Chapter 38
Evelyn slowly blinked as if trying to understand the situation.
“Lady April?”
She looked like a proud cat. Her purple eyes shimmered in the sunlight, and her wavy black hair flowed down like a waterfall.
More than her gorgeous appearance, I was briefly captivated by the way she looked straight into my eyes.
It felt as if time slowed down.
It was almost like we had just seen each other’s souls reflected in our eyes.
“Are you alright, Lady Evelyn? I caught you.”
“Thank you. That was unexpected help.”
Since Grand Duke Kyle had known April for more than ten years, there was a high chance Evelyn and April had also known each other for a long time.
But in this moment, we acted like strangers meeting for the very first time.
That illusion was broken when the slave knight, Yurel, appeared.
“Master, are you unharmed?”
The world, which had briefly stopped, began to move again.
I let go of Evelyn, and she slowly landed in the garden.
The sound of wind rustling through leaves, birds chirping somewhere in the distance, and the many noises of people in the floating garden all came back.
Then Evelyn’s eyes widened fiercely.
“Yurell! You’re late!”
Her voice boomed angrily.
“What were you doing, just standing there?”
“My apologies, Master.”
“Apologies? I could have died! Do you even think at all? How dare you just stand there and watch the heir of Debnoa fall? This is why you’re nothing but a slave.”
Originally, in the story, Yurel would have caught Evelyn. Though, even then, he was scolded.
‘So whether he caught her or not, the result was the same—he gets blamed.’
I suddenly felt sorry for him.
“My apologies.”
Yurel himself, however, seemed used to this treatment. He remained calm, even emotionless.
After venting her anger, Evelyn turned to me.
“…Come to think of it, I kept Lady April standing. Thank you for saving me. I should reward you. Is there something you want?”
There was a reason why the fierce, catlike Evelyn spoke so mildly only to me.
First, April was also a high noble, the daughter of Marquis Sharon. Evelyn acknowledged her status as an equal.
“April doesn’t know much, but she was happy to save you, Lady Evelyn.”
“….”
Evelyn seemed slightly flustered, as if unsure how to respond.
The second reason was that Evelyn was surprisingly weak against kindness directed at her—just like now.
“Lady April, what you want—say it.”
“Huh?”
I tilted my head.
At first, it sounded like she was picking a fight. But on closer inspection, her voice carried a faint trace of nervousness.
Maybe I’d grown sharper after spending time around Yeniel’s faction, or maybe Evelyn simply didn’t hide her expressions well. Either way, it was easy to read.
“If I received help, I should give something in return. You saved the heir of Debnoa, after all. Though there’s not much in this otherworld, I could give you something outside….”
“Helping friends is only natural!”
I innocently clasped both her hands.
“Lady Evelyn and April are friends, after all.”
“…What?”
Good. I had decided how to approach the second key.
Just like when I worked on winning over Yeniel’s faction, I’d get close in the same way.
A person’s true nature always showed when faced with harmless, weak people. I’d already experienced this before.
So I decided—
‘I’ll become her harmless friend.’
For the first time, Evelyn’s eyes widened in shock.
“Who? You and me? Sure, we’ve known each other for over ten years, but we’ve never exchanged private words.”
“But April thinks Lady Evelyn is her friend. Hmm… are you saying you’re not April’s friend?”
I looked at her innocently, my expression growing slightly sad.
“If we’re not friends, April would be very sad….”
“…Your father, Marquis Sharon, is one of the noble faction. And April is from one of the four founding families, so she has the qualification. Your status is suitable too. There’s no reason not to.”
“Huh?”
Evelyn spread open the fan at her waist, covering her face. Her cheeks looked faintly flushed.
After a moment, she closed the fan and declared proudly:
“If you wish it, then yes—I will be your friend.”
Perfect. She was softer than expected. Now I knew how to deal with her.
“Lady Evelyn!”
I beamed and shook her hand energetically.
“April really, really likes Lady Evelyn!”
“There’s no need to be so pleased. But since you’ve become my first friend, I suppose it makes sense to be happy.”
She herself looked oddly pleased.
‘So Evelyn never had any friends…’
It made sense. In the game, her personality kept people close but prevented true bonds.
“Yes! We’re friends now.”
“Yes, Lady April. Friends.”
For some reason, my chest felt warm and tingly.
I realized the reason: she was my first friend in this world—the first to sincerely call me that.
I quickly took a deep breath to calm down.
‘Focus. That doesn’t mean Evelyn is a good person. Yeniel is still proof of that. Never trust only appearances.’
Then Evelyn suddenly held something out.
“Here.”
“What is this?”
“Candy. Sweet things lift the mood, and sugar helps the brain.”
She said the same kind of thing as Grand Duke Kyle, handing me the candy.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
Her gaze sharpened.
“I’ve never had friends, so I don’t know how it’s done. I’ll just do as I please. Got it? Now eat the candy and cheer up.”
“Thank you, Lady Evelyn!”
“Flattery won’t work on me.”
Evelyn’s affection has increased.
Why are both Grand Duke Kyle and Evelyn being so nice to me?
I was thinking that in disbelief when suddenly—
Yeniel appeared.
