Chapter 17 - The Scarf That I Gave (9)

Translator: Kimmy

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Eva and Karlos were sitting at the ends of the opposite couch, meaning they were seated diagonally from each other, almost like they were trying to test their ability to push their bodies deeper into the couch. 

Eva was small enough to do that but Karlos was even bigger than Brigitta, so him trying to stuff himself into the couch just looked ridiculous. 

Brigitta raised her eyebrows at the awkward scene after coming back from making some tea. 

She placed the pudding and tea hardly on the table and smiled towards Eva frowned towards Karlos. 

“What are you doing? You said you wanted to meet her.”

“Y,yea, I did……”

It was their little skill they acquired during the War to whisper barely moving the lips.

But she didn’t expect it to be used for things like this. 

Brigitta sighed. 

“Aren’t you going to talk?”

“But……I didn’t know she would be this small….What if she dies from fright when I talk to her or something……”

What the hell was this dumb Emperor saying?

Brigitta almost said that to his face. 

Meanwhile, Eva was dizzy. 

When she first opened the door, she thought there was a mountain in front of her. 

But when she looked again, it was a person.

Who was really, really big. 

His widened eyes were a pretty amethyst color but despite the pretty color, she was scared. 

Why, why is this Gang Boss looking man here? I should have got the safety door locked like Detective Glenn said.

While cold sweat was trailing down her back, she saw Brigitta standing behind the big scary person, smiling awkwardly. 

Eva then remembered Brigitta embarrassedly asking if she could bring her old friend today. 

After that, even in the house, the huge person didn’t speak at all.

He looked confused, handing her the pudding then handing it back to Brigitta then back at her. He looked anxious, his eyes moving rapidly everywhere. 

When Eva was about to greet him, he jumped a little and moved back. 

Guessing by how Brigitta looks at him so pathetically, they must be close but he seemed like a timid person despite his appearance. 

When she led him to the living room, he moved like a wooden puppet and sat on the opposite couch from her.

She was amazed at how her couches looked so small when he sat on it. 

He wouldn’t speak, so Eva didn’t know what to say to him.

And thanks to that, this weird and awkward scene was created. 

Eva’s personality of not enjoying conversations with strangers and Karlos’s personality of not being able to talk to women didn’t go along like oil and water. 

“Ahem.”

Brigitta cleared her throat to get their attention. 

“Uh, so this is Evangeline, the person I’m living with. A novel author. And this is, the… acquaintance. He is Karl. He is fluent in the Lesan Language so don’t worry.”

Though he was acting like he forgot how to speak at all. 

Brigitta kept those words to herself for the sake of the Emperor’s dignity. 

She side-eyed the Emperor grabbing and releasing his pants and sat next to Eva. 

‘So, who will speak first? Anyway this pudding is good. Where was this from again?’

Brigitta was fast to adapt to new environments and she just decided to be a spectator to this awkward situation. 

“Uh, ah, itsh Karl.”

Karlos chewed his tongue while introducing himself. 

“Ehehck, E, Eva.”

Eva hiccupped. 

*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*

Meanwhile, Eva and Karlos were hiccupping and chewing their tongues. 

Maximilien arrived at the outskirts of Cartul in 5 days like the Chancellor predicted. 

The first thing he said looking at the fully armed Cartul soldiers was this. 

“Oh, I can’t speak your language!”

“Uh, we are speaking the same language right now?”

“Oh, I can’t understand you! I can’t speak Cartulian!”

At this moment, Maximilien was the Chancellor’s light and salt. 

*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*

Karlos was shocked. 

She was small. Really small. 

Plus, she was skinny and small. Even her hands covering her mouth to hide her hiccups were small. 

‘Ah, there is ink smeared on her hands. Perhaps she was writing. But it’s small.’

His beloved author was the smallest person he ever saw. 

There were plenty of people who wanted to be his mate, since he had a strong body and political power and had no wife or fiancee. 

There were over 10 cases of the Chancellor discreetly planning a romantic meeting. 

Despite all of the ladies, couldn’t even attempt to talk and failed, the number of trials were still around that. 

The reason it failed was rather simple despite the rumors. 

No one tried to do that to the Emperor. 

No, it was more like they couldn’t do it. 

Women that were suitable enough to meet the Emperor for the goal of dating or marrying were the noble ladies that had tightened corsets and small diets. 

So, obviously, they couldn’t withstand the Emperor’s intimidating aura. 

Eva was smaller than any of those ladies.

To the point she didn’t look like an adult. 

If Brigitta hugged her she would totally disappear in her arms. 

Her big eyes behind the glasses were green with a hint of hazel brown. 

Her hair was like a deliciously baked bread or a rye field under the sun and she sort of resembled a small squirrel. 

Even her eyes moving around were cute. 

‘Won’t it overflow? Her eyes are too big. She’s so tiny yet has such big eyes.’

It was the first time in 32 years that the Emperor was talking to a woman this close other than Brigitta and when he was a child so he was a little panicky. 

Just before the door opened, he had so many things to say. 

Like about the novels, how much he respects her, and about this release. Even about the event he missed. 

It really felt like he could talk all day but no words came out of his close-shutted mouth. 

‘Am I under a spell? It didn’t seem like Max did anything before he left.’

The Emperor was so ashamed of himself that he started sweating. 

Eva on the other hand, was embarrassed of her hiccups. 

Her body kept twitching every time she hiccupped. 

‘Oh my, what am I doing in front of a guest.’

She was so embarrassed of her hiccupping voice. 

Eva just wanted to find a hole for her to hide. 

Thankfully, the knight sitting over there didn’t seem to be offended by her behavior; he just looked overwhelmed. 

Eva thought he was an understanding person and was relieved. 

Eva’s hiccups didn’t stop so Brigitta rubbed her back and asked. 

“Eva, do you want water?”

“Hicc, Yeshec, Hicc, PleasEch”

“Ah, uh, I will!”

When the knight who introduced himself, Karlos stood up suddenly, Eva pushed herself deeper into the couch. 

He definitely wasn’t a bad person and she knew very well that she shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but… 

His intimidating aura was overwhelming. 

Brigitta was also quite big and strong but she doesn’t have this much presence and charisma. Was this a difference between a man and a woman or was it something else?

He realized Eva was frightened and started waving his arms mid-air. 

“Ah, I mean….Could I, uh, get you some water.”

“Karl, you don’t even know where the kitchen is.”

“I, I just feel like I must do something……”

“Why don’t you sit here and talk?”

‘Oh no, not that please!’

Eva predicted the awkwardness that will remain after Brigitta leaves and tried to pull on her shirt but failed. 

The swordmaster’s agility was not something someone like Eva could catch up. 

Eva opened and closed her palms and sat back. 

He also sat down. 

Then, another dead silence filled the living room. 

The sound of the hands of the clock felt as loud as thunder.

Eva fidgeted with her skirt and tidied up her sleeves and also wiped the ink smear on her shawl. 

She was fidgeting this much but that knight was sitting still like a rock. 

Even Brigitta did that, so, she assumed all knights were trained to have such discipline. 

While she was panicking internally, she added another information to her knight character trait. 

Brigitta was still not back. 

“Uh…..”

“Hey……..”

They opened their mouths to speak at the same time and shut it close at the same time. 

And this was repeated for the 3rd time. 

She felt bad as the host to be treating a guest like this–and he seemed like a good guy–so she breathed in and spoke again. 

“Uh, uh, s,so, you are my fan…?”

“Ah, uh, yes. Yes. I enjoy reading your work……”

She blushed a little and wiggled her toes.

It wasn’t her first time meeting a male fan but most of them had a gentle and soft appearance so she wasn’t as wary of them but she couldn’t get used to people like him who looked so tough and rough. 

It was hard for her to continue because she never had a mental note on how to talk to people like this. 

“Uh, um, D, did Brigitta tell you about me?”

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