Chapter 266: Different Feelings
Armand was supposed to return to work at the Knights’ headquarters these past few days, but because of Evelia, he had been in a bad mood. Even when he sat at his desk, he looked distracted and absent-minded. The atmosphere around the Knights’ Order became so heavy that it made people uncomfortable.
Carle had tried to ask carefully what was going on, but knowing Armand’s personality, he wouldn’t say anything. In the end, Carle couldn’t take the gloomy mood anymore and simply had someone send Armand back home.
Although Armand still wanted to stay at the Order a bit longer, he couldn’t win against Carle, so he obediently returned to the estate.
Today, Armand didn’t do anything important. Even though he told Evelia to take a proper rest, the moment he got back, he immediately went looking for her, who was in the kitchen experimenting with new dishes. It was like he was afraid that if he left for even a moment, she would quietly disappear for some unknown reason.
That floating, uncertain feeling scared Armand more and more. Evelia felt like a kite blowing in the wind. No matter how tightly he held the string, all he could grab was that thin line, and the Second Prince was the wind that could easily carry the kite away at any time.
Armand stood silently beside Evelia, not saying a word, even though she was working on some really scary-looking "dark tomato recipes." Normally, he would joke about it or pull her away from the kitchen completely, but today, he didn’t do either.
“Mr. Armand, is there something you want to say to me?”
Rather than noticing Armand’s feelings, Evelia simply felt curious from being stared at so closely.
In the past, she wouldn’t care if people stared at her. After all, she used to be the “Red Crow,” and she was used to wearing a cloak while being watched by many eyes. She had long become used to that feeling.
But now, Evelia was feeling a little guilty.
These past few nights, Evelia had secretly slipped into Armand’s bed every night. But recently, because his medicine dosage was being reduced, Armand had started to sleep less soundly.
As for things like kissing, Evelia had to be more careful now. She could only quietly rub her lips against his, and sometimes, if she was feeling brave, give a gentle bite. She didn’t dare do anything bigger, like opening his mouth or using her tongue, because she was afraid of waking him up.
Sometimes, Armand would roll over and hug Evelia like a body pillow. Since it was an unconscious action, his hug was always very tight.
Of course, Evelia didn’t mind this at all. In fact, she actually enjoyed it. A few times, she almost fell asleep in his arms. If she weren’t so worried about being caught sneaking into his bed, she probably would have stayed with him like that for a long time. Just like when he was unconscious, staying by his side without eating or drinking.
These little secret thoughts of hers were what she feared exposing the most.
Because Armand hadn’t been sleeping well lately, every time Evelia snuck into his bed, it felt like she was taking a big risk. So now, seeing him stare at her like that, she started to panic, wondering if he had found out and was waiting for the right moment to ask her about it.
“Hmm? Me?”
When Evelia turned around and asked him, Armand blinked like he just came back to his senses.
“No… It’s nothing.”
Maybe he realized it wasn’t good to stare for too long, so when he said that, he looked away.
But even then, he couldn’t help glancing back at Evelia from time to time.
“……”
Evelia had always believed in the saying, “The more you say, the more mistakes you make.” So when Armand turned his gaze away, she didn’t ask any more questions. She simply looked back and continued preparing her tomato dish.
According to the book, the ingredients should be good for restoring strength. But judging by Armand’s expression, there didn’t seem to be much difference. She had even secretly touched him a few times while he was asleep, but she couldn’t tell if it helped. To really know if his body had been “restored,” it might take a “real test.”
But to Evelia, that idea was still in the “wishful thinking” stage.
Right now, even kissing required extreme caution. So anything more than that was far, far away.
Thinking about this, Evelia’s thoughts began to wander even more. She bit her lip, and even the way she stirred the milk-and-egg mixture changed slightly. Before she knew it, she had squeezed a bunch of ketchup into it, turning it into something truly awful.
While Evelia was starting to imagine some "unrealistic" things, thanks to that romance novel she had read, which taught her a lot of ideas and made her mental images more and more vivid—Armand, who stood behind her, was leaning against the sink and staring at the dripping water.
Evelia and Armand clearly had very different states of mind.
While Evelia had already imagined doing all kinds of things with Armand in her head, Armand was still worried that Evelia might just be a puppet of the Second Prince.
If only Armand knew what Evelia had been doing while he was asleep, he might be able to get rid of all those doubts. But unfortunately, Evelia wasn’t about to reveal those “secret actions” to him.
“...Cough.”
While thinking, Armand felt his throat was a little uncomfortable and let out a soft cough. Maybe it was because he still hadn’t fully gotten used to the scent of Evelia’s new perfume.
Since waking up, Armand’s body had become a bit weaker than before, which made him more sensitive to smells.
Of course, it wasn’t like he disliked Evelia’s perfume. In fact, compared to the ones before, he actually liked this one more. It smelled fresh and pleasant. But even so, he was someone who never liked having strong scents on himself, so he was a bit uncomfortable around any kind of lingering smell.
Even if it was Evelia’s scent, he would usually take a shower at night to wash it off. He had always done that every day.
But this time, the perfume seemed extra clingy. No matter how carefully he washed himself before bed, the scent would mysteriously be on him again the next morning.
He even tried using scented body wash, thinking it might cover up the perfume’s smell. But the result was that the two scents just mixed together the next morning.
Sigh…
Well, it’s just Evelia’s perfume. She used to care a lot about it, so he probably shouldn’t say anything...
Armand shook his head and sighed quietly to himself. Since it was just perfume, and Evelia had often rubbed against him or even sprayed it on his clothes before, he figured he might as well just let it go.
What he didn’t know, though, was that the real reason the perfume kept showing up on him…
…was because Evelia had been secretly snuggling against him every night, leaving behind “evidence of her crime.”