If You Wish For Something Useless - Chapter 14

Chapter 14 – Useless Hope (3)

After drinking together, Evelyn’s attitude toward Ethan changed. It was such a blatant change that everyone watching them could notice. Thanks to this, the Castle’s servants were beaming, saying that Evelyn finally had opened her heart to her older brother.

The awkward distance between the two of them had disappeared to the point that such whispers were circulating.

Evelyn and Ethan set out for a walk after dinner, as always. But before leaving the Castle, she paused and stared intently at Ethan’s arm. He coughed awkwardly and gently stretched it toward her. Evelyn put her hand on his forearm, noting his lips twitched oddly. Peering from the window, servants beheld the sight of the two siblings going out, arms linked.

Other than that, there were few changes.

Walking side by side with her older brother, Evelyn grazed Ethan’s hand with a look. He immediately recognized the meaning of such gaze and reacted quickly. Pausing for a moment, he stroked Evelyn’s head with his free hand. The smile covering his face was as sweet as cotton candy.

Evelyn closed her eyes and savored his touch, like a cat that had already been tamed.

Even though her attitude changed, Evelyn still hesitated to ask him to do something directly. On the other hand, Ethan noticed her desires even though she didn’t say anything and just did everything for her.

He was so kind to her and treated her so warmly that Evelyn recalled something she had said a long time ago. ‘If I’m next to someone who does everything for me, my habits will become bad.’

Evelyn traced her memories under Ethan’s touch.

A long time ago, she was walking through the gardens of the Grand Duchy of Fedora. At that time she was still small, and she walked holding the hand of the large, tall Archduke.

As Evelyn held her breath, praying for the return of those days, Ethan asked at the same time the wind blew loudest.

“Aren’t you cold?”

If he had a talent, it would be the ability to ask the same question every day with the same care and warmth.

Evelyn looked at Ethan and shook her head.

“I am used to it. What about you, Brother?”

“I’m fine, too.”

Basically, Ethan was interested in Evelyn. Had she been a little bolder, Evelyn could even affirm that Ethan was interested in her every moment.

Evelyn felt so happy that the corners of her mouth rose unconsciously.

“Still, let’s go in early today, Brother.”

“Huh? Early?”

The wind had gotten colder, so it was better to go in earlier than usual. The snow that had been falling non-stop for several days had stopped, but the temperature did not rise.

‘From now on, we should refrain from taking walks. As the day goes by, the weather will get colder.’

In just a few more days, the cold will be so harsh that water thrown out the window will immediately freeze. Even within Fedora, the Rasol Port coast, which is biased toward the north, will freeze, and part of the route will be blocked.

Fedora’s winter was fierce.

Born and raised here, Evelyn was familiar with it, but not Ethan.

If one of them were to catch a cold, definitely and without question, it would be Ethan. In fact, his body was already shaking faintly. With her arm linked in his, she could feel the trembling.

“You can’t catch a cold.”

She said this because she was worried about Ethan, who was not used to the harsh cold of Fedora.

As if pleased by her words, Ethan’s smile deepened.

“I have run around the training grounds in the cold before, so it’s okay.”

There was no problem if they walked around, as usual, so he wanted to be with her a little longer.

‘If he says he’s fine, should we go around the garden like before?’

Evelyn’s heart fluttered slightly.

“Um, then maybe…”

Ethan followed the stare directed to one side of the garden’s promenade.

“I heard that you can make a snowman when the snow piles up, have you tried it?”

“…When I was young.”

Because everything was fun and easy back then.

She played with snow and made a snowman. Occasionally, she ran toward the Archduke with round balls of snow. Even if she cautiously hid herself so that not even a strand of her hair could be seen, her father always avoided the snowballs that Evelyn threw.

In those carefree days before the dream started, she could accept the Archduke’s care without feeling obligation or the need for distance.

Since she liked to play with snow so much, the Archduke even brought a sculptor. Among the things they made, there was a slide made of snow, and she slid down it and played until she got tired.

Evelyn looked around the garden, which was once filled with snow sculptures. They were all melted away now, but the traces were clear as if to last a lifetime.

Sometimes people’s minds hold onto moments they want to forget more persistently than other memories and don’t let go. Now that she wanted those beautiful and happy days again, Evelyn was more desperate than ever.

She knew it in her heart. She didn’t want to leave this place.

So, in case of any unforeseen circumstances, she began to move in a hurry all the agents she had employed, and even those servants from the Grand Duchy she personally recruited.

Even if Ethan didn’t go to the hunting grounds, the original plot was still something bound to happen. She didn’t know how the original event would unfold to maintain the flow of the original, so she needed to prepare.

As long as Ethan and Archduke Fedora were removed from the picture, Evelyn’s identity would never be revealed. She even sent Archduke Fedora outside the Castle as a precaution.

‘I don’t know where and how the people of the main story are, but if I protect the specified target…’

At that moment, she heard footsteps crunching in the snow. As she pondered the events of the present and the future, Evelyn’s thoughts were interrupted.

Coming to her senses, she saw Ethan making footprints in the snow. His wish was so clear that it was difficult to ignore.

“It may be… a little childish but… why not try it together?”

As expected, Ethan wanted to make a snowman.

[tl/n: do not sing Frozen’s song… do not sing Frozen’s song… do not-]

“Do you want to build a snowman?”

“…At least once.”

Seeing him scratching his cheek as if embarrassed, Evelyn couldn’t help but smile. She bent over and reached for the snow that had been swept to one side by the gardeners. Smiling back at her, Ethan crouched down as well.

Despite the thick gloves they wore, they could still feel a cold and chilly sensation. As small, round snowballs were rolled up, the pile quickly grew in size.

“It should be bigger.”

“Like this?”

‘It’s just a bunch of snow, but what’s so fun about it?’

Ethan hummed with a bright smile that lit up the garden.

‘Is that good?’

It was just a matter of rolling snow and sticking it together but Ethan was very excited.

Evelyn thought he was strange. He seemed not to notice that a bright half-moon was marked in his smooth face.

After a while, she placed a snowball she had made on her own on top of the bigger snowball Ethan had made.

“The eyes…”

While Evelyn picked up a nearby stone to make the snowman’s eyes, Ethan glanced at her as he rummaged through the pockets of his overcoat.

Not knowing what he was doing, she kept watching him…

“…Would you like to do it?”

Ethan did not deny Evelyn’s question. However, seeing his ears turning red, he seemed embarrassed. What he pulled from his pocket was a carrot, already trimmed to be used as a snowman’s nose.

He had prepared a carrot in advance.

Fiddling with the carrot in his hand, Ethan glanced at Evelyn.

She giggled, nodding. Like telling him to place the nose quickly.

It was nothing special, but Ethan couldn’t control his twitching lips.

Still, he faithfully affixed the snowman’s nose.

“How are we going to dress it?”

As she asked, thinking he had brought something for sure, Ethan put his hand back into his pocket again.

‘Seeing you not taking it out at once, it seems that there is a lot of stuff in there.’

Evelyn reached out her hands, wondering what the hell, and how much, he had prepared.

“Huh?”

Ethan seemed doubtful seeing Evelyn’s hands stretching toward him.

“Take it all out. We can choose from your stores.”

“Cough, cough, cough!!!”

The loud, hoarse, dry cough was, of course, Ethan’s. He pulled his hesitating hand from his pocket.

Thanks to this, Evelyn was able to see the objects in his hand, and she was speechless for a moment.

As if the carrots were not enough, with a rattling sound the next item he revealed was… jewelry.

The jewels prepared in two pairs of each color were also of different sizes. Next to the jewels lying in his palm was a thick thread that could serve as a snowman’s mouth.

‘How the hell did he manage to put all these things inside his pocket? I’m sure there is still more inside. How could he put everything together without it slipping away?’

Before her questions were resolved, Ethan rummaged through another pocket. Four carrots of different sizes popped out of the pocket he had just pulled out the carrot before.

‘How did you put it all there without it even showing?’

Evelyn was struck dumb, and finally asked in a serious tone.

‘How many snowmen do you plan to make?”

“Ehem. I didn’t mean to use all of this… I thought too much would be better than lacking something.”

After a moment of silence, Evelyn shook her head and picked up the thread entangled with the jewel. She made a small snowman’s mouth that was enough to wrap around two people’s waists.

“Would you like another–?”

Before she could finish her question, Ethan started to create a new snowball. When she saw him, she thought she didn’t even need to ask.

Ethan opened his arms wide, tapping the snow. Seeing this, Evelyn shook her head and stood up.

As she tried to stop him, who was working hard, she felt an inquisitive gaze staring at her. Instead of answering, she took Ethan’s snowball and started rolling it larger.

“How big are you going to make it?”

“…Like me?”

“Then wouldn’t the nose be too small?”

“Can’t I put two of them together?”

“Well, you can.”

Ethan immediately began rolling a new ball of snow along with the one Evelyn had appropriated.

Whether their motivations or abilities were different, Ethan quickly succeeded in making a snowball large enough to reach his waist. Evelyn’s snowball was still half that size.

He soon looked back at her with sparkling gold eyes. As if waiting for compliments.

“…You are fast.”

Not great or wonderful. It wasn’t something that could be defined with such words in the first place. She had to choose a suitable word.

“Is that so?”

‘I can’t turn a blind eye to his expectations, so I just said it roughly, but why are you so happy?’

While Evelyn felt something like remorse, Ethan took her snowball and made it bigger.

Then, with great ease, he placed it on top of the snowball he had made.

‘I’m sure lifting that is not because of his weight training… but because of his joy in making a snowman.’

Evelyn looked at a snowman about the same height as Ethan and picked up the accessories she had left on the ground.

She made the nose with the largest carrot and the mouth with the longest thread, now the eyes…

“Amber, please do it with amber!”

As she looked up at the completed snowman and wondered what to do with the eyes, Evelyn accepted Ethan’s request. She held the bright yellow amber in her hand and stood on her toes.

And suddenly, her body flashed and floated.

She was so shocked that she froze and couldn’t even scream, while Ethan, who had surprised her, blinked and asked smoothly.

“Do you want me to put you on top?”

——

Okay, is everyone else having trouble seeing these two beautiful cinnamon rolls as lovers in the future? I mean they are so cute~

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