# 56
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Lately, Evelin has been strange. Everyone in the Crown Princess' palace was pointing this out, whether the servants or those working in the palace.
“She seems to have lost energy, doesn't she? She's no longer looking for sweets.”
"That's right. She's also talked less. Is she sick?"
“Maybe because she lost her closest maids?”
“That's not true…Fahmy didn't look for them. Did you, Duchess?”
All eyes turned to Julia.
“Should I make her healthy food?”
“…No need. I’ll go and talk to her.”
Julia said in a calm voice. She knew why Evelin was silent these days. She could feel that Evelin was watching her.
“I'm not someone who can trust many people in the world. But you, Julia, are one of the few I can trust.”
A voice that has lost all its power. Eyes lower than usual. The seriousness with which he had been convincing Julia for days.
All this was unusual for two biographers. Even the honesty that revealed his true feelings seemed to reveal his weakness.
“I will tell Evelin. If you, Julia, can help Evelin, I think I can feel at ease.”
At first, it was shocking.
Evelyn, who I thought had the intelligence of a child, was actually sensible.
I felt sorry for Evelyn's life, that she had to act like this in order to survive, and at the same time, I felt sad that I had been deceived.
The fact that I felt that way must mean that I had unknowingly given Evelyn too much affection.
Of all the complex feelings, the one that bothered me the most was...
"Will I be able to do a good job? Will I hold myf back?"
It was this idea that frightened her. Evelin was in a special situation now. She couldn't tell anyone her true feelings, and she couldn't trust anyone.
Even her blood relatives were like that.
When she heard that Evelin was abused by Duke Spellman, her heart sank.
Evelyn was really lonely.
“What if Her Highness gets hurt because of my mistake? What if she gets hurt because of my inattention? If she can’t trust me, will Your Highness trust me then?”
“If you make a mistake, others will do worse to others.”
The burden was heavy on her shoulders. But Julia decided to be brave. I have thought carefully over the past few days and made a decision.
“Don't worry. Princess Evelyn is much stronger than I thought.”
If she wasn't strong, she wouldn't have been able to take it so far. Sertin said that Evelyn came to her senses after their marriage. She's been hiding it for months, and she's preparing for this.
How scary was it? It must have been like waking up from a long sleep.
Julia could not understand the depth of her heart and the extent of her patience.
* * *
However, Julia thought it would be less difficult because it was not the first time.
Since Cyrtain had already revealed it to her, it wouldn't be hard to tell Julia.
But that was not the case.
It was different. It wasn't just a revelation of information, it was about Evelin revealing it herf to her. It was painful to have to wait for Evelin to accept her.
Julia entered alone with a tray.
‘Hmm….’
There were times when they both would stay together like that, and she didn't know what to say. Especially after she discovered that Certain had told Julia her secret.
Julia didn't seem to care much about me. She was still setting the table and serving refreshments as usual.
You didn't say anything about that? Or is it possible that Sertin tricked me?
But the refreshments were very ordinary. There was coffee that had never been on the table before, and there were no more cookies on my plate.
As soon as Julia turned around, our eyes met.
"Are you going to keep following me like this? Not even Rodrik and Leia do that."
“Ah...hmm.”
Now that I think about it.
I was pursuing Julia without realizing it. Ever since Julia entered my room.
She stopped and stared at Julia expressionlessly. Julia smiled helplessly.
“You can sit comfortably. It's as if the owner of the room has changed.”
I don't know what to say now.
“The owner of the palace is Her Highness Evelin. You can sit and talk comfortably here....look at my facial expression.”
Evelin's shoulders hunched at these words.
Has there been a while since you've been in this body where you've looked at someone's facial expression? Now, this has become part of her habits. Thinking about other people's feelings and emotions before their own.
What if my identity is discovered? What if I die because of this?
I didn't know being told to relax was this hard.
“...Aren't you mad at me? I lied to Julia?”
Julia laughed a little at her words, and when their eyes met, she shook her head.
“I'm not angry. I can't quite understand it because I haven't lived through what you did. But I understand what Your Highness Evelyn was trying to do.”
She stared at Julia for a moment.
“And I think I understand why you had to do that. I guess I can imagine how lonely you were.”
“…Julia.”
These words seemed to hit my heart.
I'm alone. I don't know why tears ran down my face when I heard those words.
I scrubbed my face to wipe away the tears.
“Oh why my tears...”
“I'm so weak that I don't know if I can be of any help.”
Julia handed me a tissue.
This was the right time.
It was just normal tea time, and I thought maybe Julia would reject me.
I had come here alone before, as I always had, and I was consoling myf that I would get through it as I had done before.
I was reassuring myf that Sertin was by my side, so it was okay. But I didn't expect that I would hear these words.
I took Julia's handkerchief and wrapped it around my fingers. Even the soft feeling of it seemed unreal.
It was a moment when silence spread like waves across the room.
“But if you need me, I will do my best.”
I couldn't say anything, I just nodded stupidly.
I've really got a girlfriend.
“…Thank you, Julia.”
Julia turned her face and wiped her nose. The tea steam rising from the cup disappeared, but my heart was warmer than before.
I'm not alone anymore.
* * *
At that moment.
Augustin got out of the carriage and took a look at the palace, which was emitting a rather strange atmosphere.
“Ha.”
Augustin clenched his fist, his teeth grinding violently.
“Augustin, what’s wrong?”
He heard a stupid voice from inside.
Augustin didn't care to answer, but ignored the question as if he didn't even need to move his head. All the way to the west, he had to put up with that woman.
She was very far from Marquis Raymond's daughter.
She was helpless, stupid, and all she knew how to do was eat.
All she knew he said was: “Aren’t you hungry? I’m hungry...”
They were not just insects that devour food.
Therefore, that parasitic woman wouldn't even understand the meaning of this place.
“Fuck”
Augustin could not accept the fact that he was banished. He had done his best for Spellman, but now he was in this situation instead of his father.
“Augustin?”
A large woman came out, who was crumpled in the cart, struggling to get down. Augustin didn't even think about helping her.
She was the eldest daughter of the Ischild family, which had fled the center and gone west after its fortune had been destroyed.
Although the family claimed the title of “count,” she had sold her daughter to relatives in the imperial palace to obtain a dowry.
Then that woman became Augustine's property.
“Augustin?”
Augustin's stomach fluttered at the harsh voice. He could barely restrain his urge to scream.
Augustin's plan to marry Raymond, secure a strong position in the center, and escape from his father's shadow, met with a miserable failure.
“Augustin!”
“Shut up! You insect!”
He saw the woman pause for a moment, but who cared. She was just a woman whose name he didn't even know.