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~Chapter 21~
“Y-Yeah. I guess I need to be a little careful. I shouldn’t be taking a bath with the windows and curtains wide open. Changing clothes is the same.”
If I end up half-naked twice, we’ll be done for. I need to be careful.
I decided that for the sake of keeping peace with Cassian, my only ally at the moment, I would avoid any exposure at all costs.
“Okay, okay. Got it. I’ll be careful.”
After I apologized, Cassian picked up one of the food bags he had set down and handed it to me.
“You asked me to buy this. But what were you doing to be so distracted?”
I took the bag with both hands. He had gone out of his way to bring me food, and here I was, possibly seeing something he shouldn’t. Feeling guilty, I brought up a topic that might interest him.
“Actually, the emperor came by a little while ago.”
“The emperor? Why? Was it when you were in that state earlier?”
As expected, his reaction was explosive. Curiosity filled his expression as he looked at me.
Not just curiosity… maybe slight disappointment? But his expression didn’t really fit that.
Ah, I get it. He’s probably worried that Mikhail might have seen me like that too. How considerate, thinking about Mikhail’s ocular peace.
Cassian, can’t you let me lie just this once?
“N-No, I only heard what happened through the door. Who did you show yourself to earlier?”
“Really? That’s fine then. So, what did he want?”
Turning her head with a slight pout, he handed me the remaining food bag.
“He said to move to another palace. One called Freya Palace. I don’t know exactly where it is.”
“Why all of a sudden?”
Cassian seemed to have completely forgotten the earlier incident, focusing solely on the ‘emperor.’
Good, the unintended exposure incident passed naturally.
I praised myself mentally as I opened the bag. At that moment, the smell of roasted vegetables and meat, both savory and slightly salty, hit my nose as if praising me.
“Wow!”
The croquettes inside the bag shone golden brown, thick and perfect.
Unable to resist any longer, I grabbed one and bit into it. Its heavenly, rich flavor immediately took over my taste buds.
I forced myself to tear my attention away from the croquette and looked at Cassian.
He was holding his chin with one hand, looking pensive. I expected him to ask more about Mikhail, but he showed no such intention.
Maybe he won’t.
Relieved, I focused back on the croquettes and devoured one in a flash.
As I reached for a second, Cassian snatched the bag from my hands and spread it out on the table.
“There’s plenty, so sit down and eat slowly.”
Then he took something from the other bag and placed it on the table—a glass bottle of fruit punch.
Seeing the small, colorful pieces of fruit floating in the milky liquid made my mouth water.
I quickly sat on the sofa. He pushed the croquettes toward me and opened the bottle of fruit punch for me.
The crispy, savory croquettes and the sweet, refreshing fruit punch paired perfectly.
I discreetly ignored Cassian’s serious expression and immersed myself in the bliss of the food.
Cassian stared at Evelyn quietly before letting out a small chuckle.
She looked like a squirrel stuffing her cheeks with food.
“Is it really that good?”
“Yeah, it’s amazing. I thought the croquettes would be soggy since it’s late, but how did you manage to get them freshly fried?”
“Lucky timing. When I got there, the shop owner was frying the last batch.”
Evelyn smiled and picked up another croquette.
She didn’t even make eye contact, just reached for it like the happiest person in the world.
Cassian liked this simple side of Evelyn, someone who found joy in little things. Seeing her so happy gave him a pleasant illusion of being happy himself.
But that feeling didn’t last long. The emperor, Mikhail of Creras, who prowled near Evelyn, came to mind.
Mikhail Prime Haorua, also known as Creras III, was famous across the continent for his love.
He fell in love with a woman who appeared suddenly, as if dropped from the sky, and made her empress. Now that the empress had returned, why was the emperor lingering around Evelyn instead of staying close to her?
It didn’t seem like a big issue since Evelyn appeared to be keeping her distance, but caution was still necessary.
I’ll have to keep a closer watch.
“Mmm… really delicious.”
Evelyn muttered happily, her expression pure and innocent.
Cassian admired her again. How many people could find joy in such small things when their lives were constantly under threat?
Some might scold her for being thoughtless, but Cassian knew Evelyn wasn’t careless. She thought deeply, then deliberately tried to simplify things.
“Don’t just eat the croquettes. Drink this too. I barely managed to get it before the shop closed.”
“Of course, your luck is the best, Cassian. How did you arrive just before closing? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have had such a delicious dinner. Thank you.”
Cassian smiled at her.
Luck, huh? Me, born to parents who abandoned me and a brother who tried to kill my sibling?
It didn’t make sense, but he didn’t argue. After all, he hadn’t told her the truth.
“How many croquettes did you buy?”
“Fifteen. That’s all the ingredients the owner had. Is that not enough?”
“A little. But there are still two left, so that’s fine. And it’s dinner, so I shouldn’t eat too much.”
Cassian smiled brightly as he watched Evelyn finish the last two croquettes. She seemed unaware of what fullness felt like.
Fifteen croquettes and six bottles of fruit punch… how did all that fit inside her? Even after seeing it countless times, it was still amazing.
“Should I get more? Maybe some places are still open.”
Evelyn smiled with a teasing glance.
“No. This is perfect. Not too full, just comfortable.”
Cassian mentally stored this new information about her.
Fifteen croquettes and six bottles of fruit punch: just enough to be comfortably full for Evelyn.
“Oh! By the way, Cassian, did you eat anything?”
Her eyes fell on the greasy, crumb-filled bag. She seemed slightly guilty for not asking and eating it all herself.
So cute.
Cassian shook his head.
“I’m fine. Not hungry.”
Honestly.
Evelyn had a history of coughing up blood and losing consciousness, giving Mikhail chances to observe her. Plus, Avir shamelessly kept sending people. How could Cassian feel at ease?
If they accidentally encountered Evelyn and she found out about him… what would she say? She might feel disappointed or angry, even turn her back on him.
The thought alone sent a chill down his spine.
I’ll never let that happen.
Cassian folded the empty bag and tossed it into the air. It floated like a butterfly in flames, burning elegantly.
I wish I could burn my past like this.
He watched the ashes fall and clenched his empty hands tightly.
I’ll find a chance to confess in person. That way, I can avoid the worst-case scenario.
He opened the window and waved his hand; the ashes floated gently outside like a flock of birds.
“Wowwww!”
Evelyn, mesmerized, clapped enthusiastically.
Cassian smiled at her.
What can’t I do for you?
“You still get crumbs on your mouth while eating.”
Cassian laughed and wiped my mouth with his hand, then brought that hand to his lips and sucked it.
What is this?
For a moment, it felt like a scene from a romance novel: the hero wiping cookie crumbs off the heroine’s lips, pretending to clean them but actually a gentle kiss.
Petals fall, cheeks flush, and the heroine feels the hero’s emotions in a perfectly romantic moment.
But novels aren’t real life.
I wasn’t a heroine in a romance novel, and Cassian, who liked Mikhail, wouldn’t possibly like me.
You idiot. You could’ve just said you wanted a croquette.
Honestly, a croquette or two didn’t matter to me. Sharing one wouldn’t have made much difference.
I looked at him and asked sweetly, “You said you weren’t hungry, but you must’ve been curious about the taste, right? If you had said so, I could’ve saved one for you.”
Cassian smiled lightly, like a feather.
“Fifteen croquettes… why would we share? I know you well enough. I can eat later.”
“Still… if you wanted to try a crumb, you must’ve been curious, right?”
He looked at the hand he had just put in his mouth, then suddenly at me. His expression wasn’t good—something was bothering him.
Did I mess up? I thought, but then heard his weary voice.
“Yeah… I guess so.”
An ambiguous answer. His face looked slightly dissatisfied, but he said nothing more.
Just then, he turned his gaze away from me.
“You said the emperor wants you to move, right?”
“Yeah. He said this place isn’t secure, but I don’t know what he meant.”
Cassian looked out the window, then turned slowly to face me.
“Yeah, this place is pretty exposed.”
Even I could see that. It was the most remote spot in the palace; the central areas had far stricter security. But it didn’t matter much—after all, I wasn’t an important figure warranting multiple layers of protection.
“Just the fact that I can come and go here without any restrictions shows that, right?”
I couldn’t fully agree with his perspective as the top-tier mage, but I nodded anyway.
“True.”
“Right. Considering your safety, the emperor’s judgment isn’t bad. Your magical flow is recovering faster than expected.”
“Faster? How much?”
I looked at him, silently asking why despite taking all the potions as instructed. He exhaled softly.
“I’ll show you.”
He grabbed my wrist and cast a short spell. Red threads floated in the air like strands of silk.
“This is your mana visualized. See? It’s flowing pretty well.”
The bright red threads, thick as yarn, were tangled intricately.
“The blockages are here, here, here, here… Once these are cleared, your mana will be fully released. There’s not much left.”
He poked at the tangled threads with his fingers as he explained, but to me, it all looked the same.
Cassian leaned close to my face.
“What, don’t understand?”
I felt sorry for him trying to explain.
“Yeah. Sorry.”
He waved his hand, and the red threads vanished.
“No, don’t apologize. I should apologize for showing this to you—it’s really only useful to mages. But one thing to remember: you’ll cough up more blood for a while.”
“Why?”
“Because as your mana channels expand and connect, it’ll inevitably hit nearby blood vessels.”
With no medical or magical knowledge, I couldn’t comprehend it.
“Do you want a detailed explanation?”
I held out my palm quickly, deciding to refuse. Unnecessary info would just overcomplicate my brain.
“No, don’t. I think I get it. The important part is the mana-suppressing potions I’ve been taking won’t be as effective as before.”
“Exactly.”
Cassian’s usual languid smile appeared as he twitched his eyes and lifted the corners of his mouth.
His hand rested on my head, moving slowly, lingering for quite a while.
Feeling treated like a child, I gently pushed his hand away.
“You’ll be next to me when I cough up blood, right?”
I asked because I worried about losing consciousness from coughing up too much. I didn’t want to collapse alone, nor in front of Mikhail or Eunsoo. Even if I looked awful, Cassian, as a friend, would understand, right?
I expected him to say, Of course, but he just drooped his eyes and stayed silent.
I felt uneasy, wondering what would come out of his mouth.
