APML 23

Chapter 23

“What are you doing here?”
Even at a glance, the familiar uniform made it clear—it was Cain.
Evelyn didn’t even meet his eyes, a subtle protest against his recent, increasingly frequent interference.

“I’m just here.”
She propped her chin on her hand, responding indifferently.
Cain didn’t like her lukewarm reaction, but he silently sat down next to her.
His action was so natural that an outsider might have thought they were already close acquaintances.

Only then did Evelyn lift her lowered head and pretend to be serious.
“You didn’t ask my permission to join me?”
“That’s what I was going to do.”
“Empty seats exist to be filled, you know. What will you have?”

Evelyn promptly presented the menu politely.
“You’re only polite at times like this.”
Cain also knew that Evelyn had been displeased with him lately.
Since the Grand Duke had already noticed, his intention was to prevent unnecessary suspicion.
Of course, Cain had already prepared things so Evelyn could move around freely without raising any doubts.
He was just waiting to confirm one last thing.
Though he had promised to be kind until then, his habitual bluntness surfaced—it was instinctual.

Evelyn pouted and glanced at the menu Cain was holding.
“What will you have?”
“Coffee.”
“Just that?”

Only then did Cain notice the nearly empty coffee cup in front of her.
“You love sweets so much—why didn’t you order one?”
“My salary is postpaid. The money I brought from home is running out.”
“That’s unfortunate. But you still have money to wander around?”
“I can’t give up even one cup of coffee, even if it makes me a pauper.”

“That’s usually how people end up penniless. Congrats—your future’s set.”

After a light jab, Cain called the waiter. Evelyn, who had been watching him with a displeased expression, smiled sweetly.

“Can I order coffee too?”
“You already drank some, didn’t you?”
“There are so many types of coffee here in the capital. I want to try that one.”

She pointed to a large red cup on the table across, topped with cream and sprinkled generously with chocolate powder.
“You’ll get it for me, right?”
“No.”
“Why not? You said you’d pay when you joined me, didn’t you?”
“I meant what you already drank. I didn’t say I’d buy a new one.”

Ugh, really.
He never just lets things go.
Still, Evelyn desperately wanted to try that ridiculously expensive coffee she hadn’t even seen in Snowfall.

“Then give me an advance.”
“You really think I would?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then why ask?”

Evelyn pouted and stirred the remaining coffee in her nearly empty cup.
“Maybe I’ll try card tricks in the back alley.”
“Do your own work first before talking like that. How can you have no prophecy even though you got promoted to full-time?”
“Uh-oh.”

Evelyn shut her mouth, looking sheepish, just as the waiter approached.

“Are you ready to order?”
“Coffee.”
“Oh! Me too…!”
“Just coffee.”

Despite her desperate plea, Cain dismissed the waiter without hesitation.
Watching the waiter disappear, Evelyn quickly turned to Cain.

“That’s too much, isn’t it?”
“I don’t have money for people who can’t do their jobs.”
“Wow, the rich really are worse. You only give whips. You should give carrots too.”
“Whether carrot or whip, you have to work to earn it.”
“Ugh.”

She glared at Cain but had nothing to retort.
Evelyn held her nearly empty cup with both hands, and the sight of the dwindling coffee frustrated her.
Cain chuckled slightly at her clearly displeased expression.

“That coffee was originally developed at a restaurant near the Opera House.”

It was a restaurant he had visited before deployment, invited by Count Bernard, the appointed vice commander.
He had brought along even his granddaughter, who hadn’t yet made her debut dance, making it rather uncomfortable.
He still remembered how loudly the granddaughter had praised the coffee.
Was it called Dirty Snow?
It was said to be inspired by a traditional beverage from the recently trading Parnassus Empire.

“I’ll take you there next time. You can try it and have dinner too.”

Evelyn immediately brightened, practically pressing her excited face toward him.
“Really? I can really look forward to it?”
“Yes. After next week, most of my work will be done.”

Only then did Evelyn genuinely smile.
“Finally, a real smile.”

A woman who normally laughed easily had been sulking lately because she wasn’t allowed to go out alone.
So Cain planned to personally take her on outings.

“Until then, behave. I’ll show you around the capital properly.”
“The Imperial Palace too?”
“The palace isn’t a playground. You can’t just wander in.”
“Hmm. I wanted to see it up close. The guards are really strict.”

Though disappointed, Evelyn had expected Cain would refuse.
Even she realized she had no justification to enter the palace as a commoner without rank or title.
‘Come to think of it, isn’t Cain Aaron’s cousin?’
Although the Emperor and the Grand Duke weren’t particularly close, she wondered if a greeting was possible.
Not everything has to happen inside the palace—princes do go out sometimes.

“Um…”
“We’ll see.”
“Huh? See what?”
“The palace tour.”

Cain’s surprisingly positive answer caught her off guard.
“Really?”
“The Grand Duke’s family is royal, so entering the palace isn’t hard. I can vouch for your status.”

“Wow, amazing!”
Her eyes sparkled with expectation, excitement growing at the possibility of things going smoothly.

“What do I need to do?”
“Well… make proper prophecies?”
“Ugh.”

Evelyn’s face darkened as if pricked.
Then she straightened up, speaking seriously.
“Cain, you shouldn’t push a seer like that. It’s said that revealing the heavens’ will brings punishment.”
“That’s nonsense.”
“Ah, yes. It’s a bit… true?”

She laughed awkwardly, then suddenly her eyes lit up with an idea.
“Do you do the past as well as the future?”
“The past? For example?”
“Something only Cain would know… from your past?”
“You can see the past too?”
“It doesn’t always work by my will, only sometimes.”
“You saw my past?”

Though uneasy, Evelyn nodded.
“What did you see?”
“It was your childhood…”

She hesitated.
In the original story, the only childhood anecdote mentioned was the funeral of Cain’s mother, the Grand Duchess.
Evelyn sincerely wished she could smack her own mouth.
She angrily berated herself for trying to pull out someone else’s painful memories so carelessly.

“Why stop talking?”
“Oh, I just saw your childhood face, I guess.”
Evelyn laughed awkwardly.
“But that alone isn’t a prophecy.”

Under Cain’s skeptical gaze, she quickly looked away.
“You were really cute as a child too, Cain.”

Please, don’t ask more, and let’s just leave it at that.
Cain, staring at her intently, fortunately let out a soft chuckle.
“You’re frivolous.”

Cain’s childhood, in fact, wasn’t so bad.
The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess had a good relationship.
Although the Grand Duke strictly taught Cain military-style, Cain generally obeyed.
When things got too severe, the Grand Duchess mediated, keeping a balance.

However, after his mother’s death, there were no good memories left.
When the Grand Duke first received news of the accident and saw his wife’s body, he was terrifyingly angry.
He broke items in his office and nearly killed the accompanying servants.
Even the funeral was delayed more than ten days because the Grand Duke insisted on clarifying the cause of death.
The mansion’s atmosphere was heavy, and the staff quietly watched the Grand Duke’s every move.
Young Cain couldn’t share his grief with anyone either.

After about ten days, the Grand Duke had become unnervingly calm.
Even at the funeral, he acted as if nothing had happened, maintaining his usual demeanor.
“This can happen to anyone. It’s nothing. Don’t show emotions; stay composed.”

He constantly forced this on Cain.
The young Cain, scared of his suddenly changed father, had no choice but to obey.
Even a hint of tears would provoke a harsh scolding.
Before he could even understand the sudden change, Cain first learned how to control his emotions.
Thanks to this, he maintained a composed demeanor, as his father wished, in front of others.

‘Why does the funeral come to mind from my childhood?’
Cain furrowed his brow slightly.

‘Is it because of Evelyn? She resembles the lady who came to the funeral.’