TCBCVF 97

~Chapter 97~

“If I think there’s even a chance she might feel burdened by me… or avoid me…”

And of course, Evangeline didn’t miss the chance to tease her brother.

“Wow, brother. Your face is so red. Are you a tomato?”

“Shut up!”

Dietrich snapped, raising his voice.

Hmm, so that’s how it is.

Evangeline grinned confidently.

“Well then, I guess it’s time for me to step in again!”

“Don’t you dare do anything unnecessary, got it?”

Sensing danger, Dietrich warned her. But she only responded slyly.

“Are you sure it’s unnecessary~?”

“What are you planning?”

“I’ve got a plan…”

And Evangeline leaned in to whisper to him.

Normally, the rational Dietrich would never have fallen for her schemes.

But with all his built-up fatigue, plus the impatience about his relationship with Laritte…

Right now, Dietrich wasn’t in the best state to make sound decisions.

“So? What do you think of my plan?”

Evangeline straightened her shoulders, seeking his approval.

“Not bad, right?”

“Well… I guess something like that wouldn’t make Lady Ansie feel pressured…”

“See? You need me.”

Puffing up proudly again, Evangeline gave a firm reminder.

“Then you do exactly what I told you. Got it?”

“Alright, I will.”

Dietrich nodded as if in a daze.

‘Good.’

Satisfied, Evangeline was about to leave the room—

When she stopped.

‘Huh?’

She had just noticed a packet of medicine on his desk.

“Brother, are you sick?”

Her expression turned serious as she pointed to the medicine with her eyes.

“What’s that?”

“Oh, I’ve just been a bit tired lately. I’ve been getting headaches.”

Dietrich shrugged.

“So I got a prescription before coming to the villa.”

He said it like it was nothing, as if telling her not to worry.

But Evangeline’s gaze sharpened immediately.

“If you’re tired, you should rest! Since when does being tired mean you pop headache medicine?”

“But Eva.”

Dietrich asked seriously,

“If I want to join in on your plan, don’t I need to get most of this paperwork done first?”

“….”

Evangeline looked displeased but didn’t keep complaining.

Alright, if it’s to make Lari my sister-in-law—

Then I guess my brother’s body will just have to be sacrificed.

Yes, exactly.

Then—

“…Still, thanks for worrying about me.”

“…Oh.”

Evangeline looked at him blankly.

The fact that he was thanking her over this was proof enough of how much he cared about Laritte.

“Oh, it’s nothing!”

She gave him a bright smile and stepped outside.

Haah, no helping it.

Once again, it was up to the great Evangeline to make a move!

Evangeline explained her plan to her brother like this:

“If you’re worried Lari might feel pressured, then why not aim for a natural meeting?”

In other words—Project “Natural Meeting.”

So today, she casually suggested to Laritte that they go see the village below the villa.

The plan was that while they were walking around, they’d “accidentally” run into Dietrich.

Laritte agreed readily.

But Evangeline had also added her own private twist to the plan…

‘There’s something called the suspension bridge effect, right?’

When a person’s heart races due to anxiety or fear, they can mistake it for romantic attraction.

So Evangeline set her sights on the suspension bridge at the edge of the village.

The village was backed by mountains, with a river looping around it.

A large bridge for carriages had been built over the river, but there was still a small suspension bridge that locals used.

Evangeline’s idea was to have Laritte and Dietrich cross the bridge side by side, creating a flutter in their hearts.

But then—

‘Wait… I don’t even need the bridge effect right now…’

Her brother hadn’t even shown up yet!

Evangeline’s eyes widened in dismay.

An unexpected obstacle had appeared in what should have been a smooth plan.

That obstacle was—

“Misses, why are you walking around alone together?”

It was a group of young men, the type you could find in any rural area—local vigilantes.

Vigilantes.

Even if the duchy’s security was generally excellent, it was hard to cover every rural corner thoroughly.

So villages often had their own vigilante groups, given authority to maintain safety.

But there were always those who misused that power.

“Isn’t it dangerous for just the two of you to be walking around?”

“Don’t you need an escort? Hm?”

“We could help you.”

The men swaggered closer to Laritte and Evangeline.

“No need.”

Laritte instinctively stepped in front of Evangeline, her voice sharp.

‘Ugh, what a pain.’

Evangeline sighed inwardly.

In the central areas of the duchy, this would have been unthinkable.

But this was the outskirts.

Even if Evangeline was the Claudius family’s young lady, no one here would know her face.

After all, most people in such remote areas could go their whole lives without seeing a member of the Claudius family.

And to avoid drawing attention, the two had deliberately dressed in simple clothes.

“Hey, aren’t you being a little too unfriendly?”

“We’re the village vigilantes. We’re not suspicious.”

While making excuses, the men’s greedy eyes roamed up and down the two women.

Evangeline’s beauty was dazzling, and Laritte’s looks were also striking—both rare sights in a place like this.

The men were also at an age where interest in women was high.

‘Ugh, if I’d known this would happen, I would have brought a guard…’

Evangeline regretted it deeply.

Wanting to make the meeting between Dietrich and Laritte more natural, she had intentionally left the guards behind.

‘But how was I supposed to know the vigilantes would start hitting on us?!’

Laritte, however, remained firm.

“Thank you for the offer, but we’re really fine.”

Hearing a second refusal, the men seemed to get stubborn.

“But you two… I’ve never seen you in this village before.”

“Why don’t you come with us for a moment?”

“We have a duty to confirm the identity of strangers.”

Their tone carried a quiet threat, making Evangeline frown sharply.

“You dare try to check my identity in the Claudius duchy?”

She raised her voice.

“I am the Claudius young lady!”

“…”

“…”

For a moment, silence fell.

Did it work?

Evangeline glanced around to gauge the reaction.

And then—

“Pfft, did you hear that?!”

“She says she’s the Claudius young lady!”

The group burst into laughter.

“What kind of lady dresses in such shabby clothes?”

“If she’s the lady, then I must be the Duke of Claudius!”

Of course, while the clothes lacked flashy decoration, the fabric was the finest quality.

But since these men rarely saw high-grade goods, they couldn’t tell the difference.

“Well then, let’s see your identification badge.”

“You think I can’t show you?”

Evangeline confidently reached into her robe pocket—

And then froze.

‘Oh no…’

She had left her identification badge behind!