Chapter 362: A Guess
“New Year’s party…”
Evelia lowered her head and looked at the invitation letter on the table.
Just like Armand, Evelia didn’t like parties.
She had always been someone who lived alone, so she wasn’t used to noisy, lively crowds.
Although she had gotten used to living in the mansion now, what she truly liked was just being with Armand. In a way, she only enjoyed the kind of quiet that belonged to her and her alone.
Besides, this party didn’t seem like it would be peaceful or harmless.
Not to mention what the Second Prince might be planning, just the King himself was already difficult to read. Otherwise, how could he have raised two sons who were so good at hiding their true intentions?
“Mr. Armand…”
Evelia spoke hesitantly and looked toward Armand. It seemed like all the things she wanted to say were hidden in the silence that followed.
“I know.”
Of course, Armand understood what she meant.
Royal balls were never just for fun. Every party was filled with different people and different desires.
Armand and Evelia were not social butterflies. They had no experience in these things. And to be honest, when it came to dealing with people, they were both terrible. One could only laugh awkwardly and pretend to be dumb, then climb out the window and run away after the laugh. The other didn’t even really understand how to interact with others at all. Neither of them was better than the other.
“…What a headache…”
Armand was very self-aware. He clearly knew that he was useless at balls. All he could do was rely on terrible excuses or his escape skills to get through each event. Even though he somehow always made it through in the end, he still found it extremely troublesome.
Right now, Armand had the strong urge to submit his resignation today, pack his things tomorrow, and move to some unknown little village before the New Year’s party even started.
“…Do you really have to go?”
Looking at Armand’s troubled face, Evelia still asked the question. Even though she already knew how he would answer.
“Yeah, because I’m the captain of the Royal Knights. So I have to go.”
…She knew it.
In fact, Evelia had never even considered the possibility that Armand wouldn’t go.
“And this is the annoying part, not only do I have to go, but you have to go too.”
“Me…?” Evelia asked, lowering her head to glance at Armand beside her. “Did it say so in the invitation?”
“Yeah. According to His Majesty’s wishes, most people attending the ballroom will come in pairs. And since you showed up at the last Knight’s banquet, His Majesty is probably curious about what kind of person you are.”
Honestly, what Armand said made sense. After all, in the King’s eyes, Armand was like a rock. Not someone you’d associate with romance or love. For someone like him to bring a female companion to the last event would make anyone curious.
And now that Armand was still the commander of the Royal Knights and held military power, any close companion of his would be of great interest to politicians. It made sense that the old King would be curious. After all, in politics, it’s important to know both your allies and your enemies.
“Mr. Armand.”
Even though she had already been warned by the Second Prince last time, now that she thought about how all of this seemed to be connected, Evelia decided to finally speak what was on her mind.
Of course she knew this was dangerous.
The reason she hadn’t told Armand anything about it these past few days was because she didn’t want to make him worry. But now, seeing how things might turn out at the New Year’s party, she felt it would be better to tell him everything she knew.
“Mm? What is it?”
Armand looked up and met Evelia’s complicated gaze. From his point of view, Evelia now looked even more serious than when she brought up the idea of having a child. The few seconds of silence between them made the air around them feel heavy.
“I think I should tell you… a few days ago, when I went out, I ran into the Second Prince…”
“…!”
The words “Second Prince” were like a trigger for Armand. As soon as he heard the name, his eyes widened slightly. And when he realized Evelia was the one who met him, his heart skipped a beat.
“That guy… he didn’t do anything to you, did he?”
Armand’s eyebrows furrowed deeply, and even his voice became tense.
“No, he didn’t hurt me or anything. He just told me… that I had to go to the party.”
“…I see…”
Armand bit his lip. It was winter, and the dry skin cracked slightly, giving off a faint taste of blood.
There was no need for Evelia to hide the date, so it was clear the Second Prince had told her that before Armand even received the invitation.
But why was it so important that Evelia be there?
From the King’s side, it was easy to guess. It was probably for political reasons, maybe even a plan to control or pressure Armand through his loved ones. But what about the Second Prince? What did he want?
Even though both of them had invited Evelia, Armand felt that the Second Prince and the old King were not on the same side. Actually, within the royal family, the three of them, the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the King, seemed more like separate camps. Each one was guarding against the others, the brothers didn’t want the throne taken from them, and the King likely didn’t want his sons to take back the power he still held.
Outsiders always said the two princes treated their father with great respect and took care of him, acting like a close family. But in the royal family, emotions could be fake or real, who could really tell?
If the old King wanted to meet Evelia because she was connected to the Captain of the Royal Knights, then the Second Prince wanting her at the ballroom might mean… he wanted to set “Red Crow” in motion…
As the captain of the Royal Knights, Armand’s duty was to protect the royal family. But when he thought about that possibility, he fell into deep thought.
Yes, his job was to stay neutral and protect the royal family, but was this King really someone worth protecting?
If the Second Prince really had a plan…
Then why shouldn’t he just go with the flow?
After all, his own parents’ deaths were directly related to that time the old King “cleaned up” his enemies in politics.
Did someone like that tyrant really deserve Armand’s protection?
But… it couldn’t be Evelia.
Even if the Second Prince seemed to be planning something against the rules, right now it was all just Armand’s own guess.
And besides, he couldn’t let Evelia do something that he himself wouldn’t be willing to do.
Or… was that really the case?
The Second Prince, that strange unreadable man, would he really do something that was so easy to understand?
…What a headache.