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Chapter 25
“Open it.”
Hoping for some new information, Jade opened the letter Cain had handed over.
“Lord Cain, this is…”
“The Newman family is from the North, so it’s appropriate. And since they’re a branch of the Leonard Marquis family, it gives your grandfather a reason to act as her guardian.”
Cain remained calm, even though he was asking his grandfather—someone he rarely interacted with—to take guardianship of a woman he had never met.
“If it’s connected to your grandfather, your father won’t interfere easily either.”
“Is it really necessary to go this far?”
“She had a surprisingly casual conversation with Father.”
“Couldn’t anyone have a casual conversation?”
“The key is that it was a normal conversation. It means she’s interested.”
“Excuse me?”
“That’s not a good sign. She’s clearly found something she can use… or she’s looking for it.”
“But Evelyn doesn’t even have casual conversations with you, Cain?”
Cain turned to Jade, as if asking what she meant.
“She talks casually with you too, doesn’t she?”
“I’m a man.”
“Even with Kate she does.”
“That’s work-related.”
“…”
In truth, Cain had never spoken with women as often or as long as he did with Evelyn. Whenever he had to deal with young ladies, he would usually escape as quickly as possible. He had no interest in gossip, marriage, or love philosophies that they talked about.
But conversations with Evelyn weren’t bad.
It was fun to scold her for nonsense or tease her for idle chatter.
“She really is strange.”
“Indeed, you’ve been saying that all along.”
“No. I said she’s crazy.”
Even so, saying a woman was crazy felt a little harsh. Especially since he’d even granted her noble status.
But Jade nodded as if she understood.
“She’s definitely extraordinary. Which woman in the empire would openly declare her love for Lord Cain without fear?”
“…Huh?”
Cain was completely stunned.
“Don’t you remember? When Evelyn was first arrested, she shouted that she liked you.”
“No, that’s…”
“Everyone there heard her.”
That’s why unnecessary rumors spread around the castle.
Jade smiled at the memory.
“She just blurted it out because she was flustered.”
“But wouldn’t it still be strange otherwise? Ah, she really is a strange woman.”
“…”
“She risked her life to warn you and even took poison for you knowingly.”
“…”
“She specifically asked to be brought to the capital by you and insisted on being your personal counselor, saying she’d stay by your side.”
“…”
“Evelyn said your face suits her taste. Something like… a sculpture? She also said you must be popular with women.”
“That woman says such useless things. Ignore her nonsense and just work.”
Cain fiddled with some paperwork and picked up his pen, but he couldn’t deny that Jade’s words were intriguing.
Even unconsciously flipping through papers, he found himself pondering what Evelyn had said and done.
Realizing this, he felt embarrassed and eventually closed the documents.
“Is there a problem?”
Jade’s nonchalant question irritated him today, especially with that knowing smile.
“Excuse me, Your Highness.”
The aide knocked and entered, giving a salute.
“What is it?”
“There’s a message from the Grand Duke. He requests your presence briefly.”
“Understood. You may leave.”
“Yes, sir.”
After the aide saluted and left, Cain and Jade’s eyes met.
Nothing could have happened in that short time, and there was no apparent reason.
“I’ll stop by the Grand Duke’s residence and then go home, so finish up here.”
“Then I’ll wait at Lord Cain’s mansion.”
“Why?”
“You never know what might happen. I’m on standby.”
“Fine.”
Cain got up and grabbed his jacket.
“While I’m at it, I’ll see Evelyn too.”
“Why do you need to see her?”
“It’s been a while since I last saw her. I’m curious how she’s doing.”
That knowing smile again. So Jade had some ulterior motive.
“Don’t smile.”
Annoyed, Cain gave a sharp command.
“I usually smile a lot.”
“It’s an order. If you visit my house, don’t smile and don’t argue.”
Behind Cain, Jade quietly stifled a laugh at his childish command.
Cain arrived at the Grand Duke’s residence and, guided by the butler, went to the reception room where the Grand Duke waited.
“Come in.”
The Grand Duke, leisurely seated on a sofa, extinguished his cigarette as Cain entered.
“What’s the matter? Calling me all of a sudden.”
“You never come on your own.”
“I was planning to visit soon.”
Despite being a reunion after a long war, their conversation was surprisingly dry. Without exchanging pleasantries, the Grand Duke got straight to the point.
“A letter came from the Leonard Marquis family.”
For the first time since arriving, Cain’s expression changed slightly.
“What is it? Is there something wrong with her health?”
“Evelyn Newman.”
“!”
“She’s been sent to the capital following you. They ask that you take care of her.”
“I see.”
“Why didn’t you give me a heads-up?”
“Since mother passed, there’s been no contact with the Marquis family, so there was no need.”
Cain gave a short reply and brought a teacup to his lips.
The Grand Duke studied him quietly, then gave a faint smile.
“Bring her to the residence. She should be properly welcomed.”
“I will.”
“Will you keep her there continuously?”
“Until she gets used to the capital, yes.”
“Avoid anything that might cause scandal.”
“That won’t happen.”
Cain recalled Jade’s words but answered firmly.
“Is that so?”
The Grand Duke chuckled faintly, recalling his conversations with Evelyn.
“An unusual girl, indeed.”
Cain silently agreed.
“Unusual things always catch your attention once more.”
The words sounded meaningful, and Cain looked up. But the Grand Duke’s expression was otherwise normal.
“If she becomes familiar, she’ll just be normal. That’s life.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t create weaknesses.”
The Grand Duke’s smile disappeared.
“If you must have one, don’t expose it. So no one can take advantage.”
His gaze darkened as he warned Cain seriously.
Memories of the past flashed briefly in Cain’s mind. Such things must never happen to him—at least until he reached a position so secure that no one could exploit any weakness.
“I’m not sure why you’re worried, but I don’t intend to.”
“Good.”
The Grand Duke fell silent afterward. The Leonard Marquis had already explained the situation by letter, leaving Cain nothing more to say.
“If the discussion is over, I’ll be going back.”
“Very well. I’ll see you at the victory banquet.”
“Yes, sir.”
Cain bowed and left the reception room. The Grand Duke gave no escort.
As always, it was a dry and emotionless meeting.
The capital was bustling with preparations for the grand banquet at the palace, celebrating the victory over the Shuran Kingdom.
The wardrobe was crowded with ladies, and the social scene was stirring as everyone looked for escorts.
“This banquet is an important turning point.”
This was the point where the main story truly began, after Cain first met Priscilla and began opposing Aaron.
“If I attend the banquet, I’ll be able to see both the male and female leads.”
Prince Aaron was at the palace, so meeting him was difficult.
However, Priscilla, who seemed easier to approach, was nowhere to be found near the Byrne Marquis residence.
“At this point, contacting Cain feels almost miraculous.”
“What do you mean, Evelyn?”
Startled by the sudden voice, Evelyn turned.
“Ah, sorry for startling you.”
“Jade?”
Jade approached the garden bench where Evelyn was sitting.
“It’s been so long! How have you been?”
“I’ve been fine, just like Lord Cain.”
“Oh, so you’ve been busy.”
Jade nodded and sat beside Evelyn.
“Cain hasn’t arrived yet. What should we do?”
“It’s fine. I told him I’d wait here first.”
Jade subtly observed Evelyn from head to toe, making sure she didn’t notice.
Compared to when she was in Snowfall, she looked much better, showing Cain had taken care of her.
“Isn’t it uncomfortable living with Cain?”
“Not at all. He treats me much better than I expected.”
“That’s good. As you know, Cain can be a bit indifferent, so I was worried about whether he’d take good care of a lady.”
“Except for being overprotective, he’s fine.”
“Overprotective?”
“He won’t let me go out alone. He says I should stay put until his work is done, and then he’ll take me around.”
Sighing, Evelyn glanced sideways at Jade, who smiled knowingly.
“You must be worried because Evelyn isn’t used to the capital.”
“True, but I’m a commoner. I’m more used to back alleys than these streets.”
“Ah, right. But things need to change now.”
“Huh?”
“Later, you’ll hear from Cain. Look, here he comes.”
When Evelyn looked up, Cain was walking toward the bench.
“Did you have a good trip?”
“Uh, yeah.”
It was already awkward for Evelyn to see Cain because of Jade’s words. Seeing Jade smirking next to him made her uneasy.
Cain glanced at her suspiciously, wondering if Jade had told her nonsense, and Jade quickly spoke.
“I was relieved to see Evelyn doing well.”
“She’s doing too well. The problem is she isn’t doing her work.”
But this time, Evelyn didn’t shrink back from Cain’s scolding. She grinned confidently.
“They say you can’t tell someone to die. Finally, I’ve seen the future.”
Leaving Evelyn triumphant, Cain and Jade exchanged a glance, tense as if another attack might occur.
“At this victory banquet, Lord Cain will—”
“?”
“Fall in love!”
