Chapter 14 – Part 1 (Willing to Take Sides)

Anne clung to Evan, giving his waist a firm squeeze, but as he remained unmoved by the stares around them, she eventually relaxed her grip.

Her lips pouted naturally, forming a dissatisfied expression.

Soon, the two arrived at the garden where the banquet had been held.

As the day drew to a close, the floral decorations withered, and the food lay scattered on the tables, creating a generally disorganized atmosphere.

Evan remained silent until Anne finally spoke up.

“What are you doing right now?”

“Being alone with the prince of an enemy country is extremely dangerous.”

“…Now you say that?”

“I certainly tried to stop it, but while I was choosing my words, someone stubborn just went ahead.”

‘Huh? Stubborn? Who’s stubborn!’

Anne slapped Evan’s waist. He didn’t flinch, only letting out a deflating laugh that seemed to convey disbelief.

“Wouldn’t it have been great if you had told me about this plan beforehand? Then I wouldn’t have been rude to the prince. Do you know what I said to him?”

“Want to try it out?”

“…Pardon?”

“Tell me what you’ve got, if you’re as capable as you say.”

Embarrassed by the resurfacing memory, Anne’s face turned beet red.

“What did you say?”

As Evan showed interest, Anne quickly changed the subject.

“Oh, come on! You should have told me what his status was!”

“It was also Prince Vails’ wish.”

“Oh, that’s too much. Really!”

Evan sighed at her words.

“I didn’t have time to tell you. I had to handle things urgently to proceed with the plan.”

Evan’s eyes were more determined than ever. He looked at Anne with a vibrant gaze as if he had found a goal.

What had changed in his mindset since they parted ways at the duke’s mansion?

Anne was inwardly surprised by his sudden change in demeanor. His relaxed and confident attitude made her heart flutter for no reason.

“Did Duke Dehart prepare the flyers Carly distributed?”

“…That wasn’t part of the plan.”

It was something Evan’s sister, Yvonne, did with Carly.

Originally, Yvonne was only supposed to watch over Anne to ensure she didn’t get into any danger.

However, Evan never imagined the two would cooperate without his knowledge.

Carly and Yvonne swayed public opinion instantly.

Indeed, they were two women brave enough to stand up to Evan.

Evan anticipated what would come next.

With the cooperation of Prince Vails, Evan’s innocence would be revealed. However, there was still little chance of restoring the crown prince’s standing.

Additionally, Carly and Yvonne had exposed Connor Johannes’ actions today. Both Terossa and Vails would conduct extensive investigations related to this.

All of this would spread across both nations through the yellow press, which commoners frequently read.

To appease the enraged citizens of the empire, the investigation process would have to be transparent, and the culprits caught and punished.

Yes, the culprits. The empress and her associates.

The empress’ faction must be in a desperate situation, disregarding the empress’ health.

However, the empress was carrying the emperor’s child. They couldn’t easily harm the future empress dowager.

But, what if something went wrong with the child?

Today’s events were unfortunate for Anne but lucky for Ailon.

In a situation where the child in her womb might be at risk, they couldn’t easily dispose of Ailon Terossa.

Though the situation wouldn’t improve, Ailon had at least saved his life for now.

Not everything went as planned, but one thing was certain.

Evan would be acquitted at the upcoming first trial.

Despite all this explanation, Anne still had a sulky expression.

“What’s wrong? I’ll be acquitted, just as you wanted.”

Evan, perplexed, stroked her neck as he explained.

Anne, who had been glaring at Evan, let out a big sigh.

“Ah, should I be happy about this? Or should I be upset? I really thought you had no plan at all. Because of me…”

Anne still trembled when she thought about what had happened in front of the temple. And what followed after.

The guilt of Evan suffering hardships for her actions always lingered in her mind.

That man, his name was Megan Hale.

She couldn’t forget the chilling eyes of the man who had mocked them with ridiculous charges.

While Anne was lost in thought, Evan set her down and hugged her tightly with his strong arms.

“Evan?”

“Thank you.”

“What?”

“For coming to save me.”

“You saved me first.”

“…Anne.”

Evan’s voice trembled.

In both his previous and current life, Anne’s actions had remained unchanged. Whether it was a destiny set by the gods or not, her relentless efforts to save him left him anxious every day.

However, this time he felt certain that the outcome would be different from the previous life.

“Evan?”

Evan straightened Anne’s disheveled clothes before extending his hand to her politely.

“I would like to formally ask you for a dance. Is that alright, Lady Vanessa?”

“Here? Now?”

Anne shook her head in surprise. She had only learned to dance briefly after joining the Vanessa family.

“Anne, look around. Do you see anyone?”

As he said, there was not a single person in sight.

“They know how to slack off when things get noisy.”

Evan took Anne’s lowered hand, interlacing their fingers carefully, and smiled.

Evan started to move his steps slowly. Anne cautiously followed his lead, moving her feet to match his.

There was no sweet song or beautiful lighting, but the bright full moon shone on them. The gentle rustling of the leaves in the breeze filled the empty garden.

“Oh, Evan.”

“What is it?”

“I’m stepping on your feet, over and over.”

Anne spoke with a slightly breathless voice, and Evan nodded nonchalantly.

“It’s alright.”

“Geez, do nobles always pretend to be this gentlemanly?”

At that, Evan burst into laughter. Pretending to be gentlemanly.

He didn’t know when he ever pretended, but one thing was certain. Before his regression, Evan was a man driven by desire.

‘The emperor’s dog.’

Evan’s laughter turned into a wry smile, and Anne, noticing this, held his hand tightly and asked cautiously.

“Did I hurt your feelings?”

“No. I’m actually happy. Because you think of me as a gentleman.”

“Oh, there’s more. You might be gentlemanly, but you’re also very stubborn. Like with the Carl Brent Field Hospital. Why did you take the blame for something I did? Seriously!”

“Because I was involved too.”

“Even then, you locked me up. Ugh, I take it back! You’re not gentlemanly at all!”

At Anne’s reprimand, Evan let out a low chuckle.

Since the war had ended, Anne was much brighter than she had been before his regression. Her lively expressions gave Evan deep relief and gratitude.

The fact that he could see her like this.

But he didn’t show it, and instead, he joked.

“Does that make me an bastard?”

At the harsh words that didn’t suit him, Anne’s mind flashed back to that moment.

“D*mn bastard! Jellyfish! Dung beetle!”

“No!”

Feeling guilty, Anne leaned her head against Evan’s chest and added.

“Let’s just rest a bit. I like just being like this. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t born a noble, but dancing like this is really hard for me.”

“Do you know?”

“Know what?”

“The meaning of this dance.”

Anne shook her head. There was no way she could know. Vanessa’s home tutor had always been strict about her posture.

The training was harsh, focusing on looking presentable, but she never learned any hidden meanings that every noble would know.

“What is it?”

“It’s a dance for seducing the opposite s*x.”

“……”

Anne was speechless.

She had thought the dance involved excessive body contact, but she hadn’t realized it had such an underlying meaning.

“So don’t dance with other men. There’s no need to learn. If you must, stomp on their feet as hard as you can.”

Anne stared at Evan blankly, unable to understand his words.

‘So, he’s doing that to me now? The duke who always put up walls?’

“Evan?”

“Or just find me. From now on, only dance with me.”

“What do you mean…?”

Evan whispered softly in her ear.

“I’m seducing you right now.”

Startled by Evan’s confession, Anne quickly looked around.

It seemed like a lot of time had passed. Voices could be heard from afar.

Anne hastily grabbed Evan’s hand and pulled him along.

If anyone overheard this kind of intimate conversation outside, it wouldn’t just end with them hiding in embarrassment.

“Anne?”

“Let’s go inside, quickly!”

Evan scratched the back of his neck. His demeanor was quite different from Anne’s desperate attempts to pull him away.

‘Anyway, the nobles probably already know we aren’t just casual acquaintances.’

But Anne’s overly serious and anxious demeanor was irresistibly cute to Evan, so he didn’t bother to stop her.

During the duration of the banquet, the royal family provided accommodations in the palace for the nobles according to their ranks.

The luggage they had brought by carriage was quickly moved to Anne’s room.

Anne rummaged through the scattered belongings until she finally found a glass case filled with strawberry candies.

“Do you like strawberry candies that much?”

Evan looked at her lovingly. Anne smiled brightly and nodded.

“Of course. Do you want one?”

“Please.”