Chapter 261: The Worry
Whether Armand was unconscious or awake, Evelia, as his personal maid, had always stayed by his side.
She had been troubled before, wondering how she would return from Grey Dove’s side, and even purposely left some visible injuries on herself. She told others she had “accidentally fallen down” to cover up the truth.
But when she saw Armand lying in bed so weakly, she suddenly felt like none of that mattered anymore.
Even though Armand didn’t have any obvious wounds at the time, Evelia noticed the small cuts and marks all over his body. While wiping him down while he was unconscious, she also saw old scars that had been left from years ago, and they made her heart ache.
Wounds and pain were things Evelia was all too familiar with. She had long been prepared for losing an arm or a leg if necessary.
But when she saw Armand’s scars, ones he had probably carried for many years, she still felt… unhappy.
If Evelia had to put that emotion into words, the closest would be “heartache.”
And it was from that moment that Evelia learned what it meant to truly empathize.
One day, when she was standing in front of the mirror adjusting her clothes and caught sight of her own scars, Evelia paused.
—If Armand saw the wounds on my body, would his heart ache too?
She asked herself that question, and the answer came quickly.
She took off her clothes and began applying a special cream that could cover scars, slowly rubbing it onto her skin to hide the injuries she had carefully created, the ones that were just bad enough to look believable.
This cream worked well and was even waterproof. Otherwise, when the two of them entered the bath together that day, they might have ended up discovering that they both had far too many familiar-looking scars.
But those details didn’t matter anymore.
“Mr. Armand, your breakfast is here.”
“—Alright, thank you.”
Armand pushed open the door of the washroom and saw Evelia standing at the door with a breakfast tray, knocking softly.
Even though Armand wasn’t as guarded toward Evelia as he used to be, it still felt a little uncomfortable seeing her move so freely in and out of his room.
There wasn’t anything particularly valuable in his room, no rare materials or secrets, but still…
Whatever, he thought. It’s like they say, there’s nothing important to steal anyway.
The old butler had told him that while he was unconscious, Evelia had been taking care of him the whole time. If she really meant him harm, he’d probably already be dead days ago.
…Sigh.
Thinking about it that way actually made him feel like he owed her something.
The butler said Evelia barely slept in her dorm room during that time, almost two weeks now. She had been staying in his room day and night, keeping watch. She must be exhausted. Even if she were made of steel, she wouldn’t be able to keep this up much longer.
Maybe he should give her a break...
“Eve.”
Armand wiped the last bit of water off his forehead and sat down at the small table in his room.
“Yes, Mr. Armand. I’m here.”
“Go back and rest later. You don’t need to come back again.”
“——”
As soon as Armand finished speaking, Evelia froze.
His words were simple, he just meant for her to go home and take a proper rest. She could sleep in her own bed, or find a sunny spot and relax. There was no need to keep running over here.
After all, he was awake now. Even though he still got fevers at night, it was mostly under control. If he rested well today, he might even return to the Knights’ Headquarters tomorrow.
Armand knew that even though he’d be returning to the Knights soon, he definitely couldn’t work overtime for a while. He needed to catch up on sleep, make up for all the rest he’d lost, and maybe even get ahead. Who knows? Once he recovered, something might come up again and keep him awake at night.
Right now, even though he somewhat trusted Evelia… he still had his doubts.
So when he told her to go back and rest, it wasn’t just to let her relax. It was also to keep her away from his room for a while. He wanted a chance to thoroughly check everything, just in case Evelia had done something while he was sick.
You could say he was just being cautious. After all, you can never be too careful.
Armand’s heart had already started leaning toward Evelia, but deep down, he still didn’t know who she really was loyal to.
He had secretly tried to look into Evelia’s background at the House of Nightingale, to find out what kind of position she held there. But finding any information about her was like looking for a needle in a haystack, there was nothing at all.
Maybe when the Second Prince sent her here, he had already destroyed all of her records. That man was known for doing things like that, erasing someone completely was one of his special skills.
What Armand feared most was that everything Evelia had shown him might be an act. He was afraid that just when he was ready to accept her, he’d reach out with a rose, and she’d strike him with a knife instead.
He could only hope Evelia was someone who could break free, someone who could escape the Second Prince’s shadow and choose her own future…
“Hmm…?”
Just as Armand was lost in thought about Evelia, spoon still in his mouth and coated in way too much tomato sauce, he noticed Evelia’s face. She didn’t look too good.
“...Eve? What’s wrong?”
Armand hadn’t realized that the simple words he said earlier had caused Evelia a lot of stress.
At the Knights’ Headquarters, Armand often spoke like that, saying things like “you don’t need to come back”. But to his fellow knights, that was just another way of saying “take a break.” It wasn’t a bad thing, because none of them would actually get fired.
But for Evelia, it was different.
She had worked under someone whose moods were hard to predict, the Second Prince. His words could be very direct, or they could be layered with hidden meanings.
Sometimes, when he said “see you later,” he just meant “we’ll talk again.” Other times, it meant “you won’t leave this place alive.”
Although the Second Prince had usually been straightforward with Evelia, lately she felt like he had started testing her more and more. That made her question everything, even the most ordinary phrases.
So when Armand said “you don’t need to come back,” Evelia’s mind instantly jumped to several conclusions.
Does he want me to return to my room?
Or does he mean I should leave this place altogether?
Is he trying to get rid of me?
Why would Mr. Armand say something like this all of a sudden?
Evelia was no longer the same girl from before, the one who only understood things literally. After spending time with others, and reading romance novels, she was learning what it meant to be human.
But underneath that logical mind of hers was a very fragile heart.
Did I slip up somewhere and give myself away?
Ah… no way...
Did Mr. Armand find out I’ve been secretly kissing him every night? Is that why he’s sending me away?
Clearly, Evelia was far more worried about Armand discovering that than about him finding out she was the Second Prince’s assassin, the “Red Crow.”