Chapter 153 – The Feeling of Liking Someone

Evelyn looked flustered at the sight of the child, who seemed to be pondering something deeply while resting her chin in her hands.

“The feeling of… liking someone?”

For such words to come from so young a girl felt strangely weighty. Her throat tightened, and she reached for her teacup, wetting her lips with a sip.

Even though she wanted to answer sincerely, she found herself at a loss for what to say. After all, she had never truly liked anyone in that way before. Was she even fit to define such feelings when she had no experience of them herself? But the moment she saw the bright, expectant light in the child’s eyes, she couldn’t bear to disappoint her.

A faint, ambiguous smile touched her lips as she wrestled with two conflicting emotions. In the end, she decided to simply speak from the heart.

“The way I understand what it means to like someone is…”

“Are you eating properly?”

“That you wish they wouldn’t be hurt, or burdened by hardship.”

“I’m fine. You came for me, didn’t you?”

“That you give them a steadfast trust they can rely on.”

“Good luck, Axion.”

“And that you can support them, sincerely, from the heart… that’s what I believe it is”

But why was it Axion Valentino’s face that rose so vividly in her mind just then? That alone was bewildering enough, but her heart had begun to pound like a small drum, loud and insistent.

What is this feeling…?

At the wild cadence of her heartbeat, Evelyn’s long lashes quivered faintly.

Although she had managed to clumsily define what it meant to like someone, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she sounded like a fool.

‘Is that even right?’

Doubt tugged at her, and she tilted her head with a vague expression. The face of her fiancé rose in her mind once more… but surely it was only because they spent so much time together. Yes, that had to be it. Otherwise, why would the face of an infuriating man she thought of as her enemy linger so stubbornly?

Forcing herself to erase him from her thoughts, Evelyn stole an uncertain glance across the table.

But for some reason, she found Elodie staring back at her, wide-eyed, her gaze shining brightly.

‘Did she actually like my answer?’

While she wavered in uncertainty, the girl composed her expression of delight into something prim and proper.

“Ahem. I understand what you’re saying, my lady.”

Oh good, maybe it had been of some help after all.

Elodie immediately began scribbling notes into the little notebook she had brought with her, shaped like a rabbit. Time slipped by as she wrote diligently, until at last she set aside her carrot-shaped pen and announced with satisfaction.

“You pass!”

“…Pardon?”

“You’re fully qualified to be my sister-in-law.”

The terrifying words, spilling so blithely from such a dainty mouth, nearly made Evelyn spit out the tea she had just sipped. Had she truly just heard what she thought she had? Dabbing at her lips with a handkerchief, she forced herself to believe there must be some other meaning behind the words and asked as calmly as she could.

“My lady, what exactly do you mean by that?”

Had this not been the very same ally who, not long ago, declared she could never acknowledge her as Axion’s fiancée?

Surely there had to be another explanation.

But just as she struggled to quell her unease, Elodie straightened, her expression proud despite the excitement still glimmering beneath it.

“I’ll accept you as my brother’s fiancée.”

Of course, she’s Axion’s cousin through and through…

Even the terrifying sharpness of her tongue seemed to be inherited.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

“Ugh, so cold.”

Though spring had supposedly arrived, the northern lands still bore the lingering breath of winter. Why was it snowing when it wasn’t even midwinter? 

At the northern railway station, blanketed in white, Evelyn shivered as the chill gnawed at her.

Crunch—

Each step sank into the snow like treading upon a quilt of white, and it made her long for the warmth of her bedcovers. While waiting for her retainer, she slowly scanned her surroundings, blowing a pale breath of frost into her chilled hands. Just then, a strong gust swept through, setting the station sign creaking on its hinges.