“Kassel, Kassel!”

With a desperate expression, Kassel’s friend urgently grabbed him as he walked. He then spoke to Kassel, who was glaring at him as though he would eat him alive, in a gentle voice.

“Ariate is under the tower’s protection, don’t forget.”

Kassel paused at this advice. But it was only for a moment; he laughed more deeply and asked,

“Why, are you afraid I might hit the girl?”

Kassel’s friends couldn’t dare to respond. His eyes were halfcrazed.

Kassel glared at his idiotic friends, grinding his teeth as he laughed.

“Don’t follow me, anyone who does will die.”

Kassel did not want to be disturbed.

So he cut off all those watching him from behind, and headed alone to the hydrangea garden where Evie Ariate was.

.

.

.

Unlike the brightly lit lanterns, the hydrangea garden lay asleep under the shallow moonlight.

Faint light could be seen beyond the darkness of the hydrangeas.

It was the light leaking out from the round pergola placed in the center of the garden.

Kassel quickly moved toward it. As the pergola neared, a soft, lilting humming sound reached his ears.

Kassel immediately recognized the sweet voice as Evie’s. So as he walked to it, the anger that had just cooled flared up again to the tips of his hair.

He felt the urge to crush everything and ran toward the pergola. But, leaving a few steps behind, he was momentarily stunned by the sight before him.

Under the lanternlit pergola was Evie.

Wearing a white dress, her long hair loosely braided, sitting on the bench and humming, she looked like a goddess who had momentarily descended from the moon.

“Ah…….”

So Kassel, forgetting even to be angry, spat out a hollow laugh.

Thinking again, it was an astonishing matter.

That pretty face dared to stab me in the back, and even now, as though asking to be eaten, is doing that.

Kassel barely resisted the urge to rush in and shout.

Evie is under the tower’s protection. So I mustn’t touch her. Besides, Kassel was sure that Evie had a backer. So he put on the mask of a gentleman again to coax Evie.

When Kassel stood in front of the pergola with his usual elegant face, Evie finally stopped singing.

“Why are you alone?”

“I thought this would be a good place to talk.”

“You must know you’ve done something wrong.”

At Evie’s small response, Kassel stepped forward with a twisted feeling. But then he suddenly felt dizzy.

Damn it, is it the alcohol? Kassel quickly steadied himself, feeling his vision spin.

“If you’re dizzy, sit there.”

Evie told him to sit, but Kassel ignored her and leaned against a pillar.

Then he took out the paper detailing his misdeeds and asked,

“Did Evie write this?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you do it?”

“I needed an example. To show what happens if you mess with me.”

At the unexpected answer, Kassel burst into hollow laughter.

She knows how to say such audacious things.

Kassel thought Evie was bluffing because she was scared. So he approached her more kindly.

“So who told you to do it?”

“No one told me to. I did it on my own.”

“You fool, why did you? Don’t mess with this. Even now, if you tell me who ordered you, I’ll let Evie go.”

Of course, letting her go was a lie. Kassel had no intention of gently letting go of Evie, who had bared her claws at him.

Besides, even if he didn’t step in, Evie had already crossed an insurmountable river.

Since she left a trace on the accusation, the fact that Evie took part in slandering him would soon be known.

A commoner woman, no different from an ornamental plant, daring to meddle in the noble’s feud, the conservative Tienda nobles would never tolerate such a disgrace.

So Evie’s downfall was as good as predetermined, but Kassel glared at her again to find his enemy.

“How could you do this to me, when I loved you so much?”
“It’s only fitting, right? A brat who behaves so vulgarly and then calls it adorable should have his body and head separated and placed apart in the Bisa and Tienda.”

But what came back was a peaceful curse.

Evie spoke in her usual soft voice, and thus, Cassel slowly understood the meaning of her words and belatedly widened his eyes.

“Vulgar?”

“Yes, Cassel Montra, you’re an ugly and vulgar brat. If you weren’t from a good family, nobody would associate with you. You’re lowquality, even undermining the prestige of your wellborn family three times a day. You’re a fool who thinks it’s smart to sneakily stab people in the back, an imbecile who knows neither the divine nor etiquette, and in the midst of that, you’re shallow and mediocre, lost in flaunting yourself.”

Evie tore into Cassel’s character without mixing in a single dirty word.

So Cassel’s face paled, forgetting even to glare.

“You, have you gone mad?”

“No, I’m fine. I felt like going crazy earlier, but I’m really okay now.”

Evie smiled sweetly at the stammering Cassel in surprise.

So Cassel stared blankly at Evie as if he had seen something absurd, and only after a while did he gasp and laugh.

“Heh, she really was a scary kid. Was I fooled all this time?”

Cassel sincerely marveled.