<CHAPTER 37>

I Must Repay That Trust

Evelyn could not produce any answer.

Since meeting her current family, she had always said she was fine as if it were a habit.

It must have stemmed from the desire not to disappoint them.

She slowly continued speaking, her lower lip moist.

“I was able to face him because of the necklace you gave me.”

Evelyn had not recklessly faced the deranged Young-sik.

She had believed that if she bought time, her fiancé would come looking for her before long.

Aksion raised his head and looked down at her.

“You must have trusted me.”

“……Well, something like that.”

Though she answered, Evelyn had to swallow a sigh at the subtle and complex emotions.

Aksion seemed to be staring at her, then muttered softly.

“I must repay that trust.”

“You should go now.”

Beyond the man’s dry tone, a strange hint of laughter passed.

It was a comfortable smile unlike before, without any sense of pretense.

“My lady, surely you’re not trying to go outside now?”

Rarie, who had entered the bedroom with a bouquet, narrowed both eyes as she looked at her master.

“Where would I go?”

Evelyn let out a shallow sigh at the maid who had been sticking to her side for several days.

‘I’m not even in pain anymore, and I’m really fine……’

Since returning from the banquet, she had received treatment from the attending physician at her fiancé’s recommendation.

Despite the diagnosis of minor bruising, Evelyn’s parents were about to call a priest for treatment immediately.

Having struggled to dissuade them, she was unintentionally continuing her bed rest.

“By the way, about Young Count Valentino.”

At the sudden mention of her fiancé, Evelyn tilted her head to the side.

“Why Aksion?”

“He sent flowers today.”

Rarie answered in a bright voice and handed the daisy bouquet to her.

Evelyn, who had embraced the bouquet in a daze, stared at the flowers.

‘I’m really fine now!’

After the unexpected incident at the recent banquet, Aksion had sent gifts every day.

It seemed his heart was quite concerned for his fiancée.

Additionally, he had been spending busier days lately.

Because completely unexpected circumstances had been discovered while interrogating Young-sik, who had caused the disgrace that day.

Young-sik, who had been about to confess the truth under pressure, collapsed with white foam in his mouth as if cursed.

A formula of unknown origin was found around his neck.

The House of Valentino, recognizing the seriousness of the situation, had requested cooperation from the investigation bureau.

If there was one concerning part……

It was that the formula showed traces of sorcery.

‘Just who is handling sorcery?’

Sorcery was power derived from curses, forbidden in the Valtian Empire like black magic.

Since the original work did not describe sorcerers in detail, Evelyn thought she should look into it more.

‘I hope it’s nothing serious!’

As she swallowed a low sigh, Rarie, who had been looking at the bouquet, let out a small laugh.

“As always, he sent daisies.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Surely you didn’t know?”

Rarie added quickly, blinking her eyes rapidly as if surprised.

“Every year when daisies bloom, around your birthday, he sends them.”

The daisy that bloomed in early spring was also Evelyn’s birth flower.

Though the season still indicated late winter, fresh spring would arrive before long.

She had received daisies every late winter but……

She had thought he merely sent the bouquet to the mansion to be conscious of others’ gazes.

Evelyn had believed her fiancé could not have cared for her that much.

Just thinking about it made goosebumps rise on the back of her hand.

‘Oh, I imagined needlessly.’

Making a similar expression, Evelyn firmly shook her head.

“Hey, that guy isn’t that delicate?”

Since her favorite flower was the daisy, Aksion must have chosen it without much meaning.

At her master’s reaction, Rarie made a frustrated expression, her lips pursed.

“In my opinion, it seems so……”

Evelyn, who did not take the maid’s words very seriously, handed back the bouquet and spoke.

“Could you put these in a vase so the daisies don’t wither?”

“Yes, my lady! Please wait a moment.”

As if she had never been that way, Rarie answered energetically and left the bedroom.

A sigh escaped between her lips.

“I really can’t live like this.”

Soon Evelyn’s gaze fell upon the flower petals that had softly landed on the bed.

“You must have trusted me.”

“……Well, something like that.”

Suddenly remembering the conversation with Aksion, confusion spread in her green eyes.

“Why did he make such an expression?”

Even when she tried not to care, his smile occasionally came to mind.

Hmph, his face was unnecessarily handsome!

Evelyn’s face ripened red as she gently touched the daisy petals.

At the somehow suffocating yet embarrassing feeling, she had to kick the blanket up.

Evelyn, who had saved Mordian from Dr. Fabian, immediately immersed herself in the experiment.

She had sprinkled that fertilizer on the Duckworth she had cultivated with difficulty, then observed the situation for several days.

‘This time it should bloom.’

She embraced her pounding heart and opened the door to the botanical garden wide.

Passing familiar green plants, she approached the small garden she had been tending.

Then she squeezed her eyes shut and slowly counted.

Three, two, one, half of one, half of half of one……

After counting numbers endlessly, the moment Evelyn caught her breath and opened her eyes.

As if stepping into the world for the first time, a green flower bud softly revealed itself.

“It, it worked! A flower bud really appeared!”

Overcome with emotion, she covered her face and her moist eyes shone.

Since the problem she had worried about for so long was finally solved, she felt she could lighten her heart’s burden a little.

“I did it……”

From her birth parents whom she now only remembered through portraits, to her current family whom she loved dearly.

The faces of precious people came to mind one by one.

Evelyn felt inwardly relieved at the thought that she had taken one step closer to the truth.

Wiping her tears with her sleeve, she made a more determined expression.

“Good. I should stop by the herb shop this opportunity!”

Her motivation soared at the thought of researching the Duckworth flower buds, and she hurriedly grabbed her bag.

In a secluded alley slightly away from the capital square, still enveloped in a chilling atmosphere that did not apply.

Evelyn felt her spine grow cold involuntarily.

“My lady, you could have sent a subordinate for most things.”

Gideon muttered softly with an expression full of dissatisfaction.

He seemed quite displeased that his master was walking through a shady street.

Evelyn showed an awkward smile.

“If I find it today, I won’t need to come for a while.”

“Hmm, I believe I heard those words three weeks ago.”

“But this time it’s true? I promise, Sir Gideon.”

Since the Duckworth research was proceeding smoothly, she believed she would not need to visit this place for some time.

Gideon, who had been looking at her green eyes that seemed to contain only truth, lightly shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, are you making a promise for something like this?”

At the guard knight’s words that seemed to understand her, Evelyn slightly raised the corners of her mouth.

“Oh, you trust me? That’s a bit moving……”

She who had been chattering suddenly trailed off.

Ah, now she understood.

Why Aksion had looked at her with such a face at the night banquet.

‘Emotion coming from loyalty, something like that?’

Only then did the suffocating feeling that had been pressing on her chest seem to clear.

“My lady, why did you stop speaking?”

“……It’s nothing!”

For some reason, she had an intuition that she should keep this matter to herself alone.

Evelyn listened to the endless nagging of her guard knight with one ear and let it flow out the other.

Still, since her ears were ringing, she deliberately looked around.

‘Is that a different path from the underworld?’

Discovering a path in the opposite direction from her destination, she suddenly stopped her steps.

Then she hardened her expression as if she had seen something unbelievable.

She doubted her eyes several times, but no matter how she looked, the situation did not change.

Why in the world……?