Translator and Editor: Skye and Nabi

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Chapter 28

“How?”

“Laria, you don’t have to know.”

I stared at him closely.

Who asks a question just to hear such an answer?

However, there must have been something tremendous so ‘that’ Duke Icard, who wasn’t a good liar, said that. I sighed inwardly. It was a pity that I possessed this body without knowing his backstory.

‘I should’ve finished the whole novel.’

I knew a lot less about the Icards than I thought. Everything I remembered in detail was the Male Lead’s development…

“…If all plans go my way.”

“….”

“All the wrong things will go back to their rightful place. So, I can’t stop.”

I realized it meant that he couldn’t be stopped.

He would be the mastermind that controls everything. So, when all the plans were fulfilled, Duke Icard would completely devour the nobility and the Royal Family.

In the end, Duke Icard would be able to do whatever he wants.

Are you saying that everything, even Evan’s shaky emotions, would be solved? Much more efficiently than a few words?

‘But, is that possible…?’’

The more I thought about it, the more I felt like I was in a maze. Come to think of it, he didn’t even say that ridiculous joke that he used to do out of habit this time. It meant that he was really serious.

I was so curious about the Duke’s intentions, though I kept silent because the atmosphere was indicating that I should not ask anymore.

Because I already knew that my death was included in the ‘plan’ for Evan and Duke Icard could truly be happy…

After that, Evan turned a little strange.

It was all right that he wanted to get along with me, but…it became a problem since he seemed to have changed into a different person.

We would have breakfast together again if there was no impediment. Evan read the newspaper as indifferent as before but was subtly involved in my meal. Slice the meat, peel the fruit, or pour water before the cup was empty.

I seriously considered that he had changed completely.

“What, what’s wrong? I can do it alone, Evan.”

“I’ve been neglecting you.”

“What, again…”

Evan said without looking into my eyes.

“I didn’t mean it, truly…”

That, I already knew. However, he didn’t have to be this nice.

“So, I’ll do better than I haven’t done before.”

Then, are you doing this because you’re sorry since you neglected me?

Yeah, well, if I think about my act that night when I sobbed and fell asleep, it was good. I deserve an award.

Thinking so, I rolled my eyes, emptying the plate.

“Shall we take a walk when you’re done eating?”

It was obviously friendly, but a little uncomfortable.

“Hmm… aren’t you going to practice?”

He was told that Ludva was still in prison and that the deputy commander was temporarily appointed as the Knight Commander. Since then, Evan hasn’t had to go to the training ground since dawn.

The Duke’s successor class also began, so he seemed to be even busier because of that. He would always come after I was already asleep.

“I have time for a morning walk with you.”

“Yeah, well…”

“I heard you like going to the greenhouse. Let’s go together.”

‘The greenhouse has the fruit from the Oklasia tree…’

While taking a walk with Evan, the strange anxiety I felt continued.

He cleaned the ñath for me, even if there was only one leaf on the way, and also moved busily toward the sunlight to create shade for me.

Of course, he didn’t say anything special in the meantime, so I couldn’t ask him why.

‘What’s wrong with you? You’re out of character.’

He was completely destroying the original setting, and, for me, who believed in the phrase ‘people don’t change’ and the original setting, it was quite surprising.

‘It’s tough.’

I wasn’t happy to see Evan’s beautiful smile, fanning me and saying, “Is it too hot?”

‘I mean, what’s wrong with this child who was described in the novel as one who didn’t even shed a year when his wife died?’

He wasn’t a friendly character in the original, but it was obviously an unusual situation for him to be friendly.

Furthermore, Evan’s relationship with Duke Icard wasn’t restored yet. Duke Icard threw the thought of having a conversation with him, though didn’t have a proper talk with Evan.

‘That’s not the way you should raise your children…’

No, does it even make sense to say to your child, ‘Don’t let your subordinates treat you carelessly?’ in that kind of situation?

No matter how essential the solution is, it was frustrating not knowing the situation.

Perhaps Evan eventually couldn’t let go of the thought that he was the ‘Duke’s origin of misfortunes.’

‘You’re being so kind to me while you’re so crooked?’

He was very sweet but somehow odd, so I had no choice but to keep doubting.

It was then.

“Huh? Are you two taking a walk?”

It was the servant with whom I left Evan in a hurry at that time.

“Oh, Cobb, good morning.”

Was his name Cobb? Nevertheless, this wasn’t a place where servants often come.

“I wanted to see the Young Master.”

Cobb approached us with a round smile.

At that, I got a hunch. An actor recognizes an actor, in particular, the expert could recognize the amateur with just a glance.

“My sister’s relative is entering the academy where the Young Master is going!”

“Really?”

“I heard the Young Master graduated first in the academy.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“I even heard that you won first place at the Academy’s last youth swordsmanship competition. You were amazing, just 12 years old.”

“It’s not that big a deal.”

“It’s a big deal! The age of the participants was seventeen years old, so everyone said you were at a very physical disadvantage.”

He was a servant who seemed to know very well about the academy where his sister’s relatives would enter.

I grinned inwardly.

‘It’s obvious that you two planned this.’

Even though I noticed that, I decided to play along with the rhythm a little bit.

“Oh, Evan! That’s amazing. I didn’t know that.”

“Well, it was a long time ago.”

“Still, you won first place, that’s amazing. There must be a lot of students in the academy.”

Evan smiled pleased at my fuss.

Then, after releasing useless information, Cobb said he was going on his way and left.

“It’s not like I’ve been living casually, but I’m going to work hard in the future.”

“Ah… really?”

“You told me that. My mother would want it, too.”

Suddenly, I had a very plausible thought.

Perhaps Evan was projecting his mother on me? Because he was still young. And even now, Evan was emotionally sensitive because of Ludva.

‘Come to think of it, all the things I’ve been doing to Evan are all the things I wanted my mother to do.’

When he said ‘if my mother was alive,’ I thought that he was looking at me that way.

‘It’s possible. Because Evan is not friendly to any woman, but he suddenly misses his mother.’

So, I thought he was saying to me what he wanted to brag about with his mother. Besides, Evan wasn’t the only one who saw Matilda in me. Even Lisa said that when she sees me, she thinks of Matilda as well.

“When I look at Miss Laria… I think of Lady Matilda a lot. The atmosphere around you is similar to hers.”

All the riddles seemed solved, so I felt a little relieved.

“Have you talked to your father since that day?”

“Well, no.”

“Let’s try to talk and get along…”

“I’ll follow my father’s will, anyway.”

Picking a flower from the flower bed and giving it to me, Evan continued, “So, there’s no need to talk.”

I suppose nothing much has changed.

‘Your father’s will is to kill me and have a new daughter-in-law in exchange…’

In any case, apart from that, the relationship between Evan and Duke Icard wasn’t getting closer at all.

“Ah, except for that ridiculous joke. Well, he doesn’t even do it in front of me, anyway.”

On the surface, Evan looked perfectly fine. In addition to training in swordsmanship, taking succession lessons, eating well, and sleeping well, Ludva was being punished thoroughly.

However, even for a short time, he was abused emotionally, so there was no way that the child could be okay. Therefore, it seemed as if Evan, with whom I spent some time now, wasn’t especially indifferent, rather, he lacked affection.

‘It’s like he doesn’t know how to communicate with people?’

I patted Evan’s hair gently.

Looking at his happy face, I decided to be as nice to him as his mother would have been until the wound that Ludva opened recovered.

…Because I was always a little weak to Evan.

I wished for him to be happy.

I hazily thought it would be nice since he had lived a very sad life until now.

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