Chapter Twenty-Nine: Is That all There Is?
The sound of the wheels rolling echoed with a clatter as Evelia and Alman sat on the stable carriage. In this closed environment, they faced each other, both surprisingly quiet, not saying a word.
Alman rested his chin on his hand, gazing out the window. His thoughts drifted toward the door of the carriage; although he had chosen to escort Evelia back to the manor, his inner turmoil was far from over.
He continued to ponder that a misstep could lead to further missteps. If being with Evelia was a bad move, then everything he had worked for so long would be ruined.
It felt as if things were already heading toward a bad turn, and if he persisted, something unexpected might happen.
Surely, he would have to eliminate her, right?
In this carriage, he could quietly take care of her.
As soon as they entered the carriage, Alman had locked the door. Although it wasn’t a sophisticated lock that couldn’t be easily broken, even that small act of “pulling” would at least delay Evelia for a few seconds.
In a close-quarters fight like this, a few seconds could decide victory or defeat.
Alman tilted his head to look at Evelia, pretending to be nonchalant as he leaned on his arm and observed her while she was looking outside, checking from head to toe for any hidden weapons.
Her hair was down, with a few braids held up by a hairband, but from the weight and shape, it did not look like a place to hide anything.
There was nothing on her neck, which was evident; there were no sharp pendants or stones of unknown effect. Yet, Alman felt, inexplicably, that such a beautiful neck seemed a pity without some jewelry.
Although Alman didn’t like jewelry, it didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate beautiful people adorned with accessories befitting their beauty. Due to his occupation, he always consciously avoided overly sharp or ostentatious decorations on women.
Looking down, he saw the legs covered by Almman’s knight’s attire.
Even though there wouldn’t be any wind in the carriage, he still instructed Evelia to cover her legs with the clothing.
This time, Evelia’s outfit was quite plain; there were no excessive decorations on her wrists or thighs, and regarding the more private parts, at least in the recent “incident,” Alman could confirm that there were no hidden weapons there.
As for the chest…
Although Alman thought that with Evelia’s figure, her chest could certainly conceal something, he mused… she shouldn’t be hiding a knife or anything like that.
Next… there was only Evelia’s bag left.
It was a black rectangular paper bag, and the only pattern visible from the outside was the logo of the clothing store. That store was quite popular among commoners, selling men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing, with many branches. Alman, who had frequently mingled with the common folk, naturally knew of this store. However, he also knew that things usually hidden from sight were often concealed in the most ordinary-looking places; such blatantly obvious items were what people often let their guard down around.
“Evelia…”
Alman paused for a moment, then finally spoke up.
He knew that once he opened his mouth, he would take certain actions, but he still went ahead.
This was part of his inner plan, and his action was the preparation for “finding a way to eliminate Evelia.”
—Should I kill her?
Alman looked at Evelia, who turned to him upon hearing his voice, and blandly asked, “What’s the matter? What do you need?”
“Um, can I take a look?”
Alman’s face wore the same smile as always, while internally conflicted, his eyes still held the guise of well-maintained gentleness.
“This?”
Evelia looked in the direction Alman was pointing and picked up the square paper bag that was resting beside her leg.
“Yes, can I see?”
—Hopefully, it’s just clothing.
Clearly, it was he who was about to take action, yet deep down, Alman inexplicably hoped that Evelia’s bag contained only ordinary garments.
If it were just regular clothing, that would be fine; if Evelia had gone out to meet someone or made some deal and pulled out something suspicious from there, then that would necessitate…
“Okay, sure.”
Evelia unhesitatingly reached into the paper bag. Although Alman should have been on guard for her potentially taking out a weapon, watching Evelia act with no hesitation or nervousness surprisingly eased his anxiety.
Next, in front of Alman, appeared a pair of black lace-trimmed sheer panties.
“…?”
The previously tense atmosphere and Alman’s taut nerves started to turn bizarre with the appearance of the panties.
“What is this…?”
“It’s black lace underwear.”
Evelia stated earnestly as she held up the underwear, beginning to explain its name.
While the shop assistant had suggested that Evelia wear white underwear to enhance her purity, it didn’t mean that black wouldn’t suit her.
According to the assistant’s guidance, showing Alman Evelia’s snow-white appearance would leave a profound, inviolable, and sacred impression in his mind. Then, when spending the night together, presenting this black underwear would allow Alman to experience a stark contrast.
“On the surface, a pure and flawless girl, but in private, she is so enchanting, willing to dye herself in black—how could that not be the most seductive?”
—These were the exact words of the shop assistant. Though Evelia didn’t fully understand them, she thought they made a lot of sense and bought the set as well.
“This… you mean… it’s just underwear…?”
What Alman meant was, “You mean only underwear was in your mysteriously secretive bag?”, but to Evelia, it sounded like he was saying, “Did you only buy underwear?”
“Ah, there’s more, just wait a moment.”
Saying this, Evelia directly stuffed the black lace underwear into Alman’s hands, then continued rummaging through her bag without paying attention to Alman’s trembling hands.
“You this—”
“There’s a matching three-piece bra as well.”
Evelia held up the top that matched the previous underwear, presenting it earnestly to Alman.
“…You… this…”
Alman had only ever interacted with noble ladies pursuing him, and he had never witnessed a scene like this, causing him to stutter in confusion while looking at the seriously focused Evelia as if he had bitten his tongue.
“Is… is… this really it for this set of underwear…”
Alman’s emphasis on “underwear” was to ask if it was just underwear and nothing else, but Evelia earnestly misunderstood, contemplating whether “a set” was insufficient.
“Okay, just a moment.”
Evelia casually shoved the three-piece into Alman’s hands.
“You, this…”
“And this, Mr. Alman, these are part of the set.” Next, Evelia pulled out another box from the clothing bag, “I heard this is for role-playing.”
—This isn’t completely just a sexy maid outfit, is it?!
Alman watched Evelia lift out the scantily clad garment in the box. From the white headband alone, it was obvious this was a completely indecent maid outfit.
The top featured a white headband and a black collar decoration around the neck, with a pair of black heart-shaped stickers and a piece of what looked like sheer black fabric meant for simple coverage.
The bottom was a dangerously short maid skirt and lace lingerie, along with a pair of black garter stockings.
“…”
Alman’s lips pressed into a thin line, and he nervously lowered his head to avert his gaze.
He didn’t know why, but he instinctively asked, “Is that all there is… right?”
“…” Evelia lightly hummed, thinking for a moment before putting the boxed lingerie aside.
Alman nervously held the set of black lace, unable to put it down or casually place it, awkwardly lowering his head to extend his hand to return the lingerie to Evelia, hoping she would quickly put it away.
However, as he lowered his head and heard the rustling sound of fabric, he realized the lingerie in his hand had not only remained the same but had instead increased by one item.
A familiar, white, warm pair of panties.
“——?!”
Alman shot his head up, seeing Evelia trying to unbutton her top from behind her back.
“Evel—Evelia!!!”
Alman hurriedly stuffed the items into Evelia’s arms. The sudden movement caused his head to hit the carriage ceiling with a loud “bang,” and as he endured the dizziness from the collision, he instinctively wanted to cover his face. However, the lingering scent from his hands left him feeling even more flustered.
What… is this? A beauty trap, or just being a thug…?!!
