Chapter 298: The Inherited Name
Without realizing it, Armand had already fallen asleep. He lay quietly beside Evelia, still holding her hand as he drifted off.
Evelia was lying beside him in silence, gently watching her husband's sleeping face.
She was enjoying this peaceful moment, spending a few rare, calm nights together, with only the soft sounds of each other's breathing.
It was a kind of happiness she didn't often get to experience…
“Mr. Armand…”
Evelia softly called his name, but the only reply was the steady sound of his breathing.
So… Mr. Armand is asleep.
Lately, because of how much energy they used at night, Evelia was usually the one to fall asleep first, while Armand would always be the first to wake up. It had been a long time since she got to just quietly look at him sleeping like this.
He must be in a deep sleep, right?
Evelia gently brushed aside the messy strands of hair near Armand’s temple and softly touched his cheek. Maybe she was trying to test if he was awake, or maybe she was just being a little playful, but she even gave his cheek a light pinch.
“Hmm…”
But all she got from Armand was a soft murmur. He really was too tired.
His nerves had been tense for so long, and his body had been working hard all the time. He was completely exhausted. Right now, he was in such a deep sleep that it was almost like being sick, not that there were any serious symptoms. He was just sleeping a lot.
Evelia didn’t know what Armand might be dreaming about, but she noticed his eyelashes were slightly trembling, like he was seeing something in his dream.
Since he didn’t get a nosebleed or a fever in front of her, Evelia didn’t think too much about it. She just figured he must be extremely tired lately, like how newlyweds are often described in romance novels.
So, she gently adjusted her position, pulling Armand tightly into her arms like before. She leaned against his chest and took a deep breath.
“Fuuu… haah… mm…”
That familiar, faint scent of Armand entered her nose, and just as she hoped, there was still a hint of her own scent on him too.
Even though they were already together now, and she was officially his fiancée, Evelia still loved moments like this. Secretly holding Armand close, when he couldn’t resist or push her away.
After all, Armand could be a pretty shy guy. If Evelia tried to do anything “special” while he was awake, he would try to go along with it, but his movements would always be a little stiff.
Of course, Evelia didn’t hate how he blushed. In fact, it was only after those moments that she understood why Armand used to randomly pinch her ears. Those little gestures were just ways to hide his embarrassment. Now, she completely understood.
“Mr. Armand… you’re actually kind of cute…”
Evelia still remembered how Armand used to say that she was the cutest girl he had ever met. Now, she felt the same, Armand was the cutest man she had ever known.
Even though she wasn’t sure if “cute” was the right word to describe a man, she thought it still counted as a compliment. After all, when she used to be a man and Armand called her that, it always made her feel a little happy inside.
“Mr. Armand… chu...”
Just like before, she kissed him while he was asleep and too tired to respond.
She kissed his ears, his cheeks, his nose, his eyes.
Every part she could see, until finally, she kissed his lips.
Even though she could’ve kissed Armand when he was awake, Evelia simply couldn’t hold back her desire in that moment. Right now, more than anything, she wanted to feel Armand’s love.
“Mm…”
Soft sounds escaped her throat, mixed with her breathing. It was like she was addicted. Evelia desperately longed for Armand’s affection. Just the feeling of slipping into his clothes and touching him made it hard for her to stay calm.
But in the end, she held back, because she could tell that Armand was truly exhausted.
She didn’t want to trouble him or make him uncomfortable. So when he was awake, Evelia didn’t do anything.
She simply held his hand, gently patted his back, whispered sweet lines she’d learned from romance novels into his ear, and softly hummed the lullaby that both of them knew well.
When he heard that lullaby, it seemed like Armand wanted to say something. He listened to the familiar tune and began to remember the past.
He remembered what it was like to live at the House of Nightingales, how he made it out of there, and how he had kept going through the past ten years, all the way up to now.
He thought of that one friend. His best friend, who was like a little brother to him.
Was his soul at peace now?
There were so many things he wanted to say. He still had many secrets he hadn’t told Evelia. He even wanted to jokingly tell her that if they counted by seniority, he’d actually be her elder.
But he didn’t say any of that.
Maybe it was because of the drowsiness, or maybe he just couldn’t find the right time. He simply closed his eyes and quietly sorted through his memories in his dreams.
He couldn’t go back to being a member of the Scassia family. He couldn’t use that name anymore, and he couldn’t return to who he once was.
Was he filled with regret? Of course.
After all, that was the name passed down from his father.
His current name, Armand Systalia, came from the fact that he could no longer inherit the Scassia family name. So he broke it apart and rebuilt it.
The name “Armand” was a combination of his father Adrisn and his mother Ariel, and on top of that, it included the sound of his original name, Aegmed, forming the new name Armand.
And Systalia—well, that part was personal too.
Of course, it included a small piece of Scassia, but the more important part was for that friend.
Back when Armand first met that boy at the House of Nightingales, he had casually given the name “Aeg”, and people even laughed at him, saying that in some dialects, it just meant “egg.”
But that boy, his silly little friend, had told him his real name, Furst Talia.
Armand still clearly remembered that name. To protect his identity, he even warned him not to reveal his name so easily. After that, he only called him Fur.
If a name was too long or hard to say, Armand would just take the first part as a nickname, or rather as a sign of affection. He did that with Evelia, and he had done the same with Furst.
Back then, it was to hide their real names. Now, it was just because his brain wasn’t working that well anymore.
And so, the name “Systalia” also included a part of Furst’s last name.
Because he was dead.
In Armand’s memory, in everything he knew, Furst was gone.
And to this day, Armand still regretted it. He had lived with that regret for ten years now.
Every day, he wondered why he hadn’t saved him. If only he’d been a little stronger, would he have made it? It was so close. Just a little more, and things might’ve been different.
The pocket watch that had blocked a fatal blow for him was still in his drawer. Maybe because he wanted to remember that scar, he had never taken the watch for repairs, even though it might still have been fixable.
He believed that he couldn’t save Furst…
So the only thing he managed to carry out was his name.
Armand Systalia, a name that carried both his parents’ names and Furst’s name.
He would take revenge in the place of those who should have survived. And if possible, he would live the way they would have wanted to.
That was also why, back then, when Evelia asked if they should give Rachel a family name, Armand refused without hesitation. Because the burden that came with this name was something only he himself should carry.
He thought that even after Evelia officially became his wife, he wouldn’t let her take his surname either. Partly because he didn’t think such formalities mattered much, but more importantly, because he didn’t want Evelia to carry that burden too.
If she became his wife… Armand just wanted her to live a happy life.
Far away from the royal conflicts, free from anyone’s control. She wouldn’t need to inherit anyone’s name, Evelia could simply be Evelia. She could become whoever she wanted to be.
In his dream, Armand’s thoughts drifted far away. He had no idea what the girl beside him was doing.
Evelia reached out and explored Armand’s body, her fingers skillfully brushing over every inch of his skin.
“Mm…”
A soft sound escaped Armand’s lips for a brief moment, making Evelia take a deep breath. She looked at his still-closed eyes, and a bold idea came into her mind.
Some things they hadn’t done before, would it be okay to try them now?
After all, she was Armand’s wife now and if she was his wife…
Then no matter what she did, it should be okay, right?
Thinking this, Evelia licked her lips.
After making sure Armand was still sound asleep, she quietly slipped her whole body under the covers.
………
………
………
After a full night’s rest, Armand’s eyelids twitched slightly. Maybe because his health wasn’t great, even though his body clock said it was time to get up, he still felt very sleepy.
“Guh… mm… pff…”
But very quickly, that sleepiness was completely wiped away by a low, strange sound near his ears.
“…?”
Armand opened his eyes, confused, still half-asleep. He tried to figure out where the strange sound was coming from.
“…mm… huu…”
The sound was broken and hard to hear clearly. But based on his experience, Armand had a bad feeling about it.
“…?!”
Finally, as he became more awake, he suddenly realized something, and quickly threw off the blanket.
“—E-Eve?!”
What he saw was none other than Evelia, who had just been hiding under the covers.
“Whew… good morning, Mr. Armand.”
“Good mor—no, wait—what are you doing?!”
“It’s a wake-up service, Mr. Armand. This is a maid’s duty, you know.”
“There’s no such service like that!!”