It was after a long time spent in silence, with Eva nestled in his arms, that Christian finally raised himself up, propping himself against the back of the bed.
Even then, he didn't let go of her, and Eva just lifted her head, and spoke.
"Did anything out of the ordinary happen to you recently? Like, are you okay?"
'Is she asking about the assassin thing?'
As Christian wondered silently, he still replied with a smile.
"How do I look in your eyes?"
He intended to brush things off for now, planning to have a serious talk with her later. For now, he just wanted to relax in her presence, after all.
But Eva, held his injured hand, now bandaged, and brought it between them and said.
"In my eyes, you look injured."
As she said that, she brought his hand toward her lips and began kissing it, her pained expression making Christian feel a little stifled. He didn't like seeing her worry about him.
"It's a light injury, nothing serious," he said, trying to ease her concern.
"Most importantly, I wanted to see you because I missed you, not to create these awkward, hard-to-bear situations."
As he saw her nod slightly, continuing to kiss his hand, he couldn't help but lean in and kiss her forehead.
He felt that these small gestures expressed love far more deeply than the lust-driven ones from before.
"What about you? Is everything all right?"
Christian couldn't help but ask, worried that what had happened might have some consequences for her as well.
But Eva shook her head and replied softly.
"I'm fine. More importantly, nothing could go wrong for now on my side, especially with Olivia going away to study in a few days."
Hearing her reply, Christian focused on the words "For now," realizing that it implied things could change in the future. He also caught the mention of "Olivia going away," and found himself wondering how that fact was connected to her situation.
Still, he couldn't help but recall the voice recording from Damian Slate once again, along with the change in the words he spoke and the things he had discovered. He also couldn't shake the thought that the universities and similar institutions still had a long time before opening, since it was only mid July. Then, it finally occurred to him that the Academy, opened by people from outside the world, would be starting in no more than two weeks.
Taking all of this into account, Christian arrived at a conclusion: First, Olivia should be admitted to this Academy. Second, her admission would also serve as a kind of shield for her mother, Eva, somehow. And third, despite all of this, he felt there was still another factor at play, one he didn't fully understand.
He felt the drive in him to look into things reignited, as he once again confirmed that their current situation was bad. Still, he didn't forget to reply to Eva, trying to reassure her.
"Don't worry, you have me by your side, after all."
Christian thought he had calculated everything and accounted for all variables, but Eva, being one of the concerned parties, knew that wasn't the case. She had, after all, tried to use him herself, and that made her feel like a prick against her conscience. She felt even more guilty than she already did. Still, she tried not to let it show, giving him a smile, while silently swearing to herself that she would be better toward him from now on. And if he asked again about anything, she would tell him everything truthfully.
In the end, she even added,
"There is nothing more reassuring than that."
But as she said it, trying to laugh things off, she strangely felt the urge to cry instead. So, she buried her head in his neck once again, inhaling his manly scent. She tried not to focus on the other scent that mixed with his, one that irritated her, one she knew the owner of.
Christian realized something was wrong immediately, but instead insisting on asking, he decided not to comment on it. With how things were progressing, he knew he would get to the bottom of it by today, or at most by tomorrow. Then, he could ask her again.
Some time passed in the comforting presence of each other as Christian and Eva talked about normal, trivial things, unrelated to anything serious.
Finally, feeling it was enough, Eva reluctantly pulled herself away from Christian's arms and said,
"I should be going then."
Christian already started feeling the emptiness of her absence, but knowing he still had more to do, he didn't insist she stay. Instead, he accompanied her to the main door.
They stood in silence in front of the door for a while before Eva finally gave him another hug, and went away,
Christian watched her walk toward the maid, who seemed to have been waiting outside by the car the entire time, and couldn't help but have some thoughts about her. He just shook his head, in the end, though, and turned back.
He intended to return to his room and finally focus on his own things. However, as he did, he noticed Annabelle standing there next to the stairs, arms folded, looking directly at him.
Hearing her cheerful tone, Christian strangely felt as if it had a sharp edge to it, and instead of the tender gaze she was offering, it seemed to him like she was glaring. But more than than, he also felt guilty, and didn't have the face to comment on her behavior, so, he just awkwardly replied,
Annabelle, hearing him, closed her eyes for a moment, exhaled deeply, and finally said,
"Come on, let's go eat breakfast. It's already too late."
Christian didn't say anything and just followed her. The meal felt suffocating for him, and he couldn't help but wonder if she had noticed what he had done at the morning. A few times, he even intended to ask her, hoping to be released from the tension, but he didn't have that kind courage.