Chapter 42

Chapter 42 – Earnest Wish (2)

“Long time no see. How have you been?”

Keeping herself alert, Evelyn replied.

“Do you have to ask?”

He must have been informed of her every move through Pharrell. Evelyn never stopped Pharrell from contacting Cesar. Although he stayed in her mansion all the time, he could send as many letters as he pleased. Cesar understood the meaning behind her words and laughed. It was odd that she directly mentioned that she was being watched. In his eyes, Evelyn was quite special.

“There must be something Pharrell didn’t see?”

“There’s not much difference. I ate well, slept well, and played well.”

“How good, I’m envious.”

“Are you trying to whine at me?”

“Whining… It’s a word that does not fit my royal self.”

“It fits quite well in my eyes.”

“How’s that?”

“Because you’re already doing it.”

Cesar’s eyes widened.

“This Emperor? Are you saying that this Royal Emperor is whining right now?”

[tl/n: Cesar is using a way of speaking where he talks about himself in third person as ‘Royal self’ that’s why it sounds weird]

“Isn’t it?”

“Ha. You’re saying a lot of original bullsh*t.”

“Well… Have you already done it with that woman?”

The conversation they exchanged collapsed. Unlike Cesar, who kept his mouth shut, Evelyn continued.

“That girl with short hair. The kind and bright Etrada.”

Cesar’s eyes seemed relaxed even with the fatigue yet subsided coolly.

“It was your choice to have a lot of work, but isn’t it strange that you say you’re tired? After thinking about why I wondered if it was because you wanted to whine about it.”

In the early part of the original story, there was a scene where Cesar, tired of the rush of work, ranted about his fatigue to Etrada. By mentioning it, Evelyn implied she had seen something she should not have seen.

“It didn’t mean anything else. I was just curious.”

Fufufu- the sound of laughter reached Cesar’s ear. His eyes were on the woman sitting across from him, but his thoughts drifted elsewhere.

“I’m tired.”

“If I could fall asleep right now I wouldn’t ask for anything else.”

The conversation he had with Etrada remained in his memory. No, rather than a conversation per se…

‘It was… whining.’

It felt as if he was soaked with cold water. Evelyn looked at Cesar, who was at loss for words. He didn’t know what he was doing with Etrada. He might not even be aware of himself whining, depending on her, and resting by her side. But Evelyn had enlightened him. This was to disturb Cesar’s mind and highlight Etrada’s existence.

‘He has to realize that Etrada is a more important person than he’s aware of.’ This would increase Evelyn’s value, who seemed to know something about Etrada. Thus, it meant the possibility of standing next to Cesar would increase as well.

Evelyn had to help Cesar clean up the country. It was important not only to help but also to build up enough credit to claim her share in the future when considering the rewards according to contributions.

The good news was that he had called her again. She was sure it was a sign of his will to take her by his side. But she couldn’t be satisfied yet. She should not be in a position to follow Cesar’s will and be satisfied with the crumbs he threw her way. That was not all Evelyn wanted.

Even if there was a limitation to her hidden cards, right here, today, she needed to take a seat among his circle. If there was no place for her, she would have to force it.

‘Fortunately, it’s not too late.’

The war situation in the East was slow and the South, having lost most of its Lords and direct descendants at Cesar’s hands, was becoming a lawless zone. The confusion hadn’t resolved yet, so there was plenty of room for her to meddle. Evelyn pushed her own impatience away and seized her chance.

“Is it because of her that you called me, by any chance? You sound harmful when you treat that child. As if you had become a different person.”

It was a playful tone, teasing the other party. Cesar remained motionless and responded with a frown on his face.

“Stop talking nonsense.”

“Don’t assume that I won’t see something that you haven’t seen. That’s arrogance.”

“I want to return that thought. Who do you think you are, being so arrogant in front of the emperor?”

The backlash came right away. Even in a situation where it was difficult to deny her foresight, his last effort of not wanting to believe in unrealistic things gripped him.

–You have to hit harder to make a gap.–

Evelyn leaned forward slightly and whispered in his direction.

“It’s something everyone, including you, doesn’t know.” Evelyn slowly straightened her posture and waited for his answer.

“Come to think of it…” Cesar did not disappoint her expectations. “You said you wanted something from this emperor.”

Evelyn didn’t answer.

“Aren’t you pretty desperate? Last time and this time, you’re so desperate to prove yourself.” Smiling coolly, he caught some of her innermost feelings, but it didn’t matter.

“Did you realize it just now?” Evelyn laughed like an innocent child. “Otherwise, why would I have shown up on my own feet?”

‘I have seen all your choices,’ the taunting whispering continued. Cesar’s lips twitched.

“If I hadn’t wished for it, you wouldn’t have even known I existed.”

“. . .”

“Because whenever you wanted to find me, I would have avoided that path.” Evelyn’s hand, which lay neatly on her lap, moved. She fiddled with her brown hair gently. “Stop worrying. You have only one choice in the end.”

Cesar’s top priority was to stabilize the internal situation. Only then he would become a true Emperor. Using the information Evelyn had, he would be able to reach his destination faster. It was normal to use it if she could be trusted.

‘You actually called me back.’ It was just that the final decision hadn’t been made yet, and Cesar was thinking about it.

“What do you want?”

And it was now the time to make that decision. After hearing Cesar’s long-awaited question, Evelyn bit the soft flesh inside her mouth. Her emotional turbulence should not be revealed. She must act as casually as a person who was expecting this moment to happen.

“A pledge.”

She almost made a mistake when she came up with the answer she had been preparing for a long time. Fortunately, no fragment of emotion leaked out.

“Please make a pledge. If I make a worthy contribution, you will grant me one wish.”

A pledge was an oath made before God. An act that transcended the boundaries of man-made laws and was conducted under divine discipline. If they shared a written pledge, the parties must fulfill the oath. The divine power possessed by the priests was used in various fields, but the most representative examples were blessings and pledges. Blessings protect humans from diseases and danger and help them recover. And pledges protect humans from deception and betrayal. The temple, which had lost its place in front of the sick due to advances in medicine and magic, was still able to survive thanks to the power of blessings and pledges. However, in practice, a pledge was seldom made. If one broke the oath without a good reason, the penalty they had to pay was their life.

“…The price is too high.”

As she had expected, Cesar’s reaction was negative. The cold purple eyes glared at Evelyn. It was no different from asking him to risk his life, so it was understandable. It was a condition that wasn’t easily accepted in his position. But Evelyn needed it. If she didn’t borrow the power of the pledge, Cesar wouldn’t honor her request.

“It won’t be that dangerous.”

Evelyn kept her bright demeanor while suppressing her nervous mind.

“I’ll insert a clause stating that if what I want is going to harm you, I’ll give it up.”

She offered a compromise.

“…Who will judge that?”

Thanks to this, Cesar’s momentum softened a little.

“Don’t say– me?”

While making a pledge, the area in which humans can intervene is limited. At most, all the conditions set by the parties are stated in the pledge. All subsequent judgments were up to God.

Did he agree with Evelyn’s conditions? A positive response came from Cesar.