Chapter 345: A Memory That Disappeared Forever
"His Majesty the King?"
When he heard that, Armand felt a bit surprised. Ever since the old man got seriously ill, it had been years since anyone had heard any news about him. Many people even thought the King had basically stepped away from politics and that the next time he showed up would be when the whole country was mourning his death.
But now, unexpectedly, the old King seemed to be making a comeback. Armand couldn’t help but think, that old guy really had some life left in him.
Maybe... a little bit jealous too?
Just thinking about how he might not even live past thirty, while that old guy was still alive and kicking, made Armand’s face change slightly. But not wanting to make Carle worry, he used the excuse of brushing his bangs aside to cover up and let his expression return to normal.
Armand had never had a great attitude toward the King anyway. After all, he never really felt the warmth of the empire’s system.
Both his parents had been proper knights, respected among their peers. But his father died under unclear circumstances, and his mother "died of depression" shortly after...
Anyone could tell there was something wrong with that. But the only person who might’ve known the truth, Viscount Scassia, had already been sent to the grave by Armand himself.
Still, even if he knew the truth, what could he do?
That man was still the King. A king who ruled everything with just one hand. Armand's own small influence wouldn’t change a thing...
In the end, this wasn’t something the two of them could talk about carelessly. So after just a few short comments, they dropped the topic.
It was clear Armand wanted to go back to the topic about returning to the knights. Carle could tell. And from past experience, when Armand wanted something, he’d either do it no matter what or nag endlessly about it. When it came to social skills, Armand was basically a thug.
Carle truly was worried about Armand’s health and didn’t want him doing too much. But still...
“Alright, alright.”
Carle sighed again, blew the bangs off his forehead, and gave in helplessly.
“But only if your body can handle it. If it’s too hard, just take a good break first. It’s not like the knight order’s going to grow wings and fly away.”
“Yeah, okay. Thank you.”
Armand didn’t say much more. He just quietly thanked Carle for being so understanding.
Strictly speaking, Armand was the commander of the knights. Carle was only the vice-commander, there was no real reason for him to be this accommodating. But this wasn’t about their titles. It was because they were friends.
And that was also why Carle’s advice came from the heart...
The current situation was definitely unstable. If Carle stayed with the knights, it would become dangerous very quickly.
“Phew—”
After Carle turned and left, Armand finally let the worry show on his face. It stayed there until Evelia returned and walked through the door.
Even then, it seemed like he still hadn’t calmed down.
“Mr. Armand, is there anything I can help with?”
Seeing his troubled face, Evelia gently pressed her fingers to his shoulders, like she was trying to help him relax with a simple massage.
“No, it’s nothing... I just have a bit of a headache.”
“Mr. Armand, are you not feeling well again?”
Hearing that, Evelia quickly placed her hand on Armand’s forehead, trying to check if he was still running a fever.
Although his memory confusion wasn’t as bad as before, Armand still sometimes blanked out, and mild fevers were common. Of course, this wasn’t as good as when he was fully healthy. But compared to that “half-dead” state from before, he was doing much better now.
Even though Rachel had figured out the source of the poison and cut off the connection between Armand and the toxin in a rather unreasonable way, the poison inside Armand’s body was still there. The catalysts that had stayed in his body were still working, though not as “strong” as before.
But to put it bluntly, Armand was now like pickled garlic, completely soaked through. Even without direct stimulation from the catalysts, his body would only get worse over time.
“...I don’t have a fever yet, Eve. Don’t worry.”
Even Armand himself clearly knew that much.
But when facing Evelia, he still kept a calm attitude.
He gently rubbed his forehead against Evelia’s palm, and only after his wife confirmed that he really wasn’t sick did he hear her let out a relieved sigh.
“If you're feeling unwell, Armand... please tell me.”
Although she sighed in relief, Evelia's eyes were still full of worry. It was rare to see her emotions so clearly written on her face. Compared to before, Evelia had grown a lot during the time Armand couldn’t remember.
Unfortunately, he had no memory of that chaotic time, and wouldn’t understand that what Evelia learned back then was sorrow.
Evelia had never seriously talked to Armand about those chaotic days, as if she herself didn’t want to remember them in detail.
After all, to her, that was still time spent together with Armand. Even though it wasn’t always filled with joy and hope, the feeling of standing side by side with him gave her a sense of belonging.
But the memories of those chaotic times would never return to Armand. That disordered and painful past belonged only to her.
Still, just because she regretted the past didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the happiness of the present. Every single moment she spent with Armand now was something she treasured deeply.
It might sound romantic, the kind of love only lovers would share, but it was also the very thing Rachel feared the most.
If a day ever came when Evelia and Armand had to part forever... what kind of person would Evelia become?
That was a question no alchemy could answer, and one Rachel really didn’t want to find out.
That’s why she was doing everything she could to avoid that possibility.
…………………………………
“Um... Salana...”
So now she was wearing a cute outfit that didn’t quite match her age, playing tea party games with Salana, and pretending not to feel guilty while listening to the little girl praise the oddly shaped cookies she’d made on purpose...
“Hmm? What is it?”
Salana looked at her with a cheerful smile, her eyes full of innocent joy.
Rachel’s reasons for giving the cookies might not have been pure, but Salana really did seem to love them. Even though the cookies were small, she took tiny bites, unwilling to eat them all at once. She even carefully saved the box they came in.
“......”
Just looking into her eyes made it hard for Rachel to breathe.
She was such an angelic little girl. And yet, Rachel had to cozy up to her just to get money... She really didn’t want the grown-up world to ruin a girl like this.
But to save my “child,” I have to—
“U-Um... could I maybe... borrow a bit of money from you?”