Chapter 260: Like… ♡
At first, it was Carle teasing Armand by revealing his embarrassing stories. But once Armand finished eating all those tomato-based dishes, he began to fight back, muttering quite a few things about Carle’s past too.
Melian listened cheerfully to the funny stories about her husband, while Evelia slowly pieced together an image in her mind based on Carle’s descriptions. It was a version of “Armand” that seemed completely different from the one she knew now.
And strangely… he felt familiar.
That version of “Armand” was always silent, hiding in the corners, never acting unless given a direct order. He had no personal opinions, no initiative in anything he did…
…Just like those people she once knew.
The ones from the "House of Nightingales," assassins raised under royal control.
Still, Evelia couldn't imagine Armand having anything to do with a place like that. At most, he was probably just a little withdrawn when he was younger.
She simply couldn’t connect the gentle, kind Armand of today with a cold, obedient figure from her past.
But deep down, she felt amazed that someone like that could change so much.
…Could I change too?
If I could learn how to feel emotions… would I also be able to change?
If I could understand this kindness… maybe Armand would accept me too…
“—Eve?”
In the middle of their conversation, Armand noticed Evelia staring blankly beside him. He waved a hand in front of her face, pulling her thoughts back to the present.
“What’s wrong? You spaced out a bit there.”
Her mind had drifted far away without her realizing it.
To Evelia, Armand suddenly felt distant. Like the gap between them was as wide as the heavens and the underworld.
For a brief moment, she had the illusion that, because she so greedily wanted to be close to him, she might end up dirtying the warm light that Armand gave off.
“…Ah. No, it’s nothing, Mr. Armand.”
Evelia shook her head, quickly hiding the mix of longing and sadness in her eyes.
She wanted to hold Armand’s hand, to feel the warmth of his palm.
She wanted to kiss his fingertips, maybe even gently bite his knuckles.
She wanted to lock her fingers tightly with his, and drag this kind and gentle man down into her muddy, tainted world.
“Alright, it’s getting late. We should head back now,”
Carle said, noticing the growing closeness between Armand and Evelia. Taking the hint, he stood up. Melian followed, and even little Salana quietly returned to her parents' side, waving goodbye to Rachel.
“I’ll walk you out—”
“No need, Armand. It’s not like I’ll get lost at your place. You should stay and get some rest. And don’t forget, you need to come back to work soon.”
“Haha, alright. I won’t argue, then.”
There was no need for fancy goodbyes between the two of them. After exchanging a few simple words, Armand watched as Carle’s family climbed into their carriage and left the estate.
Evelia, still in her maid uniform, was about to help clear the dishes when the old butler gently stopped her. He patted her shoulder and gave a quiet gesture, telling her it was better to follow Armand back to the bedroom for now.
From the side, Rachel watched Evelia rush off after Armand and let out a sigh in her heart.
Looks like Mr. Armand’s going to be in trouble again tonight…
“Yaaawn…”
During dinner, Armand had already taken his medicine for the day. After seeing Carle off, he finally relaxed, and the sleepiness he'd been holding back began to catch up with him.
He washed his face, changed into his casual clothes, and sat on the edge of the bed. Then he opened a drawer and glanced at the unfinished novel inside.
It wasn’t really a good choice for a bedtime story. After all, the tightly connected adventure plot only made him more awake the more he read. Even if he felt sleepy, he’d always try to stay up until the next transition chapter before closing his eyes.
So this time, he just flipped through a few pages and looked at some of the illustrations, then tucked the book back into the drawer.
He switched the lamp on his desk to a warmer light, shifted into a more comfortable position, and pulled the blanket over himself.
Even though it looked like his health was improving again, Armand still felt something was off.
Was this illness just too serious this time? Why did it feel like his strength was being pulled away little by little, like threads unraveling? On the outside, he looked much better than when he was seriously ill… but why did he still feel so weak?
Especially today… he was unusually sleepy.
If Carle hadn’t been the guest at dinner, Armand would’ve left the table early to rest. The only reason he made it through the meal was by focusing on keeping up with Carle’s conversation.
In fact, the only reason he noticed Evelia spacing out was because he himself had drifted off for a moment and came back to his senses just in time to catch her blank stare.
…Is it really because I’m getting older?
Damn… Saying I’m “almost thirty” was supposed to be a joke. Don’t tell me I’m actually falling apart already.
Oh well… this is just the first hurdle.
Winter was just around the corner, and that was always the hardest time of year for him. He could only hope it wouldn’t be too cold this year. If it was, his still-recovering body would definitely suffer.
…Looks like I’ll have to wrap up like a bear again this year.
...So tired…
The overwhelming drowsiness was just like the time he had searched for Evelia. He had things he wanted to think about, but his mind gradually went blank.
Even if the medicine he took to suppress the poison had a sleep-inducing effect, this time it worked really well... Maybe it was just because the bed was too warm?
…Forget it…
Maybe he should just…
…sleep…
Click.
Who knew how much time had passed when Evelia quietly pushed open the door to Armand’s room.
The warm light from the bedside lamp had already gone out, and the room was dim, lit only by the faint starlight outside.
“Mr. Armand?”
Evelia gently called out, then walked softly toward him under the moonlight.
Just like always, Armand was sleeping peacefully tonight. And just like always, she could stay by his side.
“Mr. Armand…”
She looked at his sleeping figure, then leaned forward and softly whispered into his ear.
Evelia, now quite practiced, quietly slipped into his blanket again. She lay behind him and gently wrapped her arms around his waist, her slightly cold fingers softly stroking his abdomen.
That night when Armand suddenly woke up had scared Evelia quite a bit, but thankfully, at the time he was running such a high fever that he couldn’t tell the difference between dream and reality.
Because of that scare, Evelia was being extra cautious this time. She didn’t straddle him or kiss him like before. She simply held him from behind, listening to his steady breathing and calm heartbeat.
Just like she had imagined, Evelia gently held Armand’s hand with one of hers. Instead of using her lips, she used her fingers to trace along his fingertips, the pads of his fingers, his knuckles, his palm... and lingered on the calluses in his hand for a long time, as if remembering the feeling of his rough hands on her skin that night.
Those large, strong hands. Just a little force was enough to hold her tightly by the waist. And when they moved up and gripped harder, it was like she could melt in his hands.
She thought about the way Armand had looked at her that night, dazed from the high fever, unable to tell reality from a dream, letting go of all restraint... and those hands, full of desire, along with the way he had seemed to crave her…
Suddenly, Evelia felt heat rising in her stomach. In the quiet room, there was an awkwardly sticky sound from her body.
“…Haa… Mr. Armand…”
But tonight, Evelia was trying to control herself.
That night, Armand had almost woken up, so today, she wanted to stay quiet.
“…Hhh… Haaa…”
She pressed her face to Armand’s back, breathing deeply with her nose right against him.
…That scent… Mr. Armand’s scent…
Even though Armand always smelled clean, when she was this close to him, Evelia could pick up a scent that made her feel at ease.
When Armand had rushed out of the bathroom, Evelia had taken his bathrobe. Wrapped only in her underwear beneath it, it felt like she was being held by him.
She had hugged herself like that, pretending that the warmth of the robe was his embrace.
That bathrobe still carried traces of him. Even though it had been freshly washed, Evelia had hugged it close and taken deep breaths, trying to hold on to that feeling.
But now, she was hugging the real Armand.
He smelled faintly of the soap he used before bed, the bitterness of all the medicine he’d been taking, and even a slight sweet-and-sour scent from the tomato sauce he’d had. But most of all, he carried the scent that was uniquely his.
It was a scent Evelia loved, and she couldn’t help but breathe it in again and again.
‘When… did I become like this? When did I start holding someone like this in their own bed, not wanting to let go?’
Evelia had once questioned the meaning behind her actions. But whenever she was close to Armand, she would stop thinking altogether.
It was true that Armand had drawn her in. Like opposite poles of a magnet, they didn’t need a reason to come together, only the certainty that they were meant to hold each other tightly.
Is this what people call “liking” someone...?
She remembered the romance novel she had read. The main characters, when hugging each other, would say words like “I love you” or “I like you.”
Evelia didn’t fully understand what “love” really meant. But she knew one thing, if her heart wanted to do something, then maybe that was what it meant to “like” someone.
This deep desire in her chest, wasn’t that also a kind of “liking”?
She wanted to stay close to Armand. She wanted to hug him, kiss him, and do even more…
They had always kept a little distance between them, until that deep kiss the other night broke the balance. Now, it was like the crack in her heart had finally found something to fill it.
Evelia hugged him tighter, trying to remember his scent clearly in her heart… while also rubbing a bit of her own scent onto him.
It was the perfume Anna had recently given her, said to be a new luxury brand imported from another country.
Evelia didn’t care much about so-called “luxury goods.” After all, everything was paid for by the Second Prince.
She only knew that this perfume had a soft, light scent. Similar to the one she had before, but fresher. This barely noticeable fragrance seemed like something Armand would like… and maybe it could become her scent too.
If that was the case, then from now on, a part of her scent would become a part of him.