Chapter 15

The servants had worried about how Evan would live alone at the academy, but once they learned he had a friend, they were relieved.

Soon, however, they realized Evan had another motive—because of a photograph he had hidden away.

The child in the picture was extremely cute, holding an armful of flowers. And one of the maids happened to see the drawer Evan had strictly forbidden anyone from opening.

According to her, the handkerchief kept inside was definitely not something a young master would normally carry around—and yet he had stored it away so carefully. In the ducal household, people whispered that the photo showed the person the young master liked, and that the girl in the photograph was the owner of the handkerchief.

Then the servants discovered that the girl in the photograph was the younger sister of Evan’s close friend, Piote Clies.

So when Lepina came to visit, everyone welcomed her warmly. She was the very girl Evan had kept hidden in his treasured photograph. The servants were thrilled that the young master’s two-year-long crush had finally blossomed. They even created a rule among themselves: never make a mistake in front of Lepina—treat her perfectly and avoid giving her any reason to dislike them.

Though they knew Evan had been poisoned during his visit to the Clies’ estate, they found it “romantic” that he had been poisoned in Lepina’s place. No one treated her with hostility; everyone wholeheartedly supported Evan’s love.

The duchess quietly knocked and opened the door.

“Mother.”

The physician had long since left, and Evan was standing by the window, watching the carriage Lepina had ridden in disappear down the road.

“How do you feel?”

“It’s the same as always. Just… my strength falters a bit.”

Evan answered without turning around. He clenched and unclenched his hand. Despite his thin arm, the muscles twitched—proof that his years of training had not been wasted.

“You look like you’re in a good mood.”

A faint smile appeared on Evan’s lips.

He was not a child who smiled often, but now a soft humming escaped him and the corners of his mouth were lifted. It wasn’t a mask—he was truly, quietly happy.

“Lep said something adorable. She told me she’d take responsibility for me.”

“That must be a good thing for you. You always wanted to stay by that child’s side.”

Evan didn’t deny it. Instead, he replied brightly, “I did.”

The servants’ assumption was right—he did like the girl in the photograph. After learning Piote was Lepina’s older brother, Evan deliberately befriended him, hoping to meet her through him.

But his guard was strong. Piote firmly refused to show Lepina to anyone. Watching Piote boast about her while showing off her photograph, Evan often struggled to contain his irritation. During sword training, he had even ended up sparring seriously out of sheer frustration.

Lepina didn’t know, but Evan had attended social gatherings he hated, wandered around busy streets with no purpose—hoping for even a glimpse of her.

But Lepina, whose health was frail, barely ever left her home. So all he had was the stolen photograph, which he kept hidden and viewed in secret.

After a year of staying by Piote’s side, Evan finally earned the position of “friend,” enough not to seem burdensome if he approached. Though Piote continued to block him, Evan even had a plan prepared to sneak into their estate.

He was starving to hear Lepina’s voice, to see her smile again. Two years of silence made his heart dry and anxious. In the end, he had planned to bring her a gift and visit her directly.

But the opportunity never came.

Then, out of nowhere, Lepina visited him herself—and even told him she would take responsibility for him.

For Evan, this was nothing short of fortune.

“I should give this to her next time.”

Evan stared at the small necklace glimmering in his palm—the first feminine accessory he had ever bought with his own allowance.

He rose and opened a drawer. Inside lay the flower bouquet Lepina had made for him. The scent had long faded, but the emotions from that day flooded back.

‘Lep is just the same.’

He recalled the look on her face, the confidence in her voice as she declared she would cure him. Even when speaking to the physician, she hadn’t shrunk back—just like she had back then.

Next to the bouquet rested a single handkerchief. A lace-trimmed handkerchief fit for a young girl. Evan touched it carefully, as if it were a sacred item.

Closing his eyes, he retraced the memory.

When Evan first entered the academy, some seniors tried to pick a fight with him—those from the sword division who disliked the fact that a Duke’s son had entered as the top student.

Among them was the senior he had defeated in the practical exam, whose pride Evan had wounded. They seemed to have come seeking revenge.

They led Evan to a secluded spot no one visited, then brandished wooden swords and demanded a fight.

It was ridiculous. They outnumbered him, yet they didn’t even give him a wooden sword—instead throwing him a heavy tree branch.

Their intentions were clear, but Evan didn’t mind; he had been stiff from the long carriage ride anyway.

And he knew their type well—crush them early and thoroughly, and they wouldn’t dare cause trouble again.

A remote location, no witnesses—perfect. As a Duke’s son, he had to avoid scandals involving violence.

Evan smirked dangerously. He was just about to strike at their weaknesses when a girl suddenly stepped out from the bushes.

She grumbled as she appeared, complaining about how unnecessarily huge the campus was.

Then her pink eyes shifted to Evan and the seniors surrounding him. Frowning slightly, she marched forward and pushed her way between them.

Both Evan and the seniors froze. The girl took a deep breath—

—then screamed.

“SAVE ME! Daddy!! DADDY!!!”

The cry was so loud that even birds burst from the trees in fright. The startled seniors panicked. She looked like a noble girl who came with her parents for the entrance ceremony—surely an angry adult would appear at any moment.

When they heard rustling in the bushes, they fled at lightning speed, shouting that they’d “deal with him later.”

The girl put her hands on her hips and scoffed, “Hah!”

The rustling came from nothing more than a squirrel. She burst out laughing, teasing them for running away from a squirrel.

“Pathetic.”

Then her face hardened, and she stared at Evan intently.

Evan simply stared back. She had stepped in front of grown boys more than twice her size without hesitation.

He had never met a girl like her. The noble girls he knew fawned over him. But this girl… she was different—like a tiny warrior.

He looked her up and down, but she bore no trace of training. She looked like she’d break if he touched her.

He wanted to ask why she had helped him—did she know who he was? Trying to curry favor with a Duke’s son was common, and he’d always been plagued by such people.

But just as he opened his mouth, a small hand pressed against his cheek.

Soft. Warm. A warmth that seeped straight into his chest.

But her words were cold.

“How dare they try to scar a beautiful face? Don’t they know that beautiful people are cultural assets?”

The way she spoke was absurdly mature for a child.

Being called beautiful caught Evan off guard. He had overheard whispers behind his back, sure—but never had someone said it to his face.

Normally he would have felt offended, but… he didn’t.

Instead, his heart tingled strangely.

Sighing dramatically, she pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it to the scratch on his cheek. Then she grabbed his hand and made him hold it in place.

“This won’t leave a scar, right?”

Only then did Evan realize he was bleeding. A small scratch—so small it would disappear on its own.

But his heart was pounding in a way he didn’t recognize.

The girl looked at him knowingly and flashed a brilliant smile—like a flower blooming in full sunlight.

“Good thing it’s nothing serious. Be careful from now on.”

“W-wait—!”

But she ran off before he could stop her, saying she needed to return before someone made a fuss. He couldn’t even ask her name.

She had appeared like the wind—and left just as quickly.

From that moment on, anything pink reminded him of her.

Her courage. Her bright smile as she told him to be careful.

Everything about her stayed lodged in his heart.