Chapter 14

At that moment, the smile on Seth’s face vanished, replaced by an expressionless look.  

“A messenger?”  

“It doesn’t seem so.”  

“Stop the carriage. I’ll handle this myself.”  

His voice was calm but cold. Evelyn hid her unease and asked,  

“Should I get out of the carriage too?”  

“No, it’s fine. I’ll take care of it quickly.”  

Seth, as if to reassure her, patted the back of her hand before opening the carriage door and stepping out. Evelyn crept toward the door and peeked outside through the gap in the curtains.  

The first thing she saw was Seth’s back. Kneeling in front of him was a knight she had never seen before, likely the person who had been following the carriage.  

“Apologies for my rudeness. I am Kitsridell of the Silver Lily Knights.”  

The knight bowed his head deeply, looking genuinely apologetic.  

Seth looked down at him without saying a word. It wasn’t until the knight began to fidget uncomfortably that Seth finally spoke.  

“You followed me without permission. I could cut you down on the spot, and you’d have no right to complain.”  

“Your anger is justified. However, Her Majesty had a message for Young Lady Evelyn, and I had no choice but to commit this offense.”  

What? For me?  

Evelyn perked up her ears, eager to hear what would come next. But Seth interrupted the knight’s words.  

“I won’t listen.”  

What?  

The knight, just as shocked as Evelyn, raised his voice.  

“But Her Majesty specifically instructed me to deliver this message!”  

“No matter what you say, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it. Leave.”  

“If you do this, I’ll have no choice but to report everything to Her Majesty as it is.”  

“Go ahead. Tell Her Majesty that my patience ran out when she tried to take my fiancée away. She’ll understand.”  

The subtle anger in Seth’s calm tone made the knight fall silent. He became the second clam of the day.  

Seth turned away from the silent clam and opened the carriage door. Evelyn quickly returned to her seat, pretending she hadn’t been eavesdropping. Seth, who had clearly seen through her, teased,  

“Eve, eavesdropping is a bad habit.”  

How did he know?  

Evelyn cleared her throat awkwardly to hide her embarrassment.  

“If I hadn’t listened, I wouldn’t know what you did out there. Now what do we do? We have no idea what Her Majesty wanted to say to me.”  

“I already know what Her Majesty wanted to say, and I was going to tell you anyway.”  

“What? How do you know without listening?”  

Evelyn widened her eyes in surprise, and Seth, chuckling softly, climbed back into the carriage. The carriage resumed its journey as if nothing had happened. It wasn’t until the carriage picked up speed again that Seth spoke.  

“Her Majesty likely wanted to remind you to keep your promise. But since sending an official messenger would hurt her pride, she secretly sent a knight instead.”  

“A promise? I didn’t promise Her Majesty anything.”  

“Think carefully.”  

Evelyn racked her brain but couldn’t recall making any promises to the King.  

The King had asked her to become a maid, and Evelyn had said she’d discuss it with Seth. That was all.  

Seth, as if helping her recall, said,  

“Her Majesty said she’d give you a day, didn’t she?”  

“Yes.”  

“You interpreted that as her giving you a day to think about it.”  

“…Wasn’t it?”  

“It meant she expected your agreement in a day.”  

Seth, careful not to hurt Evelyn’s feelings, explained the King’s intentions.  

From the beginning, it seemed Evelyn, who was no more than a slave from a vassal state, had no right to refuse the King’s proposal.  

Seth, her protector, could refuse on her behalf, but the King had taken Evelyn to another palace under the pretense of treatment. Seth, knowing the King’s true intentions, had no choice but to comply out of concern for Evelyn’s health.  

In the end, Evelyn was destined to remain trapped in the palace until she agreed to become a maid.  

“The maid who didn’t bring you clothes was probably ordered not to let you leave. Of course, the order wouldn’t have come directly from the head maid, Fiona, but rather as a secret instruction from the King.”  

Well, it wouldn’t reflect well on the King if a mere slave rejected her proposal. Evelyn understood this but couldn’t help feeling upset. 

What a filthy royal system.  

“Then why not just give me a direct order? Why pretend I have a choice?”  

“That’s how those in power operate.”  

Seth’s calm response left Evelyn momentarily speechless.  

They don’t issue orders; they make people obey willingly. They don’t take what they want; they make others offer it up. Evelyn didn’t understand such methods, nor did she want to.  

‘But if I’m going to become a stand-in, I’ll probably have to learn about these things.’  

Suddenly, the road ahead seemed long and arduous.  

Evelyn slumped onto the cushion in defeat. Seth, as if to console her, stroked her head. The sensation of his leather gloves wasn’t particularly pleasant, but the gesture itself was comforting.  

“Tired?”  

“I’m tired, but I’m also embarrassed about how clueless I was.”  

The King must have been just as flustered, dealing with a clueless slave who didn’t even understand her intentions. Feeling disheartened, Evelyn muttered under her breath, and Seth paused his hand for a moment.  

“I’m actually impressed with you.”  

“In what way?”  

“You ruined both Her Majesty’s plan to make you a maid and my plan to secretly take you away. That’s an achievement no one else could have pulled off.”  

Was that a compliment? Or was he teasing me?

Evelyn studied him suspiciously but couldn’t tell. Testing him, she asked,  

“Are you impressed because I tried to escape through the window?”  

“Yes. Her Majesty must have been just as shocked as I was.”  

Seth laughed, like a boy, for the first time. It was a look Evelyn had never seen on him before. She gazed up at him in admiration before suddenly recalling something she had forgotten.  

“Come to think of it, when I was jumping, why were you standing there?”  

“Because I was worried about you.”  

Seth answered without hesitation.  

“I thought you might feel anxious waking up alone in an unfamiliar place. I also thought you might open the window and call for help.”  

Evelyn felt her heart skip a beat and was startled. Why was her heart acting up now?  

‘This is just humanity. I’m touched by my employer’s concern for his new hire.’  

As she repeated this mantra in her head, Seth gave her a strange look.  

“What’s with that expression?”  

“It’s my extremely moved face. I’m surprised and happy that you were worried about me.”  

Although Evelyn tried to explain herself, Seth’s brow furrowed slightly.  

“You must think I’m some heartless monster.”  

“No, why would you say that? I think you’re a good person, Duke.”  

“Not a workaholic who neglects others and throws them to the wolves, then?”  

“Gasp!”  

Come to think of it, Evelyn had said all sorts of things about Seth in front of the King—calling him a pervert, accusing him of relying on his good looks, and more.  

‘Isn’t calling a Duke a pervert grounds for execution?’  

Determined to survive, Evelyn said,  

“Duke, sometimes people say things they don’t mean. You understand, right?”  

“So you didn’t mean it?”  

“I said it with no real intention behind it.”  

Seth seemed to deliberate over whether to let this slide. Evelyn quickly clutched her forehead and pretended to sway.  

“Oh no, I feel dizzy!”  

She collapsed onto the cushion dramatically. Seth remained silent as he watched her act. Evelyn played dead with all her might. After a moment, Seth resumed stroking her head. 

Good, good. Let’s move on.  

“Eve.”  

At the sound of Seth’s voice, Evelyn’s shoulders flinched. Panicking, she summoned all her acting skills, but his voice was soft.  

“Sorry for making things hard for you.”  

It seemed this was what he truly wanted to say.  

Evelyn opened her eyes slightly. His unnervingly perfect face was looking at her. But the regret in his eyes was a feeling she couldn’t understand.  

After all, she was just a stand-in he had hired. There was no reason for him to feel sorry for her.  

‘Should I say it’s okay? Or should I act tough and say it’s no big deal?’  

But neither response seemed like it would ease Seth’s guilt. Sitting up straight, Evelyn cleared her throat and said,  

“Now that I think about it, this mission was really tough. So, I think I deserve a reward.”  

“A reward?”  

“Tough jobs should come with rewards. Pocket money, expensive gifts, delicious food—anything works.”  

Evelyn clasped her hands together and held them out as if asking for something. Seth asked seriously,  

“Pocket money, expensive gifts, delicious food. Anything else you want?”  

“No, I didn’t mean I want all of those.”  

Of course, she wouldn’t mind receiving them, but she only brought it up to make him feel less guilty.  

“As you said, tough jobs deserve proper rewards.”  

Wow, what a model employer of this era.  

Evelyn looked at him with sparkling eyes full of admiration. Seth stared at her intently.  

“So, tell me what you really want.”  

“Well…”  

What Evelyn truly wanted was to complete her mission safely. She didn’t desire anything beyond that.  

The more she wanted, the higher the chances of being eliminated. Even if Seth didn’t take action, his subordinates or the King might.  

Don’t desire useless things that could get you killed. 

That was the rule Evelyn had set for herself when she became a stand-in.  

‘But if I say I don’t need anything, I’ll look like a pushover.’  

Not wanting to appear like someone who could be exploited for free, Evelyn thought for a moment before coming up with a suitable reward.  

“Can I really say what I want?”  

“If it’s what you want, anything.”