The End of Your Arrogance - Chapter 74

Evelyn woke up from her slumber and reached out to the space beside her. The large man who had filled her embrace last night was already gone. Feeling a pang of inexplicable regret, Evelyn chuckled softly.

“Since when did we become the kind of people who wake up and leave each other in bed?”

Slowly rising from bed, Evelyn rang the bell on the bedside table. Sophie entered immediately from outside.

“Miss, are you feeling better now?”

“Yeah, I’m fine now.”

Sophie smiled broadly at her response. It wasn’t just a reassurance for Sophie; Evelyn felt like she had been reborn, light as a feather.

After finishing her bath and combing her hair neatly, Evelyn stepped outside. The guards, seeing her restored health, wore faces of relief.

Libe and Eagle sat opposite Evelyn, scrutinizing her face intently. They tilted their heads simultaneously, as if sensing something peculiar.

“Human, something seems different.”

“I think she lost weight from being sick. But it’s not just me who’s changed; things around here seem different too.”

Evelyn looked around quickly. Even the maids who had brought the bath earlier seemed unfamiliar. Sophie, who had brought a basket full of snacks, replied.

“Most of the servants from the annex were replaced a few days ago.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened.

“Why? What happened?”

“Perhaps it’s because of the maid who tried to steal jewels from the wallet room on your birthday?”

At the mention of jewels, Evelyn raced to the ruby ring and necklace. She needed to entrust them to René as soon as possible. With so much to do with the ring, losing it would be a disaster.

“Mama, cookies.”

Libe’s excitement at the smell of freshly baked bread from Sophie’s basket made her feet shuffle. Evelyn tore off a piece of bread and fed it to Libe. The eagle narrowed its eyes, observing them both for a while.

Once Libe had eaten his fill and dozed off, Evelyn rose from her seat. Seeing Evelyn getting ready to go out, the eagle ruffled its feathers disapprovingly.

“Human, where are you off to again as soon as I wake up?”

“To see René.”

“To the master?”

Evelyn nodded, and the eagle took the lead.

“I have business with the master too. Let’s go right away.”

Eventually, Evelyn, Arthur, and the eagle headed towards the tower. A familiar man stepped out as they entered the garden leading to the tower’s entrance. His face lit up upon seeing Evelyn, and he stretched lazily, exuding a typical masculine charm.

“Long time, no see. How have you been?”

He approached Evelyn confidently. She smiled faintly at the man standing before her.

“Yes, Lord Lauren. I’ve been well.”

His face stiffened slightly at the title.

“Can we take a stroll together for a moment?”

As Arthur glared at him from behind, Evelyn hesitated, but he added quickly, “It won’t take long.”

“Then let’s just walk to the Tower of Repentance over there.”

Evelyn pointed to the Tower of Repentance beside the tower, and Arthur nodded. He extended his arm towards her, and she lightly placed her hand on it as they started walking.

“Why did you come to the tower?”

“I came to meet a doctor who’s helping René.”

Thinking of the doctor who had fixed the fish recently, Evelyn nodded. They exchanged a few more meaningless words before Evelyn glanced at him sideways and spoke what she wanted to say.

“Thank you for the birthday present. It was the first time I received such a splendid gift, and I was truly delighted.”

She sincerely thanked him for making her birthday the best. Nicholas turned his head slightly and smirked.

“I’m glad you liked it. Did you enjoy the festival that day?”

His question made Evelyn’s face flush. He was teasing her about dancing enthusiastically on stage.

“The actors said so. They’ve never seen a mistress dance as passionately as you did.”

His voice held a mischievous tone. Evelyn felt embarrassed and lowered her head.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at the Tower of Repentance. They paused for a moment before heading back to the tower. As their eyes met, Evelyn silently observed his face.

There was a certain freedom and stubbornness typical of someone from the West in his face, making her hesitate for a moment.

“There are many interesting festivals in the West too.”

He whispered much softer than usual.

“Later, if you have time, come with your son to see the sights.”

A suffocating silence settled between the two. Evelyn met his shimmering green eyes without flinching.

“If you need guidance, then, I’ll…”

Evelyn seemed to understand what the man in front of her was trying to say now. Despite avoiding it for so long, the emotions in his emerald eyes were clear. Evelyn spoke firmly.

“I won’t be going to the West, Lord Lauren.”

Nicholas nodded briefly. Soon after, he arrogantly lifted his chin.

“Indeed, you’re not an easy lady.”

He extended his arm towards Evelyn again. She placed her hand on his arm as if nothing had happened. Unlike before, the tension between them dissipated. They started walking slowly towards the tower once again.

Nicholas, who had been walking ahead, asked suddenly, “Can I ask you one thing?”

“Yes, anything is fine.”

Nicholas sighed deeply before asking, “Does His Highness mean that much to you?”

Evelyn stopped walking for a moment and looked directly at Nicholas.

“I… love him. I want to do my best until that love ends.”

Words that had never come out in front of Ilya flowed smoothly in front of someone else. Evelyn added a word. It was also for Nicholas. He was too precious to play the role of comforting her.

“I don’t want to use someone else’s feelings just because His Highness makes me suffer. Enduring that alone is also love.”

Nicholas couldn’t help but smirk. It was a dry laugh that could burst at any moment.

“Well, that must be how you love.”

They finally arrived at the entrance of the tower. As Evelyn removed her hand from his arm, Nicholas whispered as if in a soliloquy.

“But time passes, and people’s emotions change.”

Evelyn looked up at Nicholas with a perplexed expression. He bid her farewell with a cheerful voice.

“I enjoyed the walk. See you next time, Evelyn.”

Nicholas disappeared without looking back. Evelyn watched his retreating figure for a while before entering the tower.

*****

“Even when Lord Lauren lies to a woman, he does it with style.”

René exclaimed with an amused expression. Evelyn replied awkwardly.

“René, it’s not like that…”

“He truly is a man with many sins to confess.”

As Evelyn blushed to the tips of her ears and lowered her head, René stopped teasing her. With mischief erased from his face, René looked at the ruby ring on the table and asked.

“Has Lady fulfilled her order for this ring?”

“Yes. My uncle gave me the gift I wanted.”

Evelyn remembered the giant’s hand engulfed in flames. Since that day, she had begun to free herself from the ghosts of the past gradually.

René looked straight into Evelyn’s eyes and asked.

“Now, what do you plan to do with this remarkable item?”

Evelyn pondered deeply. She couldn’t trust Marcus Viscount Maddox, who was oscillating in and out of sanity. Odin was undoubtedly excluded from all important decisions. But Odin was Marcus Maduse’s heir. He differed vastly in intellect and maneuverability from her old self or Sophie’s sister.

After organizing her thoughts, Evelyn spoke.

“This ring was the key to the Black Forest.”

René trembled, recalling the miracle Evelyn had shown him at the barrier of trees at the entrance to the Black Forest.

“I want to know the secret of this ring.”

“Why would a ring made in the Central Region become the key to the Black Forest?” Evelyn was determined to find out.

“We should discuss the details with His Highness, but for now, my thoughts align with yours. Can I leave this ring and necklace here until then?”

“Of course, milady,” Rene replied warmly.

Evelyn felt her discomfort dissipate at his affectionate tone. Rising from her seat, Evelyn was stopped by Rene.

“Milady, I have some delicious pastries for you.”

Just like last night when Elijah had offered, today Evelyn also seemed to need something sweet.

****

The weather was nice, so the three of them decided to walk from the tower to the annex. Clutching the box of pastries Rene had given her, Evelyn remarked, “I smell sugar. Hehe, they must be delicious.”

The eagle, hovering near the box, tapped it with its sharp beak.

“I don’t smell anything, Human.”

“Ugh, beasts like you have such a poor sense of smell! The sweet smell is wafting all the way here.”

“What does a bear like you know?”

Evelyn smiled as she watched the two bicker. She looked up at the clear sky as if she had just splattered paint on it, and she saw flocks of birds flying in formation.

“Human, what are you looking at?”

“I was thinking about how we met here by some fate.”

Among all those birds, what was precious to Evelyn was the eagle in front of her. Of course, she doubted there was another talking bird in this world.

Come to think of it, she should give it a name. It would be best if Libe, who was the person the eagle liked the most, named it, but Libe was still young.

“Eagle, do you happen to have a name?”

The eagle looked puzzled.

“A name? What use is that? An eagle is just an eagle.”

Evelyn smiled at the eagle turning its head briskly. From what Evelyn had observed, the angle at which the eagle turned its head was subtly different when it felt embarrassed or angry. Today, it was an embarrassment.

“What would be a good name?”

With joyful thoughts, the faces of the three walking to the annex were full of the spring’s energy.