Chapter 65 – I Want You to Stay by My Side

Axion wore an expression that clearly showed he wasn’t pleased. Evelyn, a little taken aback by his reaction, raised her eyes slightly.

‘Is it because it doesn’t suit me?’

She glanced down at her outfit, feeling self-conscious for no reason.

The dress Madame Angela had altered for her was much the same as before, save for the change in the depth of the slit. Surely, his reaction meant he thought the dress didn’t suit his fiancée. Who had asked him to give it to her in the first place, anyway?

‘He’s probably about to say that drawing stripes on a pumpkin won’t turn it into a watermelon.’

Evelyn pouted, her lips twisting in annoyance. However, contrary to her expectations, Axion did something entirely unexpected.

Why is he coming closer?

Her eyes darted nervously. She was so startled by the sudden turn of events that she couldn’t even step back.

The man stopped just in front of her, took off his wool jacket, and gently draped it over her shoulders. Then, starting from the top, he began buttoning it up, one button at a time. With him suddenly standing so close, she felt as if she had forgotten how to breathe.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed before his tightly pressed lips finally relaxed into a faint smile.

“You look better like this.”

“What… what are you doing?”

At her incredulous question, Axion arched one eyebrow.

“Surely you weren’t planning to go in wearing just that dress?”

“Why don’t you say it plainly? You’re the one who gave me this dress.”

Evelyn shot her fiancé a sharp, defiant look.

He neither confirmed nor denied it, only letting out a low sigh. It seemed he had only just realized the true atmosphere of the banquet. Otherwise, he wouldn’t look so displeased with a dress he had chosen himself. After staring at her in silence for a moment, as if lost in thought, Axion spoke with a serious look on his face.

“If I’d known what kind of place this was…”

“….?”

“I wouldn’t have brought you.”

Wait, is he actually feeling bad for me right now?

Still, she held no real resentment toward him. After all, she had her own reasons for attending this midnight soirée.

‘Dr. Fabian is supposed to be here tonight, isn’t he?’

In the original story, it was mentioned that the renowned figure from the Magic Tower’s Life Research Annex would be attending this banquet. No doubt, like Axion, he was here to investigate the illicit import of forbidden substances.

‘If I want to obtain Mordian…’

Evelyn knew she had to make a deal with him to secure the fertilizer she needed for her poison research. For now, her only way to get Mordian was through someone connected to the Magic Tower. As she steeled herself, she felt Axion’s grip on her arm tighten just slightly as he escorted her.

When she tilted her head toward him, he whispered in a low voice.

“I want you to stay by my side today.”

“…What?”

As she frowned slightly, a crimson glint appeared in his eyes as he gazed at her.

“Don’t go wandering off somewhere you shouldn’t.”

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

As they reached the entrance to the banquet hall, Evelyn and Axion exchanged a silent glance. One way or another, they were in this together as partners, in every sense of the word. Her fiancé had come to the soirée to catch a high-ranking member of the dark guild responsible for smuggling forbidden substances.

‘To commit such crimes here of all places, they must have nerves of steel.’

Thinking of the criminals trading illicit substances in the banquet hall, she clicked her tongue in disapproval.

For such illegal acts to take place in the very heart of the capital was nothing short of a testament to the emperor’s incompetence. Naturally, her hopes for the next ruler would grow all the stronger. Of course, her hopes rested not with the crown prince, but with someone else entirely.

“What has you so deep in thought?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Startled by her fiancé’s question, Evelyn quickly composed herself and adjusted her mask. Since the dress code for the evening was ‘masquerade,’ it wouldn’t be easy for the guests to recognize one another.