Thiendavis – For The Perfect Salvation

Chapter 39: What Do You Want to Do?

Cassel's body was shoved aside by a rough hand.

Nearly torn apart, Cassel lifted his head with fierce eyes, and Evie also turned her gaze to the person who had intruded between her and Cassel.

Then she was startled again upon seeing the uniform of the observer.

The person in the uniform was a sharp-eyed woman reminiscent of a hawk.

She was about the same height as Cassel, with a straight and sturdy physique instilled with strict military discipline.

s a result, her tightly tied blond hair appeared combatively like a raised flag.

Though Evie had not formally exchanged greetings with her before, she knew who this woman was.

It was impossible not to know.

She is always glued to Count Laurel's side.

“What’s this about?”

Cassel laughed, looking at the hand gripping his shoulder.

Morren, standing nearby, took a deep breath before releasing Cassel's shoulder.

“Did the Count order this?”

Cassel asked, brushing off his wrinkled clothes.

Morren replied with a smirk.

“No, it’s family discipline, as the escort for my younger brother seemed inadequate.”

In truth, Morren had narrowly avoided being mentally slain by the Supreme Commander a moment ago.

Attempting to block the Marquis of Montera while assisting her superior, she inadvertently shoved the man onto Evie.

To rectify the situation, Morren glanced affectionately at her younger brother standing beside Evie.

Her foolish brother, Young Lord Arco, didn’t understand what was strange about his partner being harassed, merely standing idle.

Though internally seething, Morren managed to maintain a benevolent expression.

"A lady must be graciously attended to. Ensure her comfort by being attentive and considerate. Long exposure to Wisteria scent can make one dizzy, so why not take a rest on the path there?”

Morren spoke as if reading from a book, gently placing Evie’s hand back on her brother’s skinny arm.

Then she smacked his back, urging him to escape swiftly.

Terrified more by his older sister than by his father, Young Lord Arco nodded without understanding and turned to leave.

However, he was caught before taking a step.

“Wait a moment.”

Cassel grinned, grabbing Evie’s arm, positioning her awkwardly between Cassel and Young Lord Arco.

“We’re still in the middle of a conversation.”

Cassel said softly, making Evie frown.

Despite his gentle tone, his grip was strong and painful as he held her arm tightly.

Evie tried to endure the pain, silently screaming inside.

‘Why is this guy like this?!’

Cassel seemed angry, perhaps even before approaching Evie.

With Cassel Montera, he pretended to be a gentleman when in a good mood but behaved roughly when displeased.

Regardless, embracing a young lady and sniffing at her neck was undoubtedly a canine act.

Even though Cassel's discomfort was expected from the start, this scenario was baffling.

Cassel Montera was usually precise in assessing strength and hierarchies, so under ordinary circumstances, he wouldn’t dare lay a hand on Evie.

After all, the Count was holding sway.

Even among the same high nobility, there was a significant difference between Laurel and Montera’s status.

The Marquis Montera wouldn’t dare taunt what Count Laurel had his eyes on, making Evie curious about why he was being so reckless.

Then, seeing Cassel's sinister smile directed at Morren, she instinctively understood.

‘Could it be she provoked the Marquis?’

Evie shifted her gaze back and forth between Cassel and Morren, contemplating the possibility.

Unluckily, her assumption was spot on.

Cassel was in a foul mood because of Morren Arco, using Evie to play games to peck at Morren.

Cassel Montera, who prioritized showcasing over survival, intended to be the center of attention at the Wisteria festival.

However, upon arrival at the Tuha family’s Wisteria garden, the atmosphere was peculiar.

Uncharacteristically, Count Laurel was dominating the party, and other nobles were absorbed in maintaining his favor.

It was utterly boring for Cassel.

Although he had no choice but to lower himself to Count Laurel, Cassel was already half up in arms.

Most inconveniently, Morren crossed his path at the moment.

Cassel initially greeted the Count, who paid no attention.

Nonetheless, Cassel accepted it since it was typical.

Yet, a meddling woman from a lowly militancy family butted in rudely, disrupting his mood.

Blocking his view arrogantly and trying to oust him like a common nuisance only made him angrier.

Recalling how Morren dared to confront the Master only to yield obediently, Cassel was further infuriated by her defiance.

Cassel Montera always retaliated when angered.

“I have some things to discuss with Evie. Could you lend me your partner, Young Lord Arco?”

Cassel smiled handsomely, pulling Evie’s arm, but his gaze was fixed on Morren.

Cassel's method of revenge was utterly self-centered, childish, and sly.

The Count's gaze towards Evie was a warning, a full-fledged reminder to be cautious under his watch.

Claiming the Count wasn’t focused on Evie, Morren talked about flower viewing, provoking Cassel to feign belief and approach Evie boldly.

Even if the Count got furious, it would solely be Morren Arco's fault.

Remarkably, this absurd logic held quite well.

Morren was helplessly overwhelmed by Marquis Montera’s tyranny.

If Marquis Montera took Evie Ariate, it would compromise the Count's position.

Conversely, if the Count intervened directly, it would dent his pride as well.

‘Why are you doing this after causing a mess among yourselves?!’

Aware of the power struggle between Cassel and Morren, Evie screamed inwardly.

‘I’ll endure because I’m an adult.’

Being quick to adapt, Evie came to terms with the situation soon enough.

Meanwhile, Cassel nudged the still-standing Young Lord Arco.

"Will you not lend her?"

"Well, if Miss Ariate is okay with it, then…"

Upon hearing his answer, Evie and Morren mentally facepalmed.

Lord Arco easily relinquished his role, while Evie unwillingly ended up being dragged away by Cassel.

Morren then issued a low warning.

“Surely you’re not treating the Count’s interest lightly, are you?”

This warning was aimed at both Cassel and Evie.

‘It's light indeed, as I orchestrated it,’

Thus, Evie held back the words she wanted to argue aloud.

Instead, under the threatening glances exchanged between Cassel and Morren, she suppressed a long sigh.

She felt like a sheep caught between wolves.

It was nothing new.

As a purifying mage from a commoner's background, she had experienced such situations countless times.

Being a scapegoat for noble antics, caught in baseless resentment, and treating her lightly as a plaything.

It was a routine from the early days when she first stepped into Thiendavis.

Though used to it all, lively Evie felt disillusioned once again.

‘This is what I get even with a lion seated behind me.’

Typically, nobles treated Evie lightly.

However, when Count Laurel settled beside her, they changed their behavior.

They neither engaged banter lightly, nor dug into her matters, nor tried to stuff her with teachings.

Instead, they acted courteously and cautiously, just as they did with Miel Sedro or Rio Tuha.

For a brief moment, Evie felt like a formidable person.

She even felt the illusion of a gentler world.

But no, it was indeed an illusion.

Even borrowing the Count’s might, Evie was just an easy target, now being used as a toy again.

“Why threaten a poor child? See? Evie is terrified.”

'You’re wrong, Marquis. I’m not terrified, I’m disgusted by your gall.'

“Enough of this. It’s unsightly.”

'Yes, Lady Arco, it really is unsightly, so both of you, please just go away.'

Despite Evie’s earnest mental plea, Cassel and Morren continued their standoff without yielding.

Moreover, Cassel shamelessly dragged Evie further into their quarrel.

“What do you mean ‘unsightly’? You’ve been overly critical since earlier. Should we ask the directly involved? So, Evie…,”

Cassel turned to Evie, seemingly about to ask something.

Intuitively feeling the impending storm, Evie tried to extricate herself, unfortunately just as Cassel’s eyes turned white, flipping inexplicably.

‘What?’

While Evie watched in shock with her eyes wide open, Cassel dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.

He remained motionless, appearing to foamy at the mouth, seemingly in a faint.

Morren, witnessing this, gasped and then shouted aloud.

“Oh my, the Marquis has collapsed! Hurry, bring him inside!”

‘No, shouldn’t we first find out why he collapsed?!’

Morren’s response was excessively prompt, leaving Evie even more baffled.

In her confusion, Evie glanced back at Cassel sprawling on the ground.

He lay there foaming, eyes peacefully shut, suddenly seeming familiar to Evie.

Indeed, a few days prior, soldiers from the investigation team collapsed just like it in their camp.

‘Could it be….’

Evie skeptically turned to glance at the Count sitting over yonder.

Zion, who had been watching Evie while resting his chin on his hand, shifted his gaze away indifferent.

Clearly feigning ignorance.

...

Montera’s unexpected swooning left the opening luncheon of the Wisteria festival in disarray.

However, there wasn't much regret to feel over it.

Today marked only the first day of the three-day-long festival, leaving plenty of time to enjoy.

During the festival, the invited nobility stayed at Tuha's villa.

Evie, too, was assigned a quite decent room.

Likely, the Holy Family's minimal courtesy toward the Tower's purifier.

It was while Evie was resting in that fine room.

Shortly after she caught a breather, there was a knocking sound, not on the door but from the wardrobe.

Yet, without any surprise, Evie promptly approached and opened the wardrobe to greet her guest.

“Welcome, Count.”

Evie said, swinging the wardrobe open with a grin.

Zion appeared inside, looking rather dark, his clothes covered in dust and cobwebs as if he’d traveled a rough path.

“...How do you even know about the secret passages in others’ villas?”

“The butler told me. Isn’t my butler really capable?”

'Is that really a butler?'

Zion sighed at Evie’s playful banter, stepping out over the wardrobe’s lip and casually brushing off his shoulder.

They met secretly, even using hidden passages, naturally to conspire.

Zion had ardently followed Evie’s directives today, meaning it was now Evie's turn to assist him.

When Evie sat at the table waiting, Zion, having roughly shaken off the dust, also took a seat across from her.

However, Zion remained silent, uncharacteristically hesitating as if gauging the atmosphere.

Observing him, Evie weakly smiled and remarked.

“I’ll praise you for not bringing it up first. But go ahead and talk about it, Marquis Montera.”

Who doesn’t know about that keen awareness, Evie hit the nail on the head again.

Thus, Zion instinctively averted his gaze slightly.

Marquis Montera’s conduct earlier, put mildly, was an affront; spoken bluntly, it was an outrage.

So, even to inherently brazen Zion, broaching this topic wasn’t easy.

He couldn't objectively say he saw the Marquis's vile act and complimented Evie's patience.

Additionally, comforting her like other gentlemen wasn’t his style, either.

Hence, after some contemplation, Zion asked directly.

“What do you wish to do with him?”

Inquiring so, Zion's eyes reflected a clear anger to anyone watching.

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