"Now, hurry up and wipe your hair first."
"...Thank you."
She took the towel that Kirion had handed her and laughed feebly. The scenery outside the window from such a gorgeous and fluffy carriage was so dramatic that it didn't feel realistic. It was even more so when she thought that her father was somewhere out there.
Evangeline leaned her head against the window and blinked her hazy eyes at the increasingly heavy rain.
"But I think you granted me one wish, seeing how much rain was falling."
"What are you talking about? You have to go to the council right away."
"Nope. I'm going to stay here a little longer."
She waved her head at Kirion, who was about to let the carriage go. No matter how much he respected Evangeline's opinion, this time he didn't go over it so easily.
"Don't talk nonsense, you're on the verge of collapse."
"..."
"You sent the Count well. Or do you have something else to do?"
"Because it's the last time."
Her big eyes lit up. The many emotions that had been driving her for a while began to dissipate one by one.
"My father once said that you only have to wait half a day to know the land."
"Eva."
"Maybe... I thought it would be the same for people."
Even though she said something he didn't understand, Kirion couldn't even urge her to look out the window at how lonely she looked. Evangeline's voice slowly leaned against her head, and the last of her strength drained.
"...Just. I'll take a break like this."
***
In the end, it turned out to be a day later than expected. Late at night, Deccarno entered the city of Loark and refused the Emperor's invitation to enjoy dinner at the Imperial palace and turned the carriage around. The Duke of Theses's carriage ran through the night streets, and the chaser did not slow down even in the rain.
"..."
Gazing out at the darkness of the street. Deccarno put his arm on the window. Normally, he tends to deal with the remaining documents during this time, but today he couldn't get his work out of control. His fingers were tapping on the window without a hitch, and suddenly, he pointed to the box on the other side.
"Every lady is bound to like it. Especially if it is something you receive from Your Excellency."
The Marquis's daughter's shy voice was half-swayed. It is natural that women from aristocratic families like Jewelry, but it seems that they have given it a plausible meaning. By Deccarno's standards, it was very useless and cumbersome.
"..."
Strangely, though, it was hard to take his eyes off this dim stone. To be precise, he was curious about her expression when she received this. The daughter of the Marquis, who couldn't even remember her name, said something that she was talking about, and the back of his neck became stiff.
"Even though we don't know anything now. It means that we will spend the rest of our lives together and discover the true value."
A marriage proposal.
He had never thought about it. Anyway, the marriage was decided early on, and Evangeline agreed, so they have stayed in the annex until now. If his mother hadn't died, he would have already had a wedding ceremony.
It was so obvious, but somehow hr didn't know what Evangeline's reaction would be. It was hard to imagine her smiling like the Marquis's daughter or being overjoyed.
She was the woman who would become Evangeline von Theses.
She has a calm and calm personality, so she may end up smiling with the corners of her mouth slightly raised. He also wanted to see such a casual scene.
Whatever it was, it would be better than her face that chased him after him in white.
"I was waiting to ask if I had time next Friday."
"...I want you to be with me that day"
He was indeed quite surprised by Evangeline's desperate appearance when he saw her for the first time. If there were no practitioners or knights, he might have asked her why. For a while, she kept her mouth shut and said nothing to him, but he didn't hate her for clinging to him.
'At most, it was just asking for permission to go out.'
The fact that she has a strong pride and comes out like that means that she has something to regret. Otherwise, she doesn't have to drag out time by holding his arm first.
It was also such a pretentious and flimsy outfit...
Deccarno, who was reliving her last appearance on the stairs, immediately pursed his brows in annoyance.
"Phew."
Yes. Now what are we going to do?
He wasn't the kind of person to look back on the past. He was too busy to do that. He can't waste unnecessary time on a schedule where things to be handled accumulate in real time.
He believed it was the same for Evangeline.
There is no talent to reverse the schedule that is already late. Remembering what happened at that time, it is better to relax her heart when they meet again.
It would be fine if it were just a birthday present without going to a grandiose proposal. He couldn't bring her a birthday present a while ago, so it was a good cause. He gently rubbed the rough stone in the box and had a satisfied smile on his lips.
"..."
But the fleeting peace ended before he could get out of the carriage. From the moment the carriage entered the trail of the Duke's residence, the surroundings seemed to be buzzing, and as they reached the main gate, torches were lit everywhere. Even when his mother died, this mansion wasn't so busy.
Suddenly, Deccarno opened the door of the carriage, and the butler who had been pacing in the rain bent down.
"My lord! Are you here now?"
"What's going on?"
"That's it... Please enter and rest. I will tell you as soon as the situation is cleared up."
"..."
When he told Evangeline to just go in, he wondered if she felt so dirty.
Deccarno had one foot down the steps of the carriage, and his face gradually cooled down. His head instinctively turned toward the West Wing. He doesn't know why. However, when he looked at the window of her room with the lights completely off, the back of his neck began to pull again.
"You have spent half a hundred years in this house. You know I don't say it twice."
"...My lord."
"Tell me. I don't know what's going on."
The whole room fell silent at the characteristic brutal voice that did not even raise his voice. Only the sound of the raindrops that were getting heavier and louder rang in his ears. Without further waiting, Deccarno got out of the carriage and swerved.
"Get out of the way. I'll go and check it myself."
"Oh, Lady has left the house!"
"..."
The butler's screaming cry made Deccarno burst into laughter. It was very unusual for him to smile like this for any reason.
"...It seems like a lot has happened since I was away for a while."
"I'm sorry, my lord. It's all my fault."
"A human who knew that wouldn't have done this in the first place."
His eyes were infinitely cold as he looked at the butler, who bent his knees on the floor. The butler, who was almost an old man, was lying face down in the rain, but Deccarno didn't pay attention to him. For servants who had no intention of serving their masters, even the slightest sympathy was a luxury.
"The woman who was supposed to be the hostess of this family left the house, and now she's in a hurry, so who will be responsible?"
"Your Excellency, isn't it important to find the Young Lady first? You can punish him later.*
"..."
Michael, who was standing behind Deccarno with an umbrella, tried to calm the situation. The Duke's eyes gave him chills, but now was not the time to hesitate. Looking at the sky, there was a sign of heavy rain coming.
"As the rain continues, it will be difficult to track it. Since she went out in the afternoon, she must not have gone very far yet, and you need to send the knights as soon as possible. A hotel where a lady can go, or a tea room in the downtown area..."
"Tetron 3rd Avenue."
"...What?"
He thought this was some kind of nonsense. However, the Duke's lips were chilling as he was serious. His eyes were distorted from the rain, as if something was pointing to him.
"Go to Tetron 3rd Avenue."
"But, sir, if it's Tetron 3rd Avenue, you're never going to go. I don't think so."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm embarrassed, but I'm from there. It's literally a back alley in a slum, and there's no way she's in such a dangerous place, sir!"
The attendant, who had been shaking his head, said that it would never happen, and then pushed back. He tried to get back on the carriage, but it wasn't like that either. Before he knew it, the Duke sat on the attendant's horse and squeezed the reins in the rain.
"Lead, now."
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