Chapter 20. Eve’s Tea Party (5)

Kasha bit down on her lip, stifling her frustration at Leon’s abrupt and unyielding answer.

“But… why?”

“I told you. I can’t trust you. You’re… dangerous.”

He muttered the words, casting his gaze back out the window, eyes holding a wary, almost anxious gleam.

Steadying herself, Kasha asked.

“Then what do you plan to do about the curse?”

“I’m looking into the mana stones you mentioned. As a holy knight with certain connections to the temple, I should be able to uncover something.”

His resolve was clear, unwavering. She could sense that nothing she said would change his mind.

That was who he was. Slow to make decisions, but once he did, he was unshakeable.

‘I never expected him to be easily persuaded anyway.’

After gathering her thoughts, Kasha spoke again. “Then, just one favor… if you would.”

“A favor?”

“I’ve shared everything I know about the mana stones and the curse, without asking for anything in return. So, just once… please, help me.”

Leon regarded her in silence, a peculiar formality in his voice as he replied, “And what, exactly, is this favor?”

Did that formality mean he’d shut himself off from her completely?

Ignoring the sting in her chest, she pressed on.

“The Imperial Library has a restricted section—one only accessible to the royal family. I’d like to borrow a book from there.”

“The Imperial Library?” he echoed.

“Yes.”

“What kind of book?”

“One I mentioned before. Research on using divine power with magical artifacts… it’s essential.”

“…”

“This artifact… it’s never meant to harm anyone. On the contrary, it’s meant to save.”

Leon’s face grew thoughtful.

He knew there was good reason for the restricted books to be kept from the public, and Kasha was, in his eyes, a figure shrouded in mystery, even danger. Allowing her into that section would be a betrayal of the very vows he’d lived by.

‘Reject every part of me if you must, Leon.’

Kasha thought, watching his brow furrow with indecision.

“You can read the book with me,” she continued steadily.

“If you’re uncomfortable lending it, feel free to refuse then.”

Kasha’s calm demeanor implied that she wouldn’t be affected one way or the other by his decision. She understood well enough that sometimes, such an attitude made people feel more at ease.

“Fine. We’ll do that.”

“…Yes.”

Leon bit his lip, an odd expression crossing his face, as if he’d caught himself about to smile.

“Then, I’ll see you at the Imperial Library tomorrow at five.”

Setting the time herself, Kasha turned and left, her footsteps echoing through the room as she walked toward the door. She could feel his intense gaze on her back the entire way.

* * *

After Kasha was gone, Leon took a long, deep breath.

He had to be losing his mind.

To think even the faint traces of her presence were somehow precious to him.

Whenever he met her gaze, an indescribable thrill coursed down his spine. It wasn’t the violent lust that she described as her curse.

It was that calm, almost indifferent expression she wore. The certainty in her voice, though she often seemed to search for her words. Her mysterious, striking eyes beneath that midnight blue hair—eyes that seemed to see through him, to know everything about him.

And above all, her scent. Like clear water, like a deep forest—so comforting it made him want to breathe deeply.

Even now, he found himself missing that lingering hint of her.

Leaning against the window, Leon looked down.

The courtyard was beautifully arranged, with tables decorated exquisitely, and the people gathered around them looked genuinely happy.

‘Such an unfamiliar sight,’ he mused.

The sound of laughter filled the air, including Eve’s cheerful voice.

‘When was the last time this house had the sound of laughter?’ he wondered, sifting through his memories.

‘…It seems not. Not once.’

Even when his mother had been alive, the grand duke’s manor had always been silent.

His mother, revered as a great saintess, was constantly occupied, leaving the children to be raised by their nursemaids. As the children of a saint, they couldn’t indulge in childish whims.

On the rare occasions they dined together, his mother’s mind always seemed elsewhere.

“Mother, today I received praise for my swordsmanship training.”

“Is that so? Just don’t overdo it. Swordsmanship is a violent skill. Ah, dear, about the donations received by the temple…”

Praise from his parents only came when he achieved perfection in all things.

“As expected of our eldest, a true heir of the grand duchy.”

The household’s relentless pursuit of flawless perfection only became colder after his mother’s death. His father, consumed by politics, abandoned his children entirely.

“Father, Eve spoke for the first time today. She called me ‘brother’…”

“That’s good. By the way, Leon, have you considered leaving the Order and joining the temple instead? With your divine power, you could easily achieve the status your mother once held.”

When their youngest finally spoke her first words after struggling with delays in every aspect, his father’s reaction was indifferent. Leon had learned that his accomplishments were the only things that could make his father smile, and so he lived as best as he could.

His motivation came solely from his siblings.

Poor Eve, who lost their mother at three.

Delicate Anthony, who spent most of his life in the temple due to his frail health.

He was the only one who could protect them.

“Brother, am I an unlucky child?”

“Why would you say that, Eve?”

“I overheard people talking… they said Mother’s divine power weakened after I was born, and that’s why she passed away.”

“That isn’t true. Don’t listen to such nonsense.”

“But…”

“Eve, you’re the prettiest, most precious little thing in the world. Mother loved you very much.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

And so, he could tell lies when necessary, even though he was a holy knight sworn to honesty before the gods.

“Brother… I’m sorry. I keep getting sick.”

“There’s no need to apologize for being sick, Anthony.”

“But today was important for you. What about your promotion test in the Order?”

“I can take the promotion test later. Don’t worry about things like that.”

“…”

He had spent countless sleepless nights beside Anthony’s bed, using his power to soothe him.

They were his family, and so, even now, he had to protect them.

From that mysterious woman.

“Eve, I heard that Lady Kasha Ruschino came to help with your tea party today. Is that true?”

“Yes. It was supposed to be a secret, but now she said I can tell you.”

“Why ask for help from someone you barely know? You could’ve asked Aunt Sheila to help with the tea party…”

“You just don’t understand, Brother.”

“What did you say, Eve?”

“At the last gathering, the young ladies Aunt Sheila invited… they mocked me behind my back.”

“…”

“I like being with Lady Kasha and Lady Margaret. When I’m with them, it feels like…”

Eve’s voice trembled, and her eyes filled with tears, but Leon understood what she wanted to say.

It feels like being with Mother.

Eve had always been captivated by the young ladies at court, her gaze lingering on them longer than anyone else.

No wonder she’d taken to Kasha so quickly, clinging to her presence in this austere manor.

‘She’s never looked this happy before.’

Not even when he’d gifted her the most expensive doll in the capital on her birthday.

‘But Eve aside, what about Anthony? Why is he behaving so strangely?’

“Brother, I heard you even brought her to your study?”

“Yes.”

“I’m curious about what sort of woman she must be, if you’re spending time with her alone.”

Just as Leon had brought Kasha back to the manor after her injury in the garden, Anthony had stopped him with these words.

Anthony’s gaze, too, had been unusual as he watched her.

But what was truly foreign was the feeling Leon experienced in response to it.

A ridiculous, almost irrational surge of jealousy—an urge to compete with his own brother.

Leon shook his head, as if to dispel the groundless sensation.

‘Yes, that woman, Kasha, is dangerous.’

He muttered, as if convincing himself.

‘I can’t let her influence my family, even if she does affect me.’

She was a woman of unknown motives.

‘I… want you to be happy.’

How absurd, for a stranger to say that, without warning.

Her habit of taking his hand so fearlessly, the audacity of her words—

‘I know you were lonely.’

—And that soft, unsettling smile of hers.

‘Everything about her is suspicious and dangerous.’

He tried to erase the strange, tightening sensation he felt whenever she crossed his mind.

Laughter echoed from the courtyard again.

Hidden in the shadows of the darkened study, Leon looked down below.

He tried to tell himself he was watching Eve. But deep down, he knew.

He knew he couldn’t look away from that dangerous woman, Kasha, even for a moment.

With a sharp tug, he closed the curtains.

The study was shrouded in darkness once more.