Today, Adrian had trouble falling asleep. As Evelyn felt the autumn wind blowing from the window, she embraced Adrian and tried to calm him down.
The child instinctively felt the anxiety of the person who was carrying him, as did Adrian.
âWill you know my heart when you grow up well someday?â
âUhâ¦..Evelyn!â Adrian had a clear pronunciation now.
âYou canât call me that now.â Evelyn had a serious look on her face, but Adrian burst into laughter. It was odd to see him smiling so innocent with a tall, fabian-like nose and clear features. But as far as Evelyn understood, Fabian would never have been like this.
Far away, outside the window, she could see a hawk figure in the sunâs rays. After a while, until now, she still hadnât received a reply from Fabian. The back of the hawk, sitting in the sunshine was now quite big compared to before.
âLike! Hawkâ¦Hawk!â Adrian waved his hand and showed his interest outside the window.
âAre you really excited about that?â
Whenever this happened, Evelyn couldnât help but realize that the Empireâs blood was flowing to Adrian.
âLike, Hawk, Itâs wonderful! And Me is a mess!â
âAdrian, donât say that â¦â
Somehow, Evelyn was upset about how many times she saw him and how many times she remembered Fabian. Adrian called Fabian âMeâ the whole time after they met last time. And that man also gave him the black hawk that was enough to capture Adrianâs heart at once.
Still, it much better than knowing Fabianâs real title. Evelyn hoped Adrian wouldnât think about his birth in the future.
âMe! Me, there!â
Adrian shook his arm, looking out of the window. When Evelyn, who was puzzled, looked out, she saw a very strange man in the garden. At first glance, that man had a sturdy build looked like Fabian in Adrianâs eyes.
âNo, Adrian.â Evelyn hugged the child and watched the man carefully. Strange as it was, his white armour appeared identical to the Paladin she had met earlier. He stood in the garden undressed, revealing his defenceless back. Evelyn felt odd as she looked at him.
âWhat is he doing there alone?â
His presence didnât blend into the garden landscape. There was a lumpy and peculiar feeling when he was standing there. His life was like something unhuman, not just in the garden, but also in the air around him.
Whether Evelynâs eyes had been mistaken or it was just a coincidence, David suddenly turned around. Evelyn quickly hid behind the window as soon as she saw his violet eyes. It was her instinct.
âThatâs ridiculous. Did he see me?â
Was she too careful? But it was obvious that they made eye contact a while ago.
Evelynâs heart skipped a beat. From the beginning, she had some resistance to that guy.
âNora, take Adrian with you.â
Evelyn hurried over Adrian. A moment later, when Evelyn calmed her heart and looked out the window again, she could still see David standing in the same spot. He fixed his eyes in one place, facing Evelynâs window.
âAs expected, heâs looking at me.â
A cool air surrounded Evelyn. She felt strange for the first time. It didnât occur to her that she should run away or avoid him. Instead, Evelyn wanted to identify him with her own eyes.
Evelyn, who was fascinated with her intuition, walked quickly to the garden. It was a long time later, but David was still there.
âYou are the Popeâs Knight, arenât you?â
David nodded at Evelynâs bold question. His emotionless face, coming to her mind, was as straight as a plaster statue.
âLong time no see.â Davidâs words made her little puzzled. It was the first time for Evelyn to see him this close, and there was nothing, in particular, to call it a meeting. However, he wasnât wrong at all because he had stayed in one place.
âYouâve been looking at my bedroom window for a while, is that a mistake?â
âMistake?â His purple eyes stared at Evelyn.
âBecause I feel that wayâ¦.â
But David mysteriously blurted out a grave argument, âHumans canât erase their feeling, so my answer isnât important.â
âThen Iâll change the question. Did you keep looking up at the window in my room?â
âYes.â
Evelyn frowned a little at Davidâs reply.
âThis is not the Vatican, but the Felice Kingdom. Even though youâre a knight, you donât have the right to go in and out of the palace garden and take a peek into my bedroom.â
âMy name is David.â His calm attitude had gotten stronger since earlier. But that was different from being arrogant.
âItâs something that I didnât ask.â
âIf we answer what other people want to know first, we wonât make it difficult for them to ask questions.â
âThis isnât a chapel,â said Evelyn.
âTo be exact, I looked at the little prince, not the Princess. My reason must be related to your secret.â
Evelyn didnât reveal her emotions on her face. The only useful moments to put into practice what she learned from her Imperial life. But this time, her opponent was too strong.
âDonât worry. Iâve never told anybody. I donât want to disclose the secret anymore. No, I just want to say that your decision to keep it secret was really wise.â
âI donât understand what youâre talking about.â Evelyn stared at David with an unshakeable expression. Her heart had been sunk a while earlier, but if she showed her agitation here, it was like confessing her secret.
Most importantly, Evelyn didnât know how he found out.
âThat would be great.â David suddenly raised his hand and pointed to the hawk at a distance. âThe owner of that hawk must be someone I know.â
As a Paladin, he already went over the limit.
âItâs none of your business.â Evelyn changed her tone coldly. Then David grinned and laughed. Somehow it was a lonely smile, âThatâs what I said to you before. You havenât changed.â Davidâs violet eyes first reminded her of some emotion, but Evelyn couldnât read it.
âBefore?â
âItâs not an important story.â David shook his head, and his hair fluttered in the wind. The peculiar scent from him dishevelled Evelynâs complicated mind, which seemed almost to come to mind.
âItâs a story that youâll forget anyway.â
One step, he came close to her.
âBut one thing you need to remember.â
Evelyn blinked her eyes. Somehow she couldnât speak.
âWho was your only hope when you withered in misery and despair? And who was cold to you?â
At that moment, Fabianâs face came her mind.
âDonât pity him. Donât try to build a relationship again with a womanâs heart and personal feelings.â
âYouâ¦â¦â Evelyn, who barely opened her mouth, looked at David with her shaking eyes. And now she was sure that she had seen those purple eyes before.
âWho are you? Weâre notâ¦â¦â
âEvelyn, a pitiful woman.â
Davidâs words stabbed her heart. As if he had poked up her old wounds.
âMy power was incomplete, so an existence that wasnât supposed to exist was born.â
âWhat?â
âYou know that well. That none of your two children could have been born into this world. So didnât you despair?â
âNo, itâs a nightmare.â Evelyn shook her head, vigorously. Her two children who had left in vain existed only in her nightmares. In reality, Adrian looked at Evelyn with lovely eyes.
âYes, itâs a cruel nightmare.â
Evelyn didnât know since when her dream started. Maybe she was dreaming before seeing David in the garden. Or was everything just a dream since she decided to divorce?
âYouâre afraid this will also become a dream and disappear, arenât you?â David seemed to have read Evelynâs mind, and he retorted an unknown word. âThe side effects of time magic are not meant to kill the child immediately.â
âBut what about your fateâs enemy who wants you back?
Her hatred and sorrow for Fabian had subsided over the years. His changing attitude and the sympathy she felt for him while raising Adrian also played a big part. Maybe Fabian was just a man who hadnât learned how to love and understands that it needed sincerity in a coupleâs relationship.
âHowâ¦How do you know that?â
David looked at Evelyn with mixed feelings. She would soon forget about him anyway since he was a forgetful role for everyone. The time guardian of this world was a lonely fate that must not remain in anyoneâs memory.
âBecause before, Iâve heard your desperate request,â David answered calmly, knowing that it was useless.
âThen, you know when I was dead once, and I went back, and thatâs what you did?â
David nodded, âIt wasnât a nightmare. They were real ones.â
And that time, Evelyn didnât know. What tragedy Fabian had brought to this continent after she died. That, the real nightmare began after she died.
Fabian, who had lost his feeling since the death of his beloved wife, struggling to fill his empty heart with a massacre.
âNo, it canât be that way. My child is alive.â Evelynâs blue eyes were filled with confusion.
âYour wish now is that child.â David smiled a little sad. He couldnât believe how much Evelyn loved a child who didnât exist in life.
âNow, my power is not complete yet. So I need your strong wish.â
In the past, Evelyn had only wished to put an end to this despair. She wished to turn her relationship with Fabian to nothing and to erase the pain of losing everything she loved.
âIâm sorry. If I have full power now, I could have really turned all your connection to nothing.â
Only
Davidâs magic had already weakened since he first met Evelyn. Thatâs why the outcome couldnât possibly be perfect since he already used the forbidden time magic. Besides, there were no two chances.
âEvelyn, you didnât need to be sick like your previous life. But itâs all for the balance.â
The reason why his unperfect magic could have power was that Evelynâs pain and despair were so deep.
âMaybe even now, you still love him.â
David didnât understand humanâs feelings well, but like flowing water, he learned a few things in exchange for Evelynâs pain. The magic wasnât perfect either, but it happened to her maybe because Evelyn herself refused to erase Fabian from her heart.
âBut you have to throw it away. You must lose one thing.â
Looking into the blue eyes, Evelyn still had only one wish.
Comments(0)
Join the discussion — sign in to leave a comment
Sign In to CommentNo comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!