Evelyn, The Red Moon

Chapter 3

-How many times can you kill me in one night?-

Evelyn clenched her teeth and ran without knowing where fate was taking her.

She was going now. To the vast world.

She didn’t know whether a good or an even more miserable life awaited her. But she decided to take the risk.

Nothing would change even if she had stayed. The life of a gypsy was straightforward. It was sad to leave the group of people she’s been attached to, but she had to overcome that feeling.

With Evelyn’s request, James must have already left the town with the gypsies.

The merchants that couldn’t catch Evelyn must have reported her to the guards. It wouldn’t even matter if they did.

By daybreak, she’d travelled quite far. A lazy, perfunctory guard would never be able to chase or capture Evelyn.

The moon followed her, illuminating the darkness as she ran.

“Ha, hah, hah…”

Evelyn stopped in a field quite far from town. While catching her breath, she suddenly saw the night sky.

The sky was far away. The stars glistened like jewels embedded on black velvet.

The moon, stained with a reddish color, shone with a subtle light.

It wasn’t the Red Moon. Nevertheless, Evelyn recalled a moment that occurred a long time ago.

The night she died in an unrecognizable body.

Suddenly, Evelyn let out a loud laugh. She didn’t know why she was laughing.

With her arms wide open, she smiled and wept. Soon after, she started running once again.

***

“What can you give me?”

Theodore’s way of speaking, which was polite a little while ago, suddenly changed. His eyes were as cold as his changed tone.

“Whatever Your Highness, the Crown Prince, wants.”

“How many times can you kill me in one night?”

The eyes of the Young Lady of the Countess, clad in a gorgeous dress with exposed shoulders and adorned with various jewelry and ornaments, widened.

“My Lord, you want to be killed? Why is that?”

“If you want to become the crown princess, it wouldn’t be too much to ask for.”

The corners of Theodore Gravan’s mouth coldly twisted up. His Adam’s apple stood out on this exceptionally tall man’s neck that was a head higher than the average man.

Broad, rigid shoulders with a firm chest, deep blue eyes, reddish brown hair, and a sharp and strong jawline.

The sight stifled the woman. Her eyes filled with eagerness wept as they peeked at the man’s cold lips with hotness.

What would it feel like if those lips gave me a fiery kiss?

Just imagining it made the woman shudder all over. Her heart skipped and her cheeks started burning.

“I…”

The woman hesitated, trying to look as elegant as she could.

“Tell me.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m talking about His Majesty’s joke…”

“I’m not joking. I want the Crown Princess to be like a concubine in bed.”

Theodore curled up the corners of his lips once again, staring at the woman sitting on the opposite side of the tea table in the Crown Prince’s Palace lounge.

The woman blushed with shame and embarrassment. Her gaze dropped and her clenched hands loosened.

“Why don’t you go back if you’re not confident, My Lady?”

With the last shot, Theodore made a clean sweep out of the situation.

He put one of his hands on the tea table and started tapping with his index finger.

Despite being mocked, the woman rose gracefully, maintaining her dignity. She bowed her head with a flushed face to show her respect and left the lounge.

“You scared away another one!”

A bitter smile caught Theodore’s lips.

There were plenty of ladies from the aristocracy who aimed for the empty royal throne. They flirted with him whenever they had the chance.

‘How many times do I have to do this?’

Damn it! It’s like a herd of female cats running after their prey!

A year ago, the healthy Second Prince had suddenly died. Doctors said it was a heart attack, but there were some who doubted.

He was in a loveless, political marriage to strengthen his power for the throne. Nevertheless, the Crown Prince’s death put a shadow on Theodore.

Theodore got up from his seat and waited for Ducray. He walked around the room with his arms crossed.

He waited with tension and nervousness. Until he heard a knock.

“Come in.”

When Ducray came in, he spoke again.

“How’re the arrangements going?”

“They are all ready.”

“How many are there?”

“Twenty.”

“Will that many even stand a chance?”

“It’s risky to increase the number of people.”

Theodore’s forehead narrowed when he raised his eyebrows, then relaxed once again. He stared for a moment with thin, menacing eyes.

“If you fail again this time, you can’t even imagine what will happen to you!”

“I’ll do my best!”

“Where will the attack be?”

“The Armand Forest Road. We’ll disguise ourselves as a bunch of thieves and vagrants.”

Theodore nodded and spoke with determination.

“The Blackbirds are strong. They will be escorting Rasmania.”

“That’s why we will be ambushing them. This time, there’ll only be a few Blackbirds escorting.”

Rasmania Travitt, Lady of the Bavela Palace.

She married the forty-year old Grand Duke Samuel Travitt, the most powerful and the wealthiest in Dresten, at the age of 18.

After her marriage, Rasmania became the real power of the Travitt family. For some reason, Grand Duke Travitt had died from a long term illness.

From the large and splendid Bavela Palace, to the vast land and the royal palace for the Knights of the Blackbird, where the Grand Duke was crowned, Rasmania succeeded everything her husband had owned.

“Please!”

Theodore clenched his fist.

“You must kill her!”

When Ducray left, Theodore buried himself deep on the chair once again and closed his eyes.

The things that happened three years ago came to his mind vividly. It was days after the funeral of the Crown Prince, the eldest brother who died in an accident.

Rasmania, who visited Theodore, was beautiful enough to make people ignore her age.

Even a woman who was yet to be 20 years old was envious of her pale, taut skin and her slender waist that was tightly bound in a corset. Her voluminous chest, with the top of it being exposed from the neckline of her dress, was worth looking at.

‘Prince Theodore!’

‘What’s the matter, My Lady?’

Rasmania came close to him and whispered.

‘Please call me by my name… It’s Rasmania.’

Confused and embarrassed, Theodore took a step back.

‘Huh? Are you being shy, Your Highness?’

‘No, please have a seat. I’ll get a carriage prepared.’

‘No, I don’t want a carriage.’

Theodore wondered why Rasmania came to visit him.

‘I’d like to make a proposal.’

‘What do you mean with “proposal”?’

‘Even if the throne is empty, the Third Prince can’t be the crown prince because of the line of succession.’

‘I don’t want the throne.’

‘Is that so? Wouldn’t a prince want to sit on the throne?’

A sore grin appeared on Rasmania’s lips.

‘There are things you have to have even if you don’t want them in order to survive.’

Theodore understood what Rasmania’s words meant.

The Second Prince, Esteban Gravan, was violent and quick-tempered. He rejected Theodore, who was more intelligent and handsome than him.

If Esteban were to become the crown prince in the future, it would be difficult for Theodore to stay alive.

The first thing a recently-crowned king does is to remove all threats.

‘Also… Prince Theodore wouldn’t be free from death even if he were named the Crown Prince. Even the First Prince died from this accident.’

At that moment, Theodore’s expression hardened.

‘I’ll give you the Crown Prince title. You know I have the power to do so, right?’

A mysterious smile appeared on Rasmania’s beautiful lips.

‘At that time, I had no choice but to accept her offer. But not this time. She is just a nuisance that must be removed before I ascend the throne. I can’t let her get to Dresten.’

Theodore got up from his chair. There was rage in his eyes. His clenched fists shook.

***

Evelyn walked for several days towards Antimar, the capital of the Dresten Kingdom. She walked through fields, villages and mountain paths.

She had some money saved. She used the money to buy bread and ate it frugally.

A kind-hearted farmer even gave her a cart. Under the burning sun and the winding road, it was a trip full of freedom and expectations.

It was hard to find parents she never met. As soon as she was born, her heartless parents put her in a wooden crate and dumped her in a river.

It was just a rumor, but they say that if you go to Antimar, you will be given a new life. She clenched to that rumor.

The Armand Forest was full of trees that were old enough to block the sunshine from entering even during the day. In the middle of the forest, there was a road for carriages to pass through.

Evelyn’s physical strength was superior compared to girls her age. However, she was exhausted from walking for days without eating properly.

Evelyn looked around to find a stream to moisten her throat and rest for a while. There was a deep forest that went far along the road.

“Hah. How much longer do I have to walk to reach Antimar?”

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Evelyn stood up, blocking the sun with her hands to look a little further. However, it was the winding roads and fields beneath the distant sky that filled her view.

“I can’t even ask around because there’s no one here.”

Evelyn shrugged her shoulders, returning to where she had been.

At the same time, a loud noise came from behind her. Evelyn turned around. It was a fancy carriage pulled by two white horses.

As soon as she saw the carriage travelling in the white dust storm, Evelyn widened her eyes in excitement.