Chapter 313: A Promise in Autumn
Even though he was inside the house, Armand still wore a long coat. Holding the warm tea that Evelia had prepared for him in a glass mug, he walked slowly through the hallway as if he were taking a stroll.
Although he was already an adult, Armand’s health had been poor lately. Even the old butler was worried he might suddenly faint and collapse while walking, so many of Armand’s outings were canceled. If he needed to meet someone, they were called to the house instead. If he needed anything, someone else would go get it for him. Of course, he also stopped doing much work with the knight order. Though to be honest, he wasn’t exactly someone who showed up at the office every day anyway.
Armand would often joke, “I’m not that sick, right?” But the truth was, he couldn’t even remember how many times he had said that.
As the weather got colder, Armand’s condition also got worse.
The old butler, who had been with Armand for many years, had seen him like this before. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried. Especially because this time, Armand seemed to be even sicker than usual.
Just like before, Armand would suddenly fall into a daze without warning. At first, people thought he was just lost in thought or focusing too hard on something. But later, Evelia realized that Armand wasn’t thinking at all. His brain seemed to just shut down when he started zoning out.
He couldn’t hear anything around him, and he had no idea what was going on nearby. To put it simply, it was like sleeping with his eyes open.
To test this, Evelia even did an experiment, kind of like that time when she secretly slipped into Armand’s bed. This time, she carefully sat beside him while he was spacing out. She poked his face and whispered a few normal greetings into his ear to see if he would respond. But just as she suspected, Armand didn’t react at all. He sat there with half-open eyes, staring blankly at nothing.
Then Evelia got bolder.
She kissed him, kissed every part of him while she had the chance. Armand stayed totally unresponsive the whole time. It wasn’t until she accidentally bumped a table while trying to move him to the couch to “rest” that he snapped out of it, looking a bit embarrassed as he asked her what she was doing.
Of course, Evelia calmly told him everything she had done. Then, since Armand had finally “woken up,” she pulled him over to the couch to finish what she had started.
Even though her attempt to test his condition turned into what you might call a “sneaky ambush,” Evelia still figured out what was wrong.
That strange “brain shutdown” wasn’t something Armand could control. He didn’t even realize it was happening. And ever since Evelia heard his honest explanation, she also knew that Armand was experiencing memory loss.
But back then, she had no idea just how bad things would get.
Maybe it was because she trusted him so much. She believed that Armand was someone who always kept his word. No matter what happened, he would find a way to fix it. So Evelia simply kept taking care of him, quietly waiting for the day his health would get better.
But…
“—Ah, haha, sorry. I thought you were someone else. Go ahead with your work. Sorry to bother you.”
“It’s no problem, Mr. Armand.”
To make sure nothing unexpected happened to Armand, Evelia had pretty much become his full-time bodyguard. Whether it was daily care or combat scouting, she could handle it all.
But this amazing maid, this capable Red Crow, this perfect Evelia, still didn’t know how to cure Armand.
She watched as Armand held the cup of tea she had brought him and gave a small, apologetic smile to another maid after realizing he had mistaken her for someone else. Of course, that maid didn’t mind such a small misunderstanding.
But Armand kept watching the maid’s back as she walked away, looking like he wanted to say something… like he was deep in thought about something else.
"Ah—Eve, there you are."
Then he turned toward Evelia. Just a second ago, he had been frowning, as if wondering to himself, "How did I get that wrong?" But now his eyes lit up. He looked like a happy husky that had just found a bone, smiling cheerfully as he quickly walked over to her.
"I almost mistook someone else for you just now," he said with a light laugh.
"Then you need to pay more attention, Mr. Armand," Evelia said, wrapping her arm around his. She leaned close and softly scolded him in a joking tone, "How can you mistake your own wife?"
But even though it was a joke, Evelia couldn’t bring herself to smile. Not even a fake or forced one.
All she could do was hold onto his arm tightly, afraid he would disappear from her side.
She didn’t know if this was the “small winter sickness” that Armand had mentioned. She only knew that something wasn’t right anymore. It wasn’t just his memory. His awareness had started to fade too, just like what had happened earlier.
It wasn’t the first or second time Armand had mistaken someone else for her. He often called people by the wrong name, chasing after someone before realizing it wasn’t who he thought. More and more, he seemed stuck in a half-dreaming state, talking about things Evelia had never heard before, things that had never happened between the two of them, and forgetting conversations they really had shared.
Every time, he would explain it with a smile: "Ah, I must’ve just had a dream."
But that explanation only made Evelia more and more worried.
Every day, she would place a calendar on Armand’s desk to remind him what day it was.
She didn’t want to face the truth either. But still, she forced herself to clearly mark today’s date.
And yet, Armand would just look at the calendar, not noticing any mistakes at all. It was like those jumbled dreams of his were starting to blur his real thoughts too.
Leaning against Armand’s side, Evelia no longer cared how other people saw them. Even though Armand still said things like “We shouldn’t let people find out about our relationship,” Evelia had stopped worrying about that.
She wasn’t doing it on purpose to show others. She just wanted Armand to remember her, to remember that she was Evelia, to remember that she was his wife.
She was terrified that one day, Armand would wake up, and when she said “Good morning,” he would just look at her and ask, “Who are you?”
Carrying a cup of half-finished tea, Armand walked toward the tea room while talking to Evelia about the wedding plans he had gone over again and again in his mind. He still seemed to be thinking about the engagement party. He said he wanted everything to be done before winter came, and afterward, they would have time to think carefully about what kind of future they wanted together.
If this had been the old Evelia, she would’ve smiled happily and followed his words—because as his wife, that was the moment she had dreamed of most.
But now, Evelia just felt a little sad.
And even though she saw the gentle smile on Armand’s face, she couldn’t say anything.
She didn’t know how to put her feelings into words. That heavy sadness sat in her chest, making it hard to breathe.
Wasn’t this supposed to be a happy life they were building?
Wasn’t it supposed to be a moment of courage, finally accepting her feelings and wanting to be with the person she loved?
Yes… they were together now, and Armand was still trying, but...
Autumn. Autumn.
Armand always said he would prepare their engagement party before winter came. And when spring arrived, they would finally have the wedding.
But autumn had already passed. Winter was here.
And that promise from autumn… had not come true.
So, what about that spring he promised?
Ah… but of course, I know he’s a kind person.
Mr. Armand is the kindest man in the world. He would never lie.
He would never let me down. He always keeps his promises.
...It’s just that he forgot. That’s all.