Chapter 39
His expression was naturally stern since his face itself looked stern. But I couldn’t agree with anything else he said. The Evan that Anasha described and the Evan I knew seemed like completely different people.
Anasha said that the side of Evan I saw was a rare sight that could only be seen in front of me. Moreover, she said his greatest concern was my safety.
When Evan grabbed my arm as I moved closer to look carefully at Rai’s eyes, it was an instinctive action born from his worry that I might get scared after seeing Rai’s eyes.
Evan’s judgment wasn’t wrong. Most people were terrified the moment they saw Inayari’s changed pupils. Especially those who witnessed the transformation right in front of them, like me, would panic.
It was natural. Something that looked like a human pupil suddenly transformed into an unknown form in an instant. No one could avoid being filled with fear. Even I was so terrified the first time I saw Inayari’s pupils that I couldn’t even scream.
The reason I wasn’t swallowed by fear when I looked into Rai’s eyes and immediately thought of Inayari was because I had already seen similar pupils before.
Vertical contracting pupils, red irises, and…
“Young lady!”
I grabbed my throbbing head. Remembering Inayari’s pupils from that time caused a pain like dozens of needles stabbing into my head.
Back then, I was going back and forth only between the Elient mansion and the royal palace. I was completely absorbed by the crown prince and didn’t pay attention to anywhere else. I didn’t even attend tea parties that ordinary noblewomen attended to build friendships. I didn’t attend palace parties if the crown prince wasn’t going.
So the chance of me seeing Inayari anywhere other than Elient mansion or the palace was almost zero.
As far as I remember, Inayari had never officially been inside the palace. They hardly ever left their desert home in the west. At most, they invaded some western areas bordering the desert for raids—but only briefly. They never stayed in other regions.
The empire’s nobles especially didn’t consider Inayari as humans like themselves. They regarded and feared them as monsters. If Inayari had been in the palace, rumors would have surely spread.
The same went for the Elient mansion. If there had been Inayari inside, I would have known by now. Back then, on my coming-of-age day, I had the wedding and left the Elient mansion to go to the palace. My coming-of-age had already passed, meaning I had not seen Inayari in Elient mansion.
‘Then where exactly did I see Inayari’s pupils back then?’
I tried to recall but nothing came to mind. A chilling cold ran up my spine. A part of my memory was missing. It wasn’t a natural forgetfulness from time passing, but as if someone had deliberately cut out that part cleanly.
I held memories not only of Bionne but also of Ezia — their lives. I didn’t remember every little daily detail, but I did remember key events, emotional turning points—things that caused joy, sadness, or pain.
Inayari’s pupils were never something easily forgotten. Even if I had forgotten, I should have recalled them immediately after seeing Rai’s pupils. Yet until I recalled Inayari’s pupils from back then, I hadn’t sensed any discomfort about the missing memories.
Something was wrong with my memories.
“Are you alright, young lady? Maybe I should call the doctor…”
Evan firmly supported my swaying body. I grabbed his arm and rested my head on his chest. The more I thought about it, the more my head hurt instead of memories returning.
“This is unacceptable. I will apologize for this rudeness later.”
Before Evan finished speaking, my body was lifted into the air. I felt his firm arms on my back and thighs. He held me as he moved—no, tried to move.
“What is going on here?”
A cold voice echoed in my ear. Evan stopped moving. My face was buried in Evan’s chest. Because Evan held me tightly with both arms, I couldn’t even turn my head. But without looking, I knew instantly who the voice belonged to.
“Why is my fiancée in the arms of another man?”
Despite the light tone, the crown prince’s voice was icy sharp like a blade. I wiggled, asking to be put down, but Evan tightened his hold instead.
“Step aside.”
“Ha!”
With the crown prince’s sharp command, the sound of swords sliding from their sheaths filled the air. There was more than one sword. I felt Evan’s body tense rigidly where he faced them.
“Evan!”
A silver sword approached Evan’s nape. Through the blue steel, red blood seeped like threads. I called out his name desperately, but he didn’t move.
“I want my fiancée back.”
The crown prince’s voice was colder than before. I called Evan again.
“Evan, please put me down.”
“You should go to the doctor first.”
The wound at Evan’s neck deepened, and more blood flowed down. He had moved his neck while speaking.
“I’m fine. Please put me down.”
Evan looked down at me. His blue-gray eyes were full of firm resolve. He would not put me down until we got to the doctor. In the end, I used my last resort.
“It’s an order, Evan.”
Evan hesitated briefly, but only for a moment. He relaxed his arms holding me and carefully set me down on the floor. As Evan moved to put me down, the swords at his neck withdrew slightly. But the blades still pointed at him.
“How should I understand this situation, Bii?”
The crown prince’s voice calling me was gentle, but his eyes burning like they swallowed fire glared at me. He slowly approached, but Evan blocked his way. As Evan stepped in front of me, three sword blades touched Evan’s neck again. Blood flowed, staining his clothes and dripping to the floor.
“Please put your swords away, Your Highness.”
“Why should I?”
The crown prince smiled—a bright smile that was completely out of place in this situation. I passed Evan and stepped toward the crown prince, with only one step between us. I looked up and spoke.
“Because I want you to.”
“Oh, Bii. You are so sly.”
The crown prince’s smile deepened, but his eyes still blazed. He raised his hand and gently cupped my cheek.
“Try to make an excuse, Bii.”
“Why should I make an excuse?”
His thumb slowly brushed my lips. The movement felt strangely intimate. His smile that had curved upward now slowly dropped.
“You were in another man’s arms in front of your fiancé and have nothing to say in your defense?”
“I don’t feel the need to explain… Ah!”
Suddenly, my vision flipped. I was slung over his shoulder like a sack. I struggled desperately.
“Stay still. If you want to be a spectacle, I won’t stop you.”
I stopped moving and relaxed. I didn’t understand why these things kept happening to me lately. I just hoped the crown prince would reach his destination soon.
After a short walk, the crown prince boarded a carriage with me still slung over his shoulder. It was not a luxurious palace carriage but a simple carriage fit for commoners. He dropped me roughly inside. The hard carriage seat hit my hips, causing dull pain.
The crown prince sat across from me. As soon as he sat down, the carriage began moving. Despite its shabby appearance, the carriage hardly shook—like a noble’s carriage.
“Do you even have any sense?”
The crown prince shouted, letting out the anger he’d been holding back. He took off his coat—a plain brown coat typical for commoners.
I looked him over anew. This was not the usual outfit the crown prince wore. His plain gray shirt and worn black boots looked old and shabby.
“Are you listening to me?”
“I don’t know why you’re angry.”
“Ha!”
He made a face of disbelief.
“You aren’t the type to care about your fiancée’s reputation.”
If he had cared about my reputation, I never would have married him. Back then, I acted recklessly without concern for reputation. Getting attention on the streets was nothing to me.
Back then, the only person who mattered to me was the crown prince. The opinions of others had no value. So I didn’t care about silly rumors.
Because of that, my reputation worsened every day. The things that happened to me were exaggerated badly, and even things I never did were spread as truth. Rumors of me being in another man’s arms were nothing.
The crown prince knew of these rumors but never reacted. Even though he must have heard them, his attitude toward me didn’t change. He never got angry or scolded me.
At the time, I thought it was because he trusted me. I was happy that he believed in my love without being swayed by rumors.
But now I know. He simply had no interest in Bionne herself. No matter how I acted or what rumors I brought, as long as my background was fine, he didn’t care.
So now I don’t understand why he suddenly cares about my reputation. But I can’t think of another reason for his anger.
“Why are you bringing up my reputation here?”
“Isn’t it because you care about your fiancée’s reputation?”
