Chapter 30

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Chapter 30 – A Way To Get Close To (1)

The mansion Liam gave away was located in a deserted place where people rarely traveled. It was a quiet place, and she was quite satisfied because it was good to organize her thoughts. Evelyn also liked the fact that the interior decoration and structure were old-fashioned but not excessive. Among them, the drawing-room on the second floor was decorated with the atmosphere she liked the most. Unexpectedly, over the past month, Evelyn lived peacefully in the mansion. Then one day, she left the bedroom after a long time and sat in the drawing-room. She looked out the window and saw the blue sky over her veil. Evelyn looked at the clear sky without a single cloud and murmured in a small voice.

“Isn’t it today?”

The girl standing by her side glanced at Evelyn after she uttered the question. She had introduced herself as Lina, and she was a servant sent by Liam. Someone to spy on and monitor Evelyn. Lina wasn’t the only one. All of the servants residing in the mansion had become Liam’s eyes and ears, watching Evelyn.

However, such a fact wasn’t unpleasant. Unlike security filled with her own, using Liam’s people as servants was intentional. It was to let Liam know all her words and actions from then on. In fact, what Evelyn had said and done in the mansion over the past month would have flowed to Liam naturally. She welcomed that transmission.

‘He must believe in my hoax to get Cesar’s interest.’

Evelyn was disguising the situation as if she could see the future on her own. And Liam must think she can really see the future. Not to be sure but rather to just be suspicious. If Liam used her to achieve what he wanted, Cesar would also keep an eye on Evelyn. Because his war had yet to end.

‘First, you need to organize Agramento.’

Currently, Liam was making great use of the original story information that she conveyed to him. Since the third son had already been taken to the dungeon, Agramento’s strife will be over within two or three months. Naturally, the winner will be Liam. The result remained the same, but the difference was in the reduction of the time it took for the result to show. The original won’t react against it. Evelyn had to look forward to what would happen after that.

Yet, unfortunately, she could not continue her thoughts for a long time today, because of the presence of guests. She thought she could hear the sound of horseshoes, and then saw a carriage passing through the front gate visible through the window. The ordinary black carriage stopped in front of the mansion where Evelyn was staying.

“Today it is.”

Conscious of Lina’s listening presence, Evelyn spat her words to build up the misunderstanding. Shortly after, she got up and went to the window. Liam was exiting the wagon that stopped in front of the mansion. Evelyn had been informed of his visit in advance. The free knight who was ahead of her in age, skill, and experience, was her eyes and ears. Evelyn was secretly relieved, recalling Rebellio, who had informed her of Liam’s visit in advance. If his skills had lagged behind the main characters, her hoax would have been more difficult.

Fortunately, considering it existed for the main characters’ sake only, this world was prepared with minimal probability. The main characters of the novel were all in their twenties, and they were all geniuses with talents that no other person would have surpassed. However, even so, they were just young people in their twenties. They weren’t rivals for knights in their 30s or 40s. Thanks to this, Evelyn was able to deceive Liam as if she had waited in advance. Evelyn reached out when she saw Liam completely out from the carriage.

‘Was it the last visit a week ago…’ The cycle of Liam’s visits was getting shorter. It meant he was starting to devote considerable time and effort to observing Evelyn. He was probably trying to discern the source of the information she gave out. She welcomed it. Because it was a sign that Liam was doubting Evelyn’s abilities. She smiled contentedly while unlatching and opening the window.

Did he hear that? Or maybe it was an unconscious reaction. Liam raised his head. As soon as he noticed Evelyn standing by the window in the drawing-room, he smiled softly and sweetly as if melting. His inside was black, but his smile was so pretty. If Evelyn had been an innocent woman who knew nothing, she would have had her cheeks tinted in red. With her arms crossed by the window sill, Evelyn stared at Liam as if appreciating a work of art.

‘You are handsome.’

Liam had a beautiful appearance befitting the sub-male lead. Even compared to Ethan, he didn’t lag behind.

‘No, actually, it’s hard to compare him to Ethan, to be honest. Ethan’s a handsome man with a strong appearance because of his strong lines, and Liam is handsome with soft features because of his smooth lines.’ Evelyn’s eyebrows twitched as she unconsciously recalled Ethan smiling shyly. With his smile on top of his pale complexion and the red blood covering him, her mouth felt bitter.

‘Are you still worried about him? There’s no way he’s dead, it’s foolish.’ Because Fedora locked its borders, it was not easy to hear the news there. It was a good thing for Evelyn, who didn’t want to recall Ethan’s warmth that had remained as if she had been stuffed in the past. As long as she didn’t check the news, she wouldn’t hear anything.

‘I know he’s safe, but…’ The last scene she had witnessed was so intense that her heart still thumped.

‘Shall I find out?

…If you want to, there is a way.’

Because there were several more calculated favors that Evelyn had granted in the past. She had prepared a workaround in case something went wrong with the main escape route. If she contacted them, it would be possible to confirm Ethan’s safety.

‘Whether he attends external events or government meetings, that alone…’ Evelyn was already thinking about what to write in the letter to be sent to Fedora. Very natural, as if it was granted. As soon as she realized what she was doing, she was overwhelmed by a surge of self-shame.

‘What will you do if you know?’ He was someone she couldn’t see anymore anyway. Did the original take care of him?

‘Let’s forget it.’

She shook her head to chase away her thoughts, and heard Liam call out.

“I apologize for visiting without a message.”

“No need to feel sorry. I knew.”

“…May I come up there?”

“You came here with that in mind, so the question must be long.”

Evelyn had a pretty sassy attitude. At first glance, she seemed bothered by Liam’s visit.

“If you aren’t going to stay there all day, hurry up and come up.”

“…Thank you.”

Evelyn closed the window, returned to her seat, and waited for Liam. It wasn’t long before he reached the drawing-room and knocked.

“You have a clear face, something good must have happened.”

With a grin on his face, Liam accepted Evelyn’s conclusion.

“It’s all thanks to you. I don’t know how to thank you.”

Liam, who was more suspicious than grateful, was a little funny. Evelyn smirked and pointed to the sofa opposite to her. Busy thoughts ran through her head as Liam headed there. She had a rough idea of ​​what was happening in the places Evelyn pointed out. People who worked for her like Utah were already stationed in Razimall, Simphon, and Milborn. They confirmed that the people presumed to have been sent by Liam were sent in hiding. In Razimall mountain, the youngest daughter of the Agramento family train was training assassins, the eldest son’s slush funds were hidden in Simphon, and Milborn was where the third son stored illegal drugs. The eldest son’s slush fund had not yet been located, but the other two had been found.

The first place Liam reached was Milborn. The method he chose was to directly report the atrocities of the third son to the Imperial palace and not the local security.

‘It’s a good justification to cooperate even for a little while.’

Cesar was a new ruler with no legitimacy. Having usurped the throne through treason, he needed to win the hearts of the people. It was necessary to instill the awareness that conforming to his own rules provided a better life than the previous one. This was the reason why Cesar did not turn away from the appetizing setting that Liam handed. Thanks to this, the third son of Marquis Agramento stood in the court of the Imperial Palace.

That was two weeks ago, and he was stuck in a dungeon now but…

‘He will die soon.’

Because there was no way Liam or any other half-brothers could keep him alive. This incident received quite a lot of attention. This was because Cesar, who claimed to be a new ruler, punished the noble family for committing illegal transactions without condoning it. Thanks to this, among the people, Cesar began to be evaluated as righteous. The nobles who did not have the strength to rebel against him were more sympathetic, but the antipathy of the high-ranking nobles, who had previously held power and dealt with dirty work, grew stronger. However, most of them were those who originally refused Cesar’s position. The fact that the relationship that was already damaged only broke further was no additional damage to him.

Liam had cleared a competitor without using his hand, so both of them benefited. In the process, Liam and Cesar’s face-to-face meeting took place faster than in the original.

‘In the past, Liam had to succeed on his own, but… there won’t be any big problems. Because both of them are taking advantage of the main story.’

Originally, the first meeting between the two was when Liam was recognized by the Imperial family as the successor to the Marquisate. And then Etrada puts a bridge between the two of them, and so on. In the original story, it occurs half a year after the attack. However, due to Evelyn’s intervention, the two male leads met sooner. Even the reunion between Liam and Etrada, which had not been confirmed in person by her, had also been held. Even though they had not yet met, Etrada’s presence was clear. By the time Evelyn’s thinking had reached Etrada, Lina had placed Liam’s tea and left the drawing-room.

“Have you been well?”

“All I do is play and eat, right? Are you saying that in hopes that something will go wrong?”

“That’s a misunderstanding. It’s not that.”

Liam hurriedly waved his hand like a troubled man. Evelyn laughed at his obvious lie.

“Absurd.”

Liam’s lips twitched for a moment but soon disappeared without a trace. Evelyn clicked her tongue as if bothered. She had to act like someone seeing what Liam couldn’t see now.

It was impossible to be fooled by his fake face.

“You still don’t know what you’re doing is in vain.”

When he first visited the mansion, he had a more controlled attitude. However, on this day, he showed signs of dissatisfaction. It was only three visits, but three was not a small number.

She slowly took a tough stance, it was time to put some pressure on him.

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