Chapter – 28
As DeCarno approached her, Rex bristled and growled at him. The reputation of the northern hound’s lineage was no exaggeration. His eyes flashed like lightning in the dead of night—terrifyingly sharp. Evangeline quickly grabbed Rex to prevent any incident, but DeCarno was beyond her reach.
“You see, it’s too late for you to push me away on your own. We’re already intertwined—deeply. In every way.”
“…….”
“In a week, the Ohara family’s debts will be settled at the Levaron auction. So you can set the marriage date freely after that. What do you think?”
DeCarno’s voice was gentle, almost polite, as he reminded her of her position—making it all the more cruel. He ignored the labored breathing she tried to keep quiet under her chin. In truth, he wasn’t focused on her at all.
“……Grrr.”
The silver-furred beast she held seemed to be looking in a mirror.
It was entirely emotional, entirely instinctual, and impulsive—a reflection of the side she most despised in herself.
Even the blindness to pursue what one wants without restraint.
◇ ◆ ◇
That night, back in her room, Evangeline did not break down or collapse in tears. She did not stare blankly into space. Yet, the change in demeanor was not hers alone.
“Would you like your meal, Your Grace?”
“…….”
The maid she always saw addressed her with a different honorific. Her manner toward Evangeline had become excessively cautious.
“I’ve also prepared your bath. If you tell me which bath essence you’d like, I’ll bring it immediately.”
“…….”
The maid bowed deeply, almost as if she expected Evangeline to lash out. Swallowing nervously at her own exaggerated behavior, she quietly waited for a response.
“If not a meal, I can bring tea—anything you wish,”
“I’ll just have the meal. Prepare it as usual.”
“Ah… yes.”
Evangeline, who the maid expected to scold her for such behavior, instead exuded elegance. The maid, taken aback, stared at her, but Evangeline merely smiled kindly.
“Prepare the bath with rose essence. I’ll bathe after the meal.”
“Yes… Your Grace.”
Once the even more cautious maid left in a hurry, Evangeline let out a small sigh. She had no trouble guessing why such behavior had emerged in just a few hours.
This house has no secrets. She was sure that anyone in this house, not just the maid who had just left, would act similarly.
After all, serving the master faithfully was their duty.
“…….”
When the lavishly set table appeared shortly after, she remained indifferent. Even if it were more luxurious than her usual meals, she was unfazed. The position of a duchess struck her as formidable, and she swallowed a bitter smile.
‘Eat. I will eat.’
Hunger gnawed at her empty stomach. For a long time, she had barely eaten, sipping only a little water to endure, but now there was no reason to continue. She even predicted what the maid might report to her superiors.
‘Better than saying I’ve given up on food in despair.’
She cut the steak into small pieces, chewing and swallowing carefully. She did the same with the remaining dishes. Though such a feast might feel burdensome, her father had always said to fill the stomach before facing a major task.
“…….”
Once she emptied every plate, she finally rose from the table. She did not care about the suitcase that had disappeared in the meantime.
Instead, she pushed aside the innermost panel of her vanity—a last refuge she had handled countless times in the past. With a creak and a puff of dust, she pulled out the box, her eyes filled with a strange sense of nostalgia.
Meanwhile, DeCarno had also changed in his own way. He was still absorbed in work, but he paused more often, leaving the pen idle for longer. Usually, people wouldn’t notice, but old friends were an exception.
“So we should wrap up the search here… Are you even listening to me?”
“What are you talking about?”
“What do you mean ‘what’? You sent people that far and then just zone out while listening. That’s what I mean.”
Pailon, perched on the office table, frowned in irritation. Spending a two-year-long vacation like this was frustrating enough, and having the person who requested it act like this was enough to sap his spirit.
“I admit the results weren’t great, though.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“You might as well pretend you didn’t hear it at all.”
Pailon grimaced at this overly polite exchange. But seeing this side of his friend wasn’t entirely unpleasant. He could guess what was going on, so he quietly changed the subject.
“Anyway, our beautiful future duchess must be terribly disappointed.”
“Why her?”
“Don’t you know? She must have been desperately waiting for news of her father. She’s the last family left, after all.”
“…….”
“By now, she could be drowning in grief. Even our sister couldn’t get out of bed for a week when our mother died. Who would have thought someone with such a strong character could sob like that? I still wonder how she managed to hide her feelings all this time.”
Recalling old events, Pailon gave a bitter smile. He glanced at DeCarno, but the latter’s icy, statue-like expression only deepened.
“Anyway, with things as they are, we can’t just insist on seeing Lady Ohara’s face. I was hoping to see her this time… but once the ship sets sail, who knows when we’ll meet again.”
“See her at the wedding.”
“Yeah… at the wedding. What? What will happen?”
Pailon, speaking nonchalantly, was taken aback. Of course, the marriage had been decided, but he hadn’t expected it to be brought forward so quickly.
“When exactly?”
“Soon.”
“When exactly is ‘soon’?”
Pailon pressed him relentlessly, intending to block the way, but DeCarno rose and picked up his black gloves.
“We’ll discuss the rest outside.”
“There’s nothing else to discuss. The ship was wrecked, nothing was found, and we couldn’t even locate the bodies. That’s all you said.”
“The bodies weren’t found, but the belongings were. Isn’t that interesting?”
“…….”
DeCarno had a talent for making uninteresting stories sound intriguing. Usually, when he discovered an unexpected flaw, he would smile eerily.
“Last time, it was the same. Only the belongings were found, and this time too. And these weren’t even items easy to find separately.”
“True, but bodies floating at sea…”
It must have been hard.
Pailon, no longer able to argue as a naval officer, bowed his head in resignation. A drowned body tends to disintegrate, and it’s rare for shoes or clothes to separate easily. Still, that didn’t justify tracking down a body that didn’t exist.
“So what do we do? We can’t search the entire sea.”
“Check the nearby black market. People sell others’ stuff for money; someone must have information. If any belongings drifted there, someone will know something.”
“You should’ve said that sooner if you knew.”
“…….”
Despite Pailon’s sarcasm, DeCarno showed no discomfort. It would have been better if Pailon had known. He merely swallowed a bitter smile at the corner of his mouth. So bitter that even Pailon, curious about DeCarno’s emotions, gave up.
“Why are you like this? As if something’s wrong.”
“Nothing’s wrong.”
DeCarno shook his head firmly.
The past week had gone smoothly.
He had heard from the butler every day that Evangeline had started eating again and was regaining her former self. Though going out was still premature, she had been promised freedom to act as she wished, so he could only be satisfied that she wasn’t seeking out some rookie lieutenant.
There was no reason for unease. The headache and tight chest were just fleeting fatigue.
They had to be.
“Alright, enough of that. Let’s go drink. By the way, aren’t you going to tell me the wedding date?”
“You’ll know after today.”
“Wait, you mean something else is happening today?”
