Chapter 244: White Dove's Strategy
“White Dove, why did you change your hiding place again? It's really hard to find you.”
Grey Dove took off her cloak and stepped into a dim little room. She frowned as she looked at all the bottles and jars scattered on the floor, clearly not happy about the mess.
Although she didn’t like the way the room looked, she didn’t dare kick anything over. Who knew what kind of dangerous poison might be in those bottles? If she accidentally broke one, White Dove, who probably had protections in place, might be fine. But she would be the one in trouble.
“What’s so difficult? You still found me, didn’t you?”
In the dim light, a man with short light-brown hair was curled up on a bean bag chair, holding a dead cat in his arms, the result of one of his experiments.
His bangs were long enough to cover his eyes, but a black hair clip held them up, revealing a pair of orange-red eyes. He looked lazily at the serious-faced Grey Dove, their expressions a complete contrast.
A pair of glasses, like something an old man would wear, rested loosely on his nose. He gave off a mix of carelessness and laziness. There was also a colorful cartoon-themed pen on his chest, which looked totally out of place with his laid-back, gloomy vibe.
“You—ugh, never mind…”
Hearing White Dove’s comment, Grey Dove wanted to snap back at him, but remembering his annoying personality, she decided it wasn’t worth it. Instead, she just muttered a few complaints under her breath.
Grey Dove was a doer. When she thought of something, she acted on it. Lately, things between her and Red Crow had reached a strange point. That made her think of White Dove, who had been quietly researching things without showing up for a while.
Maybe this guy could offer some helpful advice, or maybe not. After all, he was unpredictable. Whether he was easy or hard to deal with depended entirely on his mood.
“So, what do you want?”
White Dove yawned and gently placed the dead cat into a small wooden box nearby. The box had a cross on it, like a tiny coffin, with a silver name tag engraved with the cat’s name.
White Dove always looked half-asleep, no matter the situation. But strangely enough, he paid great attention to some specific things. Like now, he didn’t look sad at all about the dead cat, but he still placed it carefully into a beautifully prepared tiny coffin.
It made people wonder… had White Dove already prepared the coffin ahead of time, as if he knew his beloved cat wouldn’t live much longer?
“It’s about—”
Hearing White Dove’s question, Grey Dove was about to explain why she came. But halfway through her sentence, she paused.
She had originally planned to talk about Evelia, her superior, the one known as Red Crow. But then she remembered that most of what she had in mind was just her own guesswork. And Red Crow had warned her more than once that trying to learn about certain things would be “crossing the line.”
So instead of saying Red Crow’s name directly, Grey Dove shut her mouth and changed her words.
“—It’s about that Knight Commander.”
She decided to make Armand the center of the conversation. After all, whether or not she mentioned Red Crow’s mission, the one most involved with her right now was the Royal Knight Commander. They were like the male and female leads in a novel.
“Oh, him,” White Dove replied casually. “Eh—what was his name again? Ar-something?”
White Dove, who knew more than he let on, almost said a different name by accident.
“Armand.”
“Ah, right. Armand. The guy with black hair and blue eyes.”
As he said that, White Dove let out a strange little laugh. He quietly muttered the name “Armand,” and a subtle smile slowly appeared on his face. He remembered the way Armand had looked at that medal box back then, and the smile on his face grew even deeper.
“You’ve met him before?”
“Hmm—probably. I think so.”
White Dove moved slightly in his bean bag chair. For most people, that wasn’t a big deal. But for him, this small movement showed that he was actually very interested in the topic.
“What do you mean by ‘probably’?”
“We met once. It was a short meeting, but the time together wasn’t bad.”
As he spoke, White Dove glanced at one of the small test tubes on the floor. Inside it was a tiny amount of red-and-black liquid with an unknown effect.
“Why didn’t you kill him?”
Seeing White Dove smile like that made Grey Dove feel annoyed for some reason. Even though his bangs were long and his dark eye circles heavy, he was still considered good-looking when you pushed the hair aside. But whenever he smiled, there was something about his face that made you want to punch it.
It always felt like he was making fun of someone, as if behind the smile was sarcasm and a prank that might actually kill someone.
“Why would I kill him?”
White Dove shrugged and opened another can of black coffee.
“He gets in the way.”
“In what way?”
“......”
There was that teasing smile again. Grey Dove didn’t say anything, but she felt like he could see right through her.
Of course White Dove wasn’t really reading her mind. It was more like he was probing her, guessing at the truth from among countless possibilities.
“It’s about His Highness, the Second Prince,” Grey Dove answered, arms crossed, giving her answer directly without letting him dig further.
“Ahhh, that again—His Highness.”
—Among this group of people, White Dove was probably the one who respected the Second Prince the least.
Unlike those obedient assassins who followed every order, White Dove had always been someone no one could truly control. He did what he wanted, and if he didn’t want to do something, he simply wouldn’t. Even if he wasn’t under the prince, he could find his own way to leave the organization.
Because he didn’t really care if he lived or died.
Many people’s loyalty to the Second Prince came from fear. But White Dove, in some ways, was someone who simply didn’t fear death at all.
As long as he was alive, he would keep doing what he liked. But if the day came when he couldn’t go on anymore, he wouldn’t have any regrets about dying either.
That’s why he didn’t fully “believe in” or follow the Second Prince. To him, the prince was more like a business partner, someone who could keep him entertained.
He wasn’t afraid to die, so no one could easily control him.
“So... His Highness wants to get rid of him, huh?”
White Dove still wore that mysterious smile people couldn’t quite figure out.
“Yes. That’s exactly it.”
Grey Dove knew that since they had a chance, they should push forward. The others, Cyan Hawk and Blue Sparrow, were busy with other things. Right now, the only person she could turn to for help was White Dove. After all, he was the only one who looked totally free, either playing with his cat or drinking coffee all day.
“It’s not impossible,” White Dove said, “but I think… we shouldn’t rush it.”
“What do you mean by that?”
This obviously evasive answer made Grey Dove even more annoyed. She leaned against the wall, her toes tapping the ground. From her body language and expression, it was clear that she was running out of patience.
“Exactly what I said. His Highness the Second Prince surely has his own plan, his own pace. If we act too suddenly, we might mess up his plans. Also honestly, how much chance do you think you have against that knight commander?”
“My chances? I’ve never actually fought him, but with my strength, I don’t think it would turn into a long, hard battle.”
“Ha!”
Before Grey Dove could finish her sentence, White Dove let out a lazy, mocking laugh.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Grey Dove frowned even more, her brows nearly scrunching together.
“—Nothing. Really, haha. I won’t say more. Confidence is good, after all.”
“Are you trying to say I’m weaker than him?!”
“Not exactly. Everyone has weaknesses. Maybe your enemy just looks strong, but in truth, he might be easy to defeat. If you find the right way, your confidence won’t seem so laughable.”
White Dove leaned on his hand and looked again at a small test tube on the floor. It wasn’t just randomly placed among the other medicines. Actually, everything else had been arranged around that one bottle. As if it was the centerpiece.
“It still needs time,” White Dove said with a faint smile. “Whether it’s preparing or making a move, everything needs time. Grey Dove, let me give you a classic line from books, ‘boiling a frog in warm water’.”
“......”
Grey Dove didn’t quite understand what he meant. She followed his gaze toward all those colorful, unlabelled bottles and jars.
“What are you making?”
“‘Warm water.’”
“......”
She didn’t know what those bottles were for, and White Dove’s mysterious answer left her confused. But she did know one thing, he was a doctor who could both heal people and kill them.
“There’s still plenty of time. We all have our own goals, so there’s no need to rush.”
After that, he sank back into his bean bag, clearly no longer interested in discussing anything more. Grey Dove knew if she kept asking, it would only annoy him. So she gave a small “hmph” and turned to leave.
Meanwhile, the one Grey Dove had been so concerned about, Red Crow, was now slowly opening her eyes inside Armand’s bed.
Even though she had intended to watch over Armand while he rested, at some point, she had fallen asleep too.
Thanks to her body’s natural clock, she woke up before sunrise.
The first thing she did was check on Armand beside her. Just like before, he was lying there quietly, eyes shut, showing no signs of waking up.
“Good morning, Mr. Armand.”
Still, Evelia greeted the sleeping Armand with a soft “good morning,” just like she always had in the past.
Only now… Evelia was a little more reluctant to get up.
Even though she said good morning, she didn’t move at all.
She stayed lying in Armand’s bed, her arms wrapped around him, unwilling to let go.
Armand, of course, didn’t react to her actions. He was still stiff and unconscious, lying there without the slightest movement.
To make things feel more like a real hug, Evelia even moved Armand’s arm and placed it over her waist.
“…Phew.”
She shifted her body so that she and Armand were lying side by side.
Counting from the day they returned to the estate, this was already the third morning Armand had spent lying in bed.
Evelia had been watching him slowly recover from the brink of death. Although he still hadn’t woken up, his complexion was clearly improving.
She found it strange that Armand hadn’t taken a single dose of medicine but was still getting better little by little. Still, what mattered more to her now was his overall condition.
Fortunately... at least his nose had stopped bleeding. The old butler had told Evelia a couple of days ago, while she was busy taking care of Armand, that once the nosebleeds stopped, it meant he was on the path to recovery.
On the other hand, if the nosebleeds started again, they would need to be very careful and check his condition right away.
“Mm...”
Now Evelia was lying on the same pillow as Armand, their bodies looking incredibly close, as if they were lovers. Of course, most of that closeness had been carefully arranged by Evelia herself.
Evelia didn’t even understand why she was acting like this, or why she was doing these things. But ever since the time she “fed” Armand water by mouth, it felt like something inside her had awakened, something strange.
Armand still hadn’t woken up today, so once again, Evelia planned to “help” with his thirst in her own way.
But today, as she looked at the sleeping Armand, a strange thought came to her mind.
What if… she didn’t need the excuse of giving him water?
Just thinking about it made Evelia’s heart pound wildly.
That indescribable feeling exploded inside her. Even though Armand hadn’t reacted at all the last time, and it was entirely one-sided, Evelia still couldn’t forget that moment.
…Why though?
Evelia couldn’t figure it out.
If this was also part of learning what emotions were… then maybe she needed to try again?
She really couldn’t understand the strange sensation that these actions brought to her brain. It was like fresh tomato sauce. Unfamiliar, a little addictive, and oddly exciting.
…What is it really? Why does it feel like this?
While asking herself these questions, Evelia’s breathing grew quicker. She slowly leaned her face closer to Armand’s.
—Oh no.
That was the silent reaction of Rachel, who was lying on the nearby sofa pretending to sleep.
To make sure Armand stayed safe, she had stayed in the room too.
Although she missed the first time Evelia did this, she happened to catch the next few moments, completely by accident.
It was hard to describe the look of shock on Rachel’s face when she saw what Evelia had done to Armand. And deep down, she even started to pity him, for being totally unaware of what was happening.
Now, pretending to sleep on the couch, Rachel could hear faint noises from the bed, and her concern for Armand’s "safety" only grew stronger.
Armand, oh Armand… you better wake up soon.
If you don’t open your eyes soon… Evelia might really cross the line…