Free Web NovelChapter 60: Ace’s Childish Urge
The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the crackle of the hearth. Ace stood frozen, the theft bill still clutched in his hand.
For years, he had sent that money under the assumption that it was providing a safety net for Evelina. He had thought he had been a silent protector.
But that family had treated her as a hostage to be traded for a monthly allowance.
He looked up at Evelina.
She was sitting there, her face perfectly composed, her hands resting calmly in her lap. She looked aloof even while discussing the total destruction of her bloodline.
There were no tears in her eyes. She spoke of her father’s betrayal with the same tone she used to discuss business with him.
He realized then that she wasn’t being cruel or indifferent to them because she hated them; but rather, she felt absolutely nothing for them.
All of them... had cast her out so thoroughly that she no longer saw them as family or friends. But rather, they were just a liability to her. freewebnoveℓ.com
A wave of overwhelming guilt washed over Ace. He realized that he had contributed to this... The current Evelina who was so nonchalant has become this way because of him too.
"So, if you still blame me, I totally understand. You have spent your life bathing in glory, you wouldn’t understand how pathetic things looked from my position," Evelina stood up and walked toward the door, her silk skirt rustling against the floor.
Ace watched her go, the papers slipping from his hand and scattering across the floor like dead leaves. For the first time in his life, the God of War felt truly, utterly defeated.
On the other side, the system blasted.
[Target Ace’s Heart-Break Status: 65% in the current situation (Critical)]
[Detection: Host’s Heart-Wrecker Points are accumulating at an accelerated rate]
Evelina paused at the door, her hand on the handle. But in the end, she didn’t look back.
She just closed her eyes for a second, and stepped out into the hallway, leaving the Duke alone in the dark.
...
Even as the Northern sun began to warm the stone walls, the air between the Duke and Duchess in the Alarez Estate remained chilly.
They moved through the hallways like two known strangers, who knew of each other’s presence but never stopped to acknowledge each other.
This icy silence was finally shattered by a flourish of trumpets and the cheerful rhythm of a high-bred cavalry escort.
As the heavy iron gates swung open, a woman clad in silver-trimmed riding leathers sat atop a white stallion that looked like it had been carved from a mountain glacier.
Where Evelina was beautiful, cold and calculative, Isabella was a warm and noble; a female general who had earned her stripes on the borderlands.
She dismounted the horse gracefully. Without even trying, she commanded the room wherever she went.
The servants, who usually scurried under Evelina’s quiet gaze, stood straighter now.
The knights in the foyer bowed with a genuine and reflexive respect. Isabella looked completely above mortal affairs no matter where she stood.
"Ace," Without waiting for a formal greeting, she walked straight to the Duke, pulling him into a brief embrace.
Ace, for the first time in weeks slightly relaxed. Although he didn’t smile, but the rigidity in his shoulders softened. He looked at Isabella with a camaraderie that Evelina had never seen him show with anybody else. .
Evelina stood at the top of the marble stairs, watching the display with a gaze so detached it was as if they did not exist in her world at all.
[System Notification: Target ’Isabella’ detected]
[Class: High-Tier Social Rival]
[Threat Level: Moderate(so far)]
[Current Objective: Farm 5,000 Points for ’Social Butcher’ skill upgrade.]
Evelina’s fingers tapped rhythmically against the bannister. Isabella, she thought, noting the name that had once slipped out of her mouth like a curse in the conservatory that night. The woman was perfect in every way; a noblewoman who knew how to lead and a soldier who knew how to charm.
...
Isabella had been at the estate for less than twenty-four hours when she decided to restore the traditional dignity of the household.
"This menu is far too practical for a Ducal house," Isabella said, her voice echoing through the kitchen as she looked at the head chef. She pointed a gloved finger at the meal prep for the evening, "The Duke requires sustenance that matches his rank. Replace the root vegetable pottage with roasted venison in wine reduction, and ensure the spices are Southern-grade."
The head chef, a man who had grown used to taking orders from Evelina, froze. He looked toward the doorway, where Evelina was standing without a single expression on her face.
The tension in the kitchen was thick enough to cut.
The staff was trapped in a very awkward position. They were familiar with Isabella who was the Duke’s old friend and prestigious general herself. On the other hand, there was Evelina, who was now well-respected but still shared a strained relationship with the Duke.
Both were not people whom they could offend.
Evelina caught the chef’s eye. She simply shrugged, a gesture of absolute indifference, and turned on her heel.
"If Lady Isabella wishes to manage the needs of the household, let her," Evelina said over her shoulder as she walked away.
Ace had been passing by when he the situation caught his attention and he had stopped in his way.
Standing in the shadow of the pantry hallway, he had witnessed the entire exchange. He felt a surge of petty, stinging annoyance when he noticed how nonchalant Evelina was.
Her aloofness was like a wall he couldn’t scale no matter how he tried.
Driven by a childish urge to get a reaction from her, Ace stepped into the kitchen, "Isabella is right regarding this matter," he had barely understood or paid attention to what the matter was but he spoke loudly enough, ensuring his voice carried to the retreating Evelina, "From now on, Isabella’s word on the household management is to be treated as my own."
