Chapter 316: Until Spring Comes (Part 2)
"Eve, I..."
Armand hesitated, unsure how to say it. He lightly patted Evelia’s hand resting on his shoulder. In the end, he gritted his teeth and said it in a low voice:
"I didn’t keep the promise I made for autumn, did I?"
"......"
Even though Evelia didn’t answer, her hand trembling for just a second told Armand everything.
Although Evelia kept her expression hidden deep inside, ever since she had learned to feel, there were always small, subtle signs in her actions.
"I see... so I didn’t... You were really looking forward to it, weren’t you? I broke my promise."
He knew clearly that a simple "sorry" wasn't enough to make up for all Evelia had hoped for.
Armand understood how she felt, how much she wanted to hold that ceremony with him, how much she wanted to escape the shadow in her heart. But in the end, he had broken his word.
And when he thought about it… this wasn’t the first time.
Back then, so long ago, it had been the same.
He once promised to protect his mother, but ended up being sold to the House of Nightingales. He once promised to take that child away from that place, but now… he didn’t even know where that child’s body was buried.
And now, he said he wanted to make Evelia happy. But…
"I really am a terrible person..."
He let out a helpless, self-mocking laugh.
Having someone with you during hard times should be considered a blessing, but right now, all he felt was guilt toward Evelia.
She had already suffered enough... he didn’t want to keep her in the dark anymore.
But if he gave up now, wouldn’t that be even more pathetic?
He had already made up his mind before, but when it came time to face real hardship, he got scared.
"That’s not true, Mr. Armand."
Evelia leaned down and hugged Armand tightly from behind.
"You’re absolutely not a terrible person, Mr. Armand. You’re the best person I’ve ever met... definitely not someone awful."
She tried her best to argue back, even though she too had once been overwhelmed by the same kind of despair.
Armand was a good man, no doubt about it. After all, even Evelia, who was once a man, was willing to be attracted to him and betray her "faith" for him.
She had always leaned on the warmth Armand gave her, even until now.
She was sad. She was hurting. Seeing the person she loved fall into this state filled her heart with sorrow and pain. But if she had to feel those things, so be it. Let the sadness come.
Just like Armand once told her. If you want to cry, then cry. Cry as much as you want, cry freely and without holding back. And after the tears, stand up again, and face a new dawn. It’s okay to be sad. But after that, you must hold on tightly to hope again.
"We still have so many promises to keep, Mr. Armand."
Evelia bit her lip and, as if giving him strength, gave his shoulder a firm pat.
"So it’s okay. We’ll make them all come true, one by one. We’ll start with the smallest promises, and together, we’ll get through this cold winter, little by little."
Now, it was Evelia’s turn to lead Armand. Just like he once led her, back in the spring.
"Then Eve, which promise should we start with?"
Hearing Evelia's confident words, Armand’s mood didn’t feel as heavy as before.
Both of them knew the other was just holding on with all their strength, so they did everything they could to be even stronger. When one of them fell, the other had to stand up without hesitation.
Evelia turned her head slightly and looked out the window.
She didn’t know exactly when it started, maybe just a few minutes ago, but snowflakes had begun to fall gently from the sky. Winter had arrived a long time ago, but the snow that truly marked it was only falling now.
"You said you’d watch the snow with me, Mr. Armand. Now… it’s snowing."
Hearing this, Armand lifted his head and looked outside, watching the snowflakes land quietly all across the manor’s garden.
Even though the windows were shut tightly, they could still hear the joyful voices of the maids and knights outside. Although snow often signals the cold of winter, most people only felt joy and romance as they watched the soft white flakes fall from the sky.
"Then let’s go." Armand stood up and grabbed his thick cloak. "Let’s go see the snow."
He took Evelia by the hand and walked with her to the main hall, pushing open the large doors that had been closed to keep the warmth in. A cold wind rushed through the gap, making their hair flutter.
Evelia let out a breath, and after just a few seconds outside, the tip of her nose turned red from the cold. She rubbed her hands together and pulled her thick winter maid uniform tighter around her body.
"—Mm."
But before she could even shiver, warmth suddenly wrapped around her from behind.
Armand had opened his heavy cloak and pulled Evelia inside with him, wrapping her in the warmth as well. Only her head peeked out from the thick fabric so she could still watch the falling snow.
The cloak was the kind used by the knight order, very warm and thick. In just a few seconds, Evelia felt the chill around her begin to fade. She even tucked her nose and mouth into the soft fur collar.
Evelia looked up and met Armand’s eyes. She watched a snowflake land on his eyelashes… another on the tip of his nose… but both melted quickly and disappeared.
White mist swirled in the space between them. It looked cold, but it only appeared because their breaths were warm enough to create it.
"Does this count as keeping a promise?"
Under the cloak, Armand held Evelia tightly in his arms. Evelia also wrapped her arms around his waist, letting their once-cold hands slowly warm each other.
"Of course it does, Mr. Armand." Evelia nodded, her voice muffled slightly by the thick fabric.
"Then this is a good start."
Armand lowered his head and kissed the top of Evelia’s hair.
He had forgotten many things, but at the very least, he still remembered this, Evelia was the person he loved.
"Mm… Mr. Armand, everything will get better."
Evelia looked off into the distance, watching the snow fall across the vast land. Everyone was welcoming the arrival of winter, and so were she and Armand, facing their own challenges together.
Everything will get better… because I’m by your side, and you’re by mine.
Winter has come, but spring isn’t far behind.
No matter how cold the snow may be, I will face it.
All for the one I love, and the happiness I want to have.
(End of Volume 3)