# 31
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Evelyn walked without looking tired.
Her eyes, as they wandered the streets, seemed to hold the sparkle of stars. Cyretin just watched her enjoy watching the world without being disturbed.
She would buy some simple foods from the street and eat them, or look at the ordinary things displayed on the stalls.
All of these things were trivial and unimportant, but they interested Evelyn. And Cyrtain was watching her with amusement.
Today happened to be market day, which made it even busier and richer with interesting scenery.
"Husband! Try this!"
Evelyn presented Sertin with a skewer of sugar-coated fruit. He opened his mouth automatically.
The sweet taste spread in his mouth.
Evelyn laughed as she looked at Cyrtain's distorted face. Then she said seriously.
“Are you becoming a picky eater? You told Evelyn not to be a picky eater!”
Sertin swallowed what was in his mouth. Despite the excessive sweetness, he could bear it because of Evelin's bright smile.
It's okay, it's edible
He looked at Evelin's pure white smile, and stuffed the rest into his mouth. It was still sweet. But it wasn't unpleasant
Cerdin stuck out his tongue and swallowed all the sugar stuck to his lips.
Evelin stared at him expressionlessly.
“It's not bad.”
Sertin smiled gently. Evelyn quickly turned around.
"Let's try other things! There are so many new things! Isn't there something you want to try, hubby? Wow, that looks delicious too!"
Certin laughed as he looked at what she pointed out.
"Scorpion? Really?"
"No, no! Not Scorpio, right next to him!"
Siren followed Evelin and walked slowly.
“What about Veronica’s gift?”
“Oh, right!”
Sertin laughed again as he watched Evelin's eyes widen. No matter what Evelin represented now, her essence seemed clear and pure.
She was someone who knew how to be happy even with small things. Someone full of good intentions.
It's strange that I'm so confident now.
My doubts disappeared and were replaced by certainty.
There was a mixture of pity, kindness, and feelings he didn't understand.
It was certainly a spring day like any other.
Even on the battlefield, spring was coming. Soft green shoots were sprouting on the barren ground.
Now, he was enjoying spring in the capital after a long absence.
It was a spring day in May.
And Evelyn was there.
A fluttering flower petal fell gently onto Sirtain's palm.
At that moment, Evelin turned around and smiled cheerfully.
“Ha.”
Sertin burst out laughing.
beautiful.
That was what he thought.
***
Veronica was sipping her tea slowly.
“Did Her Highness choose him herf?”
Sertin looked at her and nodded. Evelin had pushed that tea to him in the cart when they returned.
It was a high-quality tea, with a fragrant and refreshing aroma that filled the mouth when drinking it.
“I thought she would choose something childish.”
Veronica smiled.
"She did choose the food, which is childish enough. And the box was pretty."
Certain replied coldly. The box was pink with a large ribbon. Evelyn seemed to like the box.
No, it seemed like she was acting like that. She seemed to just pay attention to the box and choose which tea, but it wasn't.
“It is said to have a detoxifying effect.”
“Hmm?”
Veronica raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“This tea. It has detoxifying properties.”
Sertin confirmed again.
“It is truly a precious gift. How can I express my gratitude to her? I thought about filling the old biscuit tin she gave me.”
Veronica said in a soft voice.
Evelin was a clear and pure person, and it was comfortable to be around her.
Evelyn wasn't a bad person.
She may not have been qualified as a crown prince, but she was a good person to have in the family.
She was nice too. This tea gift was perfectly to Veronica's taste.
"biscuit?"
Serten hid a cold look.
“Maybe you'd prefer something else. A book, for example.”
"book?"
"Or maybe a puzzle to keep her entertained. Something nice looking. If not, maybe a walk with her."
“You know a lot about her.”
Veronica said in surprise. Sertin stared into the teacup.
Veronica didn't feel any strangeness towards Evelyn. It seemed as if Sertain was the only one in the palace who felt this strange.
It was as if the whole world conspired to deceive Sirtain. Or that Evelyn was very precise and skilled at it.
“Because we are a couple.”
“Do you really mean that?”
Sertin shrugged and placed a small box on the table.
"What is this?"
“Birthday gift.”
“From whom?”
"Mona."
“Why?”
Veronica opened her mouth as if she couldn't believe anything. He's not the type to show such kind gestures.
Certain was fulfilling his duties to protect Veronica and his mother, but that was all. He wasn't nice or gentle.
But what about the gift? And a birthday gift too?
Was the sky split in half?
Veronica stared at Sertain with her mouth open. Sertin stood as if he had nothing to say.
The reason he bought him a Christmas present was for Evelin.
“Birthday gifts are important! I will feel sad when I don't get a birthday gift. And if I feel sad, I will cry!”
It was a gift I bought under pressure, but judging by the expression on the recipient's face, I guess it wasn't such a bad thing.
Just one walk was enough to soothe his feelings.
When Sertin left the room, he turned around for a moment.
Sertin ducked his head as he left the door.
Veronica blinked in surprise. Sertin spoke quietly.
"happy birthday."
Those were the first kind words she had heard from Cyretine since she had grown up into an adult. The tea spoon in Veronica's hand fell to the floor.
Sertin closed the door and left.
Veronica was left alone, moving her lips in confusion.
“I-I think I'm going crazy.”
What the hell is going on? Two lives have changed. I think I should go see Evelyn.
***
the next day.
The news of Veronica's birthday spread. Serena and Rosie went out to make lunch, while Rosalina said she was going to eat outside.
Rosalina was acting increasingly freely.
But the problem was not there.
Veronica's birthday party should have been fun. But that party was ruined by Spellman.
'He never knows his limits.'
I gritted my teeth angrily. Veronica didn't want to have a big party from the beginning. She was a quiet person from the beginning, and since she didn't have any close friends, she wanted to spend time with her family.
But Spellman decided to turn things around and put together a big party on his own. Serena and Rosie talked about it as “Spellman’s blessing” the whole time.
'Grace Spellman? What nonsense is this?'
She took a bite of the candy Sertain had given her.
Going out for the first time in a while had given her some relief, but the stress came back to overwhelm her from everything that had happened.
There must be hidden intentions behind this.
Lext Spellman would not move unless he was pursuing a specific goal.
When she thought of Duke Spellman, her entire body trembled. She hugged herf with her arms, trying to overcome the unexplained chills.
“What really are your ulterior motives?”
Evelin and his wife were the only ones who suffered from high fever due to the epidemic. Lixt stood watching his wife's death without moving anything.
He could have saved her, but he didn't.
Whenever Evelyn's buried memories came back to her mind, she felt a terrible headache from terror.
"Let her die. Her death will be to our advantage."
She remembered Duke Spelman's conversation with his doctor next to her while she was suffering from a fever, a conversation that remained engraved in her memory. That was before Evelin's mind deteriorated.
"I heard that my wife's family collapsed due to debt. Maybe cutting ties like this is better. Better than being stuck with them. Ending things this way is cleaner."
Duke Spellman was someone who exploited everything in his life to achieve his goals.
Why do I remember these things now?
Evelyn was able to survive because Duke Spelmann had expectations of her.
It has been said that Evelyn was intelligent. She didn't expect things to turn out this way.
So it can't be due to Spellman's grace.
'What are you planning now?'
I decided not to take my eyes off Rosie and Serena for a while. It seems that rest is not an option.
It was a week before Veronica's birthday party.