Realizing his true face had been exposed, the boy hurriedly turned his head away, but Evelyn had already seen him.

She struggled to catch her breath.

Of all the times to run into Aint…

Bavil’s humming drifted toward them from nearby.

Aint glanced behind Evelyn.

Although the bend in the alley still concealed him, Bavil’s footsteps were drawing steadily closer.

His leisurely pace resembled that of a predator closing in on its prey.

“Sorry, but I have to go.”

When Evelyn tried to flee, Aint caught hold of her.

“I don’t know what’s happening, but you’re in trouble, aren’t you?”

“Can’t you tell just by looking?!”

“Then close your eyes.”

“Ugh!”

Aint pulled Evelyn’s hood firmly over her head.

An intense burst of light engulfed them both.

Bavil’s eyes turned cold when he noticed the sudden flash.

“…Hmm.”

He stopped in the alley where Evelyn had been moments earlier.

Only a broken pair of glasses remained on the ground.

Bavil picked them up.

An artifact capable of altering someone’s appearance.

It was an exceedingly rare object whose value an ordinary commoner would not even recognize.

Bavil smiled.

The glasses shattered mercilessly in his hand.

“For now, I suppose I’ll watch.”

There were only a handful of people who could possibly own such an artifact.

Bavil walked toward the far end of the alley, anticipating what Evelyn would do next.

***

“Ugh, blegh!”

After being abruptly teleported, Evelyn retched.

Aint patted her back.

“Are you all right? Tell me if you’re going to be sick.”

“N-No. I’m f-fine.”

‘What? He’s kinder than I expected.’

Evelyn studied Aint’s emotionless expression before glancing around.

The cramped house, built of old timber, was terribly shabby.

An aged wooden table and two worn-out beds were the only furniture inside.

Could this be Aint’s hideout?

While Evelyn examined the room, Aint retrieved another pair of glasses from a drawer and put them on.

His conspicuous black hair and golden eyes swiftly disappeared.

Evelyn, who had been watching him from the corner of her eye, quickly turned away and pretended not to notice.

But Aint approached her with a stern expression.

“You’ve been watching me this whole time, haven’t you?”

“Hmm?”

“You saw them, my real hair and eye color.”

Evelyn shook her head with an innocent expression.

“N-No. Of course not. I didn’t see anything!”

Aint’s face turned cold.

He looked dumbfounded that she would tell such an obvious lie.

“You’re Evelyn Joelle Chantalis.”

“M-Maybe?”

“Formal speech doesn’t suit you. Stop it.”

“Maybe.”

“I sometimes train with your brother Locke.”

“…And?”

“You resemble each other. I’m also very observant.”

Aint reclined lazily in his chair.

“Besides, with golden hair and green eyes that are distinctive, anyone would have discovered your identity. It didn’t have to be me.”

Every resident of Lagria’s capital knew Duke Chantalis’s brilliant golden hair and Archmage Jubel’s gentle green eyes.

Looking sheepish, Evelyn scratched her cheek.

“Ha-ha. Fine, let’s agree that I’m Evelyn. I appreciate your help, but may I leave now?”

Aint fell into thought.

What should he do with this pitiful servant of the Evil God, now that she has discovered his secret?

“Under normal circumstances, I would have to kill you.”

“Kill whom?”

“You.”

“What?!”

Evelyn staggered backward.

In her previous life, she might have found it ridiculous to fear a mere teenager.

But this world was different.

No matter how young someone was, possessing sufficient power meant they could kill another person whenever they wished.

And doesn’t Aint have that hulking commander of the Imperial Knights at his side?

The man appeared to be away at present, but the moment he returned, Evelyn would be sliced in two.

She stared anxiously at Aint.

Right. There’s only one thing an adult can do in a situation like this.

She stepped forward and immediately slammed her forehead against the floor before him.

“I’m terribly sorry! I’ve committed a crime worthy of death!”

Aint stared coldly at the prostrating Evelyn.

“What are you doing?”

“Please spare me! I haven’t even earned any money yet! I’ve never dated anyone, and forget becoming successful, I haven’t even started my business!”

Besides, she had only just secured someone to serve as its figurehead.

It would be far too unfair to die now.

Tears gradually welled in Evelyn’s enormous green eyes.

Aint flinched.

Evelyn grabbed hold of his trouser leg.

“I’ll never tell anyone that the crown prince is hiding here. I’m excellent at keeping secrets!”

She clung tightly to Aint’s knee.

He turned away to conceal his reddening face.

“First, let go of me…”

“I won’t even tell anyone that the crown prince is handsome enough to put child actors to shame. Please spare my life!”

Tears streamed down Evelyn’s cheeks.

Approximately ten years from now, Aint would be praised as the most handsome man in Lagria’s history.

If Bavil was destined to become a dangerously charming, roguishly handsome man, Derrion would become an untouchable, devoted beauty steeped in sorrow.

Aint, meanwhile, would grow into a cold, mysterious beauty burdened by a tragic past, the sort of man whose very presence would illuminate Lagria.

‘I may hate death flags, but now that I’m here, I refuse to die before I’ve seen what all of you look like as adults!’

Lately, Evelyn had seen almost no men besides the duke and her brothers.

As a result, her standards for male beauty were rising to absurd heights.

If she missed the opportunity to admire these precious, jewel-like faces while her tolerance for handsome men climbed higher every day, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

“So, Your Highness, couldn’t you possibly let me live?”

Evelyn blinked up at him.

Aint stopped moving when he caught the pure, delicate scent coming from Evelyn.

‘What is that scent?’

Without realizing it, he reached toward her.

“Y-Your Highness?”

Flinch.

Aint snapped back to himself and quickly withdrew his hand.

Evelyn stared at him with round, tear-filled eyes.

“Wh-What’s wrong?”

‘Is he really going to kill me?’

Terrified, Evelyn backed away.

Unable to explain himself, Aint turned his head.

‘Was I actually about to comfort the servant of the Evil God?’

Flustered, he spoke coldly.

“…Under normal circumstances, I would kill you. But I won’t.”

Evelyn’s face instantly brightened.

“Then…!”

“Because no one would believe anything a servant of Simon said anyway.”

Evelyn’s smile visibly stiffened.

Aint caught the dark emotion that passed through her eyes.

“So what I meant was…”

“You’re right. Of course! Ha-ha. That means you have even less reason to worry!”

Evelyn forced herself to laugh.

Aint was right.

Who would believe a word spoken by Evelyn Joelle Chantalis, the seed of evil?

People would merely accuse her of spreading blasphemous nonsense and regard her with even greater contempt.

“If I claimed to have seen the crown prince here, among the poorest commoners in the capital, people would say even a passing dog would laugh at me.”

“…”

Aint watched her.

Her green eyes, so fresh and bright only moments earlier, had darkened.

The sight made him deeply uncomfortable.

Those were unmistakably the eyes of someone who had been abandoned.

“Anyway, I’ll definitely keep your secret. Don’t worry.”

Evelyn smiled despite the lingering traces of tears on her face.

As Aint watched her, a sudden ache throbbed inside his chest.

“I only meant…”

“But you must keep my secret too, Your Highness! I sneaked out with my maid today!”

Evelyn raised one finger.

Looking at Evelyn, who was trying hard to act bright, Aint lost his words.

Soon after, Evelyn stood and headed for the entrance.

“I’ll be going, then. Thank you for helping me!”

After bowing politely, she opened the door.

At that exact moment, Hisman returned with his arms full of groceries and shouted in alarm.

“Wh-What is this? An intruder?!”

“…She isn’t an intruder. Just come inside, His.”

“Goodbye for real this time!”

Evelyn squeezed through the narrow gap beside Hisman and ran outside.

Hisman stared blankly between Evelyn’s retreating back and Aint, who sat inside looking dejected.

“Who was that girl? And what about the bookstore? You said you were only stepping out to buy a book!”

“…Oh, right.”

Only then did Aint remember why he had left the house.

He had failed to purchase the book he needed and returned instead with his thoughts in turmoil.

Without answering, Aint approached the window.

Far in the distance, he could see a hooded girl running away.

‘Evelyn…’

He recalled her face.

If they ever met again, he wanted to wipe away those tears for her.

An emotion even Aint could not understand was rising from the deepest part of his heart.

***

“Waaah! My lady! I truly thought I’d, sob, lost you! Hic, ugh!”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please stop crying.”

Wrapped in Alpi’s arms, Evelyn patted her shoulder.

By sheer luck, she had found Alpi near a fountain immediately after leaving Aint’s hideout.

Then again, it would have been harder not to notice her. Alpi had been weeping so violently that tears and snot covered her face as she repeatedly cried, “My lady! My lady!”

‘Should I simply be grateful that Bavil didn’t hurt her?’

Evelyn suppressed a sigh.

Bavil had clearly discovered long ago that she was Evelyn of House Chantalis.

If he wished, he could come and investigate her movements at any time.

Evelyn pressed a hand to her throbbing temple.

Perhaps she should avoid meeting either of them as much as possible from now on.

And yet…

‘No matter how much I think about it, they were both absurdly handsome.’

Her cheeks reddened as her expression turned dazed.

Once the male leads met Adonea, Evelyn’s life would be as good as over.

Yet she still wanted to see those faces again.

“I never knew I cared this much about looks.”

“Sniff… What do you mean, you care about looks?”

“It’s nothing. Come on, stop crying!”

Alpi sniffled and wiped away her tears.

Upon reaching the ducal estate, Evelyn crawled through the same hole in the wall she had used to escape, sneaking into a corner of the garden.

Unfortunately, Alpi, who tried to crawl through after her while still crying, was caught by a gatekeeper.

“You there! What do you think you’re doing?”

“What? Sob… I-I’m a maid here.”

‘Sorry, Alpi.’

“Don’t give me such nonsense! Come with me!”

“Wait! My lady? My lady!”

After offering Alpi her silent condolences, Evelyn crossed the garden alone.

She had returned earlier than expected, and the sky was still bright.

“I wish I could soak myself in hot water and do nothing for the rest of the day.”

Evelyn trudged toward the eastern wing.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her.

“Ugh! What is it?”

“I should be asking you that, Evelyn. What are you doing here?”

Evelyn glared over her shoulder, only to shrink back.

Oden stood before her with an icy expression.

‘Why is my luck so terrible today?’

Evelyn cursed the heavens.

This had been the most eventful, and downright dreadful, day since she entered this world.

“G-Good evening, Brother Oden.”

“Yon told me you were feeling unwell and resting in your room.”

“Yes. I was taking a brief walk through the garden.”

“Do you always enter the garden through a hole in the wall when you take a walk?”

Evelyn laughed awkwardly.

Just as she wondered how she could escape this situation, another set of footsteps approached from behind.

“What are you doing to Evelyn, Brother?”

Evelyn rejoiced inwardly and raised her head.

Sachi was standing there.

And his expression was positively ferocious.