The End of Your Arrogance - Chapter 46.2

“What’s wrong? Couldn’t you resist and have to bite yourself? It’s not like you’re a dog; why do you have to chew on things?”

Rene chuckled as she watched Evelyn’s restlessness and the mocking Ilya.

“Oh, dear, get yourself together! You forgot that you were going to meet Naz.”

After Rene left, Evelyn kept an eye on him and spoke.

“Um… About that night…”

“Now you can tell me. What promise did you make with that maid?”

While Evelyn was at the tea party, Ilya heard the story about the maid from Rene. If there was any connection between the dark forest and the disappeared maid, Ilya needed to know about it too.

Maybe she should just let go of what happened that night.

Phew!

Evelyn let out a sigh of relief.

“It means she’s here.”

“What do you mean she’s here?”

“Just… various things, like candies, wildflowers.”

Ilya’s expression became solemn, not the answer she had expected. Evelyn felt a profound sense of loneliness as she saw that expression.

“When you weren’t there, when there was a tea party, I always stood there like a stone statue.”

“Did you stand?”

Evelyn got up and walked to the window. She sat on the windowsill and looked out, and she said hers.

“At first, I thought it was because I went late after wandering around, but it was the same even if I went early.”

There was no answer from the man.

‘Maybe they’re laughing at me, they can’t help a well-grown princess.’

‘Compared to the life-and-death crises you’ve gone through… these lowly bullies are nothing.’

“If you stand there without saying anything, they will curse at you for ruining the atmosphere, and if you muster up the courage to speak to them first, they will whisper that you are the daughter of a traitor and are impudent.”

“…”

“So it was very painful to be there.”

Actually, I would rather go than die. Suddenly, a man’s footsteps were heard.

“I was whining every day that I didn’t want to go there. One day, Anastasia asked me to play a fun game.”

Suddenly, raindrops started to fall. Her stuffy stomach seemed to be exploding, so she threw herself out of her window.

“I’m going to put the treasure in the twigs and put it in the middle of the day. Hold out for that time while searching for treasure.”

Even if it was a treasure, there was nothing special. A snack from the kitchen, a cheap candy on Anastasia’s payday, and a common wild flower when there isn’t even that…

Evelyn said that whenever she went to a tea party, she imagined where the twigs were and what would be in them today. She had something to focus on, so she overheard the whispers of people.

He’s a precious person who helped me endure tough times. I couldn’t find you because I had no strength.

Splash, the heavy rain soaked Evelyn’s face. The sound of her footsteps stopped nearby.

“You may think it’s pathetic, but I…”

With a sudden force, she was pulled inside, and the window closed. She didn’t want to reveal her soaked face, so she covered it with her hands.

“I never thought that way.”

Evelyn was embraced tightly. Sobbing, she cried in her husband’s arms like a little child.

*****

“Why are you here at this hour, Your Grace?”

Nikolas sighed as he looked at Iliya, who had suddenly appeared in the middle of the night.

“I didn’t ask you to come in.”

“It’s my castle.”

Iliya swiftly crossed the room and plopped down on the sofa. Nikolas, amused by the unexpected visit, sat down opposite him.

“What happened at the tea party today?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary. Although the Duchess’s expression turned sour towards the end.”

“……?”

“There’s a cabin in the Duchess’s garden; have you seen it before?”

Iliya raised an eyebrow.

“Probably just something they built to surprise the children.”

“But it’s quite big for just that, don’t you think? Anyway, her expression darkened when she saw it.”

Iliya glanced briefly out the window and smirked at Nicholas.

“I have a place to take you tonight.”

“In this weather?”

Indeed, rain was pouring heavily outside, just as Nicholas had described.

“Isn’t it even better to hide somewhere on a rainy day?”

“Now is the perfect time for cat burglars to play.”

Nicholas commented, glancing at the wall clock. It was almost midnight.

They quickly changed their clothes. From head to toe, they wore all black attire and even donned masks.

Nikolas meticulously adjusted his mask, fearing that his hair might show. He grumbled to Iliya.

“I envy your black hair at times like this.”

“Everything about you is enviable.”

The two of them bickered as they made their way to the entrance of the Duchess’s garden. They hid behind a large tree and surveyed the surroundings.

“The security seems looser than I expected.”

Iliya chuckled. Although he was speaking to Nicholas, an outsider, it was actually a deliberate ploy to create a sense of chaos during the shift change.

Moreover, the security in this area was naturally lax, as the Duchess’s chambers remained empty.

“Let’s go in.”

They entered the garden without any hindrance. The heavy raindrops streamed down their faces.

“The cabin is this way.”

Iliya recalled the branch he had seen at the entrance of the dark forest and followed behind Nikolas.