Thiendavis – For The Perfect Salvation

Chapter 40. The Angry Count

Zion asked quietly with simmering eyes.

“What do you want to do with him?”

“I want to tie him up tightly and throw him out of the continent.”

Evie answered frankly.

Covering her mouth briefly with her hand, she quickly added before Zion could take her every word seriously.

“But I can’t throw him yet. Marquis Montera is someone I need.”

Evie's voice was spirited as she said that, causing Zion to frown as he looked at her.

Zion's face showed clear discontent.

Although the cold demeanor was enough to demoralize someone, Evie only nodded her head in understanding.

“Of course, the marquis’s attitude isn't great. Still, he's quite helpful to me in many ways, so I let his excessive antics slide.”

Evie appeared unbothered, having taken the Marquis's previous misconduct as mere pranks.

However, Zion remained suspicious of Evie's composure.

He didn't expect her to grieve like a tragic lead or to react belligerently like his deputy commander due to recent events.

Everyone possessed their unique reactions, and even if Evie’s response seemed unfamiliar, Zion wasn't inclined to dismiss it.

Yet, Zion found Evie’s seemingly cheerful demeanor suspicious.

So, he quietly observed Evie's small and clear face before asking her.

“Does it happen often?”

“If you’re talking about the Marquis’s casual harassment, well, it's not often but it happens occasionally... It feels like we've had this conversation before.”

“And each time, you want to throw him out of the continent?”

“No, the execution method changes each time. But a common factor is that the aftermath is always clean... Count, I don't wish to speak so harshly.”

“Yet you let it slide…”

Zion intended to ask about her tolerance, but his last question remained unfinished.

Evie, like a cat with its paw, abruptly covered Zion’s mouth.

“Count, you do realize this is cheating?”

Evie sternly said, implying that he should not delve further.

Faced with Evie's quite literal line drawn in the sand, Zion silently stared at her with his mouth covered.

As his gaze lingered, Evie sweetly smiled again and added.

“I repeatedly tell you, if I start talking sternly, we will both be embarrassed. We have to look far into the future, and it would be difficult for both of us.”

Zion was not someone known for his candid nature, but neither was Evie.

She stubbornly refused Zion’s meddling, showing no intention of lamenting.

After pushing Zion away, Evie released her hold on his mouth, leaving Zion’s frustration visible in his silence.

The count, whose lips were now tightly shut, looked unsettled, prompting Evie to cautiously ask:

“Are you upset?”

“No.”

“You look upset though. That’s your angry forehead.”

Evie tilted her head as she examined Zion's face.

Propping her chin with both hands on the table, she asked cutely.

“Is it possible you're mad because of me?”

Zion let out a cold chuckle at Evie’s adorable question.

He looked at Evie as if he couldn't believe that, and at Zion's blunt response, Evie, in turn, became agitated.

“Just sighing like that makes it seem like you're upset. Anyone could think you were the one harassed.”

“As I said before, I'm not upset.”

“You must be kidding.”

“...If you intended to upset me, you’ve succeeded.”

Though Zion’s eyes sharpened at Evie's provocation, she blinked unbothered and smiled at him.

“You're quite the gentleman, Count.”

She spoke in an obviously teasing tone, her face carrying an equally obvious intention.

Zion felt annoyed, frustrated by Evie’s antics, yet unable to deny her assertion.

Despite insisting otherwise to Evie, Zion indeed felt quite angry.

However, he understood that he needed to assess whether his rage was justified.

Zion ruminated on his feelings while traversing a dusty secret passage to discern why he was this upset.

The blame clearly lay with Marquis Montera.

The marquis had treated Zion’s subordinate, the deputy commander, as décor, disturbingly harassing the innocent girl.

While this was sufficient cause for anger, Zion wasn’t inclined to deceive himself.

What Zion listed were mere reasons for irritation, not the core of his anger.

After pondering, Zion reluctantly acknowledged that his anger stemmed from the Marquis's actions towards Evie.

Such an awareness was deeply uncomfortable for Zion.

Yet amidst this, Evie continued to teasingly call Zion a gentleman, making him feel even more crazed.

These days, Evie was quite audacious towards Zion.

Once, at the count's stern look, she used to go pale with nerves, but now she didn't mind his glares or clenched teeth, provoking him unreservedly.

Zion realized belatedly his oversight.

What he thought of as mere growls turned out to be a gradual clearing of space for Evie.

Whichever way it was, it wasn't a particularly good sign for Zion.

“Was it you earlier, Count? Knocking out Marquis Montera.”

Evie suddenly changed her tone, having been playfully cheeky just moments ago.

“Thank you for helping when I was in a bind. I almost made a huge mistake, but thanks to you, I managed.”

Evie removed her hand from her chin and expressed gratitude.

Her tone was skillful rather than lively at that moment.

It resembled her demeanor when she walked under the wisteria earlier, making Zion feel as if Evie was drawing another boundary.

Evidently intending to conclude the topic on the Marquis, Evie signaled her desire to end the conversation.

Zion didn’t want to let it drop, but Evie’s gaze was calm yet earnest, making it hard for him to ignore.

“It was my deputy's mistake from the start. You don't need to thank me.”

Ultimately, Zion swallowed his displaced anger and reluctantly played along.

Despite his attempts, Evie didn’t seem pleased with the businesslike response and threw him a sweet glare, further complicating Zion’s already tangled emotions.

Feeling pathetic for being so upset due to Evie, Zion also found it neither bizarre nor surprising—just like an expected punch in the face.

Zion had never denied that Evie held a special place in his heart.

In fact, knowing too well, he avoided engaging further out of caution.

Even if Evie was completely oblivious and Zion was the only one aware, Evie had occupied Zion's time since seven years ago.

During times when Evie's whereabouts were unknown, Zion spent most of his efforts searching for her.

Upon learning of her presence in Thienda, he turned away but still lent an ear to news about Evie.

She was someone he tirelessly looked for over the years.

Thus, there was no way she couldn't be special, yet Zion worked to dismiss it persistently.

The thought of being manipulated by a crazed astrologer repelled him, and he didn't want to relive spent emotions.

However, a man like Cassel Montera unknowingly provoked Zion, causing him to helplessly confront Evie's significance.

Utterly, miserably so.

These complex feelings lingered in Zion’s gaze toward Evie.

Noticing his long stare, Evie tilted her head questioningly, prompting him to casually shift the topic.

“You were busy earlier. Did you manage to do everything?”

“Yes, I could move around freely because you glared like the old days.”

Evie promptly replied.

Despite being slightly sullied at the end by Marquis Montera, she looked rather satisfied overall.

“Well, speaking of which, why were you glaring so much when we first met? At the Duke’s castle, I mean.”

“Because I heard someone say you were impudent.”

“No, I mean before that.”

“Before that?”

Zion looked puzzled at Evie’s inquiry, as though not understanding her question, and it was apparent he genuinely didn’t know.

Seeing his genuine confusion, Evie’s eyes filled with shock.

“Count, are you perhaps significantly near-sighted?”

Evie asked in a groaning voice, and Zion absentmindedly nodded.

Although a count of considerable resources, he had poor vision, requiring glasses to see afar.

Those with near-sightedness naturally squint to view distant objects clearly.

“Why don’t you wear glasses then, making people misunderstand like that?”

Upon realizing the truth surrounding that day nearly a month later, Evie gritted her teeth, blaming Zion.

Yet Zion shamelessly ignored Evie's rebuke, looking as if he cared little about others’ misunderstandings.

Such obstinate behavior led Evie to murmur with narrowed eyes.

“I might’ve misjudged your manners, though it’s not entirely my fault. But don’t lose heart, your demeanor hasn’t changed much since our first meeting.”

Evie commented as if Zion was odious, nearly causing him to laugh.

Listening to her chatter, Zion’s previously bottomed-out mood lifted considerably.

This cheered Zion despite himself, comforting him that the feelings Evie evoked were akin to those for his students—insolent, cute, annoying, worrisome, making him want to strangle any offender.

Zion found solace in this appropriate affection, aware that he differed distinctly from that mad astrologer.

“Anyway, since I’ve received help so far, it’s my turn to assist you now.”

Ending the long small talk, Evie addressed the matter at hand.

Meeting secretly through the passage, the two aimed to aid each other as promised.

Having received earlier assistance, it was now Zion’s turn, as she put it.

Evie’s role was to discover the secret Zion couldn't disclose himself.

However, after claiming it was her turn to help, Evie remained silent, gazing into the distance in thought.

Zion quietly watched her tenderly blinking eyes from afar.

After some time, Evie returned her focus to Zion.

“Is the astrologer perhaps a Laurel Count?”

She then tore Zion’s heart into a thousand pieces.

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