If You Wish For Something Useless - Chapter 38
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Chapter 38 – First Encounter (4)
The wind was so cold that it cut through the skin. When she realized that it was the same winter that had accompanied her for a long time, her closed eyelids trembled. When she opened her eyes –half in excitement and half in fear– she saw a garden covered with a pure white blanket.
The place where she played in her childhood, the place she left behind when she was an adult. It was Grand Duchy Fedora’s garden.
Memories accumulated over time washed over her.
As Evelyn stared at the garden in longing with a heavy heart she heard a familiar yet unfamiliar voice.
“What are you looking at?”
Turning her head, a bright light greeted her. It was Ethan.
“Evelyn?”
The buried memories came over her like a waterfall in an instant. The days she spent strolling around the garden after eating, the times when she felt so full of everything that it was hard to count with both hands. What Evelyn was witnessing was one of those days.
“Is there anything interesting?”
Ethan looked in the direction Evelyn was watching and smiled again. As she gazed at his warm smile, indescribable emotions fluttered inside her.
“No.”
She did nothing, but her body recalled and recreated the past at will. As if her consciousness was awake but her body was asleep at that moment.
“I was just watching.”
Perhaps she was just staring at the place she had to leave soon without realizing. How obvious was her sadness and how hard was it for her to hide her true feelings? Ethan said,
“You like this place.”
“Absurd.”
Was it because he hit the nail? Evelyn jumped back like a man who had been caught.
Ethan replied with an awkward smile.
“That… ah… well…”
Afterward, their conversation was filled with empty words throughout their return to the castle. Ethan looked at Evelyn, and Evelyn looked away to avoid him. In those days of the past, she never spared him a glance until they got to the castle. However, today was different, a fantasy-like day created by her memories.
She glanced, turning her head and her gaze met Ethan. As if waiting for her to look at him, Ethan started to smile softly, and darkness suddenly fell over his face. It was only a moment, but when she closed her eyes and opened them, everything around her had changed.
“Ah…”
Evelyn suddenly woke up from a dream and stared at the ceiling of her bedroom. It was a sight she had been seeing for the past few months, but today felt unfamiliar.
“Why…”
‘Did I have a dream like that? Does the harsh attitude of that day still linger in a corner of my heart? Heavy enough to recall that moment so vividly? What would have happened if I had looked at Ethan that day as I did in my dreams? Would he have smiled warmly like in the dream?’ At the end of a series of uncontrollable thoughts, Evelyn scoffed as she covered her eyes with her hands.
‘If I’m thinking like this, it means that I regret what I did that day…’
“What’s the point.”
‘It has already passed.’ It’s not like she could go back to that time and look at Ethan again, so what was the point of thinking about it?
She stopped mumbling to herself, and Evelyn got her body up. By now it should be known that she wasn’t the archduke’s daughter.
‘How did Ethan react to the news?’ She had mixed feelings, thinking that she could no longer reach out to his tenderness.
She knew the archduke’s reaction. In the Original, it would be the archduke himself who threw her away. However, Ethan’s reaction was never mentioned. Thus, false hopes still lingered inside her. Swallowing a bitter smile, Evelyn shook her head to and fro. It was her first dream of Ethan after she left Fedora, but she didn’t want to give it meaning.
She was restless because Cesar had yet to give her an answer, maybe that’s why she had such a useless dream.
‘Yes. Let’s blame it on that.’ Even though she tried to comfort herself, the hand pulling the rope was heavy. But before the maid came, she had put on the veil. She couldn’t be distracted.
‘I still need to cover my face, but… I can’t help but feel uncomfortable.’ Evelyn didn’t have any close relationship in Hereos. It meant that not many people here could recognize her face.
‘Weren’t just a few dozen high-ranking nobles who visited Fedora as her delegation?’ Adding up the knights and servants who accompanied the envoys, the number will increase exponentially but… Most of them had already died during the rebellion led by Cesar. It was realistically unlikely that someone would recognize her.
‘But it’s not impossible.’ Cesar may have investigated Archduke Fedora, Ethan’s bloodline. If he obtained Evelyn’s portrait in the process, it would be possible to recognize her. Thus she had to cover her face to prepare for any unexpected situation. That’s why, even when sleeping, Utah and other knights guarded in front of the bedroom taking turns.
Having put up with the troublesome task, Evelyn let out her shallow sigh. And as soon as she put on the veil, a maid arrived. She would normally have left after delivering wash water and breakfast, but today, she politely held her hands and delivered her news.
“A… A guest has arrived.”
Evelyn’s body, which was leaning leisurely against the upright pillow, twitched slightly.
“I have brought them to the parlor on the first floor… They said Master will know as long as I say they’re from the imperial palace…”
Was it because she failed to convey the visitor’s identity? The maid fretted and slurred the end of her words. She may be afraid she’ll get scolded later for letting an unidentified person enter the mansion. Nevertheless, it would have been difficult to keep the person who mentioned the imperial palace outside. Evelyn nodded her head, debating who the unfavored guest might be.
“I’ll meet after finishing my meal.”
She didn’t have to rush. It was a bad idea to show her face the moment she heard about the visit. Especially if the visitor in question came as soon as the sun rose. Sending someone to restrain her from visiting. Cesar was probing Evelyn. ‘Were you aware of today’s unpleasant visit in advance or not?’ It meant that he still didn’t fully believe her predictions.
“Th- then… the guest…”
“Of course, you should tell them to wait.”
“Yes, ah, I understand.”
The maid noticed Evelyn’s eyes and hurriedly left the bedroom.
She wondered who Cesar sent, but no idea came. Today’s situation didn’t exist in the Original, so she wasn’t sure. But it was definitely good news. It meant that Cesar had agreed to the deal after receiving Evelyn’s advance payment.
“It’s been a week…”
She was nervous because it was taking longer, but it worked out in the end.
‘It’s a relief.’
As she was alone, Evelyn removed the veil and held the teacup. A week ago, Evelyn had given Cesar a lot. Most of it was information from nobles who were fighting in the East. It was information related to low-class aristocrats rather than higher-ranking nobles acting under the light, but it was difficult for outsiders to discover. The location of the supply route, the list of guilds that provide supplies, and the garrison of the troops or the list of commanders. And there was a few different kinds of information mixed in about Etrada.
Perhaps the Original was preventing Cesar from finding Etrada’s family. Maybe restrictions were placed because she didn’t have to find out about her origins so early.
‘It’s still quiet though…’ This incident was highly likely to go against the intentions of the Original. Yet, it was necessary. Because she had to quickly dispel Cesar’s suspicions, which was a higher hurdle than Liam.
Evelyn didn’t have much time. Before Cesar started looking abroad, she had to get everything done. Since she didn’t have time to build trust step by step, she went strong from the start. When she approached Liam, there was no footing at all. Thus, she invested the least amount of time in him. But Cesar was different. It was after Evelyn had set a precedent for Liam that she contacted him. She could make a shortcut, but she couldn’t go the long way, right? Fortunately, Evelyn’s gambling came back with good results.
Cesar must have noticed Etrada’s unexpected information, and it wasn’t something he could take lightly since it was something he couldn’t find, and such information meant Evelyn knew about Etrada’s wish. Something she hadn’t mentioned to her before. As a result, someone came from the imperial palace.
As Evelyn wished.
Although she was anxious because she couldn’t anticipate the Original’s reaction, Evelyn tried to comfort herself.
The numbers she played were correct.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
