Chapter 369: Trust in Exchange
Because she couldn’t stay outside too long without raising suspicion, Evelia quickly returned to Anna’s shop, climbing back in through the bathroom window.
The wind outside was freezing, and Evelia’s nose had gone numb. Looking at herself in the mirror, she could clearly see her red cheeks and nose from the cold.
To make her time outside less noticeable, she stayed in the bathroom a bit longer and even warmed her icy hands in hot water.
When she finally felt ready and stepped out of the bathroom, she heard a click. Carle happened to step out of the men’s bathroom next door.
Meeting an acquaintance in the bathroom was normally an awkward situation. But since both Carle and Evelia weren’t talkative, and frankly didn’t care about things like this, it passed without issue.
“Miss Evelia.”
The usually quiet Carle suddenly called out to her, making her pause just as she was about to leave.
“What is it, Mr. Carle?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
Carle hesitated. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he didn’t seem to know how to say them.
“……”
Evelia wasn’t the type to start conversations.
When Carle didn’t speak further, she planned to simply walk away. But then he sighed and spoke in a low voice behind her.
“Miss Evelia, since you’ve made your decision… don’t look back anymore.”
“…What?”
Evelia turned her head, startled by his sudden words.
“It’s nothing, just some advice… advice as your husband’s friend.” Carle sighed again. “Does Armand know?”
“……” Carle’s words were indirect, but Evelia lowered her gaze. “He knows everything.”
“Good.”
Carle’s tone now sounded much softer than before. Even though he hadn’t sounded threatening earlier, his voice had been heavier and sterner than it was now.
“Then, Mr. Carle… how did you find out?”
She could guess that he was asking about her identity. Today, she had nearly been exposed in front of White Dove, and now Carle had directly brought it up.
Could it all really be coincidence? Did everything just happen to come at her on the same day?
“This.”
Carle extended his hand and placed several small fragments in Evelia’s palm. Even crushed, she could recognize them. They were the same type of leaves the House of Nightingales used for secret communication, the same kind she had just seen when meeting White Dove.
“Actually, a long time ago, the first time I saw you, my instincts told me you were special. Even Armand reacted that way. But since Armand said nothing, I didn’t want to interfere in your life, and my suspicions faded.
“However, because you became friends with Anna, my cousin, I had to pay attention again, for her sake. But my observation was only to see whether you might harm my family or friends. That was all.”
As he spoke, Carle took back the leaf from Evelia’s hand and tossed it into the trash bin.
“You and Armand have come this far together. Honestly, as his friend, I’m happy. From the way he treats you, it’s clear he truly loves you. And during this time, you haven’t done anything wrong, so I stopped watching you.
“But this leaf… it just blew over and stuck to the window of my place.”
“Right on your side?” Evelia asked.
“Yes, Miss Evelia.” Carle tilted his head slightly, glancing at Rachel and Anna, who were happily talking about children’s clothes, then lowered his voice and said, “I think someone deliberately wanted me to notice you. They probably want to use my position to do something to you… But since you are Armand’s wife, I choose to trust you.”
“……”
As an assassin, one personally sent by the Second Prince, Evelia had already gained the trust of both the captain and vice-captain of the Royal Knights. In theory, her mission so far was nearly perfect. From now on, she only needed to use that trust to gather intelligence.
But this trust Evelia had earned was not built on lies.
Her heart truly belonged to Armand now. So, their trust in this “spy” was, in a way, like an equal exchange.
Carle might not know about Evelia’s identity as Red Crow or some of Armand’s past, but even if he did, this trust wouldn’t disappear easily.
A man who could be Armand’s close friend for so many years was, in some ways, the same kind of person as Armand.
“Thank you for trusting me.”
“Mm. Then don’t betray it.”
Carle said nothing more and returned to the small room where he was doing accounts with Clund. After waiting for a moment to keep things natural, Evelia went back to sit with Rachel and Anna.
“Have you picked out the clothes?”
Evelia sat on the sofa. Her hands were still warm from the hot water, and when she held Rachel’s hand, Rachel was surprised thinking, Just how hot was the water for her hands to be this warm?
“Of course I’ve picked them. This little girl has good taste. She went straight for the high-end custom pieces. I thought she’d want some cute little puffy dresses.”
“Hmph, of course I have good taste.”
Rachel said this while sneaking a glance at Evelia, thinking, ‘None of you know Evelia is my creation. She’s this pretty because my sense of aesthetics is great.’
“That’s good. Once the clothes are ready, you’ll be all set for the ballroom.”
Originally, they had just come to order clothes, but White Dove’s sudden appearance and his words had left Evelia feeling uneasy. She really wasn’t in the mood to look at any more outfits.
White Dove… Where did that disgusting man crawl out from?
“Huh? You’re leaving already?”
Anna quickly stood up to follow when she saw Evelia turning to leave.
“Miss Evelia, don’t you need a gown? This is a royal ball! So many noble ladies are dying to use this chance to shine.”
“It’s just the royal family.”
To many, the royal family was like a treasure. Some even had the audacity to think about the still-unmarried Second Prince. But Evelia only shook her head.
The royal family was something she had always wanted to escape from. Armand felt the same, on the surface, he was the glorious captain of the knight order, but deep down, he had long wanted to leave that tiny “territory” of his behind.
“—Mm, true.”
Anna said that although people praised the royal family, it was really only on the surface.
After realizing Evelia’s attitude, Anna spoke more honestly.
“Everyone says the royal family is great,
but my cousin, ever since he became vice-captain, the royal family’s ‘enforcer’. He goes to work like he’s going to prison.
“Staying away from the royal family isn’t wrong. I also hope your Armand can leave sooner. At least from what Carle says, Armand doesn’t seem to like his job much.”
“Mm…”
Evelia didn’t answer much, only nodded.
Anna was right, they had wanted to leave for a long time.
She and Armand had already made a promise. When spring came, all the bad luck would melt away like ice and snow.
Spring… when will it finally come?