Chapter 51 Apology
Evelia stood next to Alman, who was still sitting under the tree as before.
Luna was obediently kneeling beside Alman. Rather than behaving like a horse, she resembled a feline, rubbing against Alman in places he could reach, as if vying for his affection.
Evelia seemed like an outsider, quietly standing on the other side of Alman, silently watching the intimate interaction between the man and the horse, thinking that had she known, she would have transformed into a horse.
“Eve, don’t be too distant, sit down.”
As rumored before, Alman cared more for his good horse than for women. After cherishing his Luna, he finally noticed Evelia silently standing there. He took off his riding coat and spread it on the ground, signaling for Evelia to sit with him.
“Thank you, Mr. Alman.”
Evelia did not refuse Alman’s kindness because, in the interaction between him and Luna, she inexplicably felt a sense of urgency and crisis, realizing she was even less favored than a horse.
Evelia looked at Alman; in his gaze, she saw a kind of pampering she had never witnessed before. Up to this point, although Alman’s gaze often carried an illusion of warmth, anyone who saw how he looked at Luna would realize that this was the expression he revealed when genuinely fond of something.
… Not once had he directed this expression toward her.
Evelia felt a bit sighing in her heart.
So far, Alman avoided direct eye contact with her more often than not.
Like now, even when he laid down a coat for Evelia to sit on, the spot where he positioned his coat was still somewhat distant from him.
“Mr. Alman, you really do like her.”
Why can’t you like me?
Evelia felt somewhat confused.
Was there anything she had done wrong? Was it truly so difficult to earn Alman’s trust and affection?
“Yeah, after all, she’s been through thick and thin with me for so many years. How can someone so reassuring not be liked?”
Hearing this, if Luna were a person rather than a horse, Evelia might have thought about finding a way to get rid of her.
“I see.”
What about me?
Evelia internally questioned.
Does he like me? What’s my current favorability? What more do I need to do?
But there was no way to tell, and Evelia would not go out of her way to ask.
The three of them—two people and a horse—sat under the large tree. Alman continued to talk and laugh with Luna, who couldn’t respond, but because of Evelia’s presence, he spoke much less than before, only discussing trivial matters about the Knight Order and amusing stories about the new recruits under his command. He wouldn’t mention internal issues of the Knight Order, wouldn’t talk about the First Prince’s arrangements, nor would he disparage Evelia in her presence.
“Mr. Alman.”
When Evelia noticed that Alman was ignoring her in favor of talking to his silent horse, it was the first time she wanted to initiate a new topic.
She wanted to draw Alman’s attention to herself.
“Uh? What’s up?”
Upon hearing Evelia call his name, Alman felt his heart skip a beat. He couldn’t gauge Evelia’s patterns and had no idea what she would say, but he pretended to be at ease as he turned to look at her, even Luna raised her head to direct her gaze at Evelia.
“…”
“…”
“…”
But the two of them and the horse exchanged glances, and neither spoke.
Though Evelia called out Alman’s name, she didn’t know how to start a conversation, so she silently looked at him, hoping he would say something regardless of what it was.
On Alman’s end, though he didn’t speak, his mind was racing with thoughts about what Evelia meant by calling him and then falling silent. Was she trying to hint at something?
Alman had thought he could read people’s hearts on the battlefield and that understanding Evelia wouldn’t be difficult, but since Carly had drilled a series of terrifying truths about women into him, he began to struggle more and more with discerning what Evelia was getting at.
Was she hinting at something?
Was she wanting him to apologize quickly, using this chance?
Her face didn’t show any expression, making her unreadable…!
Alman churned over Evelia’s thoughts in his mind like spinning a pancake, but no matter how he thought, he felt he and Evelia weren’t on the same wavelength.
However, this time their thoughts seemed to align a bit, as Alman thought about whether to apologize right away, Evelia was also contemplating whether she should apologize.
Unlike that stubborn Alman, who thinks “I’m not wrong, why should I apologize,” Evelia took the approach of “I’m not sure what I did wrong, but apologizing surely doesn’t hurt,” focusing purely on maintaining a good attitude.
Though it might lead to a situation of “humbling accepting, absolutely unrepentant” later on, at least at that moment, she sincerely offered her apology.
Meanwhile, Luna watched the two silent individuals with great interest. If she had a mouth capable of human speech, she would certainly want to chime in right now. Why were such grown individuals staring at each other? Moreover, it was not even in a romantic sense; both were staring directly at each other, almost as if engaged in some “staring contest.” If Luna could speak, this whole awkwardness would have been resolved long ago, but unfortunately, she was a horse, not a human.
In this trio, surprisingly, the quickest to react was not a person, but a horse.
“Um… Eve.”
“Mr. Alman—”
“Ah, you go first.”
“You say.”
After a moment of quietness, both opened their mouths simultaneously, interrupting one another. Even their hesitant words came out at the same time.
Luna lay there as if watching a classic scene from some low-tier idol drama. Women everywhere love gossip, and Luna, as a mother horse, was no exception. While chewing on her grass feed, she savored it immensely.
After making their mutual polite gesture, Alman and Evelia once again fell into silence, exchanging a glance. Finally, when they both thought the other wouldn’t speak again, they simultaneously said:
“Evelia—I’m sorry!”
“I’m very sorry, Mr. Alman.”
“…?”
“?”
Following their simultaneous apologies, the two were momentarily stunned.
“Why are you apologizing?”
“I…” Alman awkwardly twisted his neck. “Because my attitude towards you hasn’t been very good…”
“Really?” Evelia asked, puzzled. “I didn’t feel that way.”
“Really… Really? Then… then why are you apologizing?”
“Because I cut your blue rose bush too short.”
“?”
A question mark appeared atop Alman’s head as he recalled the beautiful blue rose bush that was now bare and empty. Taking a deep breath, he said:
“… then you should indeed apologize sincerely…”
Hearing this, Luna let out a light snort, almost laughing.
