Chapter 354: The Beginning
The first day back at the Knight Order passed without any trouble.
Even though he had worked there for a long time, this was the first day Armand pushed through while feeling so unwell.
He had expected that, after his "leave," the knights would come to him with all kinds of issues that had piled up.
But surprisingly, everyone was very well-behaved. No one came to him with trivial matters or bothered his rest.
Well... maybe it wasn’t that surprising after all.
It was probably Carle who gave them orders not to disturb the captain unnecessarily. Even if she hadn’t explained the full situation, those knights were smart enough to understand and stay quiet.
When Armand returned to the manor, he was feeling quite tired.
The weather was very cold that day. So cold that even though he was wrapped in a thick coat and sitting inside a warm carriage, he still sneezed several times. Just the short walk from the manor gate to his bedroom was enough to make his nose turn bright red from the cold.
“Mr. Armand, how are you feeling?”
As soon as he got home, Evelia rushed over to him, just like a worried mother fussing over her child after their first day of school. She checked him from head to toe, and only after hearing Armand repeatedly say he was fine did she finally let out a long sigh of relief.
“Stop always asking how I’m doing. What about you? Did you have any trouble today?”
Evelia cared about Armand, and of course, Armand also cared about Evelia.
Even though they weren’t officially “husband and wife” on paper, their hearts were clearly tied together like lovers. Caring for each other, this was exactly what couples were supposed to do.
“As always, Mr. Armand,” she answered with her usual line, as if trying not to make him worry.
“Mm. As long as you’re okay, then I’m...”
—I don’t even know what I’d do if I lost you again.
That was what he wanted to say next. But those words felt too sticky, too heavy, and he couldn’t bring himself to say them out loud.
As the Aegmed, he had already lost Furst once.
Now, more than anything, he didn’t want to lose Evelia too.
But...
“By the way, Eve, I want to talk to you about Rachel.”
There were other people he needed to protect in other ways too.
He had been thinking about this all day, what to do with Rachel. If it were someone else, he could just ask a friend to take her in. But sadly, Armand didn’t really have any friends he could rely on.
It wasn’t that Carle wasn’t trustworthy, on the contrary, he absolutely was. He came from a wealthy family, so he could definitely raise Rachel well, and his daughter Salana was about the same age as Rachel. They could keep each other company. In terms of personality and values, Armand had full trust in Carle and his family. They were the most suitable choice in every way.
But there was one problem, Carle was the deputy commander of the Knight Order.
Armand wanted to send Rachel away because of his connection to the Knight Order. So if he sent her to the deputy commander’s house, wasn’t that basically the same as not sending her away at all?
“Did something happen to Rachel?”
Evelia, who had been tidying up the clothes Armand had taken off, looked over and asked why he suddenly brought up the girl.
Rachel was probably still soaking herself in her little lab at that moment.
Since she’d never caused any big accidents, everyone at the manor felt pretty relaxed about her. Nobody would randomly barge into her lab, interrupt her experiments, or accidentally reveal anything. So Rachel could focus completely on her work and get it done as fast as possible.
“No, it’s not that anything happened to her. I was just thinking... maybe we should send her away. To somewhere safer, or to a family who can take better care of her.”
“……”
Evelia fell silent the moment she heard those words from Armand.
At first, Evelia didn’t understand why Armand suddenly said something like that. But after thinking for just a few seconds, she understood what he meant.
Lately, everyone could clearly see that Armand had been feeling down. Even though he tried hard to act like everything was normal, Evelia could see through his forced smile right away.
That smile, Armand's smile, had once pulled her out of a dark place. How could she possibly be fooled by it now?
To Evelia, it seemed like Armand had been thinking about something serious and even a bit depressing these days. And as for her, after being suddenly called over by the second prince for a talk, her heart was full of mixed feelings.
At the time, the second prince didn’t ask much about Armand, but at the end of their talk, he said something to her.
‘—You should know what should be said and what shouldn’t. I believe my Red Crow can tell the difference. But if you say something you shouldn’t, someone else might have to pay for it with their life.’
That was a warning from the second prince, meant for the Evelia of today.
Maybe… His Highness has already sensed something…
—That was Evelia trying to think positively.
If Eric had only "noticed something," then it meant she and Armand still had time. But if he already knew the whole truth, then the consequences would be serious.
That’s why Evelia didn’t want to stir up trouble right now. She chose not to tell Armand about her meeting with the second prince. She didn’t want to alert any of the prince’s spies, and she also didn’t want to make Armand even more upset.
Of course she trusted Armand. She believed that even if she told him, he wouldn’t doubt her. But the way Armand was right now… could he really handle all this?
Sometimes, Evelia even thought, maybe she should just knock him out and run away with him, to a place where no one knew them, where they could live a quiet life under new names.
But if she really did that, Armand would definitely be angry. After all, he was still a knight with responsibilities.
Sigh… If only she had taken him away when he lost his memory. She could’ve told him that everything was arranged by him, and he just forgot about it—
—Of course, that was just a silly thought.
Even though the idea popped into her head, Evelia didn’t plan to go through with it. Because she respected Armand, and the knight that he was.
What Evelia didn’t know… was that for her sake, Armand had already let go of many of his duties.
He had survived back then for her. He joined the Crown Prince’s team and became a knight for her. That so-called sense of duty… was just his way of hiding the guilt in his heart.
Yes, he did enjoy being a knight. It was like a childhood dream. He always wanted to be someone everyone admired. And now, he had made that dream come true.
But now, more than anything, he needed Evelia. Only she could fill the hole in his soul.
As for Rachel… Of course, he cared about her too. He didn’t hate this little "make-believe family" life with the three of them. Having lost his real family at such a young age, Armand had always dreamed of having a home to call his own.
So trying to send Rachel away now… was already the worst option.
But he had to start somewhere. First Rachel, then the others… he planned to arrange things for everyone around him, one by one. And finally, prepare a way out for Evelia...
“No, Mr. Armand.”
Evelia, after thinking for a while, saw through Armand’s plan and rejected his idea.
Because she clearly understood, if Armand started with Rachel, he would definitely think the worst. In the end, he’d send everyone away, leaving only himself behind. And once that started, once there was a first step, it would be hard to make him stop.
So, Evelia firmly shook her head. In Armand’s memories, she had probably never been this strong before.
“I won’t let you… be alone, Mr. Armand.”