Episode 60

My legs felt weak, but I managed to stay upright by gripping the chair in front of me, avoiding an embarrassing collapse.

Even my own breathing sounded harsh in my ears.

I stood there for a moment, struggling to find my voice, and finally managed to speak.

“He… he wouldn’t do that.”

I never imagined I would be the one to say such clichéd words, but there I was, clinging to them.

“He couldn’t have… he wouldn’t…”

This wasn’t some melodrama, yet the words felt empty and desperate.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop, and I couldn’t help but shiver.

It felt as though an invisible hand had gripped the back of my neck, holding me in place, overwhelmed.

Kenneth’s words had dragged out the doubts I had buried deep inside, forcing me to confront them.

The reality of the situation became painfully clear.

Even though I tried to defend Igon, a nagging question whispered inside me.

‘Could it really be true?’

I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing I could somehow unhear everything.

“It’s hard to accept right now, I know.”

Kenneth said, his tone calm and measured.

“But don’t look at me like that. I’m on your side.”

“What kind of look am I giving you?”

I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“A look that says you hate me more than anything.”

He wasn’t wrong.

He had read me perfectly, as if I were an open book.

If he hadn’t been the Crown Prince, I might have lashed out, desperate to silence him.

I resented him deeply, and every moment leading up to this felt like a mistake.

“I’m on your side,”

Kenneth repeated, offering a faint smile.

He reached into his coat and pulled out a cigar, lighting it with a match.

His movements were fluid and elegant, the very picture of composure.

He exhaled a long plume of smoke, which dispersed into the air like a sigh.

At that moment, the window behind him lit up with a flash of lightning.

*Boom.*

The sky rumbled, and the old wooden building shook with the force of the thunder.

I flinched involuntarily but managed to hold back a scream.

The one who did scream was Simon, who had been standing quietly in the corner.

Soon, the sound of raindrops began to tap rhythmically against the window, filling the room with a lively, almost comforting noise.

“I found you peculiar from the first time I saw you.”

Kenneth began, his words seemingly out of nowhere.

I stayed silent, dreading what he might say next, but I couldn’t help but listen.

“People called you a doll. At first, I thought it was just because you were so beautiful. But it was more than that. They called you a doll because you didn’t show much emotion. I didn’t understand it at first, but when I met you, I knew.”

I tried to recall the first time we met.

My legs had been unsteady, my waist held by him.

I had spoken in a haze, intoxicated by both alcohol and despair.

Even then, he had carried a deep, woodsy scent—one that now made me feel sick to my core.

“Eyes that are always tinged with sadness, the eyes of someone who’s been tamed.”

He said, his voice softer, as if trying to be gentle with the blow.

The word “tamed” made me lift my head sharply.

When I looked at him, he gave a slight nod, acknowledging that his choice of words had been inappropriate.

“Back then, you seemed so engulfed in your own sadness that it was as if you couldn’t feel anything else.”

It was clear that Kenneth had found me intriguing from the start.

And, like his analogy, I had been deeply sad.

But it wasn’t fair to reduce that to being “tamed.”

It wasn’t Igon’s fault.

My sadness was mine alone.

Back then and even now, it belonged to me.

“You’ve lived a controlled life, so you don’t have friends who suit you, or activities you enjoy, or even favorite books.”

The fact that I didn’t have close friends or hobbies was also something I attributed to myself, not to anyone else.

“I do now.”

I replied quietly.

“I have people I get along with, and books I like.”

“Yes, perhaps you do now.”

Kenneth said with a smile.

I had the overwhelming urge to scream at him to stop smiling.

I lowered my head, staring at the floor to avoid the pity in his eyes.

As I focused on the grain of the wood, Simon, the man in the corner, spoke.

“We’re looking for a document. According to our information, the Duke is thorough and always drafts contracts. We’re particularly interested in any contract related to demonic beasts.”

Even amidst the confusion, I found the strength to smirk at Simon’s words.

I pulled the corners of my mouth into a mocking smile.

“If I can’t trust someone I’ve lived with for half my life and called family, why would I trust you and help you?”

“So you still trust the Duke?” Simon asked, sounding surprised.

“He’s too important to me to give up on with just a few words.”

Kenneth handed me a metaphorical Pandora’s box.

He had planted seeds of doubt in my mind.

Whether I chose to open that box—whether I chose to search for the documents—was entirely up to me.

“One thing I want you to know,”

Kenneth said, his voice firm.

“Is that whether you help us or not, if you’re ever in danger, I will do everything in my power to protect you. If that doesn’t make me your ally, I don’t know what does.”

“Why?”

I asked, genuinely curious.

“Because you’re my friend.”

Kenneth’s eyes were serious as he spoke, and I could see the genuine affection he held for me. But even so, I couldn’t bring myself to fully trust his words.

I wasn’t sure how much I had diverged from the original storyline, or if Evelyn in the original work had shared this kind of bond with Kenneth.

But the original Evelyn had died, and unless I found a way to escape this fate, I might follow the same path.

It was Count Durant who killed her, and he was the Crown Prince’s strongest ally.

The room grew heavy with silence, the weight of it pressing down on me.

“I should be going now.”

I finally said, turning to leave.

This time, Kenneth didn’t try to stop me.

“I’ll send you another letter with the time and place for our next meeting.”

He called after me as I walked out the door.

It was remarkable how easily he spoke of ‘next time’ after tearing me apart like this.

I didn’t look back as I closed the door behind me.

As I lowered my head, I noticed my hands trembling uncontrollably.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, but my chest continued to heave with the effort.

I walked down the corridor and descended the stairs.

“Liam.”

I called softly as I reached him.

“Let’s go back.”

Liam, seeing the pallor of my face, didn’t ask any questions. He simply guided me to the waiting carriage.

The raindrops had grown heavier, and by the time we reached the Duke’s estate, the rain was pouring down so hard that it turned the world outside into a blur of white.

The carriage stopped near the rear entrance of the estate, by the kitchen.

“I’ll get an umbrella.”

Liam offered as he moved to step out of the carriage.

“No.”

I said, stopping him.

Through the rain, I saw a figure waiting for me outside.

Ah.

The sight filled me with both relief and a shiver down my spine.

Liam seemed unaware of who it was.

“There’s no need.”

I replied curtly, opening the carriage door.

The scent of wet grass and earth, mixed with the chill of the night air and a faint floral fragrance, wafted into the carriage.

Standing at the door was Igon.

The light from the lantern in the carriage illuminated his face.

Rainwater dripped steadily from his wet hair, but when he saw me, he smiled softly, his eyes crinkling with a warmth that made my skin crawl.

“Eve.”

He greeted me.

His smile was so beautiful it was almost frightening, and even as he smiled, the flicker of something dark in his expression told me how angry he truly was.

“Did you enjoy your evening walk?” he asked, his voice calm but laced with an edge that made my heart pound.

How was he here already? Even if the meeting had ended early, it should have taken him at least another day to return.

I couldn’t understand it, but it didn’t seem entirely impossible, given who he was.

I placed my hand in his outstretched one.

His fingers intertwined with mine, his touch firm but slow as he traced the soft skin between my fingers.

The warmth of his hand stood out starkly against the cold night air.

If this had been any other situation, I might have leaned into his embrace for comfort.

“Do you know how worried I was when you disappeared without a word?”

=Igon murmured, leaning in close, resting his head against mine.

I let out a small, involuntary sigh.

A shallow sense of relief washed over me, as if a voice in the back of my mind whispered.

“See? Someone this kind could never do such a thing to you.”

Igon held the lantern in one hand while guiding me up the stairs with the other.

In the lantern’s glow, our shadows stretched long across the ground as we ascended.

In the darkness, the shadows of Igon and I seemed less like people and more like something else entirely.

I looked down at the distorted shadows, swallowing nervously.

“I have something to ask you,” I said.

“Really? So do I,”

he replied, smiling as though we were sharing a pleasant secret.

He led me to his study—our study, the one we alone shared.

As we entered, the scent of the rain lingered in the room, and I realized he must have left the window open.

“So, who did you meet tonight?”

Igon asked casually.

I had been watching the thin, white curtains fluttering in the wind when I turned to meet his gaze, his sky-blue eyes locked on mine.

It wasn’t hard to answer, considering I had sneaked out to meet someone.

“The Crown Prince,” I confessed.

There was no point in hiding it now, not if I wanted to ask him what I needed to.

At the mention of Kenneth, Igon froze in place.

“Why him?”

he asked, slowly tracing circles on the back of my hand with his fingertips, as if he was trying to keep his emotions in check.

Though he still smiled, there was a cold, simmering anger in his eyes.

“He said he had something important to tell me,” I replied.

“And what could he possibly have to tell you?”

Igon tilted his head, his tone dripping with disbelief, as if the idea that Kenneth might have anything to say to me was utterly ridiculous.

“He said you’re planning something dangerous.”

I said, searching his face for any sign of the truth.

Igon smiled as usual.

“He’s very perceptive,” he admitted.

He didn’t deny it.

That meant it was true—everything Kenneth had said about Igon’s plans to bring down the empire.

A wave of anxiety twisted in my gut, urging me to ask him the question that had been burning in the back of my mind.

If Kenneth’s warning about the empire was true, then perhaps what he said about Igon’s true intentions toward me was also true.

I stopped in my tracks and looked down at our intertwined hands.

Igon’s hand was large and rough, a testament to the years he had spent on the battlefield. It was scarred and calloused, unlike the smooth hands of a typical noble.

Could I live without this hand in my life?

The thought slipped out of my mouth in a slightly raised voice before I could stop it.

TL/N: I will look into the end chaps for spoilers. This is killing me Ahhhhhh!! Idk you guys tell me this dont Eve looks like his DEAD SIS then why??? And wth is wrong with Crown Prince? He was the most liked ml in my list cuz he was always positive to fl (his energy) didnt bring her down nor Eve was depressed in his company but why bro why!