A gentle rocking woke Evelyn. For a moment, she blinked at the strange, weightless sensation, as though she were drifting in a cradle.

“Did you sleep well?”

“……Well enough.”

When her gaze met Killian’s, his eyes softened into a smile.

“I’m glad. I thought your ankle might keep you awake.”

“Thanks to someone who knew perfectly well my ankle would end up ruined.”

She gave a short, derisive laugh.

“Or were you hoping I’d be crippled altogether?”

Despite her open scorn, Killian’s response was utterly disarming.

“Of course not. Though I wouldn’t mind carrying you everywhere in my arms.”

Without saying a word, she leaned back against the seat and glared at the man sitting opposite her.

Her gaze passed over his red eyes, hidden beneath his neatly arranged black hair, and then over the finely sculpted bridge of his nose.

His features were unmistakably the same, yet his manner was completely different. In fact, she could hardly believe that he was the same man who had once been so loyal.

“I brought these because you seemed to like them.”

The image flashed through her mind: Killian offering her a handful of roses and wildflowers whose names she didn’t know.

Foolish Killian, who had removed every thorn from the stems himself. Steadfast Killian, who had watched her anxiously for her reaction, never hiding his scratched fingers. Killian, who had always shown her an affection and sincerity far beyond his station…

For a moment, she could almost taste the acrid dust of that day in her mouth.

As that rough, unpolished memory resurfaced, Evelyn turned towards the window.

“Evelyn.”

His inscrutable voice caught her as she tried to look away.

“You don’t look well. Are you sure nothing’s bothering—”

“I’m fine, so leave me alone. How long are you going to keep pestering me?”

It was perhaps the realization that she had lost herself in the past for too long that made Evelyn’s voice sharper. Gripping the window frame, she refused to look at Killian.

She could not face him just yet. If she did, she feared she would search his gaze for traces of the man he had once been.

“All right. But tell me if you’re tired.”

Evelyn responded with a quiet breath and turned her attention to the passing scenery.

They seemed to have left the Lemaire domain entirely. The rough dirt tracks had given way to smoothly paved stone roads.

A faint shiver passed through her. Relief stirred in her chest, along with a strange sense of freedom. She had truly left it all behind.

But this feeling only lasted a moment.

An uneasy familiarity crept over her. She knew this landscape far too well.

The road wound ahead as though leading into the jaws of a serpent. Every bend was meticulously paved, and tall birch trees lined the route.

“Where are we…?”

She was about to ask if they were really heading to the posting inn when the carriage stopped suddenly.

A family crest came into view.

An ornate set of scales beneath a great eagle with bared talons.

The crest of House Bernadotte.

***

Evelyn looked down at the dining table. Every dish the marquis had prepared was rich with grease and the scent of spices.

After briefly studying her expression, he spoke first.

“My apologies. I thought the count would be coming alone, so I only had a few things prepared to accompany our drinks.”

“I apologize for not sending word beforehand. Our departure was rather rushed.”

Despite the probing undertone in the marquis’s voice, Killian brushed aside the implied question with ease. A flicker of displeasure crossed the marquis’s eyes.

“You must both be quite exhausted. Lemaire……rather, the lady looks rather pale herself. Aren’t you rushing things a little?”

“Thank you for your concern, but I assure you, you have nothing to worry about, Marquis.”

He laid his hand over Evelyn’s.

The cool leather of his glove pressed against her skin.

“……”

Somehow, they seemed to be talking around something important. Evelyn’s gaze flicked between the two men, but their conversation returned to shallow pleasantries.

Just as their peculiar behavior began to settle like a knot in her stomach, Killian’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

“You look very tired, Evelyn.”

“There’s no need to push yourself. You can go upstairs and rest. As it happens, there are a few things I need to discuss with the marquis……”

“No, I’m fine.”

At her hasty reply, the marquis looked directly at her. In the sudden silence, she was about to offer an excuse when he spoke.

“As pleasant as it is to catch up with you after so long, my lady, the count is right. You’re terribly pale. We can hardly keep a valued guest at the table in such a state.”

“I-I really am……”

“See the lady to the guest room.”

Ignoring Evelyn’s protests entirely, he tipped his chin toward a servant. Faced with so firm a dismissal, she had no choice but to follow the maid.

“……Ha.”

Finally driven out, Evelyn perched on the edge of the bed, drawing her knees up to her chest. Everything around her made her uneasy.

Killian had brought her here without offering an explanation or seeking her consent. He said it was because of how long it would take to reach his estate, but she didn’t find this excuse convincing.

There must be a reason why he had chosen the Marquis Bernadotte’s residence over an inn or another lord’s estate.

“The marquis is a snake. A man like that needs a great deal of scrutiny.”

Evelyn turned her father’s words over in her mind.

The Marquis was always the first to spot a profitable opportunity, and he never held back on investment in his ventures. The two of them had worked together seamlessly.

Of course, that did not last forever.

When her father’s trial began, the Marquis was the first to turn his back on him.

“……What on earth are you thinking?”

Within three years of being granted his title, Killian had amassed a vast fortune. A man like him could not have been unaware of the close ties between her father and the Marquis.

Her gaze drifted towards the closed door.

Once his conversation with the Marquis was over, Killian would return.

Evelyn slowly let out a steady breath and made up her mind.

When he returned, she would reveal all of his hidden motives.

***

However, Evelyn did not see Killian again until just before they were due to leave.

He had used his meeting with the Marquis as an excuse to avoid her until it was time to leave.

Evelyn glared at the man in front of her with hollow eyes.

“……Are you feeling unwell?”

“As if you don’t know.”

His nonchalant tone drew a disbelieving laugh from her. Finally, she voiced all the suspicions that had been gnawing at her all night.

“What could you possibly have spent so long discussing with the Marquis? Exchanging pleasantries couldn’t have taken that long… Was it about the debts Father left behind?”

Her question, trembling with uncertainty, rang out sharply. The unease that had plagued her all night had hardened into certainty.

“Were you that bored without me? I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were so—”

“Do you think I’m joking?”

His answer was so absurdly flippant that Evelyn raised her voice.

“I asked you about the secret deal you made with the Marquis! Yes, it was strange at first, having me brought here. You know perfectly well how deeply Father and the Marquis were involved in each other’s corrupt dealings. What on earth are you planning? What were you saying about me behind my back?”

“Evelyn.”

Killian’s voice turned cold.

“Do you distrust me that much?”

His red eyes met hers directly, without a trace of warmth.

“Or have you already forgotten how much I paid for you?”

“……”

“My generosity cleared away every last one of your wretched debts, and this is all you can think of……”

A disbelieving laugh escaped him. Open displeasure settled over his face.

Evelyn’s lips parted. She wanted to ask why—why he had paid that price for her in the first place.

“……”

But she could not bring herself to ask. She was afraid that if she angered him further, the consequences might be worse than anything she could imagine.

In the end, Evelyn bowed her head.

The rest of the journey passed in heavy silence. They stopped at several coaching inns along the way, crossing unfamiliar wilderness and forests.

The neglected state of the roads caused the carriage to lurch more violently than before, but Evelyn fought to hide her discomfort.

Just as her whole body seemed to surrender to the relentless jolting, Killian spoke.

“We’ve arrived.”

At his flat announcement, the carriage door opened. Taking his hand, Evelyn slowly made her way into the manor.

Warmth enveloped her, and a lively voice rang out from across the hall.

“Commander.”

A knight strode toward them, his face slightly flushed.

“We heard you were coming, so everyone’s gathered here. How are you feel—”

His gaze naturally shifted towards Evelyn.

The moment their eyes met, his face contorted with murderous hatred.