Chapter 49

***

“You said you wanted to know about the capital.”

‘Oh, I said I wanted to see the capital because I’ve never been to the capital before.’

I remembered the lame excuse I had given to avoid Astrilla’s suspicion when I first came to the Imperial Palace.

So he’s taking me to sightseeing because I said that?

“That’s…”

“I understand. I was just saying.”

Devan’s attitude made me stop talking, and I looked out the window. The window was unusually large, making it easy to see outside, and it was made that way on purpose. People in rustic clothes and small carriages were busily passing through the city. Someone was spreading bundles of paper everywhere, and someone picked it up.

The stalls were lined with piles of fruit, and the people passing by were looking and buying.

It was a sight to behold, but it was also a rare sight that I had never seen before since my incarnation in this world.

“Is it strange?”

“Well, a little. It’s really the first time I’ve come to the capital.”

“I didn’t come out a lot either.”

“Why is that, Your Highness?”

I couldn’t go because of Count Diego’s confinement. Why on earth didn’t Devan go?

I thought of the words Pelos said the other day.

Maybe he really had grown up with discrimination even before he was cursed.

“…I don’t know.”

Devan rambled on.

He had a strange expression on his face. It was an expression that didn’t look so easy.

For example, it was similar to the expression he had when we talked about the past in the carriage when we were coming to the capital.

It was as if he was nostalgic or vexed about something.

I looked out the window again. I wasn’t going to question him. As I had told Pelos, I could just ask him what he didn’t want to tell.

I had many secrets that I had never told him either.

For example, I remembered my past life, I used him to escape death, took the place of the heroine…. Things like that.

“I….”

That was when he broke the silence and started to speak.

I saw a boy outside the window.

He must have been ten years old, or maybe only five.

He had black hair and red eyes, and he was staring at me.

Then he pulled something out of his pocket and held it in his hand. It was as if it was for me to see.

“…Evelyn?”

He called me again, as if it was strange for me to be in a daze.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t take my eyes off the window.

It was strange. An inexplicable chill wrapped around my body.

The boy was slowly approaching our carriage.

He was holding a daisy flower in his hand. Daisy flower. Daisy flower?

I jumped up from my seat.

“Evelyn!”

“Stop the carriage!”

I hurriedly stopped the carriage and suddenly opened the door.

The child was standing in the middle of the street and a carriage was running towards him.

It was a large transport carriage pulled by two horses.

That carriage, running at a fast speed, seemed to have no intention of slowing down, as if it couldn’t see the child.

Ha, I inhaled sharply.

If it kept going like this, the carriage would run over the child.

I tried to walk quickly in that direction, but Devan grabbed me by the wrist.

“What in the world are you doing?”

“Hey, hey. …”

I looked at the child again.

The child smiled. The corners of his mouth went up so high that it was bizarre. It was a smile I’ve seen somewhere. I’ve definitely seen it somewhere. No way…

The child did not open his mouth, but his voice carried to me. I heard a giggle, not from outside, but from inside my body.

I opened my eyes wide. The carriage running towards the child hadn’t slowed down yet. It was less than a few meters away from the child.

Why doesn’t anyone stop it? Can’t that horseman see the child? Why does the child smile when he sees me? Why is he smiling like that? Who is that child?

Thud.

As soon as I heard the roar, I closed my eyes tightly. I felt a warm embrace.

“Evelyn, are you okay?”

It was Devan’s voice. I opened my eyes in a daze. Before I knew it, he was hugging me.

“Is he dead?”

“What?”

“The child …….”

With trembling hands I pushed Devon away. Before I knew it, the carriage had stopped. The horseman had a frustrated look on his face. How can he look annoyed when he’d just killed a person?

I walked slowly, barely able to keep my legs from collapsing.

“Evelyn, what the hell are you talking about!”

Devan rushed after me.

People’s eyes turned to us.

It was understandable because the woman dressed up in a fancy dress was shaking like crazy.

No, a child died right in front of me. Isn’t it strange if I was okay?

“My business is ruined. What are you going to do about it?”

I heard frustrated voices. Some people were arguing.

“What would I do if you left a basket of flowers there?”

“It’s on the side of the road. It’s strictly in front of my store!”

What?

That was strange. I raised my head and looked around. I couldn’t see any blood anywhere. And the child’s body too.

All I could see were just pure white flowers that seemed to be scattered all over the street.

It was not even daisy, but a kind of flower that I’ve never seen before.

“Oh, the child…”

Devan stood in front of me.

He said, looking at my trembling eyes.

“What are you talking about? Evelyn, there is no child.”

***

Despite my shaky gestures, I had to get to the banquet hall. Today was the Debutante, and I was the main character.

As we re-boarded the carriage and made our way to the Imperial Palace, Devan called out to me without pausing to rest. He asked if I was okay, or what was wrong, and when I said I heard a giggle and he stopped talking.

Oh, that strange laugh, and the daisy flower. Those things kept messing up my mind.

We were outside the Imperial Palace, waiting to enter. Devan was right, I was the main character, so I had to be the last one to appear. After all the carriages that had filled the outside of the Imperial Palace were gone, it was finally our turn.

“……………… Your face is so pale. You can skip the dancing if you want.”

“No, I must dance.”

I already had a lot of shortcomings.

It was the same with the fact that the year I had to debut had long passed, and it was the same with the fact that I went missing for the past year.

I didn’t dare add another one to that.

With one hand holding Devan’s hand and the other holding the hem of my dress, I made an effort to walk straight.

I tried not to think about the boy’s smile, tried not to think about his giggling voice.

Still, I couldn’t help but wonder.

Why daisies of all flowers? Why did he only show himself to me? Who the hell is he? Why? Why me?

The hall erupted in applause, and the magnificent music rang in my ears.

I realized that before I knew it, I had gone down all the stairs.

Women in white dresses and men in formal suits were watching us. They looked at Devan, then at me, then at Devan again. They looked more surprised than before. I could read their thoughts without difficulty.

“Oh! So that’s the royal prince who was cursed! Isn’t the woman next to him the Lady Diego who disappeared? Oh! The lady who broke the curse of the royal family is her!”

Because that was what Pelos said the other day.

We made our way to the center of the hall. Being in the glamorous banquet hall made what I had just experienced seem like a dream.

Soon the song began. Generally, the debutantes will begin in earnest when the main character dances first.

It was time for us to dance.

Devan gently held my waist with one hand, and I placed my hand on his shoulder. I had to force myself to smile. When I finally did, I made eye contact with him, but Devan just gave me an indifferent look.

I moved my feet in time with the melody that was playing.

With every step we moved, we got closer. Hugged my waist tightly and Evan whispered.

“You don’t have to smile.”

He spun around, and then came up to me again. I said to him.

“There’s no reason to look ugly.”

We took it step by step.

The song became slower and slower, and before we knew it we were completely attached.

“I wish they were the ones who laughed and didn’t hate me, but they’re not.”

“You speak from experience?”

Devan suddenly stopped moving.

So I almost stepped on his foot, and as I stepped halfway in, Devan hastily held me tightly.

This time I was the first to open my mouth.

“The child earlier….. No, that one.”

“Yes.”

We circled slowly.

I saw people looking at us with marvelous eyes.

I wondered what they thought we were talking about. I took a deep breath and spoke again.

“He had dark hair and red eyes. He looked between 5 and 10 years old.”

Devan didn’t say anything, but took his hands off my waist and spun me around.

I was in a position where I had no choice but to leave Devan and look at the exact opposite.

I wondered what expression he had on his face when he looked back at me.

Gently, he pulled me closer.

His face was perfectly close to mine. It was so close that our lips could touch. I could clearly see Devan’s red eyes and the black shape that swayed in them. Devan moved his lips up and down. When he was about to say something more…

Clap. Clap. Clap.

The applause made the hall weep.

Before I knew it, the song had stopped.

Slowly, I opened the distance between Devan and me and raised the corners of my lips stiffly.

Devan held my hand tightly.