Meanwhile, after Felix Ravenholt dragged Evelyn Sterling out of the great hall, he led her through several winding corridors, looking for all the world as though he really intended to take her somewhere for a bit of fresh air.
At first, Evelyn endured it and allowed him to pull her along.
But after walking for quite some distance, she realized he had absolutely no intention of stopping.
Finally reaching the limit of her patience, she yanked her hand free.
“Enough. Where exactly are you taking me?”
His hand suddenly empty, Felix stopped as well and turned around in confusion.
The moment he saw her expression, he nearly burst out laughing.
Evelyn was glaring at him with her cheeks slightly puffed in irritation.
Her face already had a naturally youthful softness to it, and now that she was angry, her cheeks looked even rounder than usual.
Paired with that annoyed little expression, she looked remarkably like a soft, pale steamed bun.
Felix stared at her for several seconds.
His fingers even twitched instinctively.
For some inexplicable reason, he suddenly wanted to reach over and pinch her cheek.
Then he remembered the finger she had nearly bent backward that morning.
Very wisely, he abandoned the idea.
Forget it.
This little steamed bun might look soft, but she had thorns.
He had no intention of finding out how much it would hurt a second time.
With that thought, Felix immediately put on an innocent expression and said with complete confidence, “Hey, Little Bun, I was being kind enough to get you out of there. You don’t have to thank me, but why are you getting angry at me instead?”
“Little Bun?”
The corner of Evelyn’s eye twitched.
That nickname again?
Felix, however, seemed completely oblivious to the increasingly dangerous look on her face.
“Didn’t you notice what was happening back there? Everyone in that hall was staring at you like they wanted to tear you apart. If I hadn’t realized something was wrong and kindly brought you outside, you’d still be standing there while an entire room glared holes through you.”
After saying that, he even looked offended, as though he were the one who had suffered some terrible injustice.
“I was helping you. You don’t thank me, and now you’re scolding me instead. Doesn’t your conscience hurt?”
Evelyn felt a faint ache beginning at her temples.
She stared at the young man who clearly believed he had just performed some heroic deed.
Then she gave a cold little laugh.
“Well, I really should thank you for your kindness.”
Felix raised an eyebrow, already looking pleased with himself.
Before he could enjoy the compliment, however, Evelyn slowly added,
“Thank you for making me miss such a good show.”
“…”
The smugness on Felix’s face immediately froze.
A second later, he laughed out of sheer disbelief.
“Hey! How can you be so ungrateful? Why do you make it sound like I ruined everything when I was only trying to help?”
“Didn’t you?”
Evelyn shot back without hesitation.
Felix choked on his words.
Evelyn rolled her eyes and folded her arms.
“I didn’t need your help in the first place. I could’ve handled it myself. You were the one who suddenly interfered and dragged me out of the hall without even asking whether I wanted to leave. And now you’re blaming me?”
She gave an irritated little huff.
“This is my home. I grew up here. Do you seriously think you, someone who arrived here for the first time today, understand the people in this manor better than I do?”
Felix opened his mouth to argue.
Then he thought about it.
Unfortunately, she had a point.
So he closed his mouth again.
Evelyn ignored him and continued in an unusually calm tone.
“I know perfectly well why they dislike me. It’s nothing complicated. My father has never favored me, so naturally they all think I’m easy to bully. Whenever they get the chance, they try to cause trouble for me.”
There was no sadness on her face as she spoke.
Her tone was so calm that she might as well have been talking about someone else.
After all these years, she had long since grown accustomed to it.
Besides, disliking her was one thing.
Actually daring to come directly to her and cause trouble was another matter entirely.
Thinking about that, Evelyn’s lips curved slightly, and her expression became even more unconcerned.
“If they really could tear me apart, I would’ve been torn apart countless times by now. How else would I still be standing here perfectly fine, talking to you?”
“Wow.”
Felix raised his eyebrows and looked her up and down before laughing.
“That’s quite the confidence.”
Only moments ago, he had thought her situation in the manor sounded rather pitiful.
Now, however, he suddenly wondered if he had worried for nothing.
Did this girl look like someone who needed protection? Find the original chapter at g.com.
Not at all.
She was clearly still the same fierce little bun who had nearly broken his finger that morning.
Then Felix remembered how she had behaved in the great hall.
His expression immediately turned strange.
“If you’re really that capable, then why did you suddenly turn into a completely different person the moment you saw your father?”
Evelyn looked up at him.
The more Felix thought about it, the more convinced he became.
“When you were standing in front of your father just now, you looked exactly like a child who had been caught doing something wrong. I thought you’d caused some kind of trouble and were afraid he was going to punish you.”
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Then realization suddenly dawned on his face.
“Oh, I understand now. It wasn’t because you caused trouble. It’s because your father doesn’t favor you, so you’re afraid of him.”
Evelyn’s lips twitched.
How exactly had he reached that conclusion?
Before she could speak, Felix had already continued his train of thought on his own.
No wonder Father had once suggested taking her to the Ravenholt territory.
So that was it.
Felix had always wondered why his father had suddenly arranged something so strange between their families.
But now that he thought about it carefully, everything suddenly made sense.
His father must have known long ago that Evelyn was neglected here and often bullied.
That had to be why he wanted to bring her back with them.
Perhaps his father had already seen through everything nine years ago.
The more Felix thought about it, the more impressive his father became in his mind.
Soon, his face was filled with the deep emotion of a son who had suddenly discovered the boundless compassion hidden within his father’s heart.
Father truly was such a loving and kind man!
Evelyn stood beside him and watched his expression change from confusion, to realization, and finally to inexplicable emotion.
She became increasingly baffled.
What in the world was this idiot imagining now?
Especially that final expression—as though he had suddenly been overwhelmed by some profound fatherly love.
It sent a shiver down her spine.
She could practically feel goosebumps rising along her arms.
Unable to endure it any longer, Evelyn raised her hand and slapped him firmly on the back.
Smack!
“Ow!”
Felix stumbled forward and quickly regained his balance before turning around to glare at her.
“What was that for?”
“Can you please get rid of that disgusting expression?” Evelyn rubbed her arms with obvious distaste.
“You’re giving me goosebumps.”
“What do you mean, disgusting? I was just—”
“Enough. I don’t want to know what you were thinking.”
Evelyn cut him off immediately.
Then she pointed at herself and corrected him with a perfectly serious expression.
“And another thing. The way I acted in the great hall just now was only my persona. That wasn’t the real me.”
Felix blinked.
“Persona?”
“Exactly.”
Evelyn answered as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Of course she knew that her father did not favor her.
She also knew that plenty of people in the manor would happily watch her suffer.
But that did not mean she was actually afraid of them.
Pretending to be timid and weak was simply more convenient.
Most of the time, someone who appeared completely harmless was far more likely to make others lower their guard.
As for her father…
Something flickered briefly in Evelyn’s eyes.
But she did not allow herself to think any further.
A moment later, her usual indifferent expression returned.
She shrugged.
“It’s true that I’m not favored, but I’m still a princess of this house. Them disliking me is one thing. Whether they can actually do anything to me is another.”
Felix looked at her thoughtfully.
That actually sounded reasonable.
Then Evelyn calmly added,
“If they really wanted me gone, why waste every day thinking about how to tear me apart? The fastest solution would obviously be to kill me.”
“…” Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Felix’s expression froze.
He stared at Evelyn for several seconds.
He genuinely could not understand how such a young, soft-faced girl could say the words kill me in such an utterly casual tone.
Even stranger was the fact that she looked completely unconcerned.
It was almost as though the life she was discussing belonged to someone else.
Felix remained silent for a moment.
Then, in the end, he reached out and patted her small shoulder with exaggerated seriousness.
“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”
Evelyn looked up at him in complete confusion.
When exactly had she said she was worried?
Felix failed to notice the bewilderment in her eyes.
Instead, he continued solemnly, “My brother and I will be staying near your courtyard for the next few days. As long as we’re around, we won’t let anyone bully you.”
He sounded incredibly confident.
He even patted her shoulder twice, as though trying to encourage her.
Evelyn had been about to knock his hand away.
But the moment she heard the words staying near your courtyard, her hand stopped.
She slowly raised her head.
Her gaze traveled over Felix’s face.
Then she lifted one hand and gave him a thumbs-up.
“Impressive.”
Felix blinked.
“What?”
“I said you two are pretty brave.”
Evelyn looked genuinely impressed.
Her tone even sounded sincere.
Felix immediately sensed that something was wrong.
He frowned.
Before he could figure out what she meant, Evelyn added cheerfully,
“I just hope you don’t end up crying later.”
“…”
Felix’s frown deepened.
Why did that sound less and less like a compliment?
“What exactly is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing at all.”
Evelyn smiled innocently, as though the ominous words had never come from her mouth.
Of course she had no intention of telling him that her courtyard was hardly an ordinary place.
They were the ones brave enough to volunteer to stay nearby.
Naturally, she had to respect their decision.
As for what might happen after they moved in…
Well.
That would have nothing to do with her.
The thought immediately improved Evelyn’s mood.
Then she suddenly remembered that she still had something to take care of.
She reached up and patted Felix on the shoulder, her expression becoming serious again.
“My apologies. I suddenly remembered I have something to deal with, so I won’t keep you company while you enjoy the fresh air.”
Before Felix could react, she had already taken two steps backward.
Evelyn waved at him.
“I’ll be going first.”
The moment the words left her mouth, she turned and ran.
And she was fast.
Her small figure quickly disappeared down the path in the direction of her courtyard.
The place she usually referred to as— the haunted house.
“Hey!”
Felix froze for half a second before finally reacting.
“Wait for me!”
There was no way he was going to let her run off alone.
He quickly gathered the hem of his clothes and chased after her.
“Evelyn Sterling! Wait!”
Hearing his voice behind her, Evelyn did not slow down.
Instead, she ran even faster.
Felix had no choice but to pick up his pace and chase after her.
Before long, the two figures—one in front and one behind—vanished around the end of the corridor.