Chapter 13 : Not A Chance

“Yesterday, I saw everything,” Evelyn said.

“You saved Lumia from the beasts while hiding your identity.”

“Yes.”

“Weren’t you trying to keep it a secret? Yet you’re reacting so nonchalantly.”

“Well, you already know who I am. There’s no issue if you saw it.”

“That’s true.”

In fact, yesterday, when Kalian and she went ahead, Evelyn left the group to bring us back.

It wasn’t her idea; Kalian had asked her to do so.

As she came looking for Lumia and me, she saw Lumia in danger and me saving her.

Evelyn, deep in thought, suddenly smiled.

“You always act so indifferent, but you’re not entirely cold-hearted, are you?”

“What are you talking about now?”

“I mean Lumia. The guy who’s brushed off every woman until now went out of his way to help. Is she your type?”

“It’s nothing like that.”

“Hehe, what could you possibly see in such a helpless woman? Then again, men do tend to like damsels in distress. It’s not surprising.”

Lately, I’ve been noticing—Evelyn can be surprisingly romantic-minded.

Is women’s interest in love a timeless and universal instinct?

“Think whatever you want. But is this the serious matter you mentioned?”

“Of course not.”

“Then please get to the point.”

“I was planning to. What I really wanted to tell you is…”

She hesitated.

What was she about to say? It wasn’t like her to hesitate, even gauging my reaction. Whatever it was, it seemed difficult to bring up.

“Well… um… I invited Kalian to my estate.”

“What? Invited him?”

“Exactly. He’ll be staying at the Rose Duchy this weekend.”

I frowned.

“Didn’t we agree you wouldn’t approach Kalian anymore?”

“Ahem… That promise expired.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Seems like you misunderstood something. Just because you beat me in a duel once doesn’t mean you get to control me forever. I’ve been patient long enough, and now I’ll do as I please.”

I felt as though I’d been hit in the back of the head, but she wasn’t entirely wrong.

Feelings don’t just disappear because someone tells you to let go.

In hindsight, I’d been lucky she had stayed quiet until now.

“How did you convince Kalian? I warned him not to get involved with you.”

“I anticipated that and found a way. I asked him to deal with a group of bandits. They’ve been troubling the outskirts of my estate lately, harassing the people.”

“Unbelievable.”

What moves Kalian isn’t a seductress or a blank check from a millionaire.

It’s the cry of someone in distress. That’s the one thing guaranteed to trigger his broad sense of responsibility.

For her to figure that out so quickly—this woman isn’t ordinary.

“Anyway, that’s how it is. From now on, I won’t rely on you and will win his heart in my own way.”

“Cancel the invitation. If not, I’ll persuade Kalian to break his promise.”

“Why are you so intent on keeping us apart?”

“I’m just trying to protect Kalian as his friend.”

“Hm…”

Evelyn stroked her chin and spoke.

“If you’re that worried, why not come too?”

“Me? Go as well?”

“Yes. Visit the estate with Kalian. Then you won’t have to worry about anything strange happening, right?”

“Well… I suppose that’s true.”

If I go, I can stop Evelyn from pulling any stunts.

The safest option would be to stop Kalian from going altogether, but breaking a promise isn’t something

I can easily ask of my best friend.

Besides, there’s Evelyn herself to consider.

The original story didn’t provide enough detail, but it’s about time for her to begin her downfall.

Perhaps visiting her estate will let me eliminate the cause in advance.

I accepted her suggestion.

That weekend, I arrived in front of the Rose Duchy’s mansion in the carriage Evelyn sent.

From the moment we entered the duchy, I could see why their reputation was so high.

The heavily enchanted walls were impeccably maintained, and the buildings inside were arranged in perfect order.

The citizens were lively and smiling—a sight only possible with an exceptional ruler, not just wealth.

“Impressive.”

I looked up at the grand mansion.

Usually, when nobles or royalty build something like this, the burden falls on the people, leaving them struggling.

But here, people were lining up at the entrance with bright faces to offer tribute.

Kalian and Lumia, who came with me, had something to say as well.

“As expected of the Rose family.”

“Are we really okay going in like this? They won’t kick us out for being underdressed, right…?”

Lumia, intimidated by the grandeur, shrank into herself.

I had brought her along.

I didn’t know Evelyn’s full intentions, but I planned to bring Kalian and Lumia closer together.

Surprisingly, Evelyn welcomed Lumia’s presence.

“Sir Kalian, Sir Wade, Lady Lumia, correct? Thank you for coming all this way. Lady Evelyn is waiting for you.”

A middle-aged butler with a dignified demeanor greeted us and guided us inside.

“You’ve arrived, Kalian.”

Evelyn greeted us warmly in the banquet hall.

The dining hall was lavish, with walls embedded with gold thread, plush carpets, chandeliers adorned with precious mana stones, and large windows letting in abundant light.

It was extravagant for a mere dining area.

The table was laden with all kinds of delicacies, steam still rising from the dishes, suggesting they’d been prepared to coincide with our arrival.

“Thank you for inviting us.”

“Come, take a seat.”

“Excuse us, then.”

Evelyn nodded politely and seated Kalian to her immediate right.

Naturally, I took the seat on her left, opposite Kalian, and Lumia followed to sit beside me.

“You must be hungry. Let’s eat first; we can talk while we dine.”

“About the bandits…”

“Don’t worry about that. It can wait until after the meal. Here, try this—it’s quite good.”

Kalian attempted to bring up the purpose of his visit, but Evelyn silenced him by presenting plates of food.

She sliced a piece of perfectly roasted chicken thigh and placed it on his plate, peeled shrimp for him, and deboned fish as well.

She’s going all out right from the start, I thought, watching her overt display of affection.

Evelyn caught me staring, smirked as if to say, What are you going to do about it?

So, I began taking food from Kalian’s plate.

“Oh, this is delicious,” I said with exaggerated delight.

“What are you doing?!”

“Hm? Don’t misunderstand. Kalian and I have always shared food like this.”

“There’s plenty here—why take from his plate?!”

“It just looks tastier.”

“You little…!”

Every time Evelyn placed something on Kalian’s plate, I promptly ate it.

Frustrated, Evelyn turned to Kalian for support, but he just laughed it off.

“This…”

Meanwhile, Lumia, who had been observing quietly, clumsily peeled a shrimp and placed it on my plate.

“Huh? Why are you giving this to me?”

“If peeling it is a hassle, I’ll do it for you.”

“I’m fine, really.”

“I’ll do it anyway.”

Though I lightly refused, Lumia insisted, diligently preparing food for me.

It seemed like she wanted to make amends for abandoning me before.

However, her inexperience with the dishes showed; most of the food she prepared ended up a mangled mess.

“You two make a good pair,” Kalian said, smiling warmly.

Why was he grinning like a proud father? These moments were supposed to be for him, not me.

After finishing our meal, Evelyn guided us on a tour of the mansion.

The place was vast; simply walking around took an hour.

Finally, she brought us to the Rose family mausoleum.

“This is where the previous dukes and heroes of our family rest.”

The solemn space was insulated from outside noise, the statues casting their gaze down upon us.

Unusually, weapons were displayed around the graves.

Curious, I asked Evelyn, “Why are there weapons in a mausoleum?”

“The Rose family is a knightly lineage. From birth to death, we are knights. That’s why we bury weapons with our deceased.”

“I see.”

“Not just any weapon, though—only those of individuals who achieved great deeds. Would you like to try holding one?”

“Am I allowed to?”

“Even if you’re not from our family, an honorable and noble knight may do so.”

She picked up a sword from one of the graves and brought it over. To my surprise, she didn’t hand it to me.

“Wait, isn’t this for me?”

“For you? Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve been speaking to Kalian this entire time.”

She handed the sword to Kalian. Despite looking a bit awkward, Kalian accepted it with grace, as rejecting it might dishonor the Rose family.

“It suits you. You look as if you were born into our family.”

“Thank you.”

This is cheating.

If this were a normal situation, I would have countered her, but she used the family’s honor to sideline me.

Clap clap clap.

The butler, who had been watching us, started clapping leisurely.

“You two look like a perfect match. It’s like seeing a portrait of a married couple, hahahaha.”

“Oh, stop with the embarrassing remarks. You’re making Kalian uncomfortable.”

“But it’s the truth, isn’t it? Hahaha.”

The butler was clearly on Evelyn’s side.

She pretended to be embarrassed but couldn’t hide her pleased smile.

Great, now even the butler is in on this.

To be continued…