Chapter 18: How Secretive Could It Be?
That was definitely Zion Laurel.
‘He pretended not to know .’
It ant he didn't want to reveal his current state.
‘A count acting as a teacher in this remote area...’
Evie descended the stairs, swallowing her excitent at this unexpected secret.
She whispered to Diez, who was waiting outside the house.
“Let's go sowhere quiet first.”
Just as Evie was about to turn away after saying this, Diez unexpectedly grabbed her arm.
Startled, Evie turned around and t the eyes of a woman standing in the backyard of the two-story house.
The woman, appearing to be between middle-aged and elderly, was holding an empty basket as if she'd just returned from hanging laundry.
The woman muttered in surprise at Evie.
“Is that you, Evie?”
Due to her earplugs, Evie couldn’t hear her properly, but she recognized the woman at once.
“Auntie...”
“My goodness, it really is you!”
The woman threw her basket aside and rushed over to Evie, grasping her with her wrinkled hands.
This woman was Mrs. Marso, the owner of the two-story house.
When the astrologer brought Evie to this house, she took care of Evie as if she were her niece.
Holding Evie's hand, Mrs. Marso bombarded her with questions about where she had been and what she’d been doing.
Faced with this barrage of questions, Evie chose to faint on purpose.
“Ah...”
Almost imdiately, Diez caught Evie and apoke.
“It seems she’s quite exhausted from the long journey. I think she needs so rest now. May we co back a little later?”
“Of course, anyti. Or better yet, why don't you rest at our place? I'll squeeze so lemons for you...”
“Thank you for the offer, but our luggage is with our carriage.”
At Diez’s polite refusal, Mrs. Marso looked a bit disappointed.
“I see. By the way, have you decided where you're having dinner tonight? It’s a special occasion, and I’d love to host you...”
Mrs. Marso said, gazing fondly at Evie.
Understanding her emotions from her expression alone, Evie nodded while still leaning on Diez.
“Thank you, ma'am. We'll be here for dinner.”
Diez courteously nodded and turned away with Evie.
Evie walked, leaning on Diez as if still feeling dizzy.
In that state, she spoke in a voice only Diez could hear.
“You did wonderfully.”
“You flatter .”
The two walked away cheerfully, whispering conspiratorially.
However, the naive Mrs. Marso, unaware of their act, watched their retreating figures for a long ti.
Moreover, above them, at a window on the second floor, soone else was observing them.
The man was standing with arms crossed, peering down at Evie being assisted by Diez, and quietly frowned, as if displeased by sothing.
---
“I’ve been here about two years. He’s a kind person. Thanks to the teacher, there's been less trouble during the crescent moon nights. However, he is a bit...”
“I don’t really know what he does. He’s away for half the month, and whenever he returns, he looks so worn out. And his personality is a bit...”
“I think he might be a rcenary. There’s a huge arena not too far from here. That might explain why his personality is a bit...”
“He teaches the kids how to read. From how they follow him around, he doesn’t seem like a bad person, but still, his personality is a bit...”
Hearing the village people's testimonies collected by Diez made Evie chuckle.
“I’m relieved. It seems Count Laurel isn’t only bad-tempered with .”
Evie was pleased with how people described the Count’s personality.
The rest of the stories were also quite intriguing.
“To sum up, this teacher settled here about two years ago, leaves for half the month, and returns all battered. Moreover, he’s strong enough not to fear the crescent moon nights, and while in the village, he teaches the kids?”
“There’s one more thing. He returned two days ago, having been away longer than usual, for a month and a half.”
“Well, that makes sense since he was in Thienda.”
Everything fit so well that Evie’s smile grew wider.
“For soone who should be guarding the border to live a pastoral life here... the tastes of the nobles are truly unpredictable.”
And of all places, it was in the house where Evie and the astrologer once lived.
Countless thoughts swirled in Evie’s mind, but she set them aside and focused on one thing.
“How secretive is this situation for the Count?”
“Are you planning to blackmail him?”
“If necessary.”
Evie did not deny it.
Using a secret one learns by chance as leverage to blackmail soone is indeed a vile act.
However, Evie thought it was fine to be vile exclusively toward the Count.
“Compared to what he’s done to , blackmail seems trivial.”
Evie smiled brightly, recalling the Count's misdeeds.
That man, extraordinarily ill-tempered, had approached her under the pretense of support but had cruelly abandoned her when she didn’t comply with his wishes.
When the Count instigated the nobles to criticize Evie, she truly felt dragged out onto the streets.
This wretched feeling was still vivid, and unexpectedly encountering the Count here felt surreal.
Evie chuckled, rembering the haughty Count standing disheveled with spectacles.
This was undoubtedly a chance the heavens had granted her.
***
By the ti evening ca, Evie visited Mrs. Marso as promised, accompanied by Diez. Mrs. Marso had also prepared a sumptuous dinner as promised and awaited them.
“You’ve beco such a lady. I worried so much, not knowing if you were dead or alive...”
Mrs. Marso said affectionately.
She was genuinely happy to see Evie again, and Evie felt the sa.
Mrs. Marso was one of the few kind adults in Evie’s mory.
Of course, this was due in large part to the astrologer’s presence, but nevertheless, she took good care of young Evie as the house owner.
Therefore, Evie felt quite at ease conversing with her.
Amid their cheerful conversation, Evie smoothly changed the topic.
“Do you still make als for those renting rooms here?”
“Well, I’m not sure ‘make als’ is the right term. There’s soone renting now, but he's away a lot.”
“Oh, so are the other rooms vacant?”
“No, the current tenant is using the entire second floor alone. I think he’s quite eccentric.”
Mrs. Marso lowered her voice while gesturing upwards, indicating that the quirky tenant was likely upstairs at the mont.
“The kids called him a teacher earlier.”
“That’s what I an by eccentric. Initially, he just stayed in his room reading all day, but then suddenly started teaching the children.”
Evie chuckled quietly at her words.
She hadn’t known the Count had a reading hobby.
“It must be lively with children around. Is there a class tomorrow?”
“No, there’s nothing tomorrow because it’s the crescent moon. The kids will be preparing at their hos.”
Then the Count should be free as well, Evie thought, seizing the opportunity.
“Auntie, could we rent a room for about three days? We haven’t arranged a place to stay yet.”
“Oh dear, what should I do? There’s only one vacant room on the first floor. I can’t just give out the second floor because it’s all rented out.”
Mrs. Marso said apologetically.
So Evie promptly leaned her head on Diez’s shoulder.
“I haven’t introduced you yet. This is my husband.”
“My wife missed her hotown, so we ca together.”
“Oh, that explains everything! Then one room will do.”
Diez leaned closer affectionately, and Mrs. Marso didn’t detect their deception.
Thus, the deceivers successfully achieved their plan.
---
The deceptive pair, who had temporarily pretended to be husband and wife, engaged in a heated battle over the bed as soon as they entered the room.
“How can you expect to sleep on the floor? That’s grounds for disqualification as a butler!”
“How can you assu the bed is yours? Butlers are human too.”
“Hey, let go of it!”
“Don’t bite...!”
After a silent battle, they both ended up sprawled in exhaustion.
“Do we really have to fight over this with the Count just upstairs?”
“That’s what I’d like to say...”
Evie glared at Diez, who didn’t yield a word, and then focused on determining the Count’s presence above by listening to the ceiling.
“How should we approach the Count to negotiate or blackmail him?”
After seeing Zion Laurel earlier, Evie's main concern was that he might abruptly leave the village.
It was common to disappear after being caught in an embarrassing situation.
If the Count disappeared from the village, Evie would have nothing but her sighting.
Whatever she proclaid outside.
'I’ve seen Count Laurel pretending to be a commoner in Vis!'
It would be dismissed as re fantasy.
So Evie ensured she stayed close, planning to keep the house under surveillance.
Remaining in this house intentionally considered the possibility of him leaving in the middle of the night.
“We should approach while respecting boundaries. Be it negotiation or blackmail.”
“Boundaries?”
“Boundaries that won’t anger Count Laurel.”
The suggestion not to overly provoke the Count annoyed Evie, and she frowned.
“The current situation doesn’t significantly threaten the Count. It rely inconveniences him. If we cross a line and upset the Count, it'll be our loss.”
“It feels unfair. He crossed the line first, yet we have to be cautious.”
Evie grumbled yet understood Diez’s point.
In Thienda, where status was definite, arrogance was a right, and humility a duty.
Thus, the conflict between a grand noble and a commoner-born candidate for sainthood wouldn’t even occur.
One side’s rcy is all that allows the other to survive.
So, knowing the Count’s secret only allowed Evie to plead.
“Please spare for keeping silent.”
‘How fortunate you are, being a difficult person from birth.’
As Evie accepted her situation with a light grumble, a creaking noise from the ceiling halted their conversation.
The noise continued rhythmically, as if from old wooden planks, suggesting movent.
It was the sound of soone from the floor above stepping down the creaky, old wooden stairs.
***
When the sound echoed, Evie was already in her nightclothes.
She threw a shawl over them, left the room, and cautiously followed the footsteps that had already passed.
A lamp’s shadow cast from the kitchen area where she approached stealthily, finding a man there.
Holding an empty water bottle, possibly having run out of water after staying shut in all day.
“Hello.”
Evie greeted in a friendly tone, addressing the man still wearing his spectacles.
“Nice to see you again, Teacher.”
She smiled prettily, but the man didn’t even reciprocate with the slightest smile.
“Address appropriately.”
Instead, he spoke coldly, just as usual, surprising Evie a little before adding,
“To go as far as making your butler your husband just to rent a room, should it be concluded?”
Zion’s face was as haughty as always as he made this conclusion. Thus, Evie thought to herself how unlikable he really was.
---
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