Episode 78

Who could Eunice be apologizing to, and why?

One thing was certain: she must have expected that the person she intended to reach would enter this room after her disappearance. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have written her message on the wall here. She may have even known that she’d have to leave the duke’s residence—or perhaps she’d already resigned herself to that fate.

I tried to imagine who would enter this room after she left. Perhaps the head maid, who would’ve noticed her absence, or one of the other servants. And if not them, then… Igon. I tapped my fingers thoughtfully on the table as I considered him.

While it was most likely Igon, something about the tone of her message felt far too casual. Even if their relationship had developed quickly, it was hard to believe they would drop formalities within a year. In the original story, a full year had to pass before the two even exchanged simple words. The rift between Eunice and Igon ran deep. To him, she was the daughter of an enemy family, just as Igon was her enemy. And why would she apologize to Igon, of all people? It made no sense.

Just in case, I chipped away a bit more at the wall, but no other words appeared. I was left with no clues and only shaky conjectures. Sighing, I gathered my thoughts, changed clothes, and headed out for work.

***

That day, every little noise grated on my ears. The sharp scratching of the pen on paper, the ticking of the clock—it all seemed unbearably loud. Was this how Igon felt, as if every sound was an intrusion? Maybe that’s why he preferred silence so much. I wondered if, in some strange way, he had also suffered from my absence.

Lost in these thoughts, I found myself glancing at him. Under the midday sun, shadows gently traced his face, his pale lashes fluttering with every blink, shimmering delicately in the light. I stared, captivated by his beauty, without realizing it.

Today, we were standing closer than usual. With the workload overwhelming, I waited by his side for documents to hand off. A towering stack of papers sat on his desk, the result of the duke’s and head of the family’s recent absence. Today alone, I had climbed the stairs five times.

Noticing my gaze, Igon looked up and smiled—a clear, boyish smile, like someone admiring a precious gem in his palm. The sight made my heart tremble; his smile had the same impact on me as a beautiful person’s tears. Without meaning to, the corners of my lips lifted. It was an involuntary response.

The slight crinkle in my eyes must have revealed something, as a strange glint flashed in his eyes. I took a step back, sensing the danger, but he was quicker. His arm wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me onto his lap. I wavered, my hands instinctively pressing against his shoulders for support, feeling the firm muscles beneath my fingers. Reflexively, I began tracing his shoulders, my mind recalling the memory of another night.

“There’s a lot of work today.”

The voice from below broke my thoughts, and I glanced down to meet Igon’s gaze. Awkwardly, I pulled my hands back from his shoulders, where they’d rested. When I avoided his eyes, his lips lifted in a gentle smile, meeting me halfway with a soft kiss. He pulled back, resting his forehead against my shoulder and letting out a breath, damp and warm. After a moment, he lifted his head, as if he intended to leave things here since, as he said, there was plenty of work to do.

And honestly, it wasn’t just about time; my strength was waning, especially after last night’s long ordeal. I slowly began to inch away, but his hand caught my wrist, his arm slipping back around my waist. When I looked down at him again, his smile curved slightly to one side—a beautiful smile, but one with a new intensity.

“I’ll make it quick, then.”

What?

With a gentle, almost coaxing tone, he tapped his fingers lightly along my collarbone. Somehow, the tie at the front of my clothes had come undone, leaving me wide-eyed with surprise. Before I could react, his tongue slipped between my parted lips.

***

Who was it, exactly, that said it would be quick? His relentless pursuit left me teary-eyed. Unable to speak, I tried to communicate my plea for mercy with a soft kiss, but that only seemed to stoke the flames. In the end, I collapsed, barely conscious, surrendering to sleep as if to prove I’d reached my limit.

I drifted in a deep, dreamless sleep for who knows how long. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew I had to wake up, and I forced myself to rouse from the haze. When I finally blinked my eyes open, the room was bathed in a soft crimson glow. Through the fluttering curtains, I could see Igon sitting upright at a nearby table. Only then did I realize I was lying on the sofa, a thin blanket covering me.

With no sign that anyone else had entered, it was likely Igon who had covered me. To think of a servant napping while the lord of the house worked—surely, I was the luckiest servant in the empire. My eyes were open, but I could hardly gather the energy to sit up. For a while, I simply watched Igon work. Eventually, I took a deep breath, raised my arms, and forced myself upright, though my body trembled slightly with the effort.

As I reached forward, Igon appeared before me, his hand outstretched.

“Should I carry you?”

Despite his handsome face, I couldn’t help but glare at him. His lips lifted in a faint smile. He bent down, slipping his arm beneath my legs, and lifted me easily.

“Go wait in your room.”

Despite the situation, I still felt an obligation to help. When I shook my head to insist he put me down so I could at least assist with the remaining work, a slight crease appeared in his perfectly shaped brow. With a resigned sigh, he shrugged his shoulders.

“Very well, then.”

I assumed he would set me down, but he made no move to do so. Instead, he carried me over to his desk, setting me on his lap as he resumed working. His left arm wrapped securely around my waist, while his right hand moved steadily across the page. I wiggled, trying to get down a few times, but he held me firmly, unbothered, his pen gliding calmly across the paper.

In the end, I gave up and let my gaze follow the pen’s graceful movements over the documents. A few important papers passed by under my watchful eye. I wondered if my presence bothered him, yet he seemed wholly unaffected, completely focused.

I found myself observing him intently. After all, it was unusual for a lord to take in someone who had worked in the imperial palace as their personal servant. Why did he pour so much attention on me? His claim of love at first sight still seemed unbelievable. Igon didn’t seem like the type to be swayed by appearance or fleeting infatuations. And the fact that he didn’t end up with Eunice, the original heroine, was proof enough of that.

It wasn’t simply a mistake driven by lust. In all my time as Evelyn, and even now, I had never seen Igon behave like this. Though I had been swept into this relationship almost by accident, I couldn’t help but feel puzzled. Since discovering Eunice’s message scrawled on the wall, these thoughts had only deepened. This Igon felt like a stranger to me. A part of me even envied the affection he was showing me—something I had never received as Evelyn.

‘Did he have a similar relationship with Eunice?’

A strange suspicion grew within me.

‘Had he learned this kind of love from her?’

“You can lean on me and res.,”

He said, gently pressing my head onto his shoulder. It was surprisingly comfortable, feeling his steady breaths. Why was he tearing down all his defenses and pouring so much affection on me? No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find a reason.

***

The next day, after resting an entire day, I worked diligently. Whenever Igon approached, I made a point to avoid him. His expression grew more irritable with each evasion, but I ignored it. I couldn’t afford to keep neglecting my duties. Gathering the rejected forms, I headed downstairs to the aide’s office. They were filled with errors, all from a new hire. As I entered, the atmosphere grew tense, though no one dared to scold the rookie loudly in front of me. Instead, sharp gazes bore into him, and a sigh of frustration escaped from the chief aide’s lips.

“Hmm… We’ll have to redo these from scratch.”

Though we’d never chatted much, I had always found the chief aide kind. Seeing him with such a fierce expression was unsettling. As I waited in the corner for the corrected documents, the new hire, looking embarrassed, scratched the back of his head and cast nervous glances at his seniors.

“Uh….”

He finally gathered the courage to approach me, holding out a sheet of paper with a cautious look.

“I… I’m really sorry to trouble you, but could you take this to the stable master to confirm the quantity? There was a discrepancy…”

I couldn’t ignore the pleading look in his eyes, so I nodded quietly, tucking the paper into my pocket. With the corrected documents, I headed upstairs and placed them on Igon’s desk.

Knock, knock.

I lightly tapped the desk’s edge. When Igon looked up at me, I gestured that I’d be stepping out for a bit.

“All right,” he said.

With his permission, I moved swiftly down the corridor and took the stairs, hoping to make a quick trip to the stables. As I exited through the side door, I noticed a small group of people standing along the path toward the stables. Three or four individuals were gathered near the back gate, chatting near a small carriage. Trying to pass unnoticed, I caught sight of a familiar profile among them.

It couldn’t be.

I froze, wondering if it was a trick of my mind or if I simply missed her presence. My head tilted in doubt. She had left without a word, not even a single letter. Of course, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a bit hurt, but I knew her nature and the difficulties she’d endured because of me, so I’d set aside my feelings. I’d comforted myself, thinking that if fate allowed, we would meet again someday.

As I was lost in thought, she climbed into the carriage. Just as she turned to bid her companions farewell, her face became fully visible. It was unmistakably Rosalind. The figure I knew so well, yet clothed as someone else. There was no way I wouldn’t recognize her.

‘Why was she here?’

I didn’t know why, but I felt an overwhelming urge to stop her. I wanted to call out to her, to hold her back, yet my voice refused to come out. I ran toward her with all my might, determined to reach her before she fully entered the carriage, before those heavy iron gates closed. Rosalind turned slowly, finishing her farewells, her gaze sweeping the area.

As I clapped my hands to get her attention, I was suddenly lifted off the ground, arms wrapped firmly around my waist, and my view flipped upside down. I knew this hold—it was familiar.

“Close the gate.”

Igon commanded. His voice, low and edged with restrained anger, rang in my ear.