**Chapter 49: Holding a Grudge?**
It’s hard to imagine that the dignified leader of the Royal Knight Order is now staring blankly at a box of tomato sauce. He genuinely did not know what else to buy, so he just brought back a whole box of tomato sauce. If that wasn’t enough, he could directly place an order at the market; he could afford the money for the tomato sauce, no matter how much Evelia needed.
But to deliver tomato sauce…
“This is too weird.”
Alman had to admit to himself how awkward it was to be squatting in front of Evelia’s dormitory door.
Fortunately, Evelia’s dorm was separate from the others; otherwise, he would surely be subjected to whispers from the coming and going servants.
“Hah, what am I even doing…”
Exhausted both mentally and physically, Alman sat at Evelia’s door, leaning against the wall with his arms resting on the wooden crate filled with tomato sauce.
“……”
From his position, he could just see the sunlight outside. Perhaps because of a morning dream, he cherished the feeling of the sunlight on his body.
Warm, bright, bathing him in a soft glow.
There was no musty or rotten smell; the air was filled with the scent of sunshine.
He was a man long accustomed to blood and decay, yet he could not get used to the faint fragrance that lingered on Evelia. Every time that scent wafted into his nose, his heart would unconsciously race; consequently, his feelings for Evelia were always so awkward.
“……”
“Forget it.”
After a moment of silence, Alman said these three words to the air. He just sat there, looking up at the sun outside the window.
When Alman went to the Knight Order, it was Evelia’s day off. However, she was not the kind of person who liked to roam, so she only stayed at Anna’s clothing store chatting. When customers came in, she waited nearby, and when there were no customers, she listened to Anna gossip.
She listened to Anna talk about which noble was caught cheating by their spouse and which noble’s child grew up only to find out they weren’t theirs. Although they were all cliché tales, Evelia listened with great interest due to Anna’s vivid storytelling. If it were another era, Anna would have no problem being a storyteller from a foreign land.
“So, you know, there are many things about the nobles, and most of them are quite well-known. You don’t need to worry, Miss Evelia. As long as you don’t reveal your identity, anyone who comes only talks about the male side’s scandals. Those gossiping women love to talk about this.”
Listening to the first half of Anna’s statement, Evelia nodded, but when it came to the latter half, her gaze fell on Anna.
“What… what are you looking at me for?” Anna blushed slightly, lifting a small snack that couldn’t hide her face and gesturing, “I’m not a gossiping woman! I’m seriously trying to help you, Miss Evelia!”
“Well, thanks to you.”
“Ugh ah—” This recognition seemed to move Anna to tears, “Wuwuwu… It’s so great to be friends with Miss Evelia…”
Evelia didn’t know how to comfort a girl who would tear up at the drop of a hat, so she simply picked up a piece of macaron from the table and handed it to Anna. Anna then gratefully cradled the macaron with both hands, her expression even more excited as she shouted:
“Wuwuwu ah ah ah, Miss Evelia actually handed me a snack—wuwuwu, I finally have a good friend…!”
Anna continued to cry until her emotions finally calmed down under Evelia’s clumsy and awkward consolation. She then prepared even better snacks and tea for Evelia. Although Evelia hardly ate much, Anna’s vivacity seemed to awaken the long-silent side of her heart a bit.
“Goodbye, Miss Evelia! When you have the chance to invite that knight out, be sure to tell me!”
“Mm, okay, goodbye.”
After bidding farewell to Anna, Evelia did not linger any longer. After listening to Anna excitedly share the gossip about nobles in the Royal City, she didn’t expect that when she stepped out again, it was already sunset. Holding the clothes that Anna had given her as a “thank you for becoming friends,” she enjoyed the tranquility of the sunset and leisurely made her way back to the manor.
Meanwhile, Alman in the manor felt for the first time that a day could be so long.
Even during high-intensity training, he never felt that welcoming the sunset was such a torturous task.
Just like when Evelia stood in the kitchen, holding a tomato sauce tart while waiting for Alman to come back from the Knight Order. Now, Alman was at Evelia’s door, waiting for her to come from the other end of the corridor.
What troubled Evelia back then now felt like torment for Alman.
“—Mr. Alman?”
Finally, in the last rays of the setting sun, Evelia’s figure appeared before Alman. She blocked the descending sunlight, but her amber-colored eyes shone like the dazzling sun.
“Evelia, you’re back,”
Seeing Evelia return safely, Alman’s eyebrows lifted in joy. Although he wondered who she looked so beautiful for, he knew his primary task was to apologize to Evelia.
“Um—Evelia.”
Alman stood up, dusting off his clothes, feeling a bit unworthy to stand before this brightly dressed girl after sitting on the ground for so long.
“This, is for you.”
Alman swallowed nervously, summoning his courage to point at the wooden box filled with tomato sauce at his feet. He had never felt this tense even on the battlefield.
He had done things like kicking the enemy general’s head like a ball in front of everyone, yet giving a whole box of tomato sauce to Evelia felt incredibly awkward and tense.
“What is this?”
Evelia leaned forward slightly to look at the wooden box at Alman’s feet, the aroma sneaking into his nose again.
“Tomato sauce.”
“Mm?” Evelia raised her head to look at Alman as if she didn’t expect he would bring such a thing. “Tomato sauce?”
“Yes, tomato sauce. I picked the best one…”
“Do you want to eat some?”
“No.” Alman placed his hand on his neck. “It’s… for you.”
“For me?” Evelia said somewhat puzzled.
“Mm, for you.”
“But I don’t need it.”
“…Eh?”
Alman was taken aback, unable to believe that Evelia would refuse so decisively.
“You can keep it; I don’t need this tomato sauce.”
“…”
Alman stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do.
“Could you step aside a little?”
“Ah ah—okay, okay.”
Realizing he was blocking Evelia’s way, Alman quickly moved aside. However, it seemed like Evelia was not satisfied with just that distance, and she said to him:
“Mr. Alman, could you please move a bit further away?”
“Ah? Ah—uh… mm…”
“And take this tomato sauce with you.”
“Okay… okay…”
As Alman said this, it seemed he still didn’t intend to leave. But seeing that Evelia wouldn’t move unless he did, he had to lower his head and carry the crate of tomato sauce, visibly dejected as he walked out of Evelia’s sight.
Once he was assured that Alman had left, Evelia sighed in relief, opened her door, and glanced inside her room. There, right in front of the door, were the wilted blue roses.
Evelia thought to herself, if Alman saw those blue roses while standing at the door, it would surely be a disaster.
As for the tomato sauce, Evelia had already organized all the tomato sauce in her room neatly. As she had said before, she had marked them by date, with enough for her daily use—not too much, not too little, and the storage time calculated perfectly. If Alman’s tomato sauce was given to Evelia, it could potentially expire. Rather than letting it go to waste, she thought Alman’s expensive branded tomato sauce would be better for him to taste himself; if he could learn to like the flavor of tomato sauce because of it, that would be wonderful.
And on Alman’s side, he felt like a stray dog kicked out, holding the box of tomato sauce, listlessly returning to the cut-back rose bushes.
“Evelia… so she really holds a grudge… I thought this was all in the past…”
