Chapter 448
Knight, Come to My Room!
“Oh, right, Eivass,” Isabel suddenly remembered something and stood up from the piano, walking over to a desk in the bedroom.
It was originally Isabel’s second dressing table for storing jewelry and trinkets, but she had converted it into a small desk. She could use it to read before bed each night—she always had to dress properly when studying and handling state affairs in the study, but in her bedroom, she could wear her nightgown.
She rummaged through it and pulled out a document, handing it to Eivass, who was slumped on the sofa. “I forgot to give you this when you came yesterday… This is what you asked Lord Hermes to investigate.”
“My sister… Freya Moriarty?” Eivass murmured, straightening up slightly to take the letter.
This “sister” was thirty-one years old, younger than Edward, but older than Eivass and Yulia.
—A “sister” that neither he, Edward, nor Yulia had any recollection of. Even Lily and the other servants in the household didn’t remember this person at all.
But when Eivass asked Lixia and the Grand Guardian, he found that they both remembered Freya’s existence.
When Eivass thought this was a special case for a Fifth Tier individual, he then asked his history tutor, Professor Bard, and Mycroft, only to find that they also knew of Freya.
Eivass finally realized something was wrong—only the people living in the Moriarty Family, or rather, within Moriarty Manor, had forgotten Freya’s existence.
This looked like the trace of a conspiracy… but fortunately, Freya wasn’t dead. She was merely studying abroad in the Church. Eivass would be able to see her soon.
However, Eivass still asked Mycroft to help him investigate the matter when he had the time.
And this document was the result of Sherlock’s personal investigation, the man he considered “smarter than himself.”
But Eivass didn’t open the letter directly in Isabel’s bedroom. Instead, he put it in his embrace first.
“Are you free for a date today, Lulu?” Eivass casually invited, “Shall we go out and find Sherlock?”
Isabel merely chuckled lightly, “Can’t we do it here? I can play the piano and sing for you. Or paint a picture for you?”
It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought of going on dates with Isabel.
When the war first began, he had been nervous for a while. But after observing the war situation for a period and seeing that the situation was becoming clearer, he relaxed.
Since then, even Edward and Yulia had urged him several times.
Yulia’s persuasion was relatively tactful, while Edward’s criticism was comparatively sharp—
“Do you want a pure and innocent girl to take the initiative to ask you out on a date? Or do you want Her Majesty the Queen herself to personally invite you out to play in public?”
Eivass had originally intended to be stubborn. But after thinking about it, he felt that his brother had a point.
Although the two had already kissed, and even their families had gathered for New Year’s Eve… they hadn’t officially confessed their feelings, nor had they engaged in any more intimate actions. They maintained this gradually intimate and unspoken relationship with a peculiar tacit understanding.
Eivass intended to take Isabel to play around Glass Island and create some memories before he went to study in the Church.
It might be a bit difficult to leave Glass Island, as even though Minister Hermes could handle most of the state affairs, Avalon couldn’t truly implement a system where the monarch was offline. The Queen, after all, still had to stay on Glass Island.
The reason Eivass wanted to take Isabel on a date was simple.
Because he was somewhat worried—if he went to the Church, wouldn’t that be a long-distance relationship?
Before the war ended, he had to stay in the territory of the Church. After that, he would probably have to wait until the Fallen Heavenly Envoy descended and tore apart the Star Antinomy royal family before he could return to Avalon to discuss countermeasures and appease the Queen and the people.
In other words, he couldn’t leave until the Fallen Heavenly Envoy arrived.
Eivass wasn’t worried about Isabel falling for someone else. But he was worried that if they were separated for too long, their feelings, which were gradually warming up, might cool down.
Although separation could also intensify longing, it could also lead to people adapting to a life without the other person.
Both of them were progressing rapidly now. So, by the time they met again, would they feel like strangers to each other?
—In both lives, this was the first time Eivass had felt such a worry.
It wasn’t a worry about Isabel’s safety, or whether she could take care of herself.
Rather, it was a concern about whether he himself had faded in her eyes and heart.
Even rationally, Eivass knew that this worry was completely meaningless. It was even childish and ridiculous… but that faint anxiety could never be completely smoothed out in his heart.
But it was like “always wanting to confirm if the house door is locked” or “if the gas valve is turned off.” Even if he knew in his heart that everything was fine, such questions would still linger in the corners of his mind, impossible to truly ignore.
Thus, Eivass realized—
Although he hadn’t realized it himself, he didn’t know when it started… but perhaps he had truly fallen in love.
But every time Eivass made time, tidied himself up, and went to see Isabel, she would pull him into conversations about things they hadn’t discussed before, asking for his opinions on various matters. Afterward, it would naturally turn into teaching again…
Eivass hadn’t even realized earlier that he was so fond of teaching!
Each time their conversation concluded, it was already late. There was simply no time left for dates or outings.
The latest instance was last night.
Isabel dragged Eivass into a discussion about the political parties and democracy of the Iris people—she had seriously considered whether to implement a constitutional monarchy in Avalon. That night, they chatted until eleven o’clock, and even while chatting, they went to the study to look through diplomatic letters and various intelligence documents.
If this were casual conversation, the topic would be too formal and serious; but if it were work, they ultimately achieved no meaningful results—because at some point, the topic would drift to the Iris nobles, then to the great artists of the Iris people, and finally to the operas of the Iris people.
Last night, Isabel even made up her mind. She declared that she would go to Iris one day to listen to “the best opera in the world”… and if she had the chance, she wanted to perform or sing a piece on stage herself.
At that time, she wanted Eivass to sit in the audience and listen, and he had to sit in the front row—because the audience in the front row could go on stage to present flowers during the intermission and at the end.
They just chatted aimlessly like this, and time was consumed.
By the time Eivass returned to his room, showered, and took his medicine, it was already late into the night.
… Unconsciously, another day had been consumed like this!
Fortunately, Isabel did gain something from each conversation, so it wasn’t entirely a waste.
She was intelligent and had strong learning abilities, and she wouldn’t easily forget what she learned. Especially since she was a “polymath,” which further enhanced her learning ability. This made Eivass feel gratified—after all, teaching a smart student was a completely different experience from teaching a dullard.
The former was relaxing and enjoyable, while the latter could treat low blood pressure.
But today, Eivass finally couldn’t help but ask, “By the way, Lulu, why don’t you want to go out?”
“Why would I want to go out?” Isabel retorted.
“…Could it be that you’re the type who prefers to stay in your room?” Eivass asked with some curiosity, rubbing his chin.
But he had a feeling that Isabel wasn’t the type of shut-in. Before, Isabel had stayed in the Silver and Tin Hall because she was reclusive due to fear and pressure. Now that Isabel had become cheerful and confident… Eivass wanted to take her to places she hadn’t had the chance to visit before, or places she wouldn’t dare to go alone.
“That’s not it…” Isabel stretched by the window, squinting as she basked in the sunlight, and casually replied, “If that were the case, I definitely wouldn’t want to go to Iris to watch a play. Besides, didn’t we go out during New Year’s Eve?”
“Then why exactly?” Eivass, uncharacteristically, wanted to get to the bottom of it. “Is it because of the succubus incident that you’re left with a psychological shadow?”
Hearing this, Isabel suddenly realized Eivass’s seriousness and looked back at him with a mixture of surprise and amusement.
She playfully appraised Eivass, her eyes sparkling like bright emeralds in the sunlight.
For the first time, Eivass felt that he had been seen through by Isabel.
Before this, he had always been the one to see through Isabel’s thoughts.
She walked over step by hop, approaching Eivass. She didn’t act like a queen at all; she seemed even younger than she did during her princess days.
As if a gentleman inviting a lady to dance, Isabel elegantly bowed and offered her right hand to Eivass.
Eivass reached out and took her hand—but with a slight pull, Isabel didn’t pull Eivass off the sofa. Instead, Eivass pulled her into his embrace with a single motion.
She playfully grabbed Eivass’s collar, lightly hitting his shoulder twice. Then, she sat sideways on Eivass’s lap, her right hand rhythmically and lightly pinching the lobe of his left ear, as if playing a cheerful song.
“If dating is for cultivating feelings and increasing understanding… then we are dating every day.” Isabel said, glancing at the two Queen’s Guards who remained silently in the room.
She leaned close to Eivass’s ear and whispered, in a voice that they could likely hear, “Rather than going out, I prefer to have Mr. Fox’s scent linger in the house…”
Eivass felt a tickle in his ear and immediately took a sharp breath.
He suddenly understood. In a way, Isabel’s thoughts were the same as his!
However, rather than creating new memories by going out, she preferred to replace her somewhat bleak childhood memories with Eivass’s memories…
Seeing Eivass’s face flush red, Isabel flopped onto him, pinning him completely on the sofa.
“When do you leave?” she asked softly.
“…The sixteenth?” Eivass tentatively asked, “At least until our current round of Ascension Ritual is over. Of course, it can be changed… I haven’t set the time yet.”
“The seventeenth,” Isabel decisively changed the date for him, “I’ll book your itinerary.”
She leaned closer, gazing into Eivass’s eyes, and said word for word, “And the day before you leave… the evening of the sixteenth… come to my room.”
“…Did you say that?” Eivass raised his eyebrows and retorted.
Instead of being shy as Isabel had expected, he became invigorated.
“—I said it!” Isabel’s face was also slightly flushed, but she said firmly, “I command you in the name of the Queen, Lord Moriarty! On the evening of the sixteenth… come to my room…!”
She couldn’t utter the unspoken words that followed, her face already blushing from her cheeks to her neck.
Eivass’s lips curved into a slight smile.
He wrapped his arms around Isabel from behind, feeling a sense of gentle reassurance.
“As you wish, my noble Queen,” he responded in her ear.
They held each other quietly, like cats curled up on a sofa, waiting for the spring sunlight to creep over it, covering them like light snow.
—It really didn’t seem necessary to go out and find Sherlock, Eivass thought.
Update complete!
I’ve written a bit more for this transition chapter, totaling eight thousand words, so I won’t split it into another chapter~
Thanks to Gatejager for the generous gift, the leader-tier contribution, meow~
