Chapter 52

‘What on earth is wrong with him today?’

She wondered, shaking her head at her fiancé’s strange mood.

Click—

Just then, the carriage door opened and Jactor poked his head out the window.

“…Sister Evelyn?”

“Sister? You never cease to surprise me.”

Axion muttered in a low voice beside her, and Evelyn responded by stomping hard on his foot. Then, painting on her most gentle smile, she turned to the boy.

“Jactor, you must have been waiting for quite a while, haven’t you?”

“No, I’m fine. But who’s the person beside you?”

When Jactor tilted his head in curiosity, she cast a sideways glance at her fiancé.

“Well… he’s the person you wanted to meet.”

“Really? It’s really him?”

At her softly mumbled reply, his golden eyes sparkled with excitement. Without hesitation, the boy hopped down from the carriage and made his way to Axion, bowing politely.

“It’s an honor to meet you. My name is Jactor.”

Taken aback by the unexpected introduction, Axion arched an eyebrow and murmured quietly to Evelyn.

“What exactly are you playing at now?”

Evelyn, a bit embarrassed, scratched her cheek. She knew full well how bewildering this situation must seem to her fiancé. In a voice just loud enough for him to hear, she whispered.

“I mentioned you once or twice. He’s been wanting to meet you.”

After her brief explanation of what had transpired, a flicker of interest lit up Axion’s crimson eyes.

‘What is he planning to say in front of the child now…?’

She wondered, eyeing him warily as she took a small step back. But to her surprise, when Axion finally spoke, his voice, slipping out from his half-parted lips, sounded unusually warm.

“In that case, I suppose I’ll have to grant your request.”

“….?”

The man, impossible to read as ever, took a cufflink from inside his coat. Then, placing it in Jactor’s hand, he spoke quietly.

“Next time, bring this with you when you come to find me.”

“This is…!”

The boy, examining the crest engraved on the cufflink, gasped in astonishment. Anyone from the Baltian Empire would know what high standing the name Valentino held.

“It would be even better if you brought your sponsor along as well.”

With a mischievous smile, the man glanced at Evelyn. Jactor nodded eagerly.

“I’ll be sure to come with Sister!”

Watching the boy trot back to the carriage, Axion remarked offhandedly.

“He’s a spirited one. I like that.”

‘Handing a family crest-engraved cufflink to a boy he had just met…’

Evelyn narrowed her eyes at her fiancé, who had so neatly handled the situation in a single stroke.

‘What on earth is going through his mind?’

But no matter how much she puzzled over it, she couldn’t read his intentions. She let out a quiet, awkward cough, then offered him a gentle word of thanks.

“Ahem… Thank you for your help.”

One way or another, thanks to his help, everything had turned out just as she’d hoped. For a moment, Axion seemed surprised by her gratitude, but then a sly smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

“So, are you just going to stay silent now?”

“About what?”

“I granted your wish, so you should give me a reward in return.”

“….!”

When Evelyn could only stare at him in stunned silence, he appealed to her conscience.

“My fiancée is rather fond of negotiations, after all.”

“And?”

“You’re not planning to walk away without giving anything in return, are you?”

You’re just trying to make it impossible for me to refuse, aren’t you?

It was only then that Evelyn, having finally seen through her fiancé’s intentions, let a hint of frustration show on her face. Axion, who had been gazing steadily at her, let his eyes soften with warmth.

“Evelyn, I want you to ride in my carriage.”

“Why should I ride with you?”

When she replied with a chilly tone, he remained completely unfazed and spoke as if nothing was wrong.

“Because it’s time we got to the main point.”

He added that she would understand the details soon enough. The next moment, he walked over to the Inevasel family’s carriage and tapped lightly on the window.

When Jactor opened the window, he asked in a casual tone.

“Evelyn will be coming back with me. Is that all right?”

Perhaps he’d already become one of Axion’s followers. The boy’s golden eyes sparkled brightly as he replied.

“Yes! I can go back on my own!”

Jactor, whose side are you even on…?