The End of Your Arrogance - Chapter 32.1

With a firm grip, Ilya yanked Evelyn’s arm again, urging her to follow him. The knight standing guard outside the bedroom turned his head in surprise, quickly unlocking the door to allow them to enter.

Once inside, Ilya released his hold on Evelyn’s arm, causing her to stumble and nearly fall. He watched her closely, his intense gaze scanning her from head to toe. Evelyn shuddered at the thought of being stripped naked in front of him.

“It’s you,” he spoke, drawing closer. Evelyn unconsciously took a step back, her shoulders hunching in response to the cold wall on her back.

“Are you going to jump out the window? Am I… that terrible?”

“Your Highness, it’s not that,” she replied, her voice trembling as she held onto the curtain for support.

Ilya’s expression twisted in misery at the sight of her distress.

“You’re saying that while trembling like that?”

In an instant, he closed the distance between them, trapping her against the wall with his arms. Evelyn felt as though she was surrounded by a fence, unable to escape his intense gaze.

“I didn’t even want to ask this question… but what’s the relationship between you and my brother?”

“Nasir is… the only person who treated me and Liv kindly here,” she replied, before Ilya growled, narrowing the distance between them even further.

“Nasir, Nasir, Nasir! Did my brother promise to make you a princess or something?” His chest felt as though it was on fire, burning with anger and jealousy.

“Please don’t insult the deceased. And I’ve never done anything shameful as your wife. Not even once.”

Ilya let out a heavy sigh, wrapping his arm around Evelyn’s waist and pulling her close. Even the brief contact made her tremble and shiver, her entire body feeling as though it was burning up at his touch.

“Evelyn Maduse.”

A voice, deep and slightly raspy with a masculine tone, called out her name. Evelyn’s heart skipped a beat. There were times when she had hoped that voice would call out her name, filled with passion, but not like this. Not this cold and cruel.

“Three hundred… do you know what number that is?” he asked, his eyes locked onto hers.

Evelyn stopped struggling and stared blankly, unsure of how to respond.

“The Black Forest knights who died in Tatar,” he continued, his words heavy with sorrow.

The weight of his words hit her like a ton of bricks, and a single tear escaped from her newborn eyes. He leaned in closer, whispering in her ear.

“The Black Forest Knights have a disproportionately high number of knights with disabilities. I wonder why that is.”

The image of the knights flashed through her mind, and she couldn’t recall their names. The knight who stood with his sword like a crutch, the knight who wore an eye patch… they were all faces in a blur.

Hearing the voice she loved so much in this cruel reality was painful. His words only served to intensify the pain.

“While you were playing house with my brother, I was fighting to the death,” he continued, his voice filled with anguish.

“Ilya, I’m so sorry. But… I really only love you…” Evelyn managed to choke out, swallowing her final words with all her might.

Tears blurred her vision, and her face turned into pieces like a mosaic. She couldn’t bear the weight of his gaze and closed her eyes, letting the tears fall freely.

“Do you know how I’ll treat a traitor’s daughter like you on the battlefield?” Ilya asked, his rough and slow strokes caressing her shoulders and back. His fingers grazed the strap of her dress before pulling away, sending a shiver down Evelyn’s spine as she braced herself for what was to come.

“I believe I have been quite the gentleman towards you, my lady,” he continued, his tone shifting.

Evelyn gazed at him with a sad expression and posed a question that she already knew the answer to. “Did you ever consider me your wife?”

There is something I have been wanting to say to you since we met again after two years. You see, even if it was only for a month, I was your wife. During that time, I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for you. All you had to do was ask for my help, and I would have given it. Even if it meant being cast out with the child, I would never have blamed you.

“Why not?” he replied, “You were the precious princess, a symbol of our alliance.”

“I was nothing but a living symbol,” she said, “And now? The alliance was shattered long ago.” Evelyn asked him, bracing herself for the hurt that was sure to follow. Am I nothing more than a fool who needs to be hit to come to her senses?

Ilya let out a bitter laugh. “I cannot sleep without you. But now, you are nothing more than a sleeping pill.”

His words hit her like a wave of ice-cold water, causing her entire body to tremble with a sudden chill that reached her heart. Her chest felt tight, as though someone was stabbing her with a needle.

“If His Highness Nasir desired it, I would have readily stripped for him,” Evelyn said with a seductive smile, as though she were a woman who had experienced everything on the streets. Ilya appeared to be confused by her remark.

“Unfortunately, he’s not that kind of man,” she added.

After a brief moment, sparks flickered in Ilya’s blue-grey eyes. “What did you just say?” he demanded, tightening his arm around her waist until she struggled to breathe and gasped for air. Despite feeling like she was about to suffocate, she felt oddly entertained.