RTPM 31

Chapter – 31

She bent her knees in a perfect bow, just as she had the first time she met him. Decarno reached out his hand, but Evangeline had already stepped back another pace.

Like a fluttering butterfly, she slipped past his hand, past his side. He blinked in stunned silence, chasing after her too late, but by then his vision had already blurred, leaving nothing clear.

“Ha…”

A sharp headache swept over him. Standing somewhere in the dim corridor, not knowing where he was, Decarno instinctively clutched his chest.

And the next morning, the society pages of the newspaper carried their names side by side. A brief headline announced their engagement had been broken off, and Evangeline conveyed her thanks and apologies.

She emphasized that the process of breaking off the engagement had involved no coercion or pressure from Duke Teze, and that she bore him no ill will—her conventional words would shake the society world for a while before gradually fading from memory.

Just as she wished.  

For several days, she simply slept. She had no idea how long she had slept. The moment she arrived at the hotel nearest the auction house and lay on the bed, months of delayed sleep overtook her.

She was no longer the prospective duchess who had to divide and meticulously manage every moment of her time.

Whether she slept for two days or three, no one was waiting for her or urging her along. At first, it felt strange to have such freedom, but after sleeping deeply as if dead, it became reality.

“Mm…”

It was past afternoon when Evangeline finally opened her eyes, stretching her arms wide. No matter how much she slept, it seemed insufficient; she still felt a certain emptiness. She wanted to bury herself once more in the white pillows, but it was time to get up. Even though there were no schedules or maids waiting for her, a friend was still there.

‘He must have been really worried after we parted the last time.’

It had been years since she last met Kirion, yet they hadn’t even exchanged proper greetings or had a proper conversation. Despite the stormy weather, he had come to her father’s grave to find her. It was a little late, but she wanted to see Kirion at least once.

‘What should I say to him?’

Just like she had spent the past few days lost in sleep, she wanted to laugh without thinking, simply enjoying the moment. Maybe, like when they were children, laughing over trivial things would make the time fly. That, for now, was all she wished for.

“Yes, I’m coming out!”

When a knock sounded at the door, she quickly dressed. She had arranged to meet Kirion in the lobby, but there was still some time. He probably wouldn’t come up to her room, but if it wasn’t him, no one else would come looking for her.

After all, everyone she knew from Loark was connected to the Teze Duchy…

“Long time no see, Evangeline.”

“Ah… Brother.”

She opened the door and stared at the man in front of her for a long while. Her eyes widened in surprise as she recognized someone she hadn’t expected.

“Oh, come in first. I was about to meet Kirion in a bit anyway, we could—”

“No. That won’t be necessary.”

Even as she urged him, he shook his head. Instead, the cold gaze in his eyes revealed a different purpose.

“Before that, I’d like to have a word with you, just the two of us.”

◇ ◆ ◇

“Eva!”

“…Kirion.”

An hour later, after she finished getting ready and descended to the lobby lounge, Kirion stood up straight in his uniform. Many eyes followed them, but she had expected that at least their conversation would attract some attention.

She could handle that. At least, the distance between them was enough that their conversation wouldn’t leak.

Holding the menu, Evangeline ordered tea, while Kirion simply smiled broadly across from her.

“Finally, we meet like this, Eva!”

“Indeed. I was late in contacting you, huh?”

She silently smiled at him as she offered the tea. Every time they had played house in Adis, Kirion had never missed a tea-time session.

“It’s really been a long time. On the ship, I never had a moment to enjoy a cup of tea. Of course, there wasn’t any good tea either.”

“Really?”

“I often visited your father’s tea plantation in Adis. Do you remember falling after being bitten by bugs while we picked tea together? After that, the Count had the entire tea field cleared. And then he built an enormous flower garden there! I had never seen such a variety and size of flowers before…”

Kirion spoke excitedly, recalling old memories. The very stories she had wanted to hear just a few hours ago, yet Evangeline only smiled calmly. Even the slight unease stirred by her father’s story had returned to serenity.

“Anyway, I missed this tea so much after joining the navy. Mm… I’m sure you missed it too.”

“…I see. Then, what did you do on the ship?”

Though Kirion subtly revealed his feelings, Evangeline steered the conversation elsewhere. Kirion, sensing this, seemed content just to be with her for now.

“Just training. They push people so hard every day.”

“Was it that tough?”

“Everything else was manageable, but shooting was the hardest. I was already seasick, and they wouldn’t let us rest until we hit every target.”

He shook his head as if recalling the tediousness, making her cringe a little.

“It was so bad that the scary seniors taught me tricks.”

“What kind of tricks?”

“Look at the target as if it were someone you want to… eliminate.”

“….”

“Haha, I guess that’s why I was so bad at shooting.”

His laugh, casual yet tinged with sadness, struck Evangeline. She felt sympathy for his gentle nature and pressed her hand around the teacup tighter.

“Kirion…”

“You know, I was thinking of quitting.”

“…Huh?”

He fidgeted with the sugar in his tea, stirring it awkwardly. She parted her tightly-pressed lips.

“Quitting what?”

“The navy. I just don’t think it suits me.”

Evangeline’s hand paused, but she didn’t interrupt.

“You wanted to be in the navy since childhood. Even when we played together, you only ever wanted the navy role.”

“That was when I was a kid. I can’t keep that forever.”

“…Kirion.”

When she called his name, Kirion shrugged with a familiar childhood charm. Whenever she sulked or acted haughty as a child, he had a way of easing the tension. Yet the story he had longed to tell her had not even started yet.

“Don’t worry. I already told Father and my older brother. It’s my life anyway. I just want to take it slow with you.”

“Are you saying… marriage?”

“…Eva.”

Kirion’s cautious voice grew slightly louder. Even if he could lower it again, his neck flushed red. He clenched his fist on the table.

“Yes. Honestly, I don’t know how you feel about it, but I’ve been waiting for this moment. If I had known you would leave Adis, I wouldn’t have joined the navy in the first place. Now that we meet again, I don’t want to part like this.”

“….”

“When you were to become the Teze duchess, I couldn’t do anything. But now, it’s different. I know what worries you. But I don’t care about that.”

“Then what about me?”

Evangeline blinked at him, a helpless emptiness filling her gaze more than excitement at seeing him.

“Does my opinion not matter at all? I’m already someone who has broken off an engagement.”

“That’s not it!”

Kirion’s gesture shook the table. The ripple in the teacup continued, despite her holding it tight.

“I just want things to go back to how they were. Eva, I can’t bear for you to hear all the nonsense here. Why did you…?”

“….”

“If the only way I could protect you was through marriage, I’d do it. I may not inherit a title as the second son, but Mother’s inheritance lets us start anew anywhere we want.”

“You’re the one stuck in the past, Kirion.”

“…Eva.”

“You’re right. That’s all in the past. We can’t go back anymore.”