062. Inside Evelyn's Carriage
It's fine. Saint Grade Potion might be another story, though.
I was enduring the most awkward silence in the world inside Evelyn's carriage.
"……."
"……."
What the hell was so important that she dragged me all the way out here? I was in the middle of eating.
I snuck a glance at Evelyn sitting across from me. She was pretending to look out the window, her lips twitching like she was mouthing words. Trying to speak and swallowing it, then trying again.
"……."
"……."
Fuck my food obsession. This was unbearable. I couldn't take it anymore and opened my mouth.
"What is it you want to say?"
"……!"
Evelyn flinched and turned her head. Her red eyes swirled as she tried to speak, then clamped her mouth shut. She repeated that three times.
"Um, that……."
"……."
"Ah, no. I mean."
Whoa. She's glitching again. What is this, some ancient desktop from the '90s? Why's she going haywire and rebooting? Do I fix her like an electronic gadget? Would smacking her hard make her snap out of it?
Hmm. Nah, probably not. Even our old man can't touch her on that front.
But I can't just straight-up ask what's wrong.
It wasn't hard to guess there was more to it. Hesitating to speak usually meant it was something uncomfortable to hear. If I dragged it out of her first with a 'What is it? Tell me!', it'd just mean I was volunteering to share the burden of that awkward truth.
Am I crazy?
I stood up and said, "Can I head out now?"
"……."
Evelyn hesitated. Her hand gripped the hem of her skirt tightly, then slowly let go.
"……Yes. Go ahead."
Oh. She's letting me off easy. I sighed in relief inwardly and turned toward the carriage door.
But then.
"And."
Evelyn hurriedly added, "If you need anything for your recovery, just say the word. I'll get it for you with my authority."
"……Pardon?"
What the fuck? Hand out and get your nose pierced?
I chuckled lightly, hand on the door handle. "It's fine. Saint Grade Potion might be another story, though."
I dropped the lame joke with a casual wave and stepped out of the carriage.
The door creaked shut. The outside air felt refreshing. Freedom at last.
"Ah, my food's probably cold by now."
I muttered and hurried toward the dining tent. Fuck, cold stew tastes like shit.
When I got back to my spot, my bowl was gone. Not just the bowl—Lily, who'd been eating with me, was missing too.
What the? Did someone snag it?
Nah, these aren't slum rats. Who'd steal my bowl?
Fuck? Right as I was thinking that, Lily came back from over there, carefully carrying my steaming bowl.
"Hehe. There was some leftover pot and embers in the fire pit, so I said I'd wash up and reheat it for you."
Damn. This is why you keep a dog around.
My heart warmed up. She really is a saintess.
Lily was looking at me expectantly, like anything else?
"Thanks."
She beamed.
Left alone in the carriage, Evelyn stared at the closed door for a long while.
Whew.
"Couldn't even say a word."
Her mutter echoed in the empty carriage.
Before the Region Tour, Evelyn's mind had been filled with self-loathing and stress. Because of the vast gap between her and Professor Iris and Kasian.
She'd been called a genius since birth, and after entering the academy, she'd proven her skills surpassing not just her peers but even her seniors.
For someone like her to feel genuine inferiority? It was humiliating.
But after arriving at the Region Tour, that self-loathing and stress vanished like a lie.
As royalty, she couldn't accept feeling inferior to another human. But to a dragon? Feeling inferior in magic might even be an honor.
"It's only natural, really."
Evelyn muttered, comforting herself.
And those thoughts made her want to get close to Kasian. Now, she had to.
The founding myth made it clear: The first emperor had been friends with a dragon.
The Leopold imperial family might be the closest to dragons. No—it had to be.
But now that he was right in front of her.
"……I can't even say a word."
Evelyn stared out the window, mocking herself.
She envied the other students chatting casually with him. That saintess Lily stuck to him like a puppy, casually asking, "Did you eat? Sleep well?" And that weirdo Lucius traded jokes all day.
They treated him like a normal human because they didn't know. But now that she did, she couldn't bring herself to see him that way.
Why didn't my acting work this time?
Just two days ago, it had. The moment he showed displeasure at her making him uncomfortable, she'd slipped right back into her haughty mask.
Not this time. Every time she tried to speak, her throat tightened and her heart shrank.
Recalling the sensation, Evelyn's eyes widened in realization.
Could this be…… Fear?
The intangible aura a vastly superior being naturally emits toward inferiors. A concept she'd only read in ancient texts, now so vividly real.
Yeah, that makes sense.
Evelyn nodded with conviction.
The moment she approached him with intentions close to her hidden desires, the Fear blocked it. Wanting to get close was ultimately for her own gain.
If the superior being instinctively shut down impure motives.
It's telling me to show the proper attitude.
And his parting words, tossed casually.
'Saint Grade Potion might be another story, though.'
Not idle talk. It meant tribute, too.
"But it's not just 'go get it.'"
Evelyn murmured at the window, lips twitching.
"He wants the Saint Grade Potion."
Why specify that one?
Evelyn pondered deeply.
The next day.
Rumble, rumble.
Inside the jolting Region Tour carriage.
In the end, the monster subjugation experience got canceled.
Considering old man Wilhelm's stubbornness, I'd figured it'd go as planned, but it got axed sharp and clean. Kinda surprised me.
Thanks to that, the two-week Region Tour wrapped up in a flash. I'd blown one day on civilian aid, and monster subjugation waited three days before going tits up.
The carriage still rattled like a cheap cart, but Lucius's motion sickness pills kept my stomach settled. I'd snagged an extra one for Lily, of course.
She'd gulped it down with a "Hehe, thanks!" so she was probably fine, peeking out the window without turning green.
Anyway, no motion sickness thanks to Lucius.
But now I felt like I might puke from stuffiness instead. Also thanks to him.
Lucius was grinning at me like an idiot.
I knew what that smile meant. He wanted an answer.
Before the Region Tour ended, he'd said.
I really didn't want whatever blind date he was pushing. Especially not with his little sister.
But his goodwill toward me seemed genuine, so I was torn.
You don't fuck around with people who show you favors. Karma's a bitch.
"Hey."
"Yes? Shoot."
"You didn't want to set me up from the start, right?"
"Would you believe me if I said that?"
"That's why I'm asking, dumbass."
Fuck. Maybe I should just say we'll do lunch duo for a year and call it even.
Lucius answered calmly.
"The setup idea came later. At first, it was more like, 'knowing him is pure profit.'"
"What's the difference?"
"You know, why ask?"
"……."
"It's what you're thinking. 'I want to get close even if it means dealing with complications' versus 'maybe having a connection turns more profit than loss.' Very different attitudes."
I knew.
The first is sincere, the second calculated.
Meaning he'd started calculating on me, then it turned real.
"That's why I'm asking. I get you suddenly took a real liking to me as a person."
"But jumping to 'I wanna introduce my family' is a bit much, don't you think? Even for a rational guy like me who doesn't get swept by emotions or impulses?"
Spot on. Talking to him was great—no need for bullshit tangents.
"Exactly."
"Good thing I can answer clearly enough to never ask twice."
"Yeah?"
Lucius set his notebook on his knee and looked me dead in the eye.
"Simple. My sister and I have extremely similar tastes."
"……?"
"She'll probably take an interest in you too."
"……."
Beyond imagination. And kinda fucked up.
"Hold up."
"Yes."
"So your logic is: I'm interesting to you, so your similar-taste sister will find me interesting too?"
"Precisely."
No fucking way. What kinda dirty logic is this?
Lucius continued shamelessly.
"For real. You'll be shocked when you meet her. 'A guy's handsomeness and a girl's beauty are paper-thin apart.'"
So it's just him praising his own looks in the end?
"And her personality's great. Quiet, kind, considerate."
"……Got it. I'll meet her once."
"Wise choice."
"But one condition."
"Name it."
"You don't sit in. If you're commentating live like 'My sister's pretty, right?', I'll flip the fucking table right there."
"……Sadly, understood."
He was totally planning to come. This crazy bastard.