Chapter 68

At Evelina’s words, he tried to hide his bitter smile and smiled brightly.

“You’re the one who’s known me the longest, Lina. If you were the one who picked then I could.”

When Ianathas uttered the words, he trembled as if a thorn had stuck in his throat. Evelina felt guilty when she saw him like that, avoiding her gaze.

But she was a woman of strict priorities. The only emotion that can change one day. Life was important to her, and her goal was to be happy with her parents and childhood friends who made her live happily ever after.

The wound she was giving now would be rather a good thing. It won’t be all good memories when he remembers her in the future.

Rather, if he hates or resents her, memories fade and she will remain one of those childhood friends. Then he will forget her and be happy to find a new love.

She looked at Princess Elsius with a grin as if she were grateful for his words. Now she had her eyes wide open, unable to hide her feelings.

Evelina was sure. With this, the princess was in her hands.

For the rest of the time, there was a leisurely conversation. However, in the leisurely conversation, the eyes of Princess Elsius began to sparkle, unlike before, like a hyena seeking prey.

That night, a contract arrived for a meeting with Ianathas from Princess Elsius.

If they had mutual consent, they can develop the relationship further, but if one side says no, it can be something that never happened.

A contract to protect Ianathas.

~~~~

“Are you having a meeting?”

Evelina was able to come straight into the throne room where Kaiden was, thanks to the knight who opened the door as soon as he saw her. When she had fallen before him the other day, it was because of an order issued by the emperor.

Now, when she was standing in front of him, she had to go straight in without asking the emperor.

Kaiden opened his eyes as if surprised that she had come all the way to the throne room, where he was, and immediately got up from his chair. Then, passing by the ministers in a row in front of him, he strode with his long legs and stood in front of Evelina.

“Lina, what are you doing here?”

He was laughing with his eyes wide open in surprise. She was horrified that he was laughing like a psychopath. At the same time, he said, looking at each other as if he were innocent.

“You didn’t come yesterday. Why didn’t you come in yesterday?”

She was asking why he didn’t come to the bedroom to sleep yesterday. She was able to sleep soundly, but she had to pretend to be totally into him for less than two weeks now.

That way he’ll be completely off guard against her.

“Yesterday… I didn’t go because I thought I shouldn’t go.”

“Why did you think so?”

He couldn’t bring himself to say that he couldn’t go because he called the doctor and questioned him yesterday.

“I was supposed to wait, but I thought I couldn’t.”

He spoke frankly without realizing it. The moment he saw her eyes.

“Did you not miss me?”

“That’s impossible. I held it in even if I wanted to see you.”

He spoke unconsciously when she looked disappointed.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know I’d keep you waiting.”

Evelina admired his acting skills and smiled like the sun, hiding her laughter.

“When does the meeting end? Can I wait here?”

“It’s over now.”

When Kaiden said that the meeting he had just started was over, the ministers were taken aback, but then stood there with calm expressions. Then, they just watched Kaiden take Evelina’s hand and walk out of the throne room.

Evelina, who came out of the throne room, said with the same smile as he smiled at her.

“I want to ride a horse. Do you want to ride a horse with me during the afternoon training session?”

“Let’s go now. I’ll show you how to ride a horse.”

“How did you know I don’t know how to ride?”

“I knew it somehow.”

Evelina knew that such a thorough person could not have known such a thing. So she chose horseback riding. What she chose as a way to get him off his guard, was to be moderately touching and pretending to be enjoying the same hobby.

Besides, it’s something she might need for an upcoming hunting competition.

When the envoys came, they had to deliver a congratulatory speech. In addition, although she won’t do anything in the hunting competition, there will be no inconvenience in riding a horse. It was quite cumbersome to get in and out of the carriage.

She decided that it would be better for her to learn to ride a horse at this time.

“Come to think of it, I don’t have to ride clothes.”

“I have it.”

“Mine, too?”

“Yes. I set it up for the day Lina came to the palace.”

“Oh, my God.”

She didn’t believe the word. She thought there must be another woman who enjoys horseback riding with him.

The words that Princess Elsius said, “Older brother has another woman.” And his neck, where a woman’s fingernail marks were left, the familiar movement that he had when he kissed her, and the beastly figure that pressed her down from the bed.

Putting them together, she could never have been the first woman.

It would be false to say that he had never spent the night with a woman as he told her. Although he refrained from being caught now, she recalled how much his father, the former emperor, coveted women.

Perhaps after abandoning her, there was a high probability that he would change women every day to hurt them.

Maybe he’ll insult her after he got her pregnant.

If he saw his first child from a lower status, maybe a maid, not a queen who came in for a child.

There won’t be an insult like that.

“Where should I change my clothes?”

“Let’s change in the bedroom.”

She had to go to the bedroom with Kaiden like that.

~~~~

“Then I’ll wear it for you.”

When she arrived in the bedroom, Evelina laughed at Kaiden’s request to change separately. Then he opened his mouth pretending not to.

“Why? Wouldn’t it be better if the servants changed clothes instead of me?”

“No.”

“Then why do you wear it separately?”

When she asked him with a happy smile, he turned his head, covering his mouth with his hand as if he was hiding his cheek without knowing that his ears were red.

“Can I dress you up?”

“Yes.”

“Wouldn’t you be scared?”

“I think it’ll be okay if I don’t look into your eyes.”

Her mischievous words made him laugh. She thought it disgusting to see the corners of his eyes go down and smile with a pure expression. Because she seemed to be genuinely pleased with him for a moment, too.

“I’ll wear something to cover my eyes.”

“Phew… don’t do that.”

Evelina smiled unconsciously at his words.

So the two decided to change each other’s clothes.

Kaiden quickly took off his clothes and raised his arm as if he were waiting for her to dress him. She tried to tiptoe over his head to get him a new white shirt.

Then he tried to get dressed, bending his large body.

“Oh, this….”

She smiled involuntarily when she realized that it was worn as a jacket, not as a top.

“It’s not something to wear on top.”

“I see.”

She tried to hide her embarrassment and went behind him and put her arm in. And then he cleared it up. He changed quickly as she wandered over her black coat, feeling anxious that she might even change his pants.

“I’ll wear my coat later. You’d better change, Lina.”

“Shall we?”

She responded like that and saw him approaching to take off her dress. He released the hook from her back with great ease.

Evelina saw that he was used to taking off the woman’s clothes, and was convinced that what she thought was not wrong.

But she turned around and didn’t know. That his hands were shaking. And even how red his face was.

“Should I take off my negligee?”

Evelina asked him with an innocent look on his face. Then he nodded.

She had to take off her dress negligee because she had to wear thin, short underwear inside her riding clothes.

“I’m embarrassed, even though I can already see your body.”

“I’ve never seen it all.”

He spoke comfortably of her, but she laughed more wary of his manner.

He couldn’t bear to take off the negligee and clenched his fist, so she took off her clothes first. Evelina had a hard time ignoring her pounding heart and shame. But she was pretending nothing happened.

In fact, nothing did.

She looked at Kaiden, pretending nothing of her tears in shame. Then she said shyly, putting her arms around my chest.

“I think it’ll all crumple if you squeeze your clothes so hard.”

“ah… Yes. sorry. I am… .”

He sighed and covered her with a short piece of negligee in his hand.

He thought her thin briefs might be released by the wind coming in through the window. It was a very thin, lace string, so he could almost break it when he pulled it.

“Why don’t you change alone?”

“Why? You don’t want to change?”

“No… it’s not like that.”

“Then?”

When she asked provocatively, he couldn’t bear to say. His heart sounded so loud when their eyes met.

She opened her lips gently as if responding to the abominable fake heart rate.

“Do you hate touching me?”

She looked at him seductively. He looked at her pink lips for a moment and swallowed his breath. Soon his hand was drawn to her collarbone.

“No.”

She smiled at his firm words. But her relaxed smile was so weak that her loud heartbeat was obvious.

“Well…”

Soon after, he lowered his hand under her collarbone and stroked it, trembling nervously.

“I heard about the folic acid.”

“Oh… that’s…”

Evelina dodged his gaze a little embarrassed by the flesh he was touching.

“Did you really take medicine for pregnancy?”

But even when her gaze was elsewhere, she wasn’t unaware that Kaiden was looking at her.