Chapter 58

As Kaiden turned off the light, Evelina lay on the bed. He seems to intend on sleeping on the sofa.

She even took sleeping pills in advance and waited. Yet it became further clear that he wasn’t going to sleep with her.

It was a good thing.

He had a huge body and a loud throbbing heart. His arms were thick as well and never let go probably due to his sleeping habit. When she lay down while looking at him, he held her waist when she turned over. As if he was making her feel that she couldn’t escape.

On top of that, the hard threat that was felt at the hip every time she laid back was a threat she didn’t want to feel again. Thinking so, she tried not to hide her temple-built smile.

How nice it is to use this wide bed alone. At the same time, she realized when she heard him tossing and turning near the sofa.

She understood that she shouldn’t feel all this comfortable even if it appeared as she should.

She couldn’t do it because she didn’t want to be afraid. Evelina was well aware of her situation if she and Kaiden weren’t enemies of the family without any interest.

Then she would have been fooled whether or not he was a psychopath. His performance often seemed so sincere that it was hard to think it was a lie.

But she wasn’t in a position to think like that.

Evelina remembered again that she had to play the immature lady. She had to be a stupid woman who fell in love and approached him like she was possessed.

Holding back her sigh, she removed the thinnest of the sheets and soon walked near the sofa. She thought that the sound of her feet sounded pitiful.

She came and looked at Kaiden, who was only wearing a gown without even covering his seat and looking at the ceiling with his eyes closed. So she took the sheet over his body and covered him with it as if she were being generous.

Then she walked back to bed. This time she grabbed the sheet much thicker than he had covered and hugged it. Then she went to the sofa opposite the long sofa where he lay.

Between the two sofas laid a mahogany wooden table. Evelina moved, covering the sheet over the sofa, it’s pleasing that the table wasn’t small.

“Lina? Why did you come here instead of sleeping on your bed?”

She turned around when she realized he was looking at her. Then she saw his red eyes shining clearly in the dark, as bright as the eyes of a beast. For a moment, she lost her words and came to her senses when the moonlight showed her softening expression.

“I’m not scared right now. I want to try to get close to Kaiden, too.”

Evelina tried to smile and lie down on the sofa.

“It’s not good for your health if you sleep there. Isn’t Lina weak, too?”

“It’s all right. And wasn’t Kaiden going to sleep on the sofa?”

“I sleep well on the floor, too. I often slept in the grass on the battlefield.”

For a moment, Evelina thought that part of him was great. She had never camped in her previous life. Moreover, if you slept in the forest, the mosquitoes there are huge whether it’s in summer or cold in winter. Camping was never going to be her favorite kind.

“Tell me that before you go to sleep. I might be scared because I don’t know so much about Kaiden.”

She said that and lay down on the sofa. Then she looked at the ceiling and turned to face him. She made an excuse that she wanted to get close because if she just looked at the ceiling, he won’t believe it.

“It won’t be much fun.”

The moment she turned around, he was already lying and looking at her.

“It must be a good story to sleep, then.”

She smiled reflexively, forgetting that she was in the dark. His red eyes were intense as if he could see through everything in this darkness.

“Tell me the least scary story.”

Evelina said so and saw him. His eyes bent and went back as if he were smiling. She closed her eyes, taking her eyes off the subtle expression.

“When I first went to war, I wasn’t so scared back then because I’m only stationed at the rear.”

“How old were you then?”

Evelina seemed a little better because she already knew the story.

“I was twelve years old. That was when I was out of the palace.”

At that time, he was expelled from the palace because he was suspected of not being a member of the imperial family. Evelina clenched the cushion unconsciously, recalling the original.

“There were a lot of chores in the back. In general, I often checked whether military supplies arrived properly.”

“Did the knights drink a lot?”

“Yes. 20% of the military supplies were alcohol.”

“Why do you need so much alcohol?”

“The war I fought in was because we were sure of victory.”

Evelina remembered that, too. In his first war, they lost because they were sure of victory. He almost died several times while running away.

And the man who tried to kill him.

“When was your next departure?”

It was her father. The Marquis of Logias.

“It was when I was fourteen.”

“Was it the case back then, too?”

“At that time, we went forward and fought.”

She’d rather have this story. At the age of 14, he was almost killed by the enemy, not by the Marquis of Logias.

“I don’t think I should talk about this.”

“Why?”

“Because Lina won’t be able to sleep.”

Evelina knew his first murder was at 14. This was the first time he had cut down and killed the enemy who was after him.

“Lina.”

“Yes.”

“I’d rather not talk about the battlefield.”

“That’s too bad. Then when I have Kaiden’s child, do it for me.”

Evelina said so as if she were saying something that wouldn’t happen later. As if to say a promise without a promise.

“Then no more. Won’t the child listen?”

“You can tell your child before he has ears.”

I guess he laughed again at what she said. When Evelina opened her eyes unconsciously, she looked at his curved red eyes and unconsciously hardened.

“Good night, Kaiden.”

“…Yes.”

She didn’t want to talk anymore, so she said it first and turned around.

“Lina.”

“Yes.”

She could hear his little breath behind her.

“But even if I turned back time, I would have let what happened when I was 14 happen the same way.”

She didn’t answer. And she was able to fall asleep after some time, perhaps thanks to sleeping pills.

~~~~

Evelina was having a strange dream.

‘If you stay still, you’ll die.’

‘Never mind. Get out of here.’

In her dream, she was facing some wounded boy soldier. The soldier had a big cut on his shoulder, and blood was gushing out. His uniform was not the uniform of the Abelad Empire, and it looked like the crude armor of mercenaries.

And he was a boy who looked about fourteen years old, just entering adolescence. With bright red eyes.

‘I will help you. It’s not a wound that can be stitched up. It has to be burned.’

The moment she reached out to the boy.

“Did you have a good dream, Lina?”

Evelina looked at the owner of the voice in surprise when she was lifted.

“I tried to go out quietly, but I woke you up.”

“Is it already morning?”

“Yes, Lina can sleep a little more. It’s still very early.”

Evelina said unknowingly when he moved her body to bed and covered it with a sheet.

“A burn on the shoulder.”

“Yes.”

“When did you get it?”

Then he said, handing Evelina’s hair behind her ears.

“I was fourteen years old.”

She thought that the reason why she had a dream that she didn’t remember at all was that she heard his story. That’s why she imagined his childhood and had that dream.

“I’ll be back, Lina.”

She stared blankly at him leaving smiling after kissing her forehead.

~~~~

「As I said in the bedroom, I have taken care of Elsius and her grandmother. However. 」

Evelina finished reading the letter in my hand.

「 I can’t get rid of the anxiety, so I’ll put a condition. Tell me if Lina doesn’t feel she can accept these two as a family. I’ll send them both east or west.」

Evelina saw a small piece of cufflink buried in the fold under the letter. When I opened it underneath, another note came out.

「 If you send this back, I understand that. – Kaiden.”

Evelina gave it to the maid and said, “I don’t think I should lose the cufflink.”

“Put it on my clothes. Every day from now on.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“And.”

She kissed the letter and handed it to Kaiden’s aide in the back.

“Please tell him that I was glad.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

So Evelina hung a cufflink on her sleeve and headed to her office to do her job.

~~~~

Evelina was in the middle of the business. She didn’t like being touched by anyone when she was in the middle of her job.

The aides and maids who figured it out within a few days did not touch her much as she was absorbed in working.

But.

– Knock knock.

“Your Majesty.”

“Is it urgent?”

Evelina frowned and clenched her pen.

“Her Highness Princess Elsius has arrived.”

Evelina said to the maid’s frightened voice outside the door, thinking it was time to come.

“Oh my goodness. Could you open the door right away?”

She rose from her seat, pretending to be happy, leaving the papers behind. Soon after, the door opened and Princess approached Evelina in a modest outfit.

“Thank you, sister-in-law. I heard you asked him to let me go.”

Evelina smiled at her.

“So I came to tell you something urgently.”

“What’s that?”

At Evelina’s words, Princess Elsius whispered to her.

“The Dowager Empress suggested that I drive sister away.”