IWAP - Chapter 67

"It is not for anyone. It is simply that I no longer wanted to stay quiet for my own sake."

Evan opened his mouth. He paused as if to say something, then began to watch behind me. At the same time, the faint sound of wind chimes clinking could be heard. It was a sign that Lady Angryver had arrived nearby.

I put my index finger to my lips toward Evan. He had a stiff face as if he was deeply displeased, but he averted his gaze from the door where Lady Angryver was, as if he had decided to join my plan.

The door had already been left slightly ajar as I entered. Lady Angryver seemed to be peeking at me and Evan through the gap. She appeared to be trying to hide herself carefully, but even I, not to mention Evan the knight, could sense her presence.

Although he was active as a merchant guild leader, Evan was a knight. Anasha said that he kept his sword within reach even when he slept. Just as she said, a long sword lay neatly beside the bed.

He carefully raised the sword. The long sword was quite heavy, heavier than it looked. It had a weightiness on a completely different level from the wooden sword Landt used for practice.

As I drew the sword from its scabbard, the sound of iron clashing echoed as the gleaming blade was revealed. I nearly dropped it due to its weight, but I managed to prevent it from falling.

Instead, the scabbard fell to the floor with a loud clatter. With one hand now free, I finished gripping the sword's handle. With both hands clenched, I could feel the heavy weight of the sword.

With the sharp tip of the sword facing downward, I slowly raised it. Evan watched quietly, without taking his eyes off me.

"Please die for me, Evan."

Evan stared directly at me with his clear, bluish-gray eyes without even blinking. I brought my sword down with all my might toward the lying Evan.

Sigh!

With the sound of leather tearing, a red liquid instantly soaked the bed. The red liquid, having thoroughly drenched the white bedsheets, fell to the floor and flowed down to the bottom of my shoes.

“Ah!”

Lady Angryver let out a gasp. I took a deep breath for a moment, then turned my head very slowly so that she would notice and run away.

As if she wasn't a hopeless slug, Lady Angryver scurried away with a scurrying sound before I could turn my head completely. The hem of her dress briefly appeared and then disappeared through the gap in the door, which was open about a hand's width.

To be sure, I approached the door and threw it wide open. She was already out of sight, perhaps as fast as she had lost her fear. Instead, the man who had lured her here appeared.

"I attached a shadow to Lady Angryver."

"Well done. Please let me know without delay if anyone approaches her."

"I know. I have already told the shadows."

"What happened to the spies?"

"I confirmed that some are chasing after Lady Angryver."

"Secretly leak to the remaining spies what Lady Angryver witnessed. Absolutely not. It must be natural so that no one notices."

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

"What happened to the Marchioness Engrail and the Baroness Vizdel?"

"Just as you said, Lady Vizdel is showing great interest in the artifacts from the Kingdom of Gaya. She is looking at the items upstairs."

"If there is anything they like, please give it to them, whatever it may be. I will pay for it. Tell them this is my token of sincerity for my friend."

"Is there a reason you are going to such lengths?"

He asked back as if he couldn't understand.

"I intend to create another witness."

Another witness. That was the thought that crossed my mind the moment I encountered them here. If Lady Angryver is a witness to the bloody man's false situation, then they will be the witnesses to the opposite.

Witnesses telling conflicting truths in the same situation. The more cards, the better.

"Are you talking about a witness?"

"I intend to have them stand on the witness stand opposite Lady Angryver. So, please make arrangements so that we run into each other when I come out. It will be difficult, but we must cross paths naturally."

"It’s not a very difficult task, but... I understand."

He appeared to have many questions, but he wisely kept his mouth shut and answered. There was no time to explain in detail right now. Knowing this, he seemed to intend to act as ordered first rather than ask questions. It was the demeanor of a deputy manager of the upper management.

"If you have no further instructions, shall I call in Madame Miela as planned?"

"Proceed as planned."

He lowered his head at my answer. I turned my back on him and went back into the room. This time, there was no need to leave the door open on purpose. The door closed with a dull thud.

As I entered the room, a faint smell of dye tickled my nose. The red liquid soaking the bed and the floor was the source of the smell.

Inside the leather pouch I received from the man was a dye used for dyeing fabric. It was the same type of dye that Rai had spilled on my clothes when we bumped into each other. The bright red dye was as thick as blood, so similar that if it weren't for the distinctive smell of the dye, it would have been easy to mistake it for real blood.

"I'm sorry for making a mess of the room..."

Evan's demeanor was strange. With a stiff expression, he was glaring at the blanket soaked in red dye. For a moment, I worried that I might have pushed him too hard while he was sick. I quickly approached him.

“Evan?”

To create a more realistic situation, I brought a knife down right next to where Evan was lying, bursting a leather pouch filled with dye. As a result, red dye splattered all over the bed, as well as on Evan's and my bodies. The dye had stained even the bandage covering Evan's wound, making it impossible to distinguish between blood and dye.

"Surely, you didn't burst the wound?"

In my haste, I reached for his bandaged abs. But Evan's large hand snatched my wrist. His sudden action left me so flustered that I stammered, as if trying to make an excuse.

"Ah! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to touch the wound. I was just trying to examine it closely."

"I am..."

Perhaps it was because I sensed his embarrassment. Evan, who had remained silent, parted his lips. I closed my mouth and listened intently to what he had to say.

"I am the Young Lady's knight."

He lifted his face toward me. Because I was standing, he ended up looking up at me.

"I mean that protecting the young lady is my mission."

He slowly raised his hand. His thick, manly fingers approached my face. His hand stopped right in front of my cheek. His calloused, hard-looking fingers trembled slightly, as if convulsing. Even though his fingers hadn't touched me directly, I felt his trembling, and my cheek burned for some reason. My eyes met Evan's. My surprised face was reflected in his bluish-gray eyes. The moment I felt a bright red dye standing out against my white cheek, Evan's face contorted in an instant. His eyes, looking at me, flickered precariously, as if he were wounded.

"Yes..."

He withdrew his hand before I could even call his name. Blue veins bulged on his clenched fist as he leaped up. He turned his gaze to glare at my hand, which was still in his grasp. Just like the sheet, my hand was stained with red dye, as if covered in blood.

The situation was starting to become increasingly uncomfortable. Embarrassed, he tried to pull his wrist away from his grip, but the strong hold prevented him from doing so. Evan's heart heaved violently. A breath like a deep sigh escaped his lips.

"Do not get blood on your hands again."

Come to think of it, I realized that I had only told him the rough plan and hadn't gone into specifics. It was because I didn't have much time, but I felt very sorry thinking about how startled he must have been the moment the leather pouch burst.

"I'm sorry for startling you."

It was an act in which I had set out to commit deception. Since I was doing it anyway, it would have been right to use real animal blood, but I wasn't keen on it. Dye alone was enough to deceive them. Above all, perhaps because of the memory of dying while spitting up blood, the distinctive metallic smell of blood felt repulsive. Moreover, using dye rather than blood would have been easier for what was to come.

"As Evan probably noticed by the smell, this isn't blood; it's red dye."

As a knight, there was no way he could fail to distinguish between blood and dye. Nevertheless, the fact that he went out of his way to mention blood must mean he was truly angry. Since he could not bring himself to be angry at a lady as a knight, he must have hardened his face like that and was suppressing his rage alone.

Evan played the biggest role in this plan. I was worried that I had placed too heavy a burden on someone who could barely move due to his injury, but there was no one more suitable. I simply went ahead and did it before even getting his consent. It was only natural that he was angry. No matter how much he was my man, he had the right to choose. This was clearly my fault.

"I'm sorry. Evan, if you really don't feel like it, you can opt out of this."

It would be very troublesome if Evan dropped out, but I couldn't force someone who didn't want to be involved. I would have to come up with a plan all over again from the beginning, but it was my own doing.

"It is my fault for trying to involve you without your consent. Please don't worry about this anymore."

“Why don’t you know?”

A voice filled with anger struck my ears. His jaw tightened as if he were suppressing his rage.

"I have lived to protect the young lady."

Evan's face contorted as he looked at me in distress.

"Protecting Young-ae is the reason I live. I mean, I am not here just to watch you get blood on your hands like this!"

Evan wrapped my hands around his and brought them to his forehead. Holding my hands, his head bowed, his body trembling slightly.

"Evan, this isn't real blood..."

"Whether this is real or not, it does not matter.

He lifted his head. Evan's gaze was fixed on my hand, which was in his grasp. Was it because of what he said? I had the illusion that the red dye on my hand was blood.

"Do not dirty the young lady's hands again."

He spoke emphatically, word by word, as if making a promise to himself.

"If it is to protect the Young Lady, please leave everything to me, even getting my hands dirty or facing people's criticism. Because that is why I exist."

Evan's gaze turned back to my face. His trembling had stopped before I knew it.

"So please leave all the dangerous work to me."

"I am..."

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