Chapter 75

It was a strange gift box.

No sender, no indication of when it had been left—just sitting in front of the Demon King’s castle.

Could it be a bomb or something?

But it was far too light for that.

Even when I shook the box, I couldn’t hear anything unusual.

“‘Happy birthday’? Is this a birthday gift for the hero…?”

I read the letter stuck to the box as I handed it to Adam.

The box was so large it blocked my view, yet it was as light as if it contained stuffed animals.

It was nearly my height, but once Adam stood next to it, the box looked disproportionately large.

Adam eyed it suspiciously before untying the string.

“……”

As soon as he looked inside, Adam visibly froze.

It was like watching a statue—so still I wondered if he was even breathing.

Only his golden eyes flickered with motion.

Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed Adam’s shoulder, calling his name.

He looked at me with a startled expression.

Was he sweating after seeing what was inside?

He didn’t seem to realize he’d been frozen in place for several minutes.

I called his name again.

“Adam?!”

“…Ah. I’m fine, Eve.”

He repeated the same phrase mechanically, though his face said otherwise.

Adam’s expression was unnervingly stiff.

Were the corners of his mouth lifted?

It looked like a smile.

But his eyes weren’t smiling at all—it sent a chill down my spine.

I instinctively let go of his shoulder and took a step back, and Adam smiled at me.

His mouth finally moved, but the words that came out were not the truth.

He wore the same face as always, but his voice trembled.

“Perhaps His Majesty the Emperor sent the gift. Could you pass me the letter?”

“Ah, sure…”

I had been about to go fetch a paper knife from the study, but instead I handed it straight to him.

I wanted to ask what the letter said, but his expression—so frightening and unfamiliar—left me speechless.

‘I’ve never seen Adam look like this before…’

The atmosphere carried a killing intent strong enough to make me flinch.

It wasn’t even directed at me, and yet my reaction was instinctive.

Adam seemed to notice my response and gave a practiced smile like everything was fine—but I didn’t believe it.

Because over that smiling Adam, I could see the sharp truth.

Stress – 89%

‘His stress, which had finally gone down, just spiked all at once.’

What in the world was in that box?

Adam tore open the corner of the envelope carelessly, pulled out the letter, and let out a bitter laugh.

“Eveline.”

“…Yes?”

I answered a beat too late.

Anyone would be alarmed if someone who usually only used a nickname suddenly called their full name.

Especially when the once-gentle hero wore that kind of expression.

“I’m sorry, but would you return to the village for a while?”

“…What?”

I couldn’t bring myself to ask what was going on.

It was the first time I’d ever felt such an intense urge to leave his side.

The forgotten memory of that night returned to me.

Seeing the strange shimmer in Adam’s eyes, I had to grit my teeth to stop myself from backing away.

“I should’ve done this from the start. Right after leaving the palace, I should’ve sent you away…”

Adam muttered, his back turned—a rare sight.

“…I was foolish.”

It felt like the wall I had barely climbed over was now being rebuilt, stronger than before.

I pushed aside the urge to flee and hurriedly stepped in front of him.

Just like that?

He hadn’t always accepted me.

He was someone who constantly pushed others away, convinced that having someone near him would lead to their death.

I hadn’t understood that defensive side of him, but hadn’t he softened recently?

Hadn’t he hovered near me, as if trying to tear down that wall himself?

‘I thought he’d finally opened his heart!’

Now it felt like all of that had been a lie.

Seeing Adam change so suddenly—like flipping a switch—I bit my lip in unease.

“For how long?”

Adam didn’t answer.

“How long do I have to stay away?”

“…I don’t know.”

As his words trailed off, I bit down hard on my lip and brought up the contract.

“What about the contract?”

I referred to the binding agreement—one that could never be broken.

He had clearly stated that I was allowed to stay at the Demon King’s castle.

He couldn’t just send me away like this.

\[While Eveline resides at the Demon King’s castle, she shall give her utmost support to the Hero, and in this regard, the Hero may not refuse.]

“Right now, not having you here would help me.”

I couldn’t say anything in the face of Adam’s firm tone.

It felt like all my efforts up to this point had just been rejected.

Even in numbers, his stress level hadn’t gone down at all.

In fact, it had risen.

‘Am I really someone Adam doesn’t need?’

No, that couldn’t be.

If that were true…

‘Then I wouldn’t even have a reason to stay by his side.’

Clearly, Adam had changed the moment he saw that box from the emperor.

But unfortunately, the box remained closed behind him—and I didn’t have the courage to open that Pandora’s box.

And Adam’s words continued mercilessly.

“If I’m not at the Demon King’s castle, then the contract has no effect. And for now, I’m simply recommending that you return to the village for a while.”

It was the coldest tone I’d heard from Adam in a long time.

His voice was so cold, it made me raise my head in shock, despite having just lowered it out of surprise.

It wasn’t the voice he usually used when calling me.

But I didn’t want to meet Adam’s cold eyes, so I lowered my head again.

I bit down hard on my lips and pressed the corner of my eye with the back of my hand.

I shouldn’t be hurt by this.

I should’ve pulled my heart back before getting hurt by just a look like that.

After a deep breath, I raised my head and finally managed to look at Adam. Even without a mirror, I could tell my face was a mess.

“You’re really awful, Hero.”

“……”

Adam didn’t answer.

“If I leave now, I’m never coming back. But if you tell me the truth, I’ll listen. So… can’t you just be honest with me?”

“……”

Adam turned slightly at my words about not returning.

Ironically, he looked more in pain than I did.

He was the one pushing me away—so why did he look like that?

“…Go back.”

With that, Adam turned away again and never looked back.

* * *

‘Why now, all of a sudden?’

Eveline dropped to the ground in frustration.

How was she supposed to explain this to Ben? He had already gone back to Dainel Village, saying he was meeting with Aunt Violet.

From his perspective, it must seem like he suddenly lost his workplace. Or maybe—it was only her that Adam was pushing away. Maybe Ben had been let in without issue.

Thinking of that possibility, Eveline let out a bitter laugh.

Was she seriously more bothered by Adam’s expression than the trouble of explaining things to others?

There was no way Adam would’ve done all this just to test her.

Eveline retraced Adam’s expressions and reactions from the moment he pushed her away.

‘It really was the gift, wasn’t it?’

The moment he saw it, he had assumed it was from the emperor.

Even though the imperial crest could have come from Judis or someone else with different intentions, Adam had accepted it as the emperor’s without hesitation.

‘He looked like he already expected this. Like he regretted something.’

She wasn’t unaware of the hostility the emperor held toward Adam. There must’ve been something in that box meant to wound him.

Yes. Adam must’ve had no choice.

But even so, Eveline didn’t return to the Demon King’s castle.

After saying all that, he didn’t even try to stop her.

If he had just told her the truth and asked her to stay in the village for a bit, she would’ve agreed. Even if it hurt, she would’ve understood.

But Adam had refused to speak, even when she begged.

Whenever something was disadvantageous or he didn’t want to show his emotions, Adam would go silent.

Eveline wiped her eyes roughly with her arm as tears began to well up.

‘Even if he gets on his knees and begs me to come back, I won’t return!’

She remembered the quest a moment too late, but it didn’t matter anymore.

‘What do you expect me to do when Adam’s the one being uncooperative?’

Maybe if she left for a few years and returned, only then would he realize how important she was.