Chapter 48. The Miserable Count
The shouting Cassel Montera had suddenly fallen silent.
Evie, who had been sitting on his back, stood up and kicked the man hard.
Cassel collapsed, seemingly fainted, and Zion, observing the scene from afar, felt thoroughly bewildered.
'I knew she wasn't ordinary...'
But I didn't expect her to go to such extres.
Zion watched from the tower overlooking the hydrangea garden, half amazed and half perplexed, as Evie rubbed her foot against Cassel Montera's back.
Just a few hours prior, Evie had been shocked into unconsciousness by Cassel's misconduct.
Therefore, Zion had naturally assud that Evie would be dispirited once she awoke.
When she bowed her head and her shoulders shook, he thought she was certainly crying.
Yet, when Evie raised her head again, far from crying, she wore a face of seething anger and imdiately asked for pen and paper.
She started scribbling sothing feverishly, as if pouring out her grudges.
Holding the quill, Evie murmured phrases like ‘Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, backstab for a backstab’ and ‘There will be a storm of blood tonight’ while chuckling ominously.
Zion, curious about her intentions, continued to observe Evie.
However, thereafter, Evie left Zion no room to interfere.
Instead, as soon as she finished writing, she bowed to Zion, thanking him for his help.
Then, using chairs and furniture, she clambered into a secret passage in the ceiling.
She returned to her room alone, leaving Zion's extended hand hanging awkwardly.
Left alone, Zion felt an odd sense of abandonnt.
Up until now, any problem within his domain had always been reported to him first, whether it was on the frontiers of the East or in the small villages of the southeastern Vis.
As a Supre Commander or even a cantankerous teacher, he had always been the one to hear and resolve complaints.
But Evie had utterly ignored Zion, who had laid her down and even treated her when she collapsed, and briskly went her own way.
Zion couldn't help but feel a strange sense of abandonnt and pondered extensively over the origins of this irrational emotion.
Eventually, he admitted to himself that his conclusion was sowhat pitiful.
Zion Laurel, as a born ruler, had the duty to protect what belonged to his domain.
Due to a mixture of reasons, he had also defined Evie Ariate as soone he should protect, and naturally expected her to share her hardships and frustrations with him.
Just like he had prompted her about her intentions with the Marquis yesterday.
He was ready to step in at the slightest word from Evie.
Knowing the situation well, he stood prepared to grant her wishes or even exceed them if she just gave him an inkling.
However, Evie, ultimately without saying a word, gathered herself and went to confront Cassel alone.
Thus, the prepared savior felt not only a sense of being disregarded but also as if his rights were infracted upon.
In short, he was disappointed because he thought she would lean on him but she hadn't.
Of course, the count, disliking useless feelings, concluded that this was a trivial and unnecessary sentint.
So he decided to cease his involvent.
Since she hadn't asked for help, there was no point in investing emotions.
She could handle things herself, so he told himself to drop it.
Yet, despite his attempts to disengage, Zion found himself stepping out of his room in agitation within just half an hour.
He really didn't want to ddle, but he couldn’t bear the constant nagging feeling.
Thus, embarking on an unnecessary endeavor, the count dismissed his deputy and staff and tracked down Evie alone, observing her not too keenly.
He was prepared to strike Cassel Montera with lightning and feign ignorance if need be.
Yet, Evie, without Zion's help, managed to subdue Cassel on her own, leaving Zion feeling both left out and faintly deprived.
'...Should I go back?'
Zion realized the pathetic state he was in.
Deciding to make a quiet exit, he noticed Evie, done with venting, tugging at Cassel's clothing.
This action caused the man to roll halfway and lay flat, and Evie, dusting off her hands as if done with him, walked toward the hydrangea bed to retrieve sothing she had previously hidden.
‘What’s that?’
Zion frowned, peering at the item Evie pulled out.
'Surely not a weapon to end the marquess’ life?'
Zion worriedly suspected, but fortunately, it was far from a lethal instrunt.
The quaint item, with a handle, was a basket fitting for an outing.
This deepened Zion’s curiosity.
'Why a basket out of the blue, in the dead of night? Was she planning a getaway with her belongings?'
Zion gazed at the incomprehensible creature with slight fatigue.
Unaware of Zion’s tired gaze, Evie, like a girl heading for an outing, joyfully swung the basket, making her way spryly to the other end of the hydrangea garden.
.
.
.
A considerable ti later, Zion found Evie again, sitting on a bench in the corner of the hydrangea garden.
In that secluded spot, Evie sat unladylike and ungraceful, cross-legged on the bench, swirling a wine glass.
Spying Zion pushing through the lush hydrangea leaves, she muttered,
"Ugh, a hindrance."
“...Dragging along when needed, now treating like a nuisance.”
Zion's already troubled heart was stoked by Evie's blunt complaint, causing him to grind his teeth.
Evie, after montarily feigning ignorance, promptly nodded.
"Hmm, fair point. I was rude just now. Since you're here, please have a seat."
Evie, in a gesture of goodwill, scooted to the edge of the bench, smiling brightly as she swirled a transparent wine glass half-filled with wine.
"But there's only one glass."
Though Evie had made space for him, Zion instead alternated his gaze between the glass in her hand and the basket under the bench.
The basket Evie had joyfully taken earlier was indeed packed with picnic snacks.
It contained a freshly opened wine bottle and a variety of snacks.
“What are you doing here?”
“As you can see, celebrating.”
Evie had not explained what her toast was for but gracefully raised her glass.
She took a tiny sip and grimaced.
Ugh, bitter.
Evie, disliking the sour taste, quickly stuffed her mouth with chocolate, pretending to savor the wine as she swirled her glass.
"You don't seem like a drinker."
"You're right, just going through the motions."
"In that case, do it sowhere safe on a safer day."
"No can do. If I drink at ho, the butler will nag."
At the ntion of the butler, Zion's brows furrowed slightly.
"You seem a bit old to be fretted over like that."
“Right, it’s childish.”
Nevertheless, Evie remained oblivious to Zion’s expression, chatting nonchalantly.
Thus faced with another vexing situation, the count, who abhorred cumberso emotions, was slightly more exasperated than before.
The butler Evie ntioned was a fine-looking red-haired man.
One who had shadowed Evie without leaving her side, fearlessly acting like a married couple, even occupying the sa room.
Simultaneously possessing Amanecer's Insight and being remarkably agile, fiercely shielding Evie.
Why, indeed, would an ordinary butler?
Zion found the na Diez to be consistently irkso.
He had never heard of such a presence beside Evie.
Despite trying to disregard it, it irked him, and though he wished not to acknowledge this annoyance, his bad temper wouldn’t let him drop it either.
After battling internally and wondering why he even needed to ponder such matters, Zion decided to voice his thoughts openly.
"That butler..."
"Wait, are you going to ask a question?"
Evie halted Zion mid-sentence, then stated firmly.
"Count, if you ever wish to ask personal questions, would you mind asking first if it’s alright? I’m not a letter addressed to you that you can open at will, am I?”
Once again, Evie drew her boundary with annoyance.
Though a valid argunt, being continually pushed away left Zion feeling rather displeased.
He thought about leaving it out of sheer indifference to the butler or whoever.
He wasn’t soone who’d stick around under annoyance, after all.
Just walking away would spare him additional ti-wasting.
However, for so reason, Zion found himself unable to step away.
Thus, contemplating deeply, he set aside his towering pride and, pretending maturity, complied with Evie's request.
“…May I ask about that butler?”
“No. You may not.”
But Evie cut off even that with a sharp denial, making Zion glare at her, more incensed than when called a hindrance.
However, facing Evie’s calmly smiling deanor, his fiery stare didn't last long.
The mory of Evie's pale face, seen shortly before she passed out, overlapped with her smiling visage.
Claiming she wasn't okay at all, she now seed fine and was smiling, making it uncertain which stance to adopt.
Clearly, this playful deanor was much preferable to that fragile-looking state from earlier.
Consequently, Zion once more conceded a defeat and crossed his legs, sitting at the edge of the bench offered by Evie.
He sensed Evie glancing at him in surprise as he settled beside her.
Feigning ignorance, Zion asked,
"How long do you plan to stay here?"
“Until the commotion calms down. But it seems it'll take a while, so I might be here all night enjoying flower viewing.”
So, that’s why the snacks were prepared.
Zion eyed the picnic basket once more in response to Evie's answer.
During this, Evie turned the question back.
“When will you be heading inside, Count?”
Zion rely sighed instead of answering, to which Evie, reading his expression, chuckled weakly.
“So, you really weren’t joking about having a debt, were you?”
The sudden ntion of a debt made Zion look up, only for Evie to divert her eyes and sip from her wine glass again.
Predictably, she barely wet her lips before stopping.
Zion wondered why she bothered drinking if she wasn't genuinely imbibing, but Evie, finding the aroma she dabbed on her lips agreeable, opened up more candidly than usual.
“You were watching earlier, weren't you?”
“Yes.”
“Why? Did you think the Marquis might actually hit ?”
“Never expected you to win the physical confrontation.”
Zion's candid response drew a deflated laugh from Evie.
“Did you really assu I’d act recklessly without a plan? Aren't you underestimating , Count?”
Evie playfully chided Zion, then added in a softer voice,
“It must be tough for you as well, Count, dealing with the burdenso favor.”
Evie concluded that Zion followed her this far due to the debt he owed the astrologer.
Since it wasn't entirely incorrect, Zion quietly listened.
Evie, with genuine regret, added,
"If not for that, neither you nor I would be tangled up like this."
Evie, after saying so, looked at Zion in what seed like an appeal for agreent.
At that mont, Evie's gaze lacked any malice or intent, appearing rather innocent compared to usual.
Thus, Zion found himself engulfed by yet another unfamiliar feeling following his earlier senses of exclusion and deprivation.
The na of this feeling was misery.
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