Chapter 41: Invite You to the Bedroom
Since then, Alman had become a regular in front of the patch of trimmed Blue Roses.
He heard from the other servants that he often sat alone in a corner of the Rear Garden, silent and lost in thought.
In the morning, he would go to the Knight Order as usual, and at night, most of his time was spent in front of the bare flower bushes.
After going through a mysterious “cold war” where both believed the other was upset, they intended to clarify things and eliminate the distance between them. However, due to Evelia’s trick, when Alman’s head felt like it was exploding, he began to sink into a more hesitant state.
“Why is it like this…”
He sat on a stone bench, trying to let the night breeze blow away the chaos in his mind.
Almost a week had passed since that scissor kick incident.
To this day, Alman could still recall Evelia’s soft touch; though he didn’t want to mention it again, whenever he saw her approach, his mind would fill with her warmth, her touch, and her scent from that day.
“Damn it…”
He rubbed his head, attempting to calm himself down.
He hadn’t found the opportunity to ask Evelia who she met that day, nor had he asked where that flower came from.
He shouldn’t be so concerned, but his brain was ringing alarm bells, urging him to understand the full picture of the situation.
…Don’t think like that, she’s the Second Prince’s person!
A spy from the enemy… a damn lackey… she should be executed on the spot…!
Alman was still contemplating whether he should eliminate Evelia, just like he did on the carriage that day, but the worst thing happened: he found that his killing intent was much weaker than before. A voice inside him was urging him to be merciful and to gamble on the slim chance of luck.
The night wind was still cold, making Alman huddle up, and he coughed lightly as a discomfort settled in his throat.
But this was much better than the conditions in the Extreme North. At least he wouldn’t be one moment breathing normally, and the next moment sprawled against a tree, spitting out blood.
Moreover, most of the time, to avoid disturbing the morale, he had to hide the blood coming from his lungs and swallow it down himself; after half a day, it was enough to fill him just by drinking his own blood.
He raised his head and took a deep breath; the cold wind rushed into his trachea, causing his stomach to feel a bit churned.
Ah… so uncomfortable.
His head, throat, and internal organs all felt terrible.
On the surface, he seemed glamorous and still compared himself to others in terms of princess carries and scissor kicks, but internally, everything was a mess.
…Was it worth it?
Sometimes, Alman would ask himself this.
Is it really worth it to persist in this way?
Having abandoned everything, even at the cost of his own life, was it worthwhile to stay here?
Perhaps it is worth it…
Alman narrowed his eyes, looking at the moon in the sky; for the first time, he felt that the golden crescent was a bit dazzling.
The older generation always said that one must live with hope, and that was why Alman had continued to persevere until now.
He still had many debts to settle with the Second Prince.
The moon shone brightly; even if he closed his eyes, when he tilted his head back, he could feel that light seeping through his eyelids.
With closed eyes, he recalled the unmentionable events of his past.
The torment of childhood, the struggles of youth, and now, having finally taken a few steps as an adult, it felt like he was about to welcome an ending soon.
The cries of a companion from his younger days still echoed in his ears as he closed his eyes—both mourning and pleading; that regret had become a shadow he could never erase in his life and had turned into the belief that allowed him to remain here.
Recently, perhaps due to Evelia’s influence, he had contemplated the idea of giving up; this negative emotion of abandonment reminded him once more of the fury he had felt when he had foolishly survived, as those voices of his former companions stirred violently, mixing warnings with painful memories, making his head throb as though it were dropped into a noisy swarm of flies.
“I know… I will avenge you…”
Alman murmured, as if responding to the voice in his mind.
Past beliefs were now nearly turning into demons in his heart.
His steps were no longer as firm as in his youth; since he had collapsed in a pool of blood due to the deadly poison, his body had begun to waver.
…I must kill the Second Prince.
His forehead rested weakly on the back of his hand.
That was why he and the First Prince had reached a consensus; both had the same goal: the Second Prince.
They shared a common enemy, with reasons for the Second Prince to die. For this reason, the First Prince trusted Alman more because their objectives and obsessions were the same.
Ah, yes—he must kill the Second Prince.
But he couldn’t just charge into the Royal Palace like a fool and take the Second Prince’s head.
So—he would have to use Evelia.
Given the situation, he was still internally pleading for Evelia’s sake.
He was giving himself a reason to keep Evelia around, a reason not to kill her.
Thinking of this, Alman chuckled to himself. Perhaps that guy Evelia had already decided to kill him in her heart; meanwhile, he, the future “victim,” was still trying to find reasons for the murderer.
However, it seemed that his mind had slightly shifted; he couldn’t dwell on this any longer.
Alman casually found a reason to remove some of his romantic thoughts.
He originally wanted to defend himself, but suddenly realized that Evelia seemed to have turned into an attacker.
But upon reflection, that guy Evelia seemed to have no method; in the end, it was just him who ended up in a wreck.
“So annoying.”
Alman looked up, his blue eyes reflecting the moonlight.
…It’s too cold, time to go back.
He stood up, turning his back on the direction lit by the moon.
When he reached the door of his bedroom, he found Evelia waiting at the entrance.
…Here she comes again.
Just seeing that splash of pink made Alman’s heart race.
But perhaps because the cold, biting night wind had somewhat affected him, he wasn’t so embarrassed that he didn’t know how to face her.
If Evelia didn’t care, why should he be concerned about such matters?
What she did was nothing more than a despicable trick, so he should offer her the most practiced hypocritical smile.
“Evelia?”
As if nothing had happened, Alman walked over to Evelia.
“Mr. Alman.” Evelia greeted him respectfully.
“What are you doing?”
“I heard you’ve been having insomnia lately.”
“Ah—” Alman paused.
During this period, he had to process his feelings for Evelia while also hearing the cries of his past friends whenever he closed his eyes, making his mind utterly chaotic and unable to sleep peacefully.
For someone who disturbed his peace to inquire about his state and act like she cared felt somewhat ironic to Alman.
“I do have a bit of insomnia, but it’s nothing—”
“So, I’m here to keep you company.”
“…?”
What had just been a realization he had cultivated for a long time seemed to break down instantly.
“What did you say?”
He felt like he had misheard and asked again.
“To keep you company.”
“What do you mean by keeping me company?”
“To sleep.”
“Ha?”
The effect of the night breeze he had been feeling seemed to dissipate.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make you comfortable.”
“…Wait—what?!”
Before Alman could struggle, Evelia had already pulled him into the bedroom, performed a respectful bow, and pointed to his bed, saying:
“Please, go ahead.”
Alman looked at the bed, then at Evelia, panic starting to set in.
