Chapter 30

“See you tomorrow!”

Diana waved energetically. Evelyn waved back until Diana’s carriage disappeared from sight.

Standing quietly beside her, Seth spoke.

“She’s a sweet young lady.”

“R-right?”

Evelyn stammered, startled. She had thought Diana was cute as well, but hearing Seth say it gave her strange feelings.

What is this? Why do I feel this way?

Fidgeting, Evelyn glanced at Seth.

“Diana is a really kind and wonderful friend.”

“Is that so?”

“She’s not just cute; she’s also very pretty.”

Without much argument, Seth nodded. Evelyn glared at him sulkily. Normally so perceptive, he was as dense as a bear in moments like this. Sighing deeply, Evelyn tried to gently correct him.

“Your Grace, this is when you’re supposed to say, ‘No, you’re cuter and prettier!’”

Seth turned to her with wide eyes. Evelyn cleared her throat as if urging him to speak. Chuckling softly, Seth pulled her into his arms.

“Sorry. You’re cuter and prettier.”

“When you make a mistake, you’re supposed to say it twice.”

“I mean it. You’re cuter and prettier.”

It wasn’t perfect, but Evelyn decided it was enough. She nodded magnanimously. Seth, his shoulders shaking with laughter, whispered.

“To be honest, I was jealous. It felt like you liked someone you just met too much.”

Startled by the unexpected confession, Evelyn looked up.

“For a brief moment, I even thought about locking you away where no one else could see you.”

Despite his playful tone, Seth’s eyes were serious.

It seemed like he wanted her to be scared and run away, yet at the same time, he hoped she would smile as if nothing was wrong. Perhaps even Seth didn’t know which was his true intention.

Evelyn reached out toward his face. Hesitating, Seth lowered his head. As her hand brushed his cheek, a soft emotion washed over her, making her smile.

Lock me away? You’re too careful with me to even hurt me.

Seth asked nervously, 

“Aren’t you afraid of me?”

“Not at all. You’d never hurt me.”

Seth sighed at her bright smile.

“What am I going to do with you?”

Murmuring as if lamenting, he lifted her into his arms. Evelyn wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered.

“Your Grace, no matter how many friends I make, the most important person to me will always be you. You’re also my favorite person.”

“…Alright.”

As Seth’s tense expression softened, Evelyn turned her head in satisfaction—only to meet the eyes of someone familiar. It was a senior knight from her past, someone she had once teamed up with to beat down a slave trader.

The knight awkwardly looked away, clearing his throat.

Oh no, he heard me. What do I do?

Embarrassed, Evelyn buried her face in Seth’s shoulder. The cool fabric against her cheek made her realize how warm her face had become. Thankfully, Seth didn’t let go of her until they boarded the carriage.

***

Evelyn opened her eyes to darkness.

“Your Grace?”

The warmth that had surrounded her moments ago was gone. Instead, there was a chilling cold and the stench of mold. It was a smell she knew all too well. Somehow, she was back in the basement.

‘What is this, a dream?’

It felt too vivid to be a dream. Trembling, she pinched her cheek, and pain shot through her. Her heart sank. She pinched herself again, but it only hurt.

‘This is real? Then everything that happened until now was just a dream?’

Evelyn crawled to her feet. Placing her hand against the cracked wall, she took exactly three steps before bumping into the opposite wall. Feeling around, her hand brushed against rusty iron bars.

A tiny window meant for ventilation. It was her only view of the outside world.

Clinging to the bars, Evelyn peered out. The dark night sky held a solitary moon. Its beautiful light seemed to mock her.

‘You’ll be trapped here forever. No one will ever save you.’

“…Ah.”

So it really was all a dream. 

Being rescued, being cherished, meeting people who liked her—those things were only possible in a dream.

“Of course. Something like that could never happen.”

It felt like the ground beneath her was collapsing. No, it was as if the floor itself was crumbling. She clung to the bars, trying to hold on, but she couldn’t stop herself from falling.

—Eve!

At that moment, strong arms caught her as she fell. The next instant, Evelyn’s eyes snapped open.

“…Your Grace?”

Seth, his face pale, was looking down at her. Behind him, she could see the ceiling of the carriage.

“Are you awake?”

“Huh?”

“Are you hurt?”

“I-I’m fine.”

Evelyn answered in confusion. Seth pulled her into a tight embrace. His strong arms trembled slightly, making her feel strange.

Could this be a dream too? 

She tried to pinch her cheek, but Seth stopped her. His voice was firmer than she had ever heard it.

“What are you doing?”

“I, uh, thought it might be a dream…”

Her response made Seth’s face harden further. He knocked on the carriage door and called outside.

“Bring another bottle, quickly!”

Moments later, a glass bottle was handed through the window. Seth hastily uncorked it and pressed it to Evelyn’s lips.

“Drink this.”

Without much thought, Evelyn took a sip and grimaced. The liquid wasn’t water but a strange mix of sweetness and saltiness. It was so unpleasant that if this were a dream, she would have woken up immediately.

“Your Grace, do I really have to drink this?”

“You do.”

Seth held the bottle firmly. Even when she tried to look pitiful, he didn’t waver. In the end, Evelyn had to drink the entire bottle. As she gagged and shuddered, Seth patted her back comfortingly.

“Ugh, what is this?”

“Holy water.”

Holy water? Is that even safe to drink?

As Evelyn looked at him doubtfully, Seth whispered.

“I was scared when you wouldn’t wake up, no matter how much I called you.”

“Huh? I wouldn’t wake up?”

Seth nodded heavily.

Evelyn tried to recall what had happened. She remembered telling Seth about her day and dozing off. Seth had pulled her closer to make her more comfortable. After that…

“I had a dream.”

“A dream?”

“A dream where I was trapped in a basement. Sometimes, when I wake up in a dark place, I get confused about where I am. Whether I’m back in the basement where I used to live or somewhere else. But this is the first time it’s shown up in a dream.”

As Evelyn spoke, the curtain over the carriage window was drawn back. Light poured in, and she cried out, shielding her eyes.

“Sorry, please continue.”

Seth leaned over, shading her face with his arm. 

Huh? I already said everything.

After some thought, Evelyn began describing the basement. How cramped and cold it was. The winter nights when she couldn’t sleep because of hunger. The narrow sky she could barely glimpse through the bars. And how important that view of the moon had been to her back then.

Seth listened silently before speaking.

“That must’ve been hard.”

His simple response made Evelyn smile faintly.

In truth, she had been scared. Scared that Seth would dismiss her past as insignificant. Or that he would find her story too heavy to handle. But Seth’s reaction was neither. He simply acknowledged her pain. It wasn’t a grand gesture, but it was comforting because it was genuine.

“Why are you smiling?”

Seth asked, looking puzzled. He seemed unable to understand why she was smiling in such a serious moment.

“I was just thinking about how happy I am now, despite everything.”

No matter how hard her past had been, she was living in the present. A present so happy it felt like a dream.

Seth pressed his lips together, his expression unreadable.

“I can’t change the past, but I promise nothing like that will ever happen again.”

“…”

Normally, Evelyn would have praised him as a great benefactor. She should have been relieved that she would never be imprisoned again. But for some reason, her chest felt tight.

This wasn’t a good sign. It meant she was starting to expect something from Seth.

Don’t desire what you can’t have.

Evelyn clenched her fists, reminding herself of the vow she had made when she began this charade. Thankfully, the suffocating feeling soon subsided.

“Your Grace, I’m truly grateful to you. All of my happiness now is because of you. So you don’t have to give me anything more. I already have enough.”

Evelyn spoke sincerely. She already felt overwhelmed by the kindness she had received. Even if his promise was as light and meaningless as a feather, she felt she couldn’t accept it.

Seth stared at her for a moment before smiling.

“When you run away like that, it makes me want to chase you.”