CH 13

Riett realized as she saw the approaching blade aimed at her. What Haart did in the book.

Yeah, Evan. It’s all his doing.

Blaming his brother, making him face execution.

Don’t be sad. Eventually, you’ll follow in your father’s footsteps too.

The existence of the duke in the original work was so insignificant that she hadn’t thought of it at all.

In the original, the duke is plotted against by Haart and meets his death. Haart’s greed didn’t stop there; he swung the knife at Evan.

But Riett didn’t know that the blade would be aimed at herself, not Evan.

‘I don’t have the swordsmanship skills to parry that like Evan…!’

Was she too conceited for a supporting character?

But if it followed the original, the duke would have been framed and executed!

In a fleeting moment, many thoughts passed through Riett’s mind.

“Riett!”

The man who was in the defendant’s seat seemed to be running towards him in slow motion.

The duke… She appreciates it, but it seems a little too late.

Riett closed her eyes tightly while facing the blade that came dangerously close to her nose.

‘Huh?’

But no matter how long she waited, she didn’t feel any pain.

When she gently opened her eyes, she saw Evan’s back.

“…Evan.”

Evan, who knows when he intervened, was holding the approaching blade with his hand.

Thud, thud.

Blood dripped from Evan’s palm and fell to the ground along the blade.

“Damn it!”

Dumbfounded, Haart stood still and was eventually captured by the guards. Riett hastily examined Evan’s palm.

“Are you insane? What if you held the knife barehanded?!”

“…I didn’t have time to think.”

Evan’s face turned pale.

“It was scary… I didn’t know what would happen to you, Riett.”

“You idiot, worry about your hand!”

Riett shouted angrily, and only then did color return to Evan’s face.

“I’m fine, Riett.”

“What do you mean ‘fine’? It’s a close call!”

Evan showed a tender smile towards Riett, who anxiously examined his palm.

“Let me do this much too.”

* * *

It’s over now.

It’s truly over. Duke Kreutz’s innocence has been proven, and Haart has been imprisoned.

The fact that Lady Kreutz, whom everyone thought was dead, is actually alive came as a momentary shocking revelation.

Fortunately, due to the public’s concern for the grieving Lord Kreutz and Evan, the scandal was buried under public opinion.

It remained a fact that no one knew the whereabouts of Lady Kreutz, but on the contrary, the duke, caught up in the scandal, became the protagonist of a poignant love story, moving people’s hearts.

“But where did that skeleton come from?”

On a sunny afternoon, Riett asked Duke Kreutz while eating a cookie.

“They say there’s another trial underway to reveal its origin. Depending on the outcome, Haart’s execution will be determined.”

“He’s truly a terrifying person.”

Contrary to her words, Riett’s tone didn’t sound scared at all.

“Riett, do you know what I realized through all this?”

“What is it?”

“Even if you think you know someone, you may not really know them at all.”

It was understandable. After all, Riett had received a heavy blow from her trusted younger brother.

“When you become a nobleman, as I said before, you’ll encounter as many bad people as good people around you.”

“Oh, yes, I remember!”

“I’m embarrassed to have said that without properly taking care of you.”

Duke Kreutz chuckled softly.

“What about me? Mister. Can you trust me?”

Riett playfully asked, and Lord Kreutz leaned close to Riett’s ear and whispered.

“Don’t tell Evan.”

“Okay.”

“Although I can’t trust my son, Evan, I trust you, Riett.”

Satisfied with the answer, Riett burst into laughter. Then, something came to mind.

“Mister, what will you do with that room?”

The room Riett mentioned was Lady Kreutz’s room. The room remained untouched, despite her running away with another man.

“I suppose it’s time to tidy it up.”

Lord Kreutz’s calm demeanor was quite different from before.

Whenever he spoke about his wife, his eyes were always filled with bitterness, but it seemed that this incident had completely freed him from that.

“Well, how about making that room your own, Riett?”

Riett’s hand, which was holding the cookie, froze in mid-air.

“What?”

It seemed like a suggestion to have a room of her own there.

‘Hmm…’

Having a room would allow her to move around more freely and the food there tasted better. The only concern was…

‘Evan.’

Riett’s eyes narrowed as she pondered.

“Do you still dislike Evan, Riett?”

Pointing out what Riett had been thinking, she scratched her head.

‘Do I still dislike him?’

When she was young, she couldn’t help but dislike someone who would later play around with her feelings.

And she had maintained that sentiment out of inertia, but her relationship with Evan had developed differently from the original work.

If she were to define their relationship, it was naturally friendship rather than love.

She, unlike the Riett in the original story, didn’t have a crush on Evan, and Evan didn’t feel any romantic attraction towards her.

Above all, after spending several years together up close, their relationship had become more like deep affection. Especially since Evan even got injured in her place recently.

It was a truly perplexing question as to how to answer.

“If it’s not dislike, how about getting engaged to Evan?”

“Pffft!”

Riett spewed out all the tea she had just sipped.

She almost turned the room upside down. Fortunately, she quickly changed direction and avoided that catastrophe.

Looking at Duke Kreutz with a shocked expression, Duke Kreutz pursed his lips as if saying, “Is it still too much?”

Nevertheless, it seemed that he wasn’t ready to give up, as Duke Kreutz spoke again.

“Of course, Riett, you might not measure up to Evan, but his conditions aren’t bad either.”

“……”

“He has a handsome face, a sharp mind, and he will inherit the noble title.”

Duke Kreutz was more persistent than Riett had expected. He whispered as if it were his last resort.

“Above all, I have some wealth that I could pass on to Evan.”

In the end, Riett couldn’t hold back and shouted, 

“Mister!”

Duke Kreutz cleared his throat and calmed Riett down.

“Alright, Riett. Let’s stop.”

“Yes, please.”

“Actually, it’s all my greed. I wish you were my daughter, Riett, but I can’t adopt a perfectly fine child with parents….”

Duke Kreutz seemed a bit melancholic.

“So, I had hoped to at least have a daughter-in-law….”

Although Riett liked Duke Kreutz, it didn’t mean she wanted to become a daughter-in-law. Just thinking about becoming a couple with that guy made her face cringe.

And above all, Evan already had a designated partner.

“Don’t worry, Mister. You’ll find another wonderful daughter-in-law in the future.”

“No, Riett! It’s pointless without you!”

Riett comforted the melancholic Duke Kreutz by patting his back.

Only now, when he didn’t know who Evan would end up with, did he react like this. But when he actually faced the prospective daughter-in-law, Duke Kreutz would be different.

She was none other than a saint.

And when that time came, Evan and she would naturally drift apart.

* * *

“Evan, is your hand okay?”

After the doctor’s examination, Riett entered Evan’s room. Evan, upon seeing Riett, stood up from his seat.

“I was about to go downstairs.”

“Why? I just wanted to make sure your hand is okay.”

Riett approached and gently touched Evan’s hand. It was wrapped in bandages.

“It might be uncomfortable for a while, but it will heal soon.”

Riett nodded in response to Evan’s explanation.

“That’s a relief.”

Evan’s complexion looked fine, indicating that his condition wasn’t too serious.

“Well then, I’ll go.”

Since she knew he was fine, there was no reason for her to stay there. So Riett said her goodbyes and was about to leave.

“Just a moment.”

Evan’s voice stopped Riett. When she turned back, Evan was looking at her with a serious expression.

“Why?”

“Riett, do you remember when I said I had something to tell you at my father’s birthday party?”

His serious tone triggered a déjà vu as Riett recalled what Evan had said.

“I have something to tell you after the party tomorrow.” 

“It’s nothing important, just wait and see.” 

“It’s nothing significant.” 

He had said it with such gravity back then as well. That day, she couldn’t hear what he wanted to say because of the commotion surrounding Haart being taken away.

He’ll finally say it.

“Oh, I remember.”

Riett replied, and Evan approached closely. As she looked at him approaching, her gaze gradually went up.

‘Has he grown taller in just a few days?’

While complaining inwardly, Evan came close in a flash.

“What’s wrong? Why are you getting so close?”

“Riett.”

Evan took hold of Riett’s hand.

“To be honest, on a day when I looked cool, I wanted to confess. But I missed the chance.”

Before she could even attempt to pull her captured hand away, Evan kissed the back of Riett’s hand. Then his dark pupils turned towards Riett.

Riett was taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.

“I like you, Riett.”

“…….”

“I want to get engaged to you.”

The word “engagement” seemed even more shocking than saying “I like you.”

Engagement.

The shock of hearing it from Evan’s mouth was on a completely different level than hearing it from the duke.

‘Engagement? Evan and I…?’

Is this guy in his right mind?

As if a cold shower had been poured on her, her senses suddenly sharpened. Riett withdrew her hand from Evan’s grasp and spoke.

“Do you… do you know what engagement means?”

Damn it, she can’t even speak properly because of her confusion.

While Riett was flustered, Evan remained calm. As if someone who had practiced and prepared for a long time.

“Of course.”

“I know, but to say such things…”

“I want to get engaged first, and then I want to marry you as soon as I make my debutante debut.”

The word “marry” made Riett stiffen once again.

“I’ve been wanting to say this all along, so I was getting impatient.”

“……”

“After going through this incident, I became certain. If I let you go, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

What is this guy talking about? Riett felt her mouth go dry, and she managed to speak up.

“You’re just misunderstanding because you’re still young.”

“…Riett.”

“You’ll regret it later.”

He was clearly mistaken. Because they had been together since childhood, he had mistaken their friendship for affection.

Riett was more certain because she knew how passionately Evan would come to love the female protagonist in the original story.

This confession right now was very impulsive. But it seemed that he didn’t see it that way.

“It’s okay to reject my confession, but don’t deny my feelings.”

Evan’s eyes, visible through his lowered eyebrows, trembled as if they had been wounded.

But she can be sure. It might hurt now, but there will come a day when he will regret this confession.

“I’m sorry, Evan.”

“…So it’s a rejection.”

Despite his pitiful tone, Evan’s expression wasn’t as gloomy as she had expected.

“To be honest, I already knew. I knew Riett would reject me.”

Then why did he confess and cause a scene?

He just made her heart unnecessarily flustered. Fortunately, it seemed that his feelings weren’t as deep as she thought. Just when Riett felt relieved,

“But Riett.”

“…Yes?”

“I won’t give up.”

Evan’s eyes were solely focused on Riett. As if he couldn’t afford to miss a single moment.

“Because there’s only Riett for me.”

He said it as if he would never let go.