The Sleepless Night of the Maid

The Sleepless Night of the Maid — Chapter 67

The total time she was his fiancée was fifteen years. Naturally, seeing the empty castle where she used to live made him feel mixed up and sorry.

“15 years… That’s a long time, Your Highness.”

Olivia looked troubled, repeating the number he said. Then she opened her eyes wide as if she had remembered and asked a question.

“I heard that your ex-fiancée lives somewhere in the country. Did you hear that?”

“…….”

“Your Highness?”

Olivia called him one more time, and Edward hesitated to answer. Somehow, he was reluctant to talk about meeting Eva in front of others. It was not because he was ashamed of her existence, but because others didn’t know their memories.

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“…I heard it. And we met.”

Nevertheless, he even talked about the meeting because he thought there was no need to hide Eva’s existence.

“… You met her.”

She was really surprised, and Olivia’s voice trembled thinly.

Her silence seemed to require a detailed explanation, but he did not open his mouth further. This was because there had been something that interfered with his concentration since earlier. The scent of roses he had caught a while ago grew stronger for a moment. He could smell it when he paid attention, and it shook him inside.

It was probably his imagination. After seeing a woman who resembled Eva, it might be a scent that the fantasy that occupied his mind created. Because Eva smelled like that.

“How was Miss Macy’s?”

Olivia’s question deepened as to whether Edward’s actions and emotions were interesting.

“…….”

He tried to answer simply and finish, but this time the words didn’t fall off the tip of his tongue. It reminded him of Eva’s overcast appearance and the people who suppressed her. He tightened his fist without realizing it.

“She must not be doing as well as I thought. Why didn’t you help her a little? She’s still your ex-fiancée.”

Olivia seemed to have noticed Eva’s situation by looking at his expression. She looked sorry and gently blamed him.

“I was going to, but it didn’t go well. She turned me down.”

Edward’s eyes darkened. Even though he offered help twice, Eva refused. When asked if she should remain still and just watch the flowers, she nodded with wet eyes.

At that time, he thought it was best for Eva to do what she wanted. But after leaving Crocs Field, he wasn’t sure if it was a good decision. He often thought that Eva should have forced him to help even if she said she didn’t like it.

“Oh no. You said you’d help her. That’s undermining a woman’s pride.”

“Pride?”

At Olivia’s unexpected response, Edward frowned as if he were uncomfortable.

“Of course. Anyone would hate the feeling of being openly sympathized with. Especially if you were from a great family like Miss Macy’s.”

“…….”

“If you’re going to meet her again in the future, make sure to ask me for advice. Because a woman’s heart is a woman’s. I want to help, too.”

“…….”

Edward remained silent with a cold face. He could understand Olivia’s interest as a friend. He also knew that she was giving advice with a good heart. Nevertheless, he was not satisfied. It was uncomfortable for not only Olivia but also anyone to sympathize with Eva.

Eva was having a hard time with a soft look, but Eva was not a weak woman. She was a person who said that everything has a reason and that enlightenment can be obtained from it. The stray flower was looking for its own way. For Eva, sympathy was an insult.

“Olivia.”

Edward called Olivia in a calm voice.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I don’t want to talk about Miss Macy’s anymore. It’s just a coincidence that we met this time, but I don’t want to continue the relationship. Because we ended it a long time ago.”

He made up his mind and left. The memory with her, which was only one day, was so intense that even if it shook him every night, his resolution remained unchanged. He would not bring Eva into his life. He’d watch secretly through Count Holland, but that was it. Eva’s afterimage, which was bothering him now, will soon be scattered.

It was then. There was a crackling sound behind the yew tree. Olivia also looked at him wondering if he heard the sound.

Edward hardened his eyes and took a step toward the back of the tree. There was a strange expectation, but the place was empty.

Did he hear it wrong?

Edward, who was returning to where he stood, stopped walking without realizing it. The scent of roses that had disappeared remained thick there.

***

Eva, who hurriedly hid elsewhere, held her breath stiff like a stone statue. It was hard to hear their conversation, so she stepped on a branch. She was so surprised that she thought she was caught, and her heart still felt numb.

As if moving again, their voices were moving away. Only then did Eva squat down in relief.

She felt like she was falling into the abyss with her feet fully submerged. Someone seemed to grab her heart and squeeze it tightly.

I see. That’s how your relationship with me was.

The kindness of helping her, the consideration of calling her from a dark corner and kissing her hand, and the joy of riding a horse together were all temporary. The heart that met the hot gaze in the moonlight garden, and the mixed breath were all momentary.

Edward’s feelings for her were all based on sympathy. He became interested in the woman he met by chance as she was his ex-fiancée, and when he talked to her, he just had a fleeting attraction. Yes, she could understand. There’s no way that he’d feel great just because they had only met for a day and talked to each other.

But she was a little disappointed. That he easily talked about himself in front of others. That a woman who didn’t even know who she was made to grumble and sympathize with her feelings. Above all, it was sad that Edward dismissed his meeting with her as a one-time event and cut her off at once.

When she met Edward, she felt excited for the first time and realized that she liked him. Even after sending him away, he was not easily forgotten, so she suffered many nights. But now she will abandon him, too. She will forget. A stone was thrown into a calm lake and a short wave rose, but it will eventually calm down.