Chapter 96

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

Tap, tap-tap—

Raindrops pattered softly against the window, rousing Evelyn from her heavy slumber.

Throat parched and dry, she struggled upright in bed. The aftermath of the hunting festival had left her bedridden for days. Still, there was a small comfort in it. At least this year’s illness had come early, so maybe her parents wouldn’t worry quite so much.

“That’s a relief. Maybe this year I won’t give them as much to fret over.”

She tried to sound cheerful, but a somber shadow lingered at the corners of her lips.

It was always this way. Whenever the spring rains arrived, her spirits would sink with the weather. If she was honest, it wasn’t really the season that troubled her, but it was the thought of her own birthday creeping closer.

Chewing her lower lip, she let memories she’d never shared with anyone rise quietly to the surface.

“Evelyn. Mom and Dad will be back soon.”
“Do you really have to go?”
“We’ll return before you know it. And we’ll bring your birthday present, just as we promised.”
“Really? Then you have to hurry back!”

Her parents left her behind that day, summoned for an audience with the emperor. However, the promise of a quick return proved empty, and her mother and father never came home. That was why she hated the spring rain. It had rained that day too, gentle drops soaking the earth as if trying to wash away every trace of those she loved most.

As Evelyn remembered that distant spring, sorrow clouded her face.

They’d said the carriage her parents rode in had been shattered beyond recognition. And yet, amid the wreckage, there had been one thing left completely untouched—a locket, holding the portraits of both her parents. It was meant to be her birthday gift, and now it was her only keepsake.

Her eyes stung with tears. She squeezed them shut, then slowly opened them again.

No matter how many years passed, those memories never faded.

Calming herself with a sip of water from the bedside table, Evelyn tried to steady her heart. She was just about to get out of bed when her gaze fell on a single rose in a vase.

‘Now that I think of it, Axion gave me that rose, didn’t he?’

With the monster incident, the hunting festival had been canceled, and there was no winner, nor was a goddess of spring chosen that year. Yet out of nowhere, Axion had handed her a rose, his voice as indifferent as ever.

“Didn’t I tell you? This year’s goddess of spring is you.”

That guy, really…

Evelyn couldn’t help but let out a small breath of laughter, recalling her fiancé’s unfounded confidence. Still, the memory of his face, hardened by cold anger, wouldn’t leave her mind.

As soon as the festival ended, Axion and the Marquiss and Marchioness of Inevasel had sent an official protest to the imperial court. After all, it was unthinkable for a monster to appear at an event hosted by the imperial family, especially with evidence of sorcery found on the beast’s brow.

The palace, for its part, claimed ignorance, with a hint of offended innocence, though how much of that could be trusted remained to be seen.

Others, too, had written to her out of concern—young ladies with whom she’d forged friendships, her dearest companion Chloe, and even Khalid Rikeran, the original story’s male lead.

‘I never imagined he’d send a letter…’

His words had been filled with genuine worry for her, following the attack. Of course, it was all framed as friendly concern, nothing more than a polite inquiry from one friend to another.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

That night, as always, Evelyn burned with fever. Whenever her temperature began to fall, chills would seize her body, leaving her shivering beneath the blankets. The family physician urged strict bed rest, leaving her with a newly prepared special remedy.

Only after she forced herself to swallow every drop of the bitter, foul-tasting medicine did the servants finally withdraw.

“At least I can breathe again.”

As her condition slowly improved, she settled by the window, gazing up at the night sky. At some point, the rain had stopped; now the heavens were clear, scattered with gently glowing stars. When she cracked the window, a soft, refreshing breeze drifted in, carrying the scent of the damp earth.

Her spirits lightened, though the night air was still unseasonably cold. As she began to shiver and moved to close the window, something made her pause.