“How could I have known?”

Even if this is a story and you’re the male protagonist, saying I knew a female protagonist would appear by your side would only make me seem insane.

But Shuher, who had been only talking about matters related to him, made her feel puzzled. His attitude was not what it should have been.

“Why should Your Majesty be concerned about my well-being? Isn’t it enough for Your Majesty to simply enjoy it?”

Shuher had no response to Evenel’s question. True to her words, what should have been his focus was matters related to Davian.

There was no need to care about whatever Evenel went through. Yet, seeing himself solely worried about Davian somehow made him feel stifled.

“All I need is for Your Majesty to keep your promise.”

Having finished speaking, she was the first to rise from her seat.

“I need time to gather my thoughts as well. We can discuss details another time.”

Shuher watched her leave, then was left alone, he brushed his hair back with a complicated expression. Contrary to Evenel’s expectations, no joy of having met Davian showed on his face.

The next day, stories related to Davian began to spread within the Karies Empire.

At first, people couldn’t believe it, thinking it impossible. But soon, their expressions turned to astonishment and awe, finally showing intense joy.

What more could be said when a person from Karies manifested Aodin’s abilities?

Alongside these stories, Evenel’s name became a topic of conversation in the palace. The vilification and condemnation towards her were more severe than when she first arrived in Karies.

Now that Davian had appeared, there was no reason to show her even the minimum courtesy.

“Are you alright, miss? It might be best to stay in the palace today.”

Lea, who had heard the story directly from Evenel, was restless as she saw her about to head to the training ground as usual. The atmosphere had been tense since morning, and she wanted to prevent her from going outside if possible.

Knowing what Lea was concerned about, Evenel comforted her with a gentle touch on her shoulder.

“It’s okay. It’s nothing new, is it?”

“But still.”
“I skipped training yesterday too. Just be with Emil as much as possible. Understand?”

“Miss.”

Ignoring Lia’s worried gaze, Evenel left the palace. Being in the palace wouldn’t solve anything, so she decided to go about her usual activities.

At the moment, there was no reason for her to bow her head or avoid anyone. For some reason, she wanted to act even more confidently. There was nothing to distance herself from.

As Evenel was heading to the archery range, as expected, voices openly criticizing her were heard.

“Wow, who is that? She hasn’t been kicked out yet?”

“Exactly. Well, seeing that ugly face here will soon come to an end.”

“She hasn’t felt the heat yet, has she? She must have thought she was so great. Ah, I really want to see his face soon. He’s incomparable to any enemy.”

Even when pierced by these words with every step, Evenel just kept her eyes forward and walked on. Arguing would surely escalate the situation.

‘I should really leave.’

She had pondered a lot until she fell asleep after parting ways with Shuher yesterday. Now that Davian appeared, she wondered what she should do.

Originally, she planned to leave without looking back. She wanted to go somewhere where neither Lia nor herself were known, to live freely.

While her desire hadn’t changed, it felt somewhat weaker than when she first arrived. Additionally, she found herself thinking that living in the palace might not be so bad if her days continued like this.

‘What am I thinking?’

Evenel was surprised by her own thoughts and hastily lowered her head.

“Have you gone mad? Or, like people say, are you engrossed in playing hero?”

‘Or have I actually gotten used to this life?’

Sometimes, it was so hard that she wanted to give up everything, but she didn’t know whether she had gotten used to the daily life here as the days passed by. She could do the archery she loved again, and she was slowly making friends.

“Here we meet again.”

The voice that broke her contemplation made her lift her head, and a face she didn’t particularly want to see at this moment was approaching.

Even though Harlan noticed that Evenel’s expression had hardened a bit, he nevertheless stopped in front of her. This time, he was accompanied by a few nobles.

It was too late to ignore him, so Evenel took the initiative to greet him.

“We meet again, Duke Harlan.”

“I didn’t expect to run into you like this. Ah, we are on our way to a meeting. The reason is,”

“I know already.”
She preempted his words and mentioned the topic first. It seemed like she pretended to know just because of that.

“It’s about Davian, isn’t it? I don’t know if you’re aware, but I was the first person to meet Davian.”

“You seem quite relaxed, knowing that.”

Contrary to his expectations, Harlan’s expression hardened at Evenel’s too-calm response. At this point, she should be flat on the ground.

‘She still doesn’t know her place.’

So he planned to make it clear this time. Now that Davian had appeared, she was of no use at all.