EVHE 22

Chapter 22

Calix led me to the second-floor balcony. He brought two wine glasses handed over by a servant and offered one to me.

As I took the glass, Calix leaned casually against the railing with the remaining one. I was completely flustered by the situation, and it annoyed me how calm he looked.

The Duke of Crescent had never publicly declared support for either of the two princes. But it was an open secret that Lilith preferred the second prince, Raschel. There was no way Calix didn’t know that.

And yet here he was, acting chummy with me in full view of everyone? To any onlooker, this looked undeniably like a secret tryst.

Did he seriously not care about rumors? Even if he didn’t, shouldn’t he at least be concerned about my reputation?

‘Is he doing this on purpose? Trying to mess with me?’

That seemed like the most plausible explanation in the end.

‘But if this is supposed to be revenge, it’s pretty petty.’

I glared daggers at Calix. My stare was sharp enough to bore a hole in the side of his face, but he remained utterly unbothered.

“You got something to say?”

“Nope.”

His immediate answer left me dumbfounded.

“Then why did you drag me all the way here?”

At my question, Calix let out a long hum. The wine glass in his hand tilted, teetering at the edge of spilling but stopping just in time.

“To get you away from that guy.”

I let out a second laugh of disbelief.

“Didn’t you say there’s nothing between me and Tayn?”

As soon as the words left my mouth, his eyes—previously turned toward the outside—shifted to me.

“I heard you were trembling in fear of the consequences.”

He looked at me with a seriousness that hinted he was talking about what I’d said at the tea party. How those words reached his ears was beyond me.

“You seriously believe that?”

“Would I be here if I didn’t?”

Calix answered proudly, still leaning against the railing with his arms crossed.

“How did you know I’d be here? Did you have someone investigate me?”

I doubted Lady Espan went around announcing who accepted her invitation. And with so many parties happening every week, how did he even find this one?

“Investigate you? How hurtful.”

Despite the words, Calix smirked.

“Isn’t it a prince’s duty to keep his ears open to even the smallest rumors, for the good of the empire?”

He strolled over to me with that same shameless grin.

“If you’re in this position, you hear all kinds of things. For example…”

As he got close, Calix bent down to meet my eyes. His crimson gaze locked directly onto mine.

“…like the fact that a few nights ago, my dear brother left the palace and came back.”

His lips were still smiling, but his eyes were exactly like that day in the garden—burning with rage. I instinctively stepped back from the intensity.

Calix straightened up. The smile remained on his lips, but not in his eyes. With a cold gaze, he slowly scanned me from head to toe before muttering,

“You look fine.”

He raised his wine glass toward me.

I had zero desire to toast, but he clearly wasn’t going to back off until I raised my glass too.

With a sour expression, I clinked it lightly against his. A clear chime rang out.

Once he got what he wanted, Calix smiled and brought the glass to his lips. After taking a short sip and swallowing, he continued nonchalantly,

“The Marquess of Broke is from a family of great mages. Not someone you can just mess with. Even the Duke of Crescent would struggle to take him down.”

I bit my tongue before I could snap something sarcastic like, “As if I’d ask the Duke to deal with it for me.”

“But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.”

He smiled slyly.

“What do you say?”

I didn’t need to hear the middle part to know what he meant. He was probably planning to crush them through some underhanded, illegal route.

Come to think of it, Raschel had said something similar that night too. As extreme as they were in personality, the two brothers were eerily alike in moments like this.

“Forget it. You brothers are just…”

“Brothers?”

He suddenly leaned in close again. Always with the face. Every time, it’s right up in mine. They’re not even twins—why act like carbon copies?

“You’re disturbingly similar.”

I cringed. Calix finally stepped back, looking more than a little displeased.

“It is strange, though. That guy’s been too quiet.”

There was a mocking tone in his voice.

“Normally, Tayn would already be obliterated and accused of treason by now.”

He clearly had no intention of holding back his jabs at Raschel. But it wasn’t really Raschel he was aiming at…

Calix knew well that Raschel’s actions were all for Lilith. Which meant his true target was me.

“That won’t happen anymore.”

“Hah. Funny.”

He scoffed. It made sense for the original Calix to react like this, but it still didn’t feel great to be on the receiving end of his bitterness—especially for something I didn’t even do.

Maybe that’s why an awkward silence settled between us after that. I had nothing else to say, and it seemed like he didn’t either.

Logically speaking, Calix and I should have been like enemies forced to meet on a narrow cliff edge. But his attitude didn’t match that.

One moment he was kind and concerned, the next he was threatening, then suddenly cold again. I just couldn’t figure him out.

I hadn’t touched my wine since he gave it to me. Calix had emptied his long ago, but he didn’t seem in any hurry to leave.

Before I knew it, night had fully settled. The moon glowed brightly, casting silver light over Calix’s dark hair. It looked as if the moonlight existed just to illuminate him.

In the original story, Calix had always been described as the moon in the night sky. Not dazzling like the sun, but a brilliant, cool light that no star could compare to.

It suited someone who spent his childhood in darkness and only began to show his presence in the world after reaching adulthood.

And…

The true male lead of the original story—Nox.

Nox was the pitch-black night that could swallow even the radiant moon whole.

Even when he absorbed the moonlight that lit up the world, his jet-black hair never shone. His dark eyes held no trace of human emotion.

He didn’t glare, didn’t react, and yet… reminded me too vividly of that final moment in the dream.

Just remembering it for a second made my arm tremble slightly. So much time had passed since I last saw him, but here I was, still like this.

“You.”

Calix’s voice brought my head up with a start.

“Why are you shaking?”

He had suddenly approached and grabbed my hand tightly. I’d been looking outside—how did he notice again?

Maybe it was the warmth of his grip, but the trembling stopped.

“I’m cold.”

I lied, and he frowned as if annoyed.

It wasn’t a complete lie. It was spring, but we were outside, and it was night.

“Let’s go in.”

Calix tugged the hand he held toward the inside. I clenched it and held him in place.

“Forget it. Just say you have something urgent and go ahead.”

“Why?”

What do you mean, why? I shot him a glare, but he remained as indifferent as ever.

“You’re busy.”

“I’m not.”

“How long are you planning to stay?”

“Until you leave.”

“I’m going out to hang with my friends, so don’t follow and get in the way.”

“I won’t get in the way.”

He was surprisingly persistent. If implying didn’t work, I had only one option left—being honest.

“I don’t want to be linked with you in any more rumors. So please, just back off.”

For the first time, Calix said nothing. He looked like he was seriously considering it.

“…Fine. In that case.”

He eventually answered, sounding a little deflated. Maybe I was too blunt? I mean, he was just trying to look out for me. Was I too harsh?

Just as I started feeling guilty, he added,

“I’ll wait in the distance without saying anything and leave with you when you go.”

I shut my eyes tightly.

What is this guy’s deal?! I wanted to grab my own head and pull my hair out.

* * *

By the time I finally returned to the ballroom, I had already become the center of envy and admiration. After all, a prince of the empire—someone most people would never even see in their lifetime—had not only shown up to a private party but also behaved intimately with a particular young lady…

The other noblewomen seemed convinced I was some sort of protagonist blessed by the love of both imperial princes. If only they knew the truth.

All their subtly phrased questions were really just backhanded inquiries about my relationship with Calix. I was so flustered I couldn’t tell if the food was going up my nose or into my mouth, and I ended up leaving the party early.

Honestly, rather than forcing myself to stay, I just wanted to get back to the duke’s residence as soon as possible. As I said my goodbyes to the young ladies and Lady Espan and exited the hall, Calix showed up from who knows where and followed me.

“What the…”

As I entered the garden, confusion bubbled out of me.

Where’s my carriage? What about the duke’s knights? Where did they all go?

The garden was filled with carriages bearing the crests of various noble houses, but none belonged to House Crescent. The spot where I had arrived was now packed with imperial carriages and the horses of royal guards.

“I sent your carriage back.”

Calix explained calmly.

“…Why?”

“So I could take you home.”

“…Wow.”

So he knew I wouldn’t get in willingly if he asked, so he did this on purpose? I couldn’t help but be impressed by his meticulous planning—though it was the kind of admiration that came with deep exasperation.