<CHAPTER 17>
May Your Night Be Peaceful
Perhaps… it is revenge.
Evelyn thought that the entire time she rode in the carriage.
She still could not understand Rexfail’s intentions.
Why he acted as though he missed “Evelyn,” and why he behaved as if he were hurt by the possibility that she might not be Evelyn.
Was my death a shock to you as well?
They had not been on good terms.
Evelyn had been her father’s puppet, and Rexfail had cursed her father, Duke Embrio.
So it would have been inevitable for him to hate her as well.
After all, she was the daughter of the man rumored to have poisoned the Emperor and killed the Empress.
Even I didn’t know.
If she were to make an excuse, it would be that she truly did not know.
She did not know that the man she met at the temple was the Crown Prince.
Nor did she know that he would think of her father as his enemy.
Without knowing his name or his status, she met him and fell in love.
Even if he had only been a stable hand working at the temple, she would not have cared.
If that had been the case, then on the day she left the temple after finishing her treatment, she would have embraced Rexfail when he ran to her and confessed.
She might have run away somewhere with him when he promised marriage.
The Crown Prince…?
She had been flustered when he made his vow in front of the countless people who had come to the temple in the name of Reina Delphin.
He did not know who she was.
Just as she had not known who he was.
Because he had not told her, thinking it was unimportant.
P-please wait.
Cutting off her hurried attempt to stop him, Rexfail swore once more in the name of Remensias.
That he would take her as his wife.
What joyful news.
It had happened at the very moment her father arrived to take her away.
Her father walked through the crowd with a deeply interested expression.
It was the first time she had ever seen Duke Embrio look so excited.
I thought my daughter was insufficient for Your Highness to accept, but it seems that seeing her in person has pleased you.
…Duke Embrio?
Rexfail’s frozen face was filled with shock and confusion.
When his gaze turned toward Evelyn, her father gave an order.
Shouldn’t you give him your answer, Evelyn?
Those pretty red eyes that always sparkled.
The lips that were always smiling.
The cheeks that had been flushed with happiness.
The color drained from his face until he looked no longer like a living person.
He looked like someone abandoned by the world.
Like someone who had committed a terrible mistake.
You are… Duke Embrio’s…
For his sake, she should have refused.
She should have given him a chance to correct his mistake.
Leaving his life completely and becoming a stranger would have been the best thing Evelyn could do for Rexfail.
But…
Evelyn.
Her father’s call.
His gaze.
If there was one absolute existence she had never even imagined defying, it was Duke Embrio.
Evelyn feared Duke Embrio more than an unseen god.
I gladly accept Your Highness’s proposal.
The words escaped her mouth before she even realized it.
The small hope she held was that Rexfail might still love her.
Even though she was Duke Embrio’s daughter, they had spent a happy summer together.
They had been miserable all night at the thought of parting.
So perhaps he might separate her from her father.
With that faint hope, she lifted her eyes.
What she saw was vivid hatred.
Clear rejection.
A fierce denial of her very existence.
A refusal so clear it seemed he wished he had never met her.
No…
His sunken eyes did not hold her reflection.
When he turned away, there was not a moment of hesitation.
Evelyn realized then that she had hurt him.
Only then did she understand that she had betrayed Rexfail in the worst possible way because of shallow hope and short-sighted thinking.
But regret always comes too late.
Even after their engagement ceremony, after their wedding, and after they became husband and wife, she could never cross the line Rexfail had drawn.
Before him, she was always a sinner.
A cruel betrayer.
So the fact that Rexfail had discovered Evelyn, who had returned to life in another body, might have been due to relentless vengeance.
Perhaps he wanted to make her acknowledge the sins she had not yet paid for.
Perhaps he wanted to pour out emotions that had never been resolved.
Perhaps he simply wanted to be certain that she truly was Evelyn.
When I think about it that way, it makes sense.
Assuming the worst actually made the situation easier to understand.
Then it’s a good choice.
For Evelyn, who could not abandon her lingering attachment even after dying and returning to life, being bound beside him would itself be torment.
Constantly being reminded of his hatred.
Constantly recalling her sins.
She would slowly wither away.
What will you do with me?
Like a prisoner waiting for the day of execution, Evelyn quietly waited.
The carriage that had been racing along finally arrived at the Imperial Palace.
It was already late at night.
Evelyn thought Rexfail would send someone to drag her out.
He was the Crown Prince, and she was an unrecognized illegitimate child.
Any justification he needed would be easily obtained.
He could fabricate a crime and make her pay for it.
He could throw her into prison and ensure she would never come out.
There might even be torture.
I hope he doesn’t put too much effort into it!
As if urging the woman who hoped for a short pain and a quick death, the carriage door opened.
The coachman opened the door, but the hand extended toward her belonged to Rexfail.
She stared at him, unable to understand his intentions, and he lightly waved his hand.
“Aren’t you getting down?”
“…Thank you.”
Why did something as simple as placing her hand over his make her heart tremble so much?
Evelyn stepped onto the carriage step and descended to the ground, praying that the sound of her pounding heart would not reach Rexfail.
A strange silence spread around them.
The attendants who had come to welcome their master’s return still remembered the Blood Crown Prince.
The graves of the women who had died after throwing themselves at him had not even grown grass yet.
And yet he had returned with a woman at his side.
The attendants, unable to grasp the situation, looked toward the escort knights.
But they too remained silent.
None of the knights who had escorted him from Gillingtone fully understood what was happening.
They only felt that something extremely strange had occurred.
Some even wondered whether the Crown Prince had truly gone mad.
“The day has grown late.”
Not knowing what to say, Evelyn simply looked up at Rexfail.
As if speaking to himself, he continued.
“The journey was long, so it would be best to sleep immediately.”
Evelyn grew tense, unable to grasp the intention behind words that even sounded somewhat gentle.
But Rexfail simply looked at her with a clear expression, as though he had no hidden motive at all.
“Let us exchange a good night greeting.”
For the first time, she asked in return.
“A good night greeting?”
She had never once exchanged sweet words before sleeping.
No one had ever prayed for her peaceful night.
No one had ever wished her a warm morning.
Not Duke Embrio.
Not the Duchess.
Not even her husband.
So hearing him bring up a good night greeting left Evelyn confused.
While she was still flustered, Rexfail bent his head and leaned forward.
Then he gently pressed his soft lips against her forehead.
The light touch brushed her fine hairs and pressed faintly against her skin.
Evelyn trembled.
Such a tender and gentle touch.
She had never even imagined this kind of intimacy.
Startled, Evelyn stared straight into Rexfail’s eyes with wide eyes.
The man who calmly met her gaze spoke.
“…What did you say?”
“I said I hope you have good dreams.”
For a moment, it felt as if this very moment might be a dream.
Like the people watching, Evelyn had fallen into a mild panic.
As if wishing to deepen her confusion, Rexfail spoke again.
“And for me?”
“…Pardon?”
“Won’t you return the greeting?”
It was truly an unfamiliar face.
It was the face he had shown when he was very young, before he knew she was Duke Embrio’s daughter.
Evelyn almost burst into tears without realizing it.
“May Your Highness have a peaceful night.”
As though he had always received such greetings, Rexfail slightly raised his face and leaned toward her.
Holding her breath, Evelyn lightly pressed her lips against his forehead before pulling away.
Seemingly satisfied, he turned around.
“W-Where should we escort her…?”
Since Rexfail had left Evelyn behind, the remaining attendants were confused about where they should escort her.
A quick-witted servant ran off and caught the chief attendant Gray.
After asking the Crown Prince, he returned with the answer.
“Where should we escort her?”
But the servant’s face showed none of the satisfaction of someone who had found the answer.
Looking bewildered, he hesitantly spoke.
“We are to escort her to the palace.”
“Which palace?”
“His Highness said a palace has already been granted to the honored guest. He said we should ask her.”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward Evelyn.
Surrounded by people waiting for an answer, she wondered whether this was another way for Rexfail to torment her.
Or perhaps it was a test.
