Chapter 104

Evelyn managed an awkward smile, uncertain how best to respond. What kind of male lead worried about the villainess in front of the female lead, anyway? She felt as though she’d been set on a bed of thorns, but did her best to keep her tone neutral.

“I see.”

She didn’t know how far things had progressed between the story’s two protagonists, but, fortunately, Dahlia seemed unbothered by it.

Purely out of curiosity, the woman in front of her blinked her violet eyes slowly and spoke.

“I never imagined the two of you even knew each other.”

In that instant, a sharp thought flickered through Evelyn’s mind.

‘Let’s not reveal that we’re friends.’

Although she had somehow ended up befriending Khalid, their relationship was still more awkward than not. The last thing she wanted was to play the role of ‘the male lead’s female friend’ and find herself in the middle of a jealousy subplot.

“We’ve simply run into each other a few times, that’s all.”

Though she had drawn a clear line without meaning to, Evelyn saw no other choice if she wished to make it perfectly clear that nothing was going on between herself and Khalid. As always, her only intention was to observe the budding romance between the two protagonists from afar. Yet, for some reason, Dahlia’s expression stiffened slightly at her words.

“You must not have much free time these days. I’m surprised you happened to cross paths with him.”

Evelyn gave her a puzzled look at the woman’s drawn-out tone. Was Dahlia always like this? In the original story, she remembered her as someone who kept her feelings quietly bottled up.

As if her earlier mood had never existed, Dahlia offered a gentle, fleeting smile and gathered up her coat.

“I should take my leave now.”

She mentioned she had to help with Sunday mass in the morning, prompting Evelyn to rise as well.

“Thank you for coming today, Dahlia.”

As the Lorenheim carriage disappeared from view, Evelyn replayed their conversation in her mind.

‘Dahlia insists she’d never encountered the monster herself.’

If that was true, what was the connection between the monsters and the curse, and why had she been singled out as a target? She would need to investigate further.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

“Jactor, are you in here?”

When she saw no sign of him in the laboratory, Evelyn tilted her head in confusion.

‘Hmm, where could he have gone?’

She had meant to ask him about his herb research, but it seemed the boy had stepped out for a while. With no choice but to leave, she was just about to close the door to the laboratory when a maid passing by in the corridor called out to her.

“My lady, are you looking for Jactor?”

“Yes, it seems he’s stepped out for a bit?”

The maid nodded readily, gesturing out the window as she replied.

“If you’re looking for Jactor, you’ll likely find him on the back hill.”

“The back hill?”

“I heard Lord Valentino is with him as well.”

Ah, now that she mentions it…!

She suddenly remembered that her fiancé had mentioned visiting the estate to oversee Jactor’s training.

‘So it was today.’

Wearing an ambiguous expression, she decided to visit the back hill for the first time in a long while.

Of course, it was only to see Jactor.

Passing through the gardens and heading for the wooded slope behind the manor, she was greeted by the cheerful song of birds. The gentle spring breeze lifted her spirits, and she found herself humming softly as she took in her surroundings.

“It hasn’t changed at all.”

As sunlight trickled softly through the dense canopy of leaves, Evelyn let herself drift into a gentle reverie.

She and Axion had spent countless childhood hours exploring this place, but as they grew older, visits became rare. Especially after they entered adolescence, they saw each other only during obligatory tea times, drifting apart more and more each year.

As she lingered in childhood memories, a sheepish smile touched her lips. A gentle breeze drifted by, carrying with it a warm current of magical energy that seemed to ripple through the air.

Oh, is this Jactor’s magic?