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Chapter 20
“No, I was just… thinking about what a trashy adult I’ve become…”
Seven, muttering something incomprehensible, walked out of the room with a noticeably more open demeanor.
He blocked the door, which was about to close, with his body and asked,
“But do we really need to send that guy back? Just get him a new set of armor and make him your servant. Guillermo isn’t entirely wrong. A noblewoman could always use a knight as a bodyguard.”
“But Sir Max didn’t seem to have done anything so wrong that he should be kept locked up here. They said he didn’t steal anything and just stayed outside, didn’t they?”
“Choosing the wrong lord to serve is a crime in itself. And if you don’t even think about that, when will those muscle-brains ever use their brains?”
“Three years of unpaid labor seems to have at least paid that debt.”
Seven tilted his head uncertainly. Had three years really been that long? He seemed to question himself.
Whether he perceived those three years as roughly three weeks or not, it was clear he didn’t place the same weight on that time as they did.
Evania, instead of trying to bridge that gap with a brief conversation, quickly changed the topic.
“And there’s one more problem.”
“What is it?”
“Levi’s out of food.”
At Evania’s words, Seven looked up at her with an expression that clearly said, ‘Why are you telling me this?’
“That guy usually hunts and eats on his own, so don’t worry about it. You’ve seen how irresponsible his master has been for ten years straight, right? The fact that he hasn’t starved yet says it all. If we all got stranded somewhere, that crow would probably survive the longest.”
“That’s related to the problem. We have no food either.”
Seven fell abruptly silent at Evania’s response.
It was only then that he seemed to grasp the hidden implication in her suggestion. They needed to get rid of the sentries immediately.
“Hanna said there’s no proper store nearby, so until now, Guillermo has always used magic to go far away and get supplies,” Evania explained.
“Oh, by the way, I can’t use magic.”
“Then what was your role in the war, Seven?” Evania asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
Surely, a child’s body aside, he couldn’t have wielded heavy arms in battle.
Unless he was some extraordinary talent who could overcome physical limitations—but given that he had lost to her before, he didn’t seem like the type to rely on brute strength.
Reading the question in her eyes, Seven’s voice turned slightly irritable.
“I was a guide. If you want, I can make you experience what it feels like to reunite with civilization after two weeks of marching. Want to try?”
Naturally, Evania shook her head.
Seven probably thought she was ignoring him, but she was genuinely just curious about his role.
Ever since arriving at this castle, apart from Hanna, she hadn’t really seen a proper professional at work.
The lord of Litverck Castle was a sleeping beauty, the steward was an imposter, and the knight who acted as a bodyguard was actually a prisoner who had invaded the place.
Even the mistress of the house had brought in a fake. There was hardly any proper functioning at all.
In fact, this made Evania like the castle even more.
“It’s fine. There’s another person who can use magic besides Guillermo,” she said.
“Oh, did you come to me because it’s uncomfortable for you to see Ram? Want me to go ask him for you?”
“No, it’s just that he always seems busy, so I didn’t want to bother him. I wasn’t sure if he’d be annoyed.”
Since falling for Guillermo’s trick and being forced into a sham marriage, Ram had secluded himself in his study.
He seemed to be looking for a safe way to break the pact.
Judging by his complete silence for the past few days, it didn’t seem like he’d found a solution.
Evania bowed politely to Seven, apologizing for disturbing him so late.
As she turned to head up to the study, Seven called out, raising his voice as if stopping her.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Evania didn’t immediately understand the question.
Not that she had no idea what he meant, but it had already been several days since the banquet incident, so his words didn’t fully register.
She couldn’t help but laugh aloud, realizing that their sense of time seemed slightly different.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because it’s nice. You were just worried about me.”
“I shouldn’t have said anything. You look perfectly fine even after being forced into a sham marriage.”
“I already knew I’d marry Ram when I was eight,” Evania teased lightly.
Seven had no easy response to that mischievous remark.
He already knew what kind of marriage Evania had in mind.
Though he realized early on that she hadn’t come here by choice, he probably hadn’t imagined the exact reality of living as a monster’s fiancée.
Everyone naturally sees things from their own perspective.
To Seven, Ram could never have been the type to treat his bride badly, unlike outsiders might imagine.
Evania, speaking in a deliberately light tone, continued,
“And there’s nothing to feel bad about either. I think there are few better husband candidates than Ram.”
“But he loves another woman.”
“If I’m being picky, that’s actually my favorite part.”
“I just can’t keep up with how kids think these days…” Seven shook his head in disbelief.
Evania regarded him as unusually rigid and said,
“I’m really fine, so don’t worry about me. Thanks to that sham marriage, I even get to play the role of mistress in this huge castle.”
“The outer walls here are all broken, and winter winds will blow right through…”
Seven crossed his arms and shivered at the mere thought of it.
It was only early autumn, so winter was still a few months away. It didn’t really matter to Evania; she’d be leaving before winter came anyway.
Seeing Evania’s unconcerned smile, Seven waved his hand in mock despair.
“Fine, alright. Go ahead and enjoy being the mistress of this crumbling castle. Fire that thief too.”
“Sorry for disturbing your rest,” Evania said.
“Not at all, ma’am. Then Schöne will go to sleep now.”
Seven spoke in a brusque yet polite tone and quickly closed the door.
Evania decided she shouldn’t bother him late at night from now on.
She silently hoped that whoever she approached next would be nocturnal.
“Ram, are you here? It’s Evania. I have a quick question.”
Climbing the stairs to the study, Evania knocked on the door cautiously.
Unlike Seven, Ram didn’t come out in person but instead opened the door with magic.
Evania wasn’t particularly surprised by the lock turning on its own.
It had already been five days since she started living in this mysterious castle.
She had seen people turn into fish and back into humans, teleport at will, and doors open themselves.
The only thing she hadn’t seen before was a person floating in the air.
Stepping inside, Evania paused.
Ram was lying diagonally near the entrance, flipping through a book.
He waved at her, but she couldn’t respond.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t seen magic or transformation before, but seeing a person suspended in midair felt like stepping directly into a scene from a childhood storybook.
