Chapter 292: A Fragile Place
Nervousness, anxiety, fear, worry.
Countless negative emotions filled Armand’s heart.
The last time he sat in Carle’s carriage, he had been thinking about how to propose. But now, that overwhelming feeling of fragility pressed down on him in this suffocating carriage.
“Are you okay?”
Carle looked at Armand, who hadn’t said a word, and tried to break the tense silence.
“Ah—yeah, of course. Just still a bit cold.”
But Armand’s reply was just another excuse, a poor lie. He was already bundled up in a heavy coat, almost looking like a bear, yet he still said it was “a bit cold.”
Armand rested his elbows on his knees, covering his lowered face with both hands. Carle couldn’t tell what he was feeling from his muffled voice, because Armand sounded too calm.
But that kind of calmness felt very unnatural. It was as if Armand had pushed down all of his emotions, just to suppress the negative ones. So much so that even the normal feelings were gone.
He was just going through the motions, answering Carle with automatic, meaningless replies.
Carle wanted to say more, but he realized he couldn’t break through. No matter what he said, Armand would only respond with more useless words.
—Forget it.
Carle didn’t keep pressing. That’s just how things were between them. The only comfort now was that Carle didn’t have to worry about Armand having no one to share the burden with anymore. Because now, Armand had found his other half.
The carriage clattered along, bumping over stones, causing little jolts. It was only during these moments that the pressure in Armand’s mind seemed to lift a little, reminding him that he was actually moving, not just lying alone in a hospital bed somewhere.
“Armand, we’re here.”
“Mm, okay. Thanks.”
Only after Carle reminded him did Armand lift his head and see the familiar gates. As he stood up, he paused for a moment, hesitating at the carriage door. It looked like he wanted to say something but didn’t.
In the end, he just nodded and walked through the gates of his estate.
Carle clearly noticed that Armand had something on his mind. But by the time he thought about whether to ask, the carriage door had already closed.
They didn’t say anything else. One walked into the estate, the other rode away.
“Phew...”
As for Armand, honestly, what he wanted to say was hard to speak out loud.
His thoughts were already drifting toward Evelia.
He didn’t know if this winter would make him fall seriously ill again, like last year when he returned from the front lines. When he couldn’t even get out of bed, when days blurred together in a haze, not knowing whether it was day or night, needing to check the calendar every morning, not that it helped much anyway.
He had only just recovered from a high fever recently. Because of the medicine, the poison in his body flared up again, but that was still a light episode. He only needed some sleep.
But this coming winter...
This was the real test. A test that could actually threaten his life.
And yet… somehow, he didn’t feel like the weather was that cold.
Compared to the battlefield in the far east, this place wasn’t that freezing. He had survived that hellish place. Logically, he should be able to get through this winter just fine.
…Could it be that he was just getting old?
He knew his body was getting weaker with time, but he didn’t expect it to happen this fast.
He once thought he could live to forty or fifty. At the very least, he wanted to make it to fifty. But now it felt like even turning thirty might be a challenge.
Tap.
Without realizing it, Armand had already arrived at Evelia’s room.
Of course, Armand really wanted Evelia to live with him, to move into his bedroom, and sleep together in that big bed.
But sadly, their marriage couldn’t be made public. Even the engagement party had to be handled by the most trusted chefs, just in case anything went wrong.
Even though Armand didn’t like to get involved in major events, he was still a high-ranking public figure.
If he announced he was getting engaged, the newspapers would definitely dedicate an entire section to talk about him from head to toe, and dig up anything they could about Evelia and print it too.
To Armand, this wasn’t a big deal. He had already built his public image long ago, so whatever the papers said would just repeat that image again. But for Evelia, this would be a serious problem.
Even though she was no longer standing by Armand's side as an assassin from the “House of Nightingales,” she still couldn’t appear in the public eye.
This whole thing had to be kept secret from the House of Nightingales, and especially from the Second Prince.
What Armand had wanted to say to Carle earlier was probably about this.
If anything happened to him, even in the best-case scenario, where it wasn’t something major but just falling seriously ill.
Then the only people he could truly trust would be the old butler Lug and his best friend Carle.
Lug was with him every day. He was the old butler of the estate and had always been like a father to Armand. Lug had taken care of Armand through sickness more than once, and he would know what to do.
As for Carle, Armand needed to give him a heads-up, just in case.
But if he wanted Carle to understand how serious the situation was, he would have to explain who Evelia really was, and her background.
Armand trusted Carle as a person. But what made him hesitate was how Carle would react to the truth about “Red Crow.”
Even Armand himself knew very well. He had chosen this path because he was blinded by so-called love.
Those caught up in a situation often can’t see things clearly, but outsiders can. And Armand was already deeply involved. He didn’t know what Carle, as someone on the outside, would think or choose.
So in the end, before getting out of the carriage, even though he wanted to say something, Armand stayed silent. He didn’t want to bring trouble to Carle.
Or…
Maybe he should try to get everything done before he fell sick again?
There was probably only one real way to protect Evelia. He had to make the Second Prince fall from power.
He had to help the Crown Prince win the fight for the throne. Not because the Crown Prince was better, but because the Second Prince was a danger to them.
But… would there be enough time?
Besides, the timing wasn’t right yet. It was obvious that both princes were waiting for an opportunity. If Armand acted too early, he would just mess up the balance.
Even though his heart was full of worry for Evelia’s safety. As a knight, he still had to think about the safety of the people too.
I should...
“Ah, Mr. Armand?”
Maybe she had heard the sound of boots outside the door, Evelia opened it.
She had already memorized Armand’s footsteps, so she didn’t even hesitate to open the door when she heard them.
“Ah… Eve.”
Just a moment ago, Armand had been thinking about war. Thinking about how to keep going. As a knight, or as a man, he had to stand tall and shoulder the burden...
But—
“Um, Eve...”
“Yes? What is it, Mr. Armand?”
“…Could I hold you for a moment?”
But when he stood in front of Evelia, in front of his lover, his wife, his “safe place,” even the strongest armor might crack.
“Of course.”
Evelia reached out and hugged Armand, who was wrapped in his heavy coat.
Even though Evelia was a tall woman herself, compared to the broad-shouldered Armand, she still looked delicate and small.
She did her best to wrap her arms around him, though it looked a little difficult.
But in Evelia’s embrace, Armand felt like he was the small one.
He leaned against her shoulder, a little awkwardly, letting her light scent surround him completely.
Even the strongest warrior will show his weakness in a moment like this. Maybe it was the only moment he could.