The Sleepless Night of the Maid

Eva heard all the conversations from within the carriage. It was clear, even without seeing, what was happening outside. When someone approached the front of the carriage and started turning the handle, it felt like her heart had stopped.

In the midst of her trembling, Edward’s voice clearly stabbed her in the ear. The kind and soft voice speaking with Olivia a while ago was now low, cool, and dignified.

It was scary and good. Eva was sad but still excited. It was just a while ago that she decided to forget her hurt and move on, but her emotions immediately fell apart. She hated herself for being pathetic.

“Let’s go.”

The sound of Edward’s footsteps sounded loud. Eva, who was lying down covered with Rex’s coat, jumped up and sat down. Then, she hurriedly glanced at the back of the knight’s squad leaving by the door of the wagon.

Even in this situation, seeing the knights in armour was impressive. She could tell at once who Edward was. Because he was the largest, most dignified, and most noticeable.

Suddenly, sadness came over her like a tsunami. She didn’t even know why she was crying.

As soon as she wiped away her tears with her sleeves, Rex opened the carriage door and came in.

“He’s gone.”

“Yes…”

Eva tried hard not to reveal her feelings. She didn’t feel good and had caused too much trouble to Rex. If she didn’t overcome her feelings quickly, he’d doubt her. No, maybe he was doubting her already. Rex, who was quick to sense things amiss, would not let it go just because he was waiting for the Crown Prince to depart and stayed in the carriage.

What excuse on earth would I give? 

Eva clenched her hands and lowered her eyes. Even though she thought hard, her mind was tangled around Edward like tentacles.

It was when she lifted her gaze with a look of confusion that she made eye contact with Rex, who was watching her. Somehow he looked a little grumpy.

“Why were you so nervous? Someone could have guessed that you are the former fiancée of His Highness.”

“Mr Rex!”

Eva shouted his name with a grumpy face. She thought it wouldn’t be uncomfortable anymore since Edward had left, but she didn’t expect Rex to ambush her like that. It felt like she was experiencing a sporadic earthquake. When she thought it had stopped, it shook and induced fear in her again.

Eva, who knew Rex’s way of speaking, didn’t think he threw it without thinking. Rex knew. Her status. But he seemed to have known for a while, so she was relieved. Forgetting how persistent and scary Rex was.

“Sorry. I pretended I didn’t know until the end, but you were too obvious.”

“How did you know?”

“You told me.”

“When did I…”

Eva, who was trying to ask back with a stunned expression, stopped talking. She realised that what she said was not literally meaningful. Rex didn’t mean Eva said it herself. It would have meant that he had inferred it from her words, actions and something else.

Suddenly, Eva got goosebumps when she remembered the first day she met Rex, his cold, scary, cruel voice and eyes. If he talked about her status elsewhere… 

“Don’t worry. I’ll pretend I don’t know.”

“Are you serious?”

“Really. A fallen noble jumped into a luggage wagon in the middle of the night with a nanny? This means something serious happened. I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

As if he had read Eva’s mind, he answered quickly. In addition to saying that he would not say it, it meant that he would not ask. She was embarrassed, grateful, and relieved.

“Thank you…”

“Never mind. Just sleep. Your face looks like that of a dead body right now.”

Rex gave Eva a cushion and closed his eyes, leaning back on his seat. Eva realised that it was Rex’s way of being considerate. As expected, he was not a bad person, just a little unusual.

Eva followed suit and closed her eyes. She wanted to rest because she was exhausted, but a stem of her thoughts dug into her.

How far did Edward go?