Chapter 90

So the morning of July 6th came. July 7th was the day Evelina died in the original novel.

“You skipped your meal too much, Lina.”

“It’s because I’m with Kaiden. I’d rather do something else than eat.”

At her words, he smiled at her innocent face and hugged Evelina tightly.

“My parents are leaving today, right?”

“Yes.”

“I want to see them off.”

“All right. They’re scheduled to leave at 12 o’clock today.”

Kaiden prepared meticulously and told Evelina, who thought he was listening to her because he was drunk on victory. Perhaps that’s why all this fast-paced work was fortunate.

She was gonna die tonight. So it was fortunate that she could die after seeing her adoptive parents leave.

No matter how drunk he was on the victory, she couldn’t help but feel that he was that much reluctant to leave her adoptive parents in the Abelard Empire.

So she smiled bitterly and hugged Kaiden.

“Meal…”

“Stay with me a little longer. Yes?”

Evelina smiled at Kaiden. When she thought it was all over soon, she didn’t even have to fake a smile anymore. There was a real laugh. For someone who would die soon, everything felt beautiful.

“Lina.”

“Yes.”

“Please smile a little more like that. It’s so… beautiful.”

Kaiden looked at her, captivated. He liked the way Evelina woke up after falling asleep, disturbed by him. Her hair was strangely tousled, and there were marks from his clutching and releasing her.

It wasn’t just the hair. The lip marks on her neck, and the petal marks on her collarbone and chest.

He was mesmerizingly watching her like that. Then, when he made eye contact with her, his heart skipped a beat. It was as if a heavy weight had been attached to his heart, and with every beat it seemed to be driven down to the ground and then found its way again.

He unconsciously touched Evelina’s pink lips. He coveted her lips so tenaciously that they were very swollen. When he realized that he was completely to blame for her condition, he blushed.

When he saw Evelina looking at him, he heard her heart beating like his.

Kaiden thought she felt the same way he did. Even though she didn’t remember when she first met him.

Even if she didn’t have memories of her 14 year old self with his 10-year-old self, in the poorhouse.

She loved him.

The fact made him crazy happy. It seemed as if it was fate for them to fall in love under any circumstances.

“I love you.”

Kaiden looked at her, and Evelina laughed and said.

“We’re really going to have ten children.”

At that moment, very briefly, if she lived without dying, and if she hadn’t met him as the enemy’s family.

Then it wouldn’t hurt to live like that with him. She thought for a moment.

Then she thought she was lucky to die before she fell completely in love with this psychopath. She really didn’t want to expect anything from him after she shared her body.

“Come here.”

“I…”

Kaiden took her hand as she pulled him closer.

“I love you more, Lina. A lot.”

“Ah…”

“I will continue to do so.”

Evelina kissed him first because his words made her heart ache.

So they shared their bodies until daylight.

Evelina and Kaiden were able to finish their preparations and leave around the right time to see off the Marquis of Logias before they left.

~~~~

“We see the sun and moon of the Empire.”

Evelina was able to come out to her adoptive parents’ mansion. With Kaiden.

She saw Ianathas standing near her adoptive parents and looked at him for a moment. Then Kaiden, conscious of her eyes, opened his mouth.

“The Marquis of Logias and the Marquis of Peran have decided to move together.”

“Oh… really?”

“Yes, but the Marquis of Peran will return after seeing him off.”

Evelina was relieved by the words. If Ianathas went with him, he would be able to arrive safely in the Kingdom of Tenesi.

“Thank you for your consideration, Kaiden.”

“No problem*.”

*TN: Direct translation was no which is how Koreans answer to ‘thank you’s

Marquis Logias stared blankly at Evelina and bowed his head. Evelina tried to speak her harsh words when she realized that it was her last day. After she died, she wanted Kaiden to forgive the Marquis of Logias and forget them completely.

But when she saw her father’s face, she couldn’t.

“It’s Lina.”

When Marquis Logias called Evelina, she shook her fist and said,

“Have a good life, father.”

“…Okay.”

“You must.”

“Yes…”

Evelina had tears in her eyes, but she smiled. Marquis Logias was looking at his toes as if avoiding her gaze.

“I’ll be going now. Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Kaiden looked coldly at the Marquis of Logias, and Evelina looked at Kaiden’s expression again.

So she was more relieved. She felt like she confirmed that the strange feelings she felt for him were actually her own misunderstanding.

“Let’s go back, Kaiden.”

Evelina turned coldly around and folded her arms with Kaiden’s. As she acted like that, Kaiden smiled contently and took her in the carriage.

~~~~

It was in the carriage going back to the Imperial Palace.

When Evelina suddenly thought that today was the last day, she felt somewhat sorry.

“Kaiden.”

“I’m listening.”

Evelina felt like he was going to do her a favor, so she made eye contact with him sitting opposite her, and soon went to the other seat and sat down. Embracing his arms and touching his chest, Evelina said with a smile.

“Because we came out of the Imperial Palace like this…”

She folded her eyes as if to ask and said with a smile.

“Why don’t we take a look outside?”

He opened his eyes wide for a moment at her words and asked.

“Did you remember anything?”

“What? Oh, yes.”

Evelina couldn’t figure out what he was saying, but she flinched and said so.

“Then… How about going to that place?”

“That place?”

She seemed disappointed at the drooping corners of his eyes.

“I like it. Seriously.”

She didn’t know where he was talking about, but she said so. She had one day left anyway. That too was now nine hours away.

Even though she had been married to him for a month, it was like a real war, but in retrospect, it wasn’t all that bad.

When it was time to say goodbye, everything seemed good. She tried to stay sane, trying to wrap up all the worst of the month.

In fact, when she realized that her adoptive parents had left and that she had less than nine hours left to live, she was terrified.

Even her childhood friend and reliable Ianathas. Because he wouldn’t be around when she died.

She tried to think only of the good side to forget her fears like that. She couldn’t possibly live with bad thoughts.

“Can I get some alcohol on the way?”

“Puh…”

Her words made him laugh.

“Do you want to get drunk again like you did back then?”

“Yes, I want to drink a lot. Kaiden also drinks a lot. What?”

When Evelina said that, his eyes widened and he smiled. She stared at his innocent smile involuntarily. Then, when she realized that even those eyes were acting, a part of her heart felt oddly lonely.

“Do you remember the color of rum you said you wanted to drink at the Secreto pier?”

Evelina thought of something for a moment.

“It was green, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

She answered so without realizing it, and he smiled happier than anyone else and hugged Evelina. He stayed there for such a long time, as if he was glad that she was snuggled in his arms, in a gentle embrace.

~~~~

It was the time they arrived at Secreto Square. It was a small area on the outskirts of the capital. Closer to a port city.

“I’m getting off here. Guard, but stay out of sight. I’ll take care of it if it bothers me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After saying that, Kaiden hugged Evelina and got off. Then he made her stand on her floor and wrapped her black robe around her.

“I think it’s a little late to change.”

Evelina wondered if time had passed like this before she knew it. At 12 o’clock she was going to send off the Marquis of Logias, but after she prepared this and that and spoke, it was 3 o’clock. The Marquis of Logias was also late for departure.

It was about half past five now. The year was not too long because it was still early summer. Maybe that’s why the sun was going to set in about an hour.

“I feel like I’ve come too far.”

“It’s because you don’t come out of the palace often.”

Evelina suddenly felt familiar with the scenery of Secreto. This was also the place where she was in the poorhouse.

Because it was a port city right next to the capital.

“Where do you buy alcohol?”

“The store is still there, Lina. Give me your hand.”

Before she knew it, Evelina saw Kaiden wearing a long black robe and a hood like her. His red eyes seemed to be more visible when he wore a hood.

“Lina.”

As she gazed in rapture, he kissed the back of Evelina’s hand with the same blissful smile she had seen earlier, and said.

“Lina can’t hide her beauty no matter what she covers.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m nervous because of you. It’s not just me that looks beautiful.”

She didn’t want to hear what he had to say, so she put her arms around him.

“Let’s go. I can’t wait to drink.”

Somehow, as she came here and walked, the strange things she saw in her dreams, and the strange memories she often felt, began to come to mind like reality.

The moments she and Kaiden spent together as children.