Chapter 309: Changing Room
Evelia was still pretty thoughtful. When she pushed Armand against the wall of the changing room, she even used her palm to cushion the back of his head.
“Mm… mmm…”
What Armand was facing now was Evelia’s overwhelming heat and passion. He didn’t even get the chance to breathe before being drowned in her intensity.
Armand was, in some ways, a conservative guy. Doing something like this in public made him a little nervous. But maybe that nervousness only made him more excited, and even his breathing became quicker than usual.
“Haah… huff…”
No one knew how much time had passed before Evelia finally let go of him. Her hot breath still lingered near his nose, and her eyes stayed locked on him, as if letting go was just a necessary pause to catch her breath.
“Eve… maybe that’s enough?”
Trying his best not to make a sound while she continued her bold actions, Armand spoke softly. Evelia, like a trained assassin, also kept her voice very low.
But it seemed like she only felt satisfied when their voices were close to each other’s ears. So even though she tried to speak quietly, she still purposely let out a few sweet little sounds now and then.
“It’s just… when I think about standing beside you in a wedding dress, I can’t help but want to get even closer… And then, during the ceremony, the priest will definitely say the groom can kiss the bride, and then I can do this…”
“—No no no,” Armand quickly shook his head when he heard what Evelia was thinking. “You can’t stick your tongue out at the wedding.”
“Then… it’s okay to make up for it now, isn’t it?”
“There’s nothing to make up for if it hasn’t even happened yet…”
“Armand, don’t you like being with me?”
As she said that, Evelia leaned in, her eyes burning as she stared at him.
“…That’s not a fair question.”
It was a question that was impossible to answer properly. No matter if he said yes or no, it felt like he’d lose something either way.
Armand nervously swallowed and looked at Evelia’s small head tilted upward to look at him. She looked like a cute kitten, gently resting on her owner, wanting to snuggle closer but afraid of being a bother.
Unable to resist, Armand reached out his hand and softly stroked this adorable little pink kitten. Maybe because of her assassin training, her body was so soft that it felt like if he shifted just a bit, he could pull her entirely into his arms.
He picked up a strand of Evelia’s hair and made cat ears with it on top of her head. He even started playing with it, making the pretend cat ears twitch playfully.
—Oh right. Last time Evelia dressed up as a cat-eared maid, those clip-on ears and jingling bell tail were still in his drawer. If he had stored them inside his magical seal, he might’ve taken them out right now.
Of course, back then he had no such thoughts, and he definitely never imagined that one day they would end up as a couple.
Evelia clearly knew what Armand was thinking. Since he saw her as a little cat, then she would play along with his fantasy, lying against his chest and even purring softly like a kitten.
“...…”
That purring sound hit Armand’s weak spot perfectly, making him take a deep breath.
But let’s not forget, this was a clothing store.
Even though the changing room had a real door and not just a curtain, that didn’t mean it was soundproof. Someone might hear a weird cat sound and get curious enough to open the door…
Just thinking about that, Armand reached out and clicked the lock shut.
But that locking sound was pretty loud, and it made the air between them even more awkward.
Then again, that awkwardness was quickly burned away by the rising heat caused by Evelia’s closeness.
“…Huff…”
No one knew how much time had passed. Time had become blurry, and the tension between them hadn’t completely gone away.
Evelia lifted her head and wiped the corner of her mouth. Her throat moved slightly as she swallowed.
Sweat on her forehead had made her bangs stick to her face, but when she brushed them aside, her flushed face was clearly visible.
“Thanks for the treat, Mr. Armand.”
Evelia was breathing deeply, clearly very satisfied, while Armand still looked very nervous. He quickly picked up a piece of clothing and covered Evelia with it.
“...Just this once, Eve. Don’t do it again.”
When he said that, his face looked awkward. He didn’t seem like the proud leader of the knight order at all. In fact, his tone even sounded a bit like he was begging.
“Okay, Mr. Armand,” Evelia nodded obediently and sat down beside him. “I won’t do that in the changing room again.”
“……”
Armand had a bad feeling about the way she said it. It sounded like the key point in her sentence was “in the changing room.”
Did she… plan to try this in other places?
Surely she wouldn’t try to pull him out onto a balcony during a royal ballroom, especially in front of all the guests and even the second prince, right?
“Mr. Armand, you should try on the clothes now. These are a few styles Anna picked out. Want to give them a try?”
Compared to Armand, who was still lost in strange and wild thoughts, Evelia was clearly more calm, or maybe she was always this calm.
She casually picked up one of the outfits from the nearby chair and handed it to Armand. It was a formal white suit, just like the kind he usually wore.
Armand liked white because his hair was black. If he wore all black, it would look dark and oppressive, and he wasn’t the kind of person who liked to make others feel uncomfortable.
“Sigh… Anna’s probably getting impatient. I should hurry and—”
Armand was about to stand up and try the clothes quickly, so Anna wouldn’t have to wait too long and feel awkward. But maybe he stood up too fast. He suddenly felt his head spin and lost his balance, falling back into the seat.
“Mr. Armand?!”
Evelia had been organizing the other clothes, but when she saw him suddenly tilt backward, she rushed to help him so he wouldn’t fall to the floor.
Armand heard Evelia’s worried voice, but it was mixed with a loud ringing in his ears. His vision turned black for a moment, and it took a while before he could finally see clearly again.
“Mr. Armand, what’s wrong? Can you hear me? Are you okay?”
“…I’m fine… It’s just low blood sugar.”
Judging by the symptoms, dizziness and ringing ears, it really did seem like low blood sugar. It was nothing serious. Armand had never experienced this before, but since it was winter and his body had been weaker lately, he didn’t think much of it.
But—
“……”
As he held onto the chair and tried to stand up again, he looked down, and saw a few drops of blood on the floor.
Drip.
As he breathed, a few more drops of blood fell from his nose.
“Mr. Armand… your nose is bleeding?”
Evelia also got nervous, just like Armand.
The old butler had once told her that Armand would always be okay. He could even get through a high fever without a problem.
But if he ever started getting nosebleeds, it meant something was seriously wrong.
“Ah…”
Looking at the blood on the ground, and then at Evelia’s worried face, Armand finally realized—
There was no way he could keep this hidden anymore.