I Don’t Want This Bad Ending

Silvester is watching Adelyn… no, Evelyn treating his cut that he did on his wrist. Sir Louise had healed his cut earlier, but Evelyn insisted to put bandages on it. It was actually an excuse for her, and he let it go.

He knew that it would be awkward for them to discuss the topic at hand. He also thought that she needed time to think things through if she decided to admit that she really was Evelyn.

Using her dyed chestnut eyes, Evelyn tried to peek at Silvester as she was being conscious of what he was doing - looking at her with his piercing blue eyes.

"Can you stop looking?"

"Why? Does it bother you?" he asked.

"Yeah, so stop looking"

Silvester chuckles, her sassy side was still there, but he became serious again as he wanted to confirm what the strange fountain just informed him.

"You're Evelyn, right? You're my cousin..." he asked.

Evelyn looked at him as they sat at the stairs of the royal room as the rest of the group was outside and gave them privacy as what Silvester requested from them.

She sighs as she answers his question.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sir SIl." She was resolute to her decision, but Silvester had a different thought.

"It's fine if you don't want to tell me what happened that day. I understand if you think what you did is what you needed,"

They stare at each other. Silvester was seeing the disguise that Evelyn had as Adelyn. The effects of what is unknown to him had vanished after a while. 

But he was still sure, because he saw Evelyn's action through Adelyn. He was convinced that this woman is her cousin. The strange fountain did help him acquire the things that he needed to know. Not only for Evelyn's but there's also things that concern the Kingdom.

Evelyn was still contemplating if it's a wise decision to tell him that she was hiding but seeing the clear blue eyes of SIlvester had made her give up her stance.

She knew that she couldn't deceive him for long. And she also knew that if she stayed long with Silvester's company at one point, he would notice the similarity of Evelyn and Adelyn's actions.

And for the nth time, she sighs. She decided to confirm his thoughts and trust this man's action who risked his life to come to the Stygian Ruins to find his answers.

"Fine…"

"What you think is right…" She said.

Silence befell them after what she confirmed. She thought that she would hear a shock reaction from him as she saw him earlier with a trembling body.

'Well, it would be embarrassing for a Crown Prince to do that, but did I say it too soon? Where's the reaction? Should I have given him a head up first?'

After some thoughts, she watched Silvester's intense eyes that seemed directed to her black mask. Evelyn knew what he had in his mind, so, without objection she took her black mask off and stared at his blue eyes with her chestnut eyes.

And there, Silvester��s mind went blank when he saw what's underneath. It was really the face that he knew. Even as time passed by and four years went by, the vivid memories that he always visited resurface when he saw her.

The time that they had a spar, the memories that she knew and told him that she was his cousin, the calm demeanor that she always had even when she was in front of her enemies. Her smiling face when she kicked her brother's precious jewel during the tournament.

It feels like everything was just yesterday for him. 

When everything was sure and Evelyn confirmed it, a surge of emotions overwhelmed him. A feeling of relief, happiness, gratitude, as well as sadness mixed in.

He was sad that her cousin made a decision so extreme that she decided to abandon her family, status, wealth and the kingdom where she grew up.

'Does it mean that she never had good memories there that she had abandoned everything to live an adventurer life in a land and culture that she wasn't familiar with?' he thought.

He was tearing up, he didn't know that the lady he had known and only decided to cling with her on a whim would have an effect like this on him. So, he put her head down and covered his almost wet eyes.

He bit his lower lips… he didn't know how much suffering her noble cousin had to endure to be this strong and to be known in the guild. He was proud as well as concerned.

Evelyn knit her brows. She was expecting that Silvester would get angry for deceiving him, she thought that he would hate her for leaving without saying a word, instead silence is what she gets.

She didn't know how to react, and when she saw him bowing his head, she thought that he really was angry.

'...he must be, I selfishly made a decision and fabricated my death,' she thought.

"Sil…"

Silvester's eyes went wide and looked at her. It's been so long that he heard that familiar voice called his nickname.

"I can't explain what happened, but what I can say is… you're right. It was what I needed to do."

He decided to ask even though he had an idea what she had prepared to put that stunt into action. He knew his voice was still trembling, but he handled it and opened his mouth.

"How…? What happened that day, Eve?" he asked, and she looked at him. His wet eyes were visible in her view, she smiled and wiped his tears that were at bay in his clear blue eyes as she said what she needed to say.

"I'm sorry…"

Evelyn can only utter words of apology to Sil. She can't explain her situation now, but she also knew that his cousin must have a lot of questions for her.

"Eve just know that I'm here for you… always." he said, and Evelyn smiled.

After some time, Evelyn questioned him why he put his life at risk and came here.

"I was thinking of finding out where you obtain "the abyss" stone. I need to know where the other stones are located for me to go and retrieve relics from the ancient ruins." he said.

But Evelyn also doesn't know where it is. The jewel store that she visited was gone when she tried to find it again and asked the weird old man who was always laughing in a creepy way.

And even if she knew, she would never visit again. The old man gives her the creeps.

So, she told him the truth and saw his disappointed face as his shoulder slumped like a turtle.

"I'll try to ask some adventurers and merchants that I know. So, tell me what kind of stones you are looking for." she said.

"Now, let's go. Let's talk again when we get out of here." she continued.

At that time, a knock also came from the metal doors.

"What is it?" Silvester beckoned.

"Pardon me but I think you need to see what's outside, your highness." Sir George said his face is visibly grim.

"It's fine but what do you mean? What's outside?" he dismissed the courtesy and asked again. The voice he let out was telling him to quickly spill it out. Evelyn was also listening attentively as it looks like it was serious.

"We are surrounded by monsters, your highness." SIlvester heard his low voice and knew that it was serious. And his knight had disregarded his orders and disturbed them when he said not to, it means that it was that urgent.

SIlvester and Evelyn ran to the doors with George on their tail. The only window that was too large, broken, and shattered was the thing that they could find outside the royal room and along the dirty hallway of the castle.

They saw Adam with his usual fierce expression while holding the hilt of his sword. Sir Louise, the party's healer was praying intently and mumbling incomprehensible words. 

SIr Edrich was trembling, he was sensing too much black mana that he was having difficulty to sense other things. Sir Izzy was busy counting his potion bottles in his bag, he was calculating how many are needed to win the battle.

Silvester crumpled his face when he stopped at the front of the broken window. And as Silvester and Evelyn looked down, they saw the swarming monsters and Evelyn can't help but curse under her breath!

"Sh*t! They're too many!" Evelyn said.

"Where in the world did, they come from?!" Evelyn was getting frustrated. The black mist was surrounding the monsters and the way that she looked at it, at least three hundred monsters were blocking their path.

"Did you see any alternate paths that we could have used?" Silvester said.

"This is the only path that will lead to the exit of the Stygian ruins, apart from this are paths that could lead to somewhere more dangerous. It would be problematic if we arrived at the poisoned river where the monsters are more poisonous than these monsters." Sir George explained to their highness, Silvester.

"We need to give up going to the river 

"We need to find a gap and immediately run while fighting along the way. That's the only solution that I could think of." Adam suggested.

"You're right, it would be hard but that's the best option we had. We will be too exhausted to fight that many monsters!" Silvester agreed as he finished assessing the problem at hand.