The End of Your Arrogance - Chapter 69

As the veiled woman approached, Ilya rose from his seat. “Your place is here,” he gestured to the seat beside him. The expressions of those in the conference room froze at Ilya’s sudden move. Some even let out dry coughs nervously. Ignoring it all, Ilya ushered Evelyn to sit beside him.

Bringing Maduse’s daughter to mock Maduse himself—what an audacious move. The people in the conference room couldn’t fathom the young duke’s intentions.

The deputy commander, standing opposite Ilya, subtly nodded, prompting a knight behind him to emerge with a large wooden box. Hesitating on where to place it, Ilya pointed towards his own direction. The knight, with a solemn face, placed the sizable box in front of Ilya.

From the moment Ilya laid eyes on the enormous box, he side-eyed Evelyn, who sat beside him like a doll. He couldn’t comprehend why she would demand such a thing as a birthday gift.

“I should have asked what it was earlier, damn it,” Ilya muttered to himself. Unaware of his thoughts, Evelyn asked, “May I unwrap Uncle’s gift here?”

“Of course,” Ilya replied.

The knight who brought Odin’s gift box approached again. With a troubled expression, he opened the box. Even before the lid was fully lifted, an unpleasant odor wafted through the air, causing some to cover their noses. Evelyn, too, struggled with the foul smell, but a frivolous laugh escaped her lips.

They had underestimated  Ayatollah Maduse. He would never send something as grotesque as an animal carcass. Humans, perhaps, but not animals.

Under Ilya’s stern gaze, the knight fully opened the box. When it was turned over, a dull thud echoed as something fell onto the table.

It was a hand. Enormous, not fitting the description of an average human hand, but undoubtedly, it once belonged to a person.

Ilya was taken aback, his mind buzzing with disbelief.

“Looks like Maduse’s successor has finally shown some sincerity. Sending such a gift to his own niece.”

A calm voice spoke from the side.

“No, Your Grace. It seems to be a gift sent by my uncle as a gesture of apology.”

Everyone looked at Evelyn with puzzled expressions.

“Apology? For what?”

“There was a duel the last time Odin visited the North. It involved my escort knight and your Grace’s champion.”

Everyone remembered the giant who had followed Odin. Recalling the despicable person who had tried to cut off the apprentice knight’s hand during the duel, they all felt a surge of resentment.

“It’s that man’s hand.”

Countess Edith, who had been listening with interest, spoke up.

“You recognize it immediately as his hand. Well, it might be hard to tell given its size.”

Evelyn’s lips twisted beneath her veil.

“There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize that hand.” Evelyn hid her true feelings and gave a more neutral response. “He wears a family crest ring on his index finger.”

“Ah, being a descendant of Viscount Maduse, you must naturally be familiar with the crests of the noble houses you associate with.”

“That’s correct.”

In response to the composed answer, Countess Edith and Lady Glenn exchanged glances. Evelyn continued in a calm tone.

“This is probably something my uncle is offering to Your Grace as a gesture of apology.”

Countess Edith asked Evelyn again.

“Viscount Maduse is truly remarkable in various ways. By any chance, did Viscount… mention anything to Lord Odin?”

Uncertain of what to call Evelyn, he paused for a moment. At the mention of ‘Viscount,’ Lady Glenn stared at Countess Edith as if she could kill her for uttering that word.

Evelyn looked at Lady Glenn’s angry face and recited the motto she had once heard from the Antis Ducal House.

“Antis always remembers. Grudges and favors alike.”

She hadn’t divorced yet, so she, too, was an Antis. No one acknowledged it, but she was.

Countess Edith, who had been wearing a licentious expression, chuckled at Evelyn’s words.

“Well said. If I say it feels refreshing as a member of the ducal house, would it be considered rude?”

Ilya, who had been silently listening to their conversation, leaned in towards Evelyn and whispered.

“You might want to leave now.”

Evelyn stood up.

Observing Evelyn’s departure with Stas’ escort, Ilya stared at her retreating figure with intensity.

****

As Evelyn left, Ilya looked at the giant’s hand on the table with a troubled gaze. He asked the deputy commander, “How on earth was that thing cut off? That giant isn’t exactly easy to handle.”

“After the exchange of gifts, there was a banquet. As Odin left the party, he suddenly attacked the entrance, screaming.”

The deputy commander’s eyes narrowed.

“As he left, Odin shouted and assaulted the entrance of the banquet hall.”

Everyone in the conference room grimaced at the repulsive image. Some of the older guests, including Count Luten, grumbled and bit their tongues.

“He wildly swung an axe, and at that moment, the giant lost a hand.”

“I doubt Odin has the strength to cut off a human hand in one blow.”

The deputy commander said with a grimacing face, “Whether he drank a lot, took some drug, or is suffering from madness, no one knows. Anyway, the way he unleashed himself and shouted seemed far from normal.”

Ilya seemed to have a slight understanding of why Odin hadn’t yet held a wedding ceremony with his fiancée. He turned to the deputy commander one last time and asked, “Is that guy back alive?”

The prisoner of Viscount Maduse, who had been locked in the underground dungeon. The deputy commander, recalling the overly young face for a knight, let out a bitter laugh.

“Of course. He’s a guy with more guts than you’d think. He made quite a fuss against the formidable Viscount Maduse.”

[I was once a knight under Viscount Maduse.]

[Unfortunately, all my knights perished in the Tartar Gorge.]

[Then, my lord, who am I?]

Remembering the conversation between the prisoner and Viscount Maduse, Ilya nodded at the deputy commander. It meant it was time to put an end to it.

“Thank you all for gathering here today.”

“It’s been a while, Your Grace. Nice to see you again.”

The aristocrats, including those who disdained Lady Glenn, lined up to exchange farewells with Ilya. Ilya patted the deputy commander’s shoulder as he stood last.

“I’ll see you in my office tonight. We should have a drink after all the trouble.”

The deputy commander gently shook off Ilya’s hand and said politely, “Your Grace, there’s a place you should visit first. I have a similar obligation as well.”

After narrowing his eyes for a moment, the deputy commander, along with the aristocrats, disappeared.

****

Evelyn, accompanied by Belina and Louis, made her way back to the annex. Concerned that Arthas might be shocked if he saw the giant’s hand, Evelyn had requested Louis to act as her escort today.

“Madam, you need to go to the mage tower,” Belina said.

Evelyn raised an eyebrow at Belina’s words. “His Grace instructed that the hand should be burned there.”

Well, she had already confirmed the ring’s capabilities. Somehow, Odin had accurately executed the command Evelyn had given him. There was no reason to bring that gruesome thing to the annex.

The three of them headed towards the mage tower. At the entrance, instead of Rene, it was her assistant, the red-haired mage, who awaited them. He had once cared for Reeva in the mage tower when Evelyn, taking the form of a falcon, went to the Black Forest.

Seeing Evelyn with a warm smile, he shyly avoided eye contact.

“I’ll burn that abominable thing here,” Louis said, holding up the pouch in his hand. The mage recited a spell as Louis raised the pouch to eye level. Belina and Louis frowned as they witnessed the bizarre sight of viscous, gooey substance oozing out of the pouch. Surprisingly, Evelyn, standing stoically, amazed them.

“Burn it.”

As the mage mumbled in a low voice, flames ignited. Fire quickly engulfed the entire giant’s hand, emitting black smoke and a pungent smell that permeated the surroundings.

Belina, approaching Evelyn, whispered softly, “Madam, burn away the bad memories as well.”

Belina saw Evelyn’s trembling jaw beneath her veil.

Days before the arrival of the congratulatory envoy, everyone had been worried about Evelyn, who seemed to be tormenting herself. After the portrait incident involving the late Duke, Evelyn had been gloomy, but her mood seemed to have improved after the birthday party.

However, she often stared blankly into the distance or occasionally muttered something while glaring intensely at the knights, giving an unsettling vibe. That’s why Belina had been chosen.

[We’re both women. Do something about it!]

[Yeah, at least you’re better than the rest.]

Observing the burning hand in the air, Belina spoke up.

“Besides Arthas… do you have other memories attached to that hand?”

After a moment of hesitation, Evelyn nodded slightly. When Belina looked at her, the mage and Louis were standing at a considerable distance.

“Since you’re already wearing the veil, consider this my confession.”

Belina’s blunt words made Evelyn burst into laughter. However, Belina looked at the laughing Evelyn with concerned eyes. Sometimes Evelyn laughed when she shouldn’t. Perhaps she didn’t even realize how her laughter appeared.

Rather than laughing as if you’re about to break, it would be better to cry your heart out or scream in anger.

Evelyn glanced again at the hand burning in the air. Could it really burn away all memories along with the fire?

Hesitating for a moment, Evelyn spoke, “What do you usually think about before falling asleep?”

“I reflect on what I did today. I also plan for tomorrow because whatever I didn’t accomplish today, I need to do tomorrow. Isn’t that normal?”

It was an out-of-place question, but Belina answered dutifully.

“Sometimes, I… have bad thoughts, very rarely.”

“It’s not like your bad thoughts matter.”

A deep voice echoed from above, causing Evelyn to look up sharply. The face of the man, staring intensely at the still-burning hand, was familiar. One side of his lips curled up slightly.

“I’m always thinking all sorts of bad thoughts. Anyway, what else is there for me, who can’t sleep at night?”

Evelyn wanted to laugh as usual when she saw him, but the laughter didn’t come out.