Became the Escort Knight of the Villain in the Romance Novel

21 – Under the Crystal Palace (5)

After sending Evan away, he also left the banquet hall.

I just came to reflect her face.

If you don’t have confidence in the place where the name of the crown prince hangs, your loyalty will be questioned.

He wasn’t interested in having a conversation with anyone, nor was he confident of enjoying anything at the raucous banquet.

However, shouldn’t he be responsible for the escort knight he brought?

After briefly touching the soft shawl wrapped around his waist, he slowly moved on.

He asked to see you on the balcony, so he must be waiting there.

After passing through the hallway where the chandelier brightens the surroundings, we now enter the dark hallway.

It was a dark hallway without even the slightest light, but I thought it was pretty good.

This hallway, where the soft curves, the rhythm of the waltz, people’s gazes and the noise disappeared,

At this moment, I felt more comfortable than any other place.

I start to walk alone in the quiet hallway where not a single candlelight shines through.

I remember having this habit even when I was young.

Whenever she walked down a dark road alone like this, her maids-in-waiting would come running to her and bruise her.

He forcibly pulled me to a bright place, asking what to do if I was in a dangerously dark place.

However, was that place truly bright?

There was darkness in her eyes as she looked at herself.

A darkness that gnaws at, digs up, and overturns itself.

Whenever I was angry and screaming at my young heart saying that I don’t like things like this, my father would lock himself in the attic where not even a little light would come in.

He was so by the time he stopped going into the attic he was no longer herding.

Isn’t it funny that the darkness gives me stability now?

It was a place I didn’t want to go to so much, but now I came out alone like this to find that darkness.

In the middle of the hallway, I move my steps like that.

Whenever I set foot in an empty corridor, the sound of my footsteps echoed back like an echo.

Ttogak- Ttogak-

At that steady sound, my heart regained peace.

I stare at the dim starlight captured by the crystal palace for a while, then look at the window that is pierced in the middle of the hallway.

The only place in the dark hallway that receives light. As I carefully walked in, the moonlight began pouring down on me.

When I look up, what I see is a cloudy darkness, and the stars and moons densely engraved in between.

It felt very strange that the moon was shining brightly even in such a dark darkness.

Even though it is night that swallows up all the light around you,

As if only the moon and stars could not be touched, the darkness was gradually descending toward the world, avoiding them.

If only he could shine like that, and at that thought, a green light shimmered before my eyes again.

The green light that was as dazzling as I saw on the night of the festival.

“…Ah.”

Only then do you realize. What he saw was just an illusion.

The light that shimmered in my eyes was nothing more than a reminder of a person around me.

Evan Fried. Whispering his name

While holding onto the shawl, I exhaled such a subdued breath.

My heart feels stuffy at the emotions rising again, and I inadvertently frown at the stuffiness.

It felt like my hand was hurting. I finally realize that I have been holding the rose, and realize that even if I try to release it, I cannot let it go.

It was too deeply embedded.

How could I have known that those thorns would pierce my flesh like hooks and not let go even if I tried to let them go?

His hand, which looked like it would drip blood at any moment, was fine. In the light, it was only pale enough to be white.

I couldn’t let go anymore. Knowing that, I just smiled bitterly.

I feel sorry for him, I feel very sorry for him who got caught in my own selfishness.

If he didn’t leave, he wouldn’t let go anymore. I couldn’t let go of the warmth that permeated my heart.

When that warmth disappears, it feels like winter will come forever. I was afraid of it and couldn’t let it go.

I didn’t even know if he wanted it.

Because I knew that the people around me who smiled were actually hiding a cold sneer behind them,

Because I knew that what my family wanted from me was perfection.

Someone who smiles even when I make mistakes, someone who just smiles warmly at me.

I didn’t know if he was looking for it.

As I turned my head, it seemed that a light shimmered in the distance.

In a dark hallway without a single candle, the light that wasn’t there even when I was walking for the first time swayed its tail as if to tempt me.

I move towards the place where the blue light of the crystal palace, the stars, and the moon shimmer.

How is the light in front of me visible?

However, the doubt soon disappears.

His escort knight, staring blankly at himself who appeared suddenly, narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth.

“…Lady?”

Soon, the darkness that had covered my eyes like fog seemed to dissipate.

As if the dark hallway he had been standing in had become a lie.

A brilliant radiance enveloped the surroundings and began to glow blue.

Amidst the thick veil of night, the one shining alone was looking at him.

When green eyes that don’t go well with autumn shimmer in the darkness,

My heart would feel stuffy whenever the wind blew that blonde hair that didn’t match the night.

I let out a heavy breath and looked at the person standing in front of me.

“Evan.”

The voice that came out through the lips was warm.

The chill that had always been in my arms had long since disappeared.

When I was with him, somehow the chill melted away, and I was able to be more comfortable than when I was with anyone else.

No matter how tired I was, I did not fall asleep in front of other people, but did I fall asleep in front of the escort knight?

Maybe the warmth of the blanket wrapped around my body was transferred to me.

I smile lightly at that thought.

The corners of his mouth trembled awkwardly as he laughed sincerely, not a fake laugh as usual.

“Have you waited long?”

“No, I was a little surprised that you came earlier than expected.”

Now I had to admit it. A man named Evan Fried is his escort knight.

Unlike his previous escort knights, he said he would continue to serve as his own escort knight.

I tried so hard to push it away, but now I had no choice but to accept it.

He was different from the people he saw at the Duke’s residence.

He laughed heartily, genuinely cared about himself, and didn’t expect anything from me.

In the darkness that settled down on Yuris, he was a star that shone dimly alone.

The stuffiness in my heart disappears only then, I let out a breath and look at the sky again.

It felt like the curved moon was smiling at me, so I closed my eyes while looking at the sky.

Now, it seemed as if his decided mind had instantly released the stuffiness that had been holding him down like shackles.

Was it such a relief to make up my mind?

When I opened my closed eyes, everything that was holding me back was gone and my body felt much lighter.

The wind that blew was cool with autumn in it, and what came through the wind was the strong scent of grass that made the tip of the nose frown.

As I grabbed the cold crystal balcony, a strong wind patted my cheek.

But even that was good. Now that the stuffiness that had been constricting my chest was gone, I felt like I could accept anything positively.

“What happened?”

When she turned her head to that voice, Evan was looking at her in a puzzled way.

Something happened. But Evan may not know that she is involved in it.

“No, nothing happened.”

“…Is that so?”

Evan’s expression when he answered like that seemed a little darker than she knew.

Could it be because the paint created by this darkness even dyed it?

However, the exact reason was unknown, so looking at him like that was all I could do.

#

I was able to quickly notice that the chill that enveloped Irene had faded one layer at a time.

The expression on her face as she walked through that dark hallway looked much brighter than before.

It wasn’t because the moonlight was particularly bright, but it seemed to have solved a problem that was inside.

For what reason? However, I didn’t know her answer, so I just smiled bitterly at her.

I feel so frustrated, but what the hell did you think brought me to this place?

But since I couldn’t bruise her Irene, she just put her hand on her balcony and sighed lightly.

After a while, Irene, who had quietly approached me at some point, grabbed her balcony and looked at the sky with me.

“…Do you wonder why I brought you here?”

She suddenly opened her mouth. Surprised by her, I nodded her head and looked at her dark sky.

Irene also continued her words with her gaze still on the sky.

“The arranged marriage between Roman and Julis was a frequent occurrence. Of course, regardless of the will of the parties, it was done to strengthen the relationship between the pillars supporting this empire.”

That was a fact I knew as well. Besides her, arranged marriages between high-ranking aristocrats were common.

Between nobles who chose cooperation rather than containment as a means to preserve each other’s power, it was always young men and women who sacrificed.

“We met when we were young, and we interfered with paperwork that we were not very interested in. I didn’t promise to share a ring like everyone else. It was just a procedure out of necessity.”

The blue eyes that were looking at the sky shimmered, and then the narrowly folded eyes turned to the bottom of the balcony.

Looking at the numerous carriages built on the ground, she opened her mouth again.

“Since childhood, Adele and I have been together at numerous events. Whether I like it or not, I just did it because the adults told me to do it.”

“Then, wouldn’t it be comfortable to be together like usual?”

“No, it’s uncomfortable.”

After answering firmly, she took her eyes off the sky and looked at me.

She seemed to frown slightly at her. Really and sincerely, as if the fiancé was uncomfortable.

“…I thought it would get better with time. I always thought that walking around like that would make my heart feel a little more comfortable, but it wasn’t at all. What brought you to this ball, yes. To be honest, it’s my selfish mind.”

Her selfish heart. As I looked at her with her questioning gaze, Irene narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth.

“It’s amazing. A little bit more than being with someone she had known since childhood. It’s more comfortable to be with the escort driver I’ve been with for several months now. That’s why I brought you. Because being with you was more comfortable than being with anyone else.”

“……”

“I didn’t like it that much at first. I thought that you would be the same as the people I’ve met so far. The doll-like knights who always carry out the mission of escort with expressionless faces. I thought that would be the case this time too, When I met him, he looked a little different.”

Irene’s expression when she said that looked very relieved.

The dark shade of her that had surrounded her had all been lifted, and the moonlight was breaking down brighter than ever before.

Could this be the story that Irene had in her heart?

The corners of my eyes trembled as she stared blankly at her like that.

“I don’t know why I’m like this… It’s just that I feel comfortable when I’m with you.”

“…Lady.”

She gently closed her eyes, then let out a light sigh and continued her words.

She didn’t seem to really understand her, twisting the corners of her mouth and shaking her head once.

“Surely, even a few days ago, I thought I would throw you away. I certainly did until a few days ago, but I can’t do that anymore.”

“……”

“Please take good care of me in the future, Evan.”

Her moment, I couldn’t help but look at her with her dumbfounded expression.

Rather than not realizing the meaning of the words, it was rather that I was perplexed because I understood the meaning so well.

I thought she was drawing a line for me, but when I tried to get closer, I thought she was trying to push it away.

Isn’t that actually the case? Was it just my own misunderstanding?

It was as if the words that I would like to ask you to take good care of me in the future flew like a dagger and got stuck in my heart.

That dagger will not fall. No matter how hard I tried to pull it out, the arbitrarily stuck dagger was not something I could pull out on my own.

Soon, Irene looked at me and smiled lightly.

A pure smile never seen before.

It seemed that the darkness she held in her was lifted in an instant, and before long the moonlight shining brightly on her seemed to embrace her.

The stars twinkled. It occurred to me that the ultramarine blue dress she was wearing was just like the night sky.

Her blue eyes, which always contained a chill, shimmered.

The ice that had been frozen in the cold of winter must have melted before I knew it, and soon the snow, filled with unsuitable warmth, began to bend finely.

A scenery that only an autumn night can create.

The dark towering high, and the crystal palace shining brilliantly in the moonlight.

But the thing that shone most of all was her light smile.

I just stared blankly at Irene with her eyes wide open.