Chapter 306: The Drawing on the Window
“In just a few more days, it’ll be winter.”
Armand looked out the carriage window. It seemed they were still a little far from Anna’s clothing shop.
He casually blew a puff of air at the window. A white mist formed on the glass, and Armand absentmindedly drew on it with his finger. He had originally meant to just glance at the view outside, but in the end, he ended up childishly drawing a smiley face in the mist.
“If I went by the temperature alone, I’d think winter has already started,” Evelia said, sitting across from him. She copied Armand’s action, breathing on the glass and drawing a smiley face next to his, adding a simple little heart beside it.
She seemed to be trying hard to copy what Armand had drawn, but as a member of the “House of Nightingales,” she had never been trained in anything related to drawing. So her doodle looked like something a child might make. The few lines that were supposed to be hair made it look like Armand was going bald.
As for Armand’s smile, Evelia had really tried her best to draw it, though it was still just three curved lines.
But! They were three very serious curved lines!
“Yeah, it’s been really cold lately. It’ll be a harsh winter for sure.”
Armand watched as Evelia focused on imagining his face while she carefully drew her version of him in the mist on the window. Her seriousness made Armand smile too.
Maybe it was his smile that caught her attention, or maybe she suddenly remembered that the real Armand was sitting right in front of her, so if she needed any details, she could just look directly. Evelia looked up and met Armand’s gaze just as he lifted his head too.
“……”
Unlike shy girls who blush when they lock eyes, Evelia calmly looked at Armand, then looked down at the simple, round-headed sketch she had drawn.
—It’s exactly the same.
In her heart, Evelia gave herself a big compliment.
She had imagined Armand’s face clearly and then drawn this “portrait.” Her checking just now was to make sure she hadn’t missed any little details.
But nope. Nothing was missing.
That’s what Evelia thought, full of confidence.
What she had drawn was practically the real Armand, because she had already remembered every little thing about him, there was no way she’d forget.
“……”
Seeing how proud Evelia was of her “masterpiece,” smiling like flowers were blooming in her heart, Armand smiled even wider.
It was just a shame that their drawing was on a foggy window. No matter how well they drew, it would fade in a short while. The smiley face he’d drawn of her with long hair was already halfway gone.
“Hah…”
So he blew on the glass again, purposely drawing her face from memory once more. He even played around a bit, giving the little figure different hairstyles.
Both of them kept drawing versions of each other, just like kids. Taking this small moment, they made doodle after doodle of each other on the window. But in the end, they both looked at each other again. As if reading each other’s minds, they both decided to draw what the other looked like right now.
In that final exchange of glances, both their eyes were filled with warmth and laughter.
—To be happy, sometimes it’s really this simple.
And those smiles were simple too.
Just doing something this silly made Evelia, who rarely smiled, curve the corner of her eye ever so slightly. It wasn’t obvious, but Armand noticed the little detail.
“If you’re happy, then smile more,” he said.
Taking the chance while the carriage wasn’t shaking much, Armand moved over to sit beside Evelia. He gently touched the corner of her eye where the smile had appeared, his gaze filled with the affection he never used to dare show.
“Mm.”
Evelia closed her eyes and gently rubbed her head against Armand’s palm.
“As long as you stay by my side, I’ll always be happy.”
That honest and straightforward sentence hit Armand’s heart again, making him smile uncontrollably.
“Haha, alright,” he said, then pulled Evelia into his arms. “Then how about we make a little trade? If you smile more, I’ll hug you more?”
“......”
It was clearly a joke, but it seemed like that was exactly what Evelia wanted. She really liked being in Armand’s arms, especially now that the weather was cold, his hugs felt even warmer than usual.
So, after thinking seriously for a moment, Evelia began to try her best to smile.
But for her, smiling naturally was still difficult. Right now, the only time she could truly smile was when her heart was deeply touched by something.
Armand noticed this too. Watching Evelia struggle to make a simple smile, something so easy for others, he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty for making that joke.
She looked like someone who needed to be protected.
She was human just like everyone else, yet now she couldn’t even smile easily.
Thinking about what she might’ve gone through in the past made it hard for Armand to keep smiling himself. The corners of his mouth lowered a bit.
“Mr. Armand, why aren’t you smiling anymore?”
Suddenly, Evelia lifted her head in his arms. She looked at him with a puzzled expression, noticing the sadness in his face.
“Hmm?” Caught off guard by her question, Armand didn’t know how to respond for a moment.
“You have to smile, Mr. Armand,” she said softly, reaching out her hand and gently touching the corners of his mouth. “Because that’s how your Eve will know what a real smile is.”
“Eve…”
“I look up to you, Mr. Armand. I want to be like you, someone who brings warmth to others. So please, keep smiling. Let me learn how to smile like that. And one day, I’ll use that same smile to heal you too… so you can feel the same warmth you gave me.”
Her fingers gently brushed against his lips. Then, at the end of her sentence, she replaced her fingers with her lips, giving him a soft kiss.
“......”
Armand had never expected Evelia to say something like that. He was actually a little moved.
He had always been the one helping, saving, and healing others… but he never thought someone would say such words to him.
Even though he had already seen Evelia as his own source of healing, hearing her say it out loud brought a whole different feeling.
Ugh… this is too much. If this goes on, I might embarrass myself by crying in front of her.
After hearing those words, Armand suddenly felt like all the pressure on him didn’t matter anymore.
Because now, he knew, whether along the journey or at the finish line, there would always be someone waiting for him, someone by his side, someone who would smile just for him.
“Thank you.”
Armand lowered his head, letting his bangs cover his eyes a little.
He wanted to say more, but if he did, he probably wouldn’t be able to hold back his emotions.
So, he simply whispered his thanks and hugged Evelia even tighter.