Chapter 130

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

Before attending the opera, the two made their way to the restaurant Axion had reserved.

“It has been a long time, Lord Valentino, Lady Inevasel.”

The head chef himself emerged from the kitchen to greet them, and a flicker of warmth crossed Evelyn’s face. This was a place steeped in her memories with Axion.

‘I had no idea we’d be stopping by this restaurant.’

As children, they had often visited the restaurant with their families, but after adolescence, those outings had grown fewer until they vanished altogether. Returning now after such a long absence filled her with unexpected nostalgia.

Seated at the reserved table, her eyes shone with curiosity.

“How did you even think to bring me here?”

“You used to love the food here when you were little, didn’t you?”

There had been a time when Evelyn was enamored with the courses this restaurant offered, dining here frequently with her family.

At his attitude, which seemed almost considerate of her, she deliberately replied as if it were nothing.

“I hope the flavor is just as I remember.”

She then unfolded her napkin, folded it neatly in half, and placed it on her lap.

Soon after, the attendant arrived, arranging their ordered dishes gracefully across the table. As the fragrant steam curled upward, Evelyn couldn’t help recalling the meals she had once eaten here as a child. She was lost in those memories when Axion deftly swapped his plate with hers.

Startled, she stared at the smaller portion of lamb steak now set before her.

‘Did he really eat something strange lately?’

Evelyn laced her fingers together, propping her chin upon them as she gazed intently at him. In response, Axion arched one brow.

“What, should I feed you myself?”

He… he just said it again. He’s tossing out words like that so casually.

“Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

When she asked in a suddenly earnest voice, the man narrowed his eyes slightly, tilting his head at an angle.

“Suddenly?”

“They say when a person starts acting completely out of character, it’s because they’re seriously ill.”

Like a last supper or something?

Just as she was starting to look at him with genuine pity, thinking it might actually be true, Axion released a long, weary sigh, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous thing.

“Let’s just eat.”

Hmm, maybe I was mistaken?

Feeling embarrassed, Evelyn picked up her food with a fork and put it in her mouth.

‘Oh, the taste seems to be the same as before?’

As she began to enjoy her meal with relish, Axion finally began his own meal. By the time their plates were half-emptied, he let out a short sigh, as though something had just come to mind.

“About a month left until the graduation ceremony, isn’t it?”

At Roxen Academy, spring held particular significance. With its unique curriculum, the graduation ceremony was held in April, and the entrance ceremony in May.

Now, with March already budding, the ceremony was close at hand.

Even though it was the graduation ceremony she had been eagerly waiting for, actually thinking about graduating left her feeling strangely unsettled.

“Yeah, not much time left.”

When she spoke in a voice tinged with regret, Axion’s eyes, rarely so, glimmered with interest.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

His uncharacteristic demeanor made Evelyn unable to hide her suspicious look.

“You’re going to attend the graduation ceremony, right?”

Given his history of skipping the entrance ceremony, she couldn’t entirely dismiss the thought that her fiancé might well do the same. 

The Duchess would be so heartbroken if she found out…

As though he had read her thoughts, Axion answered in a low voice.

“I told you, didn’t I? I’m looking forward to that day.”

What on earth did he mean by that?

Evelyn’s brow furrowed in confusion, but before she could ask, he casually reached across the table and took her grapefruit ade. Without hesitation, he raised it to his lips and drank.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?!”

She was considerably flustered by her fiancé’s sudden act of drinking from her glass.

‘But that’s the straw I was using…’

Watching the man unhesitatingly put his lips to the straw she had used made her feel strangely peculiar. To him, it seemed utterly trivial, yet she alone found herself dwelling on it.

Before she could even sort through her thoughts, Axion spoke again with shameless nonchalance.

“Hm, it’s not bad.”

Ordinarily, he would never have so much as touched an ade…