Chapter 86
Foxy reacted sharply and quickly dodged.
Then it swung its huge front paw.
Perhaps because of its massive size, a threatening whoosh cut through the air.
The paw struck the spot where Arsene had been just moments ago.
With a loud crash, the floor caved in.
Deep claw marks were left behind.
Foxy immediately whipped its tail.
The table overturned, and Arsene raised his sword to block the strike.
Evelina aimed her arrow at Foxy.
It felt different from hunting magical beasts.
Back then, it had been necessary, so there was no choice…
But if this creature hadn’t been captured, it might have lived peacefully without ever needing to die.
Biting her lip tightly, she released the bowstring.
The silver-glowing arrow, enhanced with wind magic, flew far faster than usual.
However, Foxy was much more agile than she expected.
The arrow was so fast it should’ve been invisible to the naked eye, yet Foxy twisted its body to avoid it.
It couldn’t dodge completely, though.
Instead of its heart, the arrow struck its leg.
“Kyaaak!”
Foxy screamed and turned its head toward Evelina.
Blood poured from the wound.
As if it didn’t even feel pain, Foxy charged at her with fierce momentum.
Feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, Evelina cast a defensive spell.
Foxy, jaws wide open as it lunged, slammed straight into the barrier.
While Foxy was distracted by Evelina, Arsene tightened his grip on his sword, climbed onto its back, and drove the blade in from behind.
Foxy thrashed in agony.
Arsene released the sword and rolled away onto the floor.
The more Foxy struggled, the deeper the sword sank in.
Not long after, Foxy collapsed.
Silence fell over the room.
The Marquess and Marchioness of Morey, who had been standing far away with tense expressions, hurried toward Evelina and Arsene.
“Are you all right?”
Arsene stood up without answering.
The knights approached Foxy to deal with the aftermath, while Evelina stared at the dead beast with an unsettled expression.
When the Marchioness stepped closer, Evelina turned to look at her.
“Is anyone hurt?”
“I had the butler send everyone back. Thank you so much.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Evelina smiled softly—
but it was a strangely distant smile.
As she moved toward Arsene, the Marchioness quickly grabbed her.
“Your Grace, how can we ever repay this debt—”
“You don’t need to do anything. Please don’t worry about it.”
She refused firmly.
After bowing slightly, Evelina walked up to Arsene.
“Arsene.”
“Evelina. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. What about you? You fell earlier.”
“I’m fine.”
Evelina let out a sigh of relief.
It was their last day in the capital, and this had left her with a heavy feeling.
The Marquess spoke nervously.
“You must be exhausted. Would you like to stay the night here?”
“No. I find it difficult to sleep in unfamiliar places.”
“Ah… I see.”
Arsene left with Evelina.
Even though Evelina had said she needed nothing, the next day the Morey family sent three carriages.
They were filled with expensive treasures and gold bars.
“I didn’t want this…”
Returning gifts would be rude, so she accepted them, but she didn’t feel comfortable.
Arsene spoke beside her.
“Then why not leave them here? Jewelry is one thing, but the gold bars can be used for maintenance expenses.”
“Ah…! That’s a good idea.”
Evelina looked around for Noah.
Just then, Noah was coming outside.
“Noah!”
He quickly turned and hurried over.
“You called for me?”
“I have something to tell you.”
She smiled lightly as she added,
“Leave the jewelry, but use the gold bars for upkeep while we stay here.”
“…Understood.”
Noah’s eyes widened, but he didn’t argue. He simply bowed.
At last, tomorrow was the day they would return to the North.
The North was still cold.
But to Evelina, it was the most comfortable place of all.
She hadn’t felt tired earlier, but once she entered the mansion, fatigue suddenly washed over her.
“Mm… I’ll go upstairs and rest first.”
“Please do.”
“Rest well, dear.”
With Berry’s help, she changed clothes quickly and collapsed onto the bed.
As Berry drew the curtains, she said,
“I’ll wake you at dinner time. Sleep well.”
“Mm, thanks…”
With the room darkened, sleep came more easily.
Berry quietly tidied up and left.
“Why am I so tired…?”
She hadn’t done much, yet it felt strange.
Maybe I was more stressed at the Morey estate than I thought.
Evelina yawned softly and closed her eyes completely.
She opened them again several hours later.
She felt more refreshed than before, but still tired.
“What time is it…?”
Thankfully, it was still before dinner.
Soon, the door opened carefully, and Berry entered.
She must’ve thought Evelina would still be asleep, because she looked startled.
“When did you wake up?”
“Just now.”
“Then I’ll fix your hair again.”
Evelina slowly sat at the vanity.
Berry carefully brushed her hair.
Watching Evelina’s reflection, Berry asked gently,
“Are you still tired?”
“A little. But it’s not unbearable.”
“Maybe it’s because you’ve been under stress lately… Someone came to visit, after all.”
“Ah… right.”
Even though it hadn’t been that long ago, it felt like the distant past.
Since Evelina had turned coldly away, the Duke had not contacted her at all.
She didn’t bother to find out why.
She felt no need to, and she didn’t want to be entangled anymore.
“I’ll be fine after a few more days of rest.”
“If you ever feel unwell, please tell me. I’ll call Lady Anais.”
“Okay.”
At the time, Evelina believed the fatigue would pass quickly.
But instead of fading, drowsiness came over her constantly.
And she often shivered with chills.
She wondered if it was a cold, but the symptoms felt oddly different.
Still, she didn’t think it was serious.
She wasn’t running a high fever or collapsing.
The first person to notice something was wrong was Arsene.
“Evelina.”
“Yes?”
“Are you feeling all right?”
“I’m fine.”
But Arsene’s stiff expression didn’t soften.
He reached out and gently brushed beneath her eyes.
“You look very tired.”
“I’ll be fine after a few more days.”
Evelina smiled lightly.
“I’ll go rest. If something happens, I’ll tell you, so don’t worry.”
“…All right.”
Arsene didn’t take his eyes off her as she climbed the stairs.
She was moving slower than usual.
Feeling strangely weak, Evelina stopped and let out a shallow sigh.
Seeing her condition, Arsene quickly approached.
Unaware, Evelina tried to move again—
but suddenly, her vision spun.
She stumbled, and Arsene rushed forward.
“Evelina!”
“Ah…”
Thankfully, he caught her before she could fall down the stairs.
Evelina leaned against him instinctively, blinking slowly.
Arsene frowned, his expression grave, and lifted her into his arms.
“This won’t do. I’ll call Anais.”
Evelina almost protested that it was only dizziness, but she stayed silent.
Judging by his face, he wouldn’t change his mind no matter what she said.
It would be faster to let Anais examine her and prove nothing was wrong.
She relaxed into Arsene’s broad embrace.
Thanks to him, she made it safely to her room.
After carefully laying her down, Arsene pulled the bell cord.
Berry entered immediately.
“You called?”
“Go fetch Anais at once.”
“Yes, sir.”
Berry bowed and hurried out.
A few minutes later, the door opened again, and Anais entered.
Karina followed behind her, as if they had met on the way.
Evelina sat up.
“Greetings, Your Grace.”
“It’s been a while, Anais.”
Evelina smiled awkwardly.
Anais adjusted her glasses.
“Berry said you’ve been unusually tired these past few days. Is that true?”
“Yes. I think it’s just fatigue. But earlier, I felt dizzy for a moment.”
“Hmm… I see. Then I’ll begin the examination.”
Evelina held out her hand.
Anais began checking her pulse.
But Anais’s expression subtly changed.
She tilted her head, then checked again with a serious look.
Seeing her face, Karina asked,
“What is it? Is something wrong?”
“Um…”
Anais hesitated, then asked Evelina,
“Your Grace… you said you’ve been feeling very sleepy lately, correct?”
“Yes.”
“And have you been experiencing chills, like you’ve caught a cold?”
“How did you know?”
Evelina’s eyes widened in surprise.
She hadn’t even mentioned that.
Anais glanced briefly at Arsene, cleared her throat, and asked carefully—
“Do you remember when your last monthly cycle was?”
