EVHE 15

Chapter 15

“So many people came.”

I watched the raindrops tapping against the window before shifting my gaze back to the desk. The weather wasn’t the most pressing issue right now.

‘So it’s come to this, huh.’

What I held in my hand was—a letter from Olivia. In short, she wanted to meet and express her thanks for helping chase Tain away.

I wrote a reply declining her offer without hesitation. I was sorry, but I had no desire to get involved with the female lead.

After handing the letter to a maid, I picked up a madeleine from the plate in front of me and popped it into my mouth. A gentle lemon aroma spread across my tongue.

In front of me, aside from the madeleine, an excessive number of sweet treats were piled up. They had been sent by Lechelle early in the morning. It seemed she still remembered how I’d complimented the palace desserts.

‘But still…’

I recalled what had happened at the Grandel banquet.

‘Did that scene really happen?’

I didn’t remember every detail of the original story perfectly. But I was certain there had never been an incident where the villainous marquis threatened her.

Was it just a skipped-over event because not everything could be covered in one book? Or… had the original story changed?

“I don’t know.”

With a headache beginning to form, I popped another madeleine into my mouth. There was only so much I could figure out on my own.

I stared blankly at the mountain of snacks. There were also flowers, jewels, dresses… so many things that it was becoming a burden.

“I feel a bit guilty just accepting everything like this…”

If only I could cut off relationships cleanly like slicing with a knife. But I wasn’t cold enough to just accept all these gifts and act like nothing happened.

I didn’t want to see him again, but that didn’t mean I could completely ignore his sincerity.

‘Maybe I should buy a gift and send it.’

Since Lechelle was a prince, expensive items probably wouldn’t matter to him. A heartfelt gift might be the better choice.

While I was still debating, I noticed that the rain had stopped outside. It was still a bit cloudy, but a few rays of sunlight peeked through. It didn’t look like it would rain again.

“Ally!”

“Yes, miss!”

Ally, who had been cleaning the hallway, stopped and quickly rushed into the room.

“How many maids are still at the mansion right now?”

“Around ten.”

I roughly counted the number of snacks. It didn’t seem like enough to divide among ten.

“Are there more in the kitchen?”

“Yes, I believe so.”

“Then tell everyone to stop working for today and come enjoy the snacks together.”

“A-All of this?”

“Yes. Things taste better when shared, don’t they?”

Leaving a flustered Ally behind, I stood and walked out of the room.

“Miss? Where are you going?”

“Out! I won’t be long!”

Once I made up my mind, I had to move fast. If I dragged my feet, something else was bound to happen!

“Nothing feels right…”

Even the fifth store I visited left me empty-handed. It was just a return gift, a formality—why was it so hard to find something suitable? Nothing met my standards.

‘At this rate, the sun will set.’

I decided to try one last place—supposedly run by a famous artisan—before heading back home.

‘…Hm?’

But my resolve lasted less than a minute. At the far end of the street, near the store I was heading to, I spotted someone familiar.

‘Why is he here?’

His tall figure, neatly styled brown hair, and strikingly handsome face stood out even from a distance.

Running into Lake wasn’t a big deal. The problem was… there wasn’t just one brown-haired person. Next to him was Olivia—someone I really didn’t want to encounter.

I tugged my robe’s hood down further and quickly turned around, walking off in the opposite direction. It was the complete opposite of where I had intended to go, but anything was better than running into Olivia.

‘Why on earth is she here?’

There’s no rule saying she can’t be in this area, but there were plenty of nicer places near the Count’s estate. Why would she come all the way out here?

‘I should get as far away as possible.’

I retraced my steps and ducked into a narrow alley barely wide enough for one person. I hadn’t been to the city often, so there was a risk of getting lost—but that seemed preferable right now.

“Ugh, nothing’s going my way today!”

I flinched at a man’s loud voice as I emerged from the alley. He was yelling at someone, and I turned my gaze toward the noise.

A large man was grabbing a young boy roughly. Despite the commotion, no one around stepped in to help.

‘Ugh, I should’ve brought a guard.’

Normally, I disliked having someone constantly following me, so I’d come out alone. Right now, I regretted that decision.

There had to be guards around, so unlike at the banquet, I wouldn’t need to intervene personally. Judging from the situation, stalling for a minute or so should be enough.

“Excuse me, could you call a guard?”

I stopped a passerby and gestured toward the scene of violence.

As the person disappeared down the alley, I took off my hood and approached the child. No one would dare attack a noble at first glance—at least, that was my bet.

“Hey, are you okay?”

I helped the child up. His mouth was covered in blood. The pitiful sight made my heart ache.

“Run now.”

I whispered. The boy, eyes full of tears, nodded and ran off down the alley.

“And who the hell are you?”

The man, realizing he’d lost the boy, asked gruffly.

“What would you do if you did know?”

My retort made him let out a mocking laugh.

“How could you hit a child like that? What if you’d killed him?”

“Not my problem if he dies.”

He sneered. I noticed his clothes were stained with mud.

“So you beat him just because your clothes got dirty?”

“‘Just’?”

“What, is that not ‘just’?”

“You don’t seem to understand your situation, lady.”

His threatening aura grew heavier, like it could explode at any moment.

I crossed my arms and leaned to one side. I just needed to buy time—no need to take risks. I knew I should be careful with Olivia nearby. And yet…

I was annoyed. I could still hear the boy’s cries echoing in my ears. The image of him bleeding wouldn’t leave my mind.

It was shameful to share the same world with people like this.

Even if the man was arrested, with the boy gone, there would be no victim to testify. He’d probably be released quickly. That just made me angrier. I couldn’t let it go.

Should I provoke him a little? If I got lucky, I could have him charged with assaulting a noble and thrown in jail.

It’s not like one punch would kill me, right? It’d hurt like hell, sure, but not worse than dying.

“Ahahaha!”

I burst into laughter on purpose. The man stared at me like I was crazy.

“Ah… I’m sorry. Your face is just too funny.”

Then I laughed even louder. He gritted his teeth. I guess he didn’t take kindly to being openly mocked.

I tilted my head and smiled innocently.

“Surely you’re not angry, right? You’re ugly and thin-skinned?”

I looked at him with pure contempt. His face turned volcanic with rage.

I confidently walked up to him.

“Why don’t you stop staring and try hitting me?!”

I shoved his chest with my palm.

“If you’ve got the guts, hit me! I’ll ruin your whole damn family!”

“You arrogant little—!”

It was a split-second before the situation exploded.

Just then, I heard the sound of someone running.

Right on time—the guards must have arrived.

But the one who stopped the situation wasn’t a guard.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

A voice spoke right next to my ear.

Someone yanked my arm and pulled me aside. A firm arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me into his chest.

At the same moment, the man let out a pained groan and collapsed.

I looked up and saw a familiar head of brown hair.

“…Sir Lake.”

As I called his name, our eyes met—green meeting mine.

The coldness in Lake’s gaze toward the man melted away the instant he looked at me. His voice was endlessly gentle and warm.

“What would you have done if you got seriously hurt?”

It wasn’t scolding—it was pure concern.

“Brother!”

The next person to arrive—unfortunately—was Olivia, the very person I’d wanted to avoid.

Her large eyes trembled when she saw me.

Guards followed her into the alley. Lake said something to them, and they took the man away.

“…Could you let go of me now?”

“Ah.”

Only then did Lake release me and take a step back.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

I glanced briefly at Olivia but quickly pretended not to notice before our eyes could meet.

‘This is bad.’

Just as I tried to quietly sneak away, my legs suddenly gave out—probably from all the running earlier.

Luckily, Lake caught me before I fell.

“Lady!”

“Ethelyn!”

Both of them cried out in concern at the same time.

Thankfully, I was able to stand upright again quickly.

Then I noticed the two of them staring blankly at each other.

What’s going on? I wondered—until I suddenly realized the reason for their confusion.

‘Oh no.’

The lie I told at the temple… had just been exposed.