Chapter 27: The Unpredictable Fiancee

Chapter 27

It was utterly preposterous how she had skirted the very edge of the line he’d drawn, practically wagging her tail.

Yet, this feeling did not curdle into disgust; instead, it ignited a spark of competitive spirit within Erich.

Evening wasn’t merely feigning pride, treating him like an insect, nor was she cowering in fear of death, bowing her head subserviently.

She knelt, throwing her whole being into the gesture, yet her voice betrayed no hint of wounded pride.

This unexpected demeanor sparked a nascent curiosity within Erich.

He found himself wondering about Evening’s true intentions.

Was she attempting to seduce him with love, perhaps to reform him? Or was she feigning affection to lull him into a false sense of security, only to stab him in the dead of night?

It was even possible she harbored a long-term scheme to slowly devour the nation over several years.

After bearing his child, she could dethrone him at an opportune moment, placing their successor on the imperial throne. This would naturally allow Evening to assume regency. As the Margrave’s daughter, it was plausible she harbored one or two such intricate plots.

“Rise, Eve.”

Kneeling on one knee, Erich grasped Evening’s shoulder. He gently helped her up, as if encouraging her from her prostrate position.

“If this is because you doubt my true intentions, then I suppose I must forgive you this once. It’s certainly more subdued than demanding I prove my love in a duel to the death. There’s nothing for it.”

“Really? How incredibly generous of you. I feel like I might just fall for you.”

Her words, however, subtly implied she hadn’t yet. Erich was well-accustomed to such crooked reasoning.

He rose from his knee, then toyed with Evening’s hair.

Gathering a handful and pulling her closer, he found her body drawn even nearer than if he’d grabbed her by the collar.

“I, too, sometimes find myself worrying when I look at you… What if the Margrave still dislikes me? Are you truly ready to become my wife? As you know, having failed twice, I’ve grown quite suspicious.”

His words, sharp as blades, threatened Evening’s composure.

While her bowing meant the matter with Greg was concluded, Erich had no intention of letting it pass entirely without consequence.

“My feelings towards the Duke, in particular, are rather sour. People keep linking you two together, saying how well you suit each other, and it makes me quite jealous.”

“Of course! I would have been disappointed if you hadn’t been jealous. And the Duke truly went too far. Saying he ‘could have married me instead of someone else’s fiancée’ is practically asking for a fight with anyone. I’ll hit him next time.”

Evening clenched her fist and made a clumsy punching motion.

It was impossible to tell how serious she truly was.

While their magical firepower might not differ significantly, Greg held a clear advantage in experience. Imagining the clash of fire against ice was certainly intriguing, yet Evening’s expression lacked any solemnity, making her words seem almost playful.

Then again, she was a woman who rarely acted according to his expectations, so anything was possible.

As Erich seriously observed Evening’s clenched fist, something suddenly occurred to him. He lifted his gaze from her small fist to her petite face.

“But Eve, what made you so certain?”

“Pardon? Certain of what?”

“That I care for you. I don’t recall giving you such assurance in such a short time.”

Looking back, before the explosion, Evening had been hesitant and uncertain.

Her confused expression, unsure how to answer his question about her kindness to Greg, was vivid in his memory, her anxiety palpable.

It wasn’t the face of someone whose secret had been exposed and was now terrified. Rather, she appeared deeply agitated for some unknown reason, seemingly unable to gather her bearings.

He couldn’t mistake that troubled face, devoid of any anger. Indeed, Evening’s anxious state had directly led to her uncontrolled outburst of magic.

Evening had honed her magic her entire life. The ice spreading wide beneath her feet had clearly manifested her unsettled heart.

Yet, after dying and returning, she now pledged her loyalty as naturally as flowing water.

Seeing the once flustered Evening so composed and resolute left him with a strange sense of dissonance.

“Was there something that could have changed your mind while I was unconscious?”

“Of course. You saved my life, didn’t you?”

Evening swung her still-clenched fist around. Her gaze, sharp and accusatory, seemed to ask, ‘Don’t you even know that?’

“That wasn’t particularly dangerous. You merely panicked foolishly at an explosion that occurred far away.”

An explosion occurring before the palace gates was indeed a significant event, directly impacting the imperial family’s prestige. However, to be clear, Erich and Evening themselves had not been in mortal danger.

The blast had occurred far beyond the distant wall, and it was Greg who, being present, had been caught in the accident.

Captain Mabel was injured jumping into the fray, and it was innocent citizens who tragically lost their lives.

Though the heat soaring into the sky was visible, and loud noises and screams tormented their ears, causing alarm, they had remained far from any actual danger.

The explosion had not engulfed the ground where they stood. Only the scattered, flaming debris posed a slight risk.

It was Evening, not Erich, who had been desperately trying to block those fragments.

Foolishly, she had stepped in front of his immortal self, conjuring a wall of ice.

She had turned pale with shock from the explosion, yet the sight of her blocking his path instead of fleeing had been utterly absurd.

“You just stumbled after flailing around trying to stop some flying debris. I’m not sure what you mean by ‘saving your life.'”

At this, Evening dropped her flippant, almost fawning expression, her eyes widening.

“You embraced me to protect me from harm, didn’t you? Thanks to that, I was completely fine.”

“You simply stumbled into my arms on your own accord.”

“Perhaps you don’t remember clearly, since it happened before you died? You embraced me to catch me when I fell, and as a result, only you, Lord Erich, were injured.”

“That…”

Memories from before his death were always hazy, but listening to Evening’s words, fleeting moments began to resurface.

“I fell backward while holding you.”

“Yes, because you embraced me.”

As they spoke, his fragmented memories began to align.

He remembered not Evening falling forward and pushing him, causing them both to tumble, but rather him extending his arms to pull her into an embrace when he saw her about to fall.

If he had dodged, Evening would have fallen onto the icicles that had shot up like spikes, likely sustaining serious injuries.

“…”

Erich, retracing his memories, fell silent.

He had, indeed, shielded Evening.

While calling it ‘saving her life’ might be an exaggeration, he had certainly embraced her to prevent injury, falling together.

What followed, however, was hardly a tale of pride. Unable to withstand Evening’s weight, he had fallen, and the combined mass had caused him to be properly impaled on the inverted icicles.

Pierced through the back, with a broken leg, he lay bleeding on the cold ice until he lost consciousness.

Fortunately, the extreme cold of the ice had numbed his body, preventing him from fully feeling the agony of his impaled wounds.

“Thanks to you, I wasn’t badly hurt at all. I just got a few bruises on my hands and knees from falling on the ice.”

She conspicuously displayed her palms, which bore no injuries. Seeing her own pristine hands, Evening gave a sheepish smile.

“My brother treated me first and then left. The injuries were minor, so they healed quickly.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Lord Erich, for saving me. That’s why I thought, ‘Lord Erich must really like me quite a bit.'”

“…For something so trivial.”

“Trivial? Lord Erich, you were terribly injured protecting me!”

Evening deliberately avoided mentioning Erich’s death. There was a certain awkwardness in stating, ‘He died saving me.’

“If a common citizen had done that, it would be a heroic act worthy of a medal.”

“But I don’t die.”

A sense of unease settled over Erich, and he frowned.

Even though it was his own action, receiving praise from Evening for it felt incredibly awkward.

He had instinctively shielded her to prevent her from getting hurt, but it wasn’t an act imbued with the special meaning Evening suggested. For him, life had become a trivial thing long ago.

Sometimes, his life felt less valuable than ten gold coins.

With painkillers, the agony was far less severe, and his eyes were spared the gruesome sight of his limbs festering and then regenerating.

“Even so, when you get hurt, you genuinely feel pain, don’t you? A stab wound hurts, a broken leg is agonizing. You cared for me enough to endure such suffering. If I were to still doubt you, Lord Erich, after receiving such consideration, I wouldn’t be human.”

“To be swayed by just that… you have an uncharacteristically easy side to you.”

“Easy? Who else would do something like that for me? If this isn’t love, then love doesn’t exist in this world.”

To put it crudely, if someone went that far for her, she might have even slept with them, even if she hadn’t initially been interested. Her mind had been that clouded with excitement, her heart that stirred.

Yet, to be entirely honest, Evening was keenly observing Erich’s true feelings, despite his crossed arms and grumpy demeanor.

Every time he was mistaken for having feelings for her, his face would stiffen.

While it wasn’t a face of utter hatred, the hint of wounded pride at the suggestion he had fallen for Evening remained evident.

“I know you didn’t save me because I’m uniquely special. You did it because you’re a kind-hearted person. Still, since you saved me, I can’t help but feel that I’m someone precious to you, Lord Erich.”

She didn’t believe Erich liked her enough to risk his life.

Her declarations of trusting his affection were merely a means to maintain a cordial relationship with him on the surface.

He did not love Evening.

Far from it, he likely still suspected her to be an enemy.