EMW 50

Glasses, it must be glasses. It must be glasses. Some lewd demon must have possessed my soul, making me think such strange things!

I pulled my hand away and stepped back.

This is a moment of crisis.

If I'm not careful, I'm going to pounce on him. To see him naked... Aaaagh!

Think good thoughts!

Gasping for breath, I chose my words. Then I blurted them out quickly.

"A-and I had something to tell you!"

There was something I had been agonizing over how to say anyway. Now that he knows I'm not an idiot, I should just say it outright.

And it was also a suitable topic to calm me down, as I was overheating.

"I-I think Duke Spelman has hidden something in the museum!"

It was a conclusion I had reached by putting together several memories. Things I had thought were a little strange came to mind when I heard that Duke Spelman had given up Augustine to get the museum.

"T-there was something I thought was strange... Duke Spelman reacted a little sensitively to the basement!"

"Are you talking about the supply warehouse?"

Cerden said as if doing me a favor.

Why are you doing me a favor!

My breathing kept getting faster.

"No, no. The main building. He said that precious materials were stored there, so you shouldn't go in carelessly, but his reaction was a little strange."

I spoke quickly, like I was rapping.

It was the day I visited the museum with Veronica. Spelman coldly refused Veronica's request to see the stored materials.

'Lady wouldn't be able to recognize them even if she saw them. It's better to protect them than to damage them. For the sake of future scholars.'

Even I thought it was a nasty thing to say. Duke Spelman definitely did it on purpose. To upset Veronica and drive her away. Veronica wasn't the type to get stubborn and rush in, so she ran away with a flushed face.

Anyway, there's something there.

"The main building, huh."

Cerden nodded.

"That's helpful. I had to search in a limited amount of time."

I'm glad to hear that.

"...Then shouldn't we go quickly? You said time was short..."

Cerden stared at me with a low gaze. The gaze felt sharp through his glasses.

I swallowed.

Cerden smiled readily and let me go.

"Alright, I'll let you off the hook this time."

What are you letting me off the hook for?

...Thank you so much for letting me off the hook.

I fled from the spot.

* * *

Mortega examined Cerden, who was smiling. He had been alone with Evelyn for quite a long time, and since then, Cerden seemed to be in a much better mood.

He also looked refreshed, as if he had slept well, which he usually couldn't do.

Before Mortega could ask anything, Cerden spoke first.

"Did you search the basement of the museum's main building?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Cerden nodded.

"You didn't find anything strange?"

"Did you find something out? Nothing has come up so far."

Basement, basement. Cerden focused on those words. And he also remembered that Spelman had been involved in the construction of the building in various ways.

"...Have the floor of the basement archive completely torn up. See if anything else comes out from underneath. We need to hurry."

Mortega couldn't ask any more questions he was curious about. As Cerden said, there was no time. There were only 5 days left.

There was a mountain of things to be solved within that time. Mortega hurried out, and Cerden leaned back in his chair.

Cerden fiddled with his glasses, then took them off and placed them on the table.

"So, she runs away like this."

Occasionally, he felt Evelyn looking at him as if licking him with her eyes. Those eyes, which seemed to be drooling somewhere.

Things that weren't clear before became clear after yesterday's conversation.

He knew that look.

Rozalina often looked at Cerden with those eyes. The only difference was that Rozalina's gaze gave him the creeps, but Evelyn's...

It made him want to respond somehow.

Or rather, it made him feel impatient.

The way she subtly turned her eyes away, pretending not to notice when their eyes met, was even audacious.

It felt cute rather than unpleasant.

"Provoking me."

What he said to Evelyn was sincere.

He was letting her go this time only. He didn't intend to do that every time. Cerden wasn't a good man enough to turn a blind eye to such provocations.

Emotions kept arising in him because of Evelyn.

He got angry, worried, didn't understand... and felt fluttery.

Yes, that emotion was fluttery. He remembered Evelyn in the early dawn, sleeping in his arms.

She had a baby-like face.

Cerden was comforted by that peaceful, relieved face.

The sound of her soft breathing tickled his ears. Even though they were sleeping uncomfortably tangled together on the narrow sofa, he felt refreshed as if he had slept soundly.

That was probably the magic that Evelyn had cast. Evelyn was pitiful and pathetic.

But more than that... she was strange.

It was an emotion he had never experienced before. Something unknown that Cerden didn't know.

He could only feel it because it was Evelyn. For the first time, he didn't find a weaker and more fragile being disgusting.

The way she struggled and tried to protect herself was rather...

Threatening.

The way she burned with passion to protect others felt dangerous.

She kept shaking him up.

Incredibly intensely.

* * *

"Huff, huff."

I ran away with all my might.

I was serious when I said I might pounce on him if I wasn't careful. I had never experienced a man as handsome as him, and thanks to that, I had no immunity.

Cerden was probably just acting as usual without any intention, but I was the only one wavering.

"Let's not do this, Evelyn."

I pinched my cheek hard.

I should avoid being in the secret room as much as possible in the future... no, how can I avoid it. I drooped with a tearful face. There will be more and more situations where the two of us have to talk.

The fact that Cerden and I had a secret was exciting and dangerous.

Especially, I was in danger, me!

I need to train myself.

Should I do 108 prostrations? And meditate. I can only control the desires within me if I control myself.

I was returning to the Crown Princess's palace while having such idle thoughts when someone called me.

"Evelyn."

Ah.

"Ver?"

I blinked. Veronica ran to me with a pale face. That's right, Veronica was here too.

"Why are you walking around alone? What if you get lost? It's a big deal if you get caught up in something dangerous, Evelyn. You must never walk around alone."

Kind blue eyes that were worried about me. Knowing that she was the one who was almost kidnapped, she was only worried about me. I saw the maids lined up behind Veronica, patting my hand.

They all had faces with their own ulterior motives. Their gazes pulled me back to reality from the dreamlike state I had been in.

I still have to be the perfect idiot, Evelyn.

"Eeeing, I was playing hide-and-seek! Actually..."

"Yes, tell me."

"I went to see my husband! Julia won't let me eat candy."

"Aha. I see."

Veronica said with a serious face.

"Ung! She tells me to eat carrots and bell peppers too! Evelyn hates that so much!"

Veronica didn't seem to suspect my natural lies at all.

"Oh dear, so you went to Cerden."

"Ver hates it too, right? Ugh. It's really bad."

Veronica let out a faint sigh.

"Yes, I hate it. I'm glad to see you're safe. For a while, Cerden blocked any knights from entering Evelyn's palace."

That's Cerden's doing.

He had made my palace a completely clean zone. Even now, the empty palace was quiet and desolate.

"Oooong?"

I tilted my head as if I didn't know anything.

"Evelyn didn't know! Why?"

"I don't know. Cerden didn't tell me anything. I'll take you there, Evelyn."

Veronica's expression clouded over.

I should feel sorry for her, but for a moment, I felt even more sorry for Cerden.

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