Chapter 55

Chapter 55

“….”

I hurriedly finished my work and stepped back. Of course, I could not answer, and I had no intention of doing it.

“Good night, Evelyn.”

Cassius, who seemed to have a difficult time raising his head due to being tied up, greeted me softly. Instead of answering, I pulled the blanket up all the way to my neck and shut my eyes. I just wanted to fall asleep quickly and get out of this bizarre situation.

However, falling asleep was harder than I thought.

Even when I closed my eyes, I could feel the breath of Cassius on the back of my neck, and his quiet voice continued to ring in his ears.

“My heart races to be able to be by your side like this.”

Strength entered my fist that was holding the blanket.

Now, I knew

There was no need for me to be nervous from the beginning. I did not have to tie him up because Cassius would not have touched me…

Because he loves me that much

Because he did not want to be hated.

Obviously, the nature of Cassius Brudenell was not significantly different from that of the original. Nevertheless, he was showing me a different side from the original—desperately enough to feel pathetic.

I sighed.

‘…Really, he likes me.’

It was only now that I could clearly see how naive I was in trying to attract Hermia. It was because Cassius Brudenell loves me, Evelyn Garneid. No matter how hard I struggle to escape, it will not work even if my mind cools down.

‘Should I give up?’

I gave up trying to sleep and gazed up at the ceiling blankly. It did not seem like my heart would cool down easily.

Marrying him like this, becoming the Duke of Brudenell’s next mistress, living with Cassius all my life, and giving birth to his child…

Just a few months ago, just imagining this would have given me goosebumps.

But now, it is different. I still dislike it and am reluctant. Of course, if I could avoid that fate, I would do anything. Still, just thinking of him now was not as bad as it used to be when I used to be filled with fear and disgust.

The reason was simple.

It was because I was convinced that Cassius Brudenell would not hurt me.

Even if I get married, if I vehemently refuse, he will never touch me without my permission. Yes, I could live the way I am now without having to get away from him because Cassius Brudenell is afraid of being hated by me since he wants to win my heart.

However…

‘…How long will it last?’

I remember the journey of Cassius that was mentioned over and over again in the original novel. The words were a revelation, unilateral violence towards Ophelia.

Right now, he wants to win my heart, so he is hiding it, though I do not know when it will happen again.

‘Still…’

I can rest assured now. The serenity provided by that fact made my body tired by itself. Before I knew it, my eyes slowly closed.

It was the first true gift that Cassius gave me.

* * *

The red-haired noblewoman set the teacup down on the expensive mahogany table.

“That’s how it happened.”

“…Yes.”

I bowed my head gloomy in front of Hermia.

“I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry about? There must be strange rumors circulating about Lord Karthus and the Young Lady, though it has nothing to do with me.”

I swallowed a sigh.

Yes, Hermia was right.

I fell asleep and woke up to a commotion and found that a group of servants was trembling when they saw Cassius. It was only half a day later that I found out that all of them must have thought I had tied him to the post of the bed for a hot night between lovers…

Of course, no one would openly ridicule the heir of the Duke and his fiancée, but false rumors would have spread.

‘I wish Ophelia did not know about this…’

Hermia went to the main point as if she did not care about my concerns.

“This solved my curiosity… The Young Lady must be wondering how things got so messed up.”

“I think I know.”

I answered frankly.

“Lord Cassius must have done something. Don’t Your Highness think so?”

“Well, it’s something like that.”

Hermia shook her head as if she was dumbfounded before continuing, “There was a new device added to that device. It took me a while to get it off.”

“…That seems like Lord Cassius.”

To be honest, it was not surprising anymore. Perhaps, I knew from the beginning that the plan would fail.

“Did nothing happen?”

“Yes”

I nodded my head.

“The Lord didn’t put a finger on me.”

“So that’s what happened.”

Hermia nodded her head with a face that seemed somewhat satisfied.

‘….?’

I blinked my eyes. Of course, I thought that she must be angry. However, today’s Hermia seems to be in quite a good mood.

“I… Were you not disappointed?”

“What? Me?”

Hermia stared at me with her round eyes.

“Yes. If the plan had succeeded, Lord Cassius and I would have broken the marriage safely already by now.”

“Ah, that’s what you’re talking about.”

Hermia leaned towards me. She smelled like a mixture of fresh grass and fresh orange. Most likely, this must also be a high-end perfume.

“I decided to give up.”

“Yes…?”

At her words, my head went blank for a moment. It was Hermia who wanted Cassius so much, though she was simply going to give up after running into this much trouble…?

“Originally, I was going to take him by force, but… It turns out that the Lord likes Young Lady very much.”

“…That’s right.”

It was so true that I had no choice but to agree.

“Well, there’s nothing more foolish than clinging to a hopeless thing. Besides, Lord Cassius…”

Hermia grimaced before adding.

“Sometimes, I feel like I’m dealing with someone who’s not a human being.”

“That’s exactly right.”

I laughed bitterly. It seemed that Ophelia and I were not the only ones who recognized the inhuman side of Cassius Brudenell.

Hermia stared into space.

“I have to find another man. This time, a more docile and manageable man.”

I hurriedly asked the question. The man who would become Hermia’s new target was none of my business.

“Well, then Lord Cassius…”

“Ah, Young Lady hated Lord Cassius so much, didn’t she? You did say you had another man you loved.”

I guess I made a funny face at that moment. Looking at Hermia’s reaction, she was smiling as she opened her mouth again.

“Whether that’s true or false, I have no intention of meddling with the Lord anymore.”

“But, I…!”

I was impatient at the thought of losing my chance to escape from Cassius, so I spoke up again.

“Oh, do you hate him so much?”

“…Yes.”

In fact, although the thought that it was not that bad ran through my head, I tried to ignore it. The best opportunity was running out. Because of that, I had a strong desire to cling to Hermia somehow.

“All right. As I was watching the two of you, I was starting to think that Young Lady was too much for the Lord.”

“…Yes?”

I asked back with a puzzled face.

Am I too deserving of Cassius? Was it not the other way around…?

Seeing my reaction, Hermia laughed softly.

“Come to me if you want.”

“What do you mean…”

“It means, I’ll protect you from Cassius Brudenell.”

“….!”

My eyes opened wide on their own.

I immediately understood the meaning of her words, still, I could not figure out why she was saying those words to me.

“You know, the Duke’s family can’t compete with the Imperial Family. If the man you really love exists, you’d better come to me.”

It was such a generous offer. It was also a proposal that would have been tempting if the situation had been slightly different. Even if you are the heir to the Duke’s family, you would not be able to touch the Princess recklessly.

The problem was that in the original story, Cassius had already won a head-to-head battle with the Princess. Even if a lot had changed, even the basic conflict structure and his ability to ignore the structure would not have changed.

And, above all else, the biggest problem is…

“May I ask you one thing?”

I lifted my head and looked straight at Hermia. The Princess, who looked so confident, did not seem to realize how dangerous the proposal she had made was.

“Of course.”

“Why are you doing this for me? I mean… I’m your love rival.”

“Love rival?”

Hermia snorted.

“It would be a romantic rival if the Young Lady and I loved the same man at the same time. However, both you and I, too, are far from loving Lord Cassius.”

“….”

“But, this is what Young Lady wanted to ask, right? Why do I dare to go out and help you?”

“…Yes.”

I nodded quietly.

“It’s simple.”

Saying so, she reached out and tucked my hair behind my ear. It seemed to have become quite messy without me knowing it.

“I like the Young Lady quite a bit.”

A confident, arrogant, relaxed smile spread across her face.

“That’s all.”