be the one observing Armand’s condition and figuring out what kind of poison he had been affected by. But by midnight, she couldn’t hold on anymore.
She still had the body of a small child who couldn’t even hold a pen properly. When it got late, she became sleepy. She didn’t even know when she had dozed off.
Later, Evelia carried her to the big sofa in the room. For the first time, Evelia even covered her with a blanket, so she wouldn’t feel cold on that chilly autumn night.
After Rachel fell asleep, Evelia returned to Armand’s side. He hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for a whole day because he was unconscious. His lips were terribly dry, and there were faint traces of blood at the corners of his mouth.
He was still burning with fever and hadn’t had any water. While he didn’t look as bad as before, Evelia was still very worried about his condition. The tomato sauce she had brought couldn’t be fed to him like this, but no matter what, he at least needed to drink some water.
Evelia poured a cup of warm water and gently helped Armand sit up. She brought the cup to his lips, hoping that even just a few sips could go in.
But sadly, the moment of awareness Armand had earlier seemed like just an illusion. Now, he didn’t respond at all. He was weak and could only lean into Evelia’s support. The warm water only touched his lips, it didn’t go past his teeth at all.
“Mr. Armand? Please wake up a little... You need to drink some water.”
Evelia softly called Armand’s name, but there was still no response. Even though his breathing sounded a lot better than before, he was still unconscious. No matter how much she called him, he didn’t wake up. And even when he did react a little, it was only a weak groan.
“......”
Evelia looked down at Armand in her arms, feeling helpless. The fact that he didn’t respond at all no matter what she did made her heart tighten with worry. Her hand holding the water cup was shaking, and the water inside rippled along with it.
Suddenly, Evelia seemed to think of something.
If the water couldn’t pass through his clenched teeth, then she just had to find a way to open his mouth.
In a moment of desperation and clever thinking, smart little Evelia came up with a bold idea.
She picked up the cup of warm water, took a big sip herself, and without hesitation, pressed her lips against his.
Since the water couldn’t get in on its own, she would do it herself.
She gently used her tongue to open the “door” and let the warm water reach his dry mouth.
Inside, his mouth was still filled with a metallic taste of blood. Even though Armand had continued to get nosebleeds after returning to the estate, at least he had stopped coughing up blood. The poison had attacked fiercely, but if he could survive it, he would recover quickly. At least now his breathing was smoother, with no strange sounds.
To keep him from choking, Evelia slowly transferred the water to his throat. She even gently nudged his tongue to help it go down more easily. Armand’s reaction was slow, but the fact that he was swallowing, even if just a little, made Evelia feel more at ease.
She kept feeding him the water bit by bit until it was all gone. His tongue became less dry, and the cracks on his lips looked a little better.
But even though all the water was gone, Evelia didn’t stop.
When their lips touched, she suddenly felt something strange.
She thought it was just a way to help him drink water, so she didn’t feel embarrassed. Or maybe she just didn’t understand what shame meant.
She didn’t dislike this kind of closeness. In fact, she felt a bit fascinated by it. And seeing Armand lying there, totally unresponsive and letting her do as she pleased, made her want to push things a little further.
Her heart started beating faster for some reason, and her breathing grew heavier. Even though the water had already been swallowed, the moist feeling remained and slowly spread again.
No one knew how much time passed before Evelia finally came back to her senses. She pulled back slightly and saw Armand resting his head weakly in her arms, still with his eyes shut. Some of the slightly thick "warm water" he hadn't swallowed in time slid out from between his lips.
As they separated, Evelia instinctively licked her lips, like she wasn’t quite satisfied.
Even now, Armand didn’t react at all. He was like a puppet without strings, completely at Evelia’s mercy.
Armand was sleeping so deeply partly because he thought he was finally in a safe place. He believed he could relax and recover his strength. He definitely didn’t expect Evelia, of all people, to be doing strange things to him while he was unconscious. After all, in his mind, Evelia was no longer alive.
As for Rachel, if she ever found out what Evelia did while she was napping, she’d probably regret it so much she’d want to invent a time machine and a giant telescope, just to zoom in and watch this overly sweet couple.
After all that, Armand curled up from the cold. Even with the fever, he felt like he was freezing. He hid under his blanket, trying to make himself as small as possible.
Seeing this, Evelia moved closer and gently patted his body to calm him down. His frown eased a little, but his trembling body still stayed tightly curled, like he was in pain.
Seeing this, Evelia held his hand tightly, then climbed right under the covers with him. In the name of “warmth,” she hugged him tightly and held him close to her chest.
Right now, Armand was like a poor child, shivering from the cold. Even though his body was burning hot from the fever, he felt like he was trapped in an icy cave.
Armand had always hated the cold. Even if this cold was just a side effect of the fever, he was still shaking. The always-composed Armand now looked so helpless in Evelia’s arms. Even if someone came and tried to choke him right now, he wouldn’t be able to resist.
“Mr. Armand…”
Now, the very assassin who could have choked him was instead hugging him tight. She pressed his head to her chest, just like she once used a “healing spell.”
“Relax... Mr. Armand. I’m here. Your Eve is here with you.”
Who would have thought that the cold and dangerous Red Crow would now be whispering such gentle and comforting words into her enemy’s ear?
She patted his back and soothed his restless nerves.
“I’m right here… so please… sleep peacefully, Mr. Armand… and please… get better soon.”