Eve had caught a glimpse of how she drank and was quickly starting to think, Why would he notice?
Okay, so he heard the princess was attending this summit, but didn’t see her anywhere. And he never worked out that Marie was the real princess…
She was calming down quick, coming to terms with this—and then she picked her best option.
He may have spotted me, but he doesn’t realize I’m his enemy. Perfect. Guess I’ll just have to play along.
It was best to let Lloyd’s misunderstanding guide her. If that made him let his guard down so she could stab that syringe into him, then revealing her true face would have been worth it.
“Right you are,” she said.
When trying to deceive someone, the best way to avoid blunders was to say very little. Eve was an old hand at this and respected the modus operandi.
But Lloyd was very much the sort of boy who’d go, “Modus operandi, what’s that? A kind of cheese? If you mix it with that wine, it might make a nice fondue!” So what he did next was, again, completely incomprehensible.
“Don’t just nod! I’m pretty mad at you.”
“Har?!”
Lloyd was out here lecturing a princess.
“You are a member of the royal family, so you can’t just do whatever you personally feel is right! Think of the king… Do you know how much your father worries about you?”
About what, her liver?
Eve’s rejoinders were getting a bit off track. She could imagine why a dad would worry, though.
“Even if you are invisible, there are people like me who’ll notice you coming. You’ve got to stay safe!”
Yeah, ain’t nobody but you gonna do that. I mean…I’m invisible?!
Lloyd’s perceptions weren’t even in the same solar system as the truth.
“Let me and Marie handle the dangerous tasks. The princess shouldn’t be taking risks!”
But Marie is the princess! You can’t let her do anything!
Eve’s internal screams grew louder, and she was starting to sweat. She was entirely at Lloyd’s mercy.
“Do you have anything to say for yourself?”
“I-I’m sorry?”
“I’m glad you understand.”
He flashed a dazzling grin. Frustrated as hell, the best Eve could manage was a fake smile.
“It’s a big day tomorrow, so let’s turn in.”
“W-wait, Lloyd. Let’s talk a little longer. It’s a nice garden.”
If she backed down here, this whole thing would be a disaster. Eve was not about to waste this opportunity.
Lloyd couldn’t exactly refuse the princess, so he said, “Just a little, then,” and sat down on the edge of the flower bed.
Eve plopped down next to him, and things were instantly awkward.
Now what?
Eve’s head spun. Making small talk might lower his guard—but she soon rejected that idea.
He was an oblivious boy. In mere minutes, he had made her positively dizzy. Any false move on her part, and she’d be tripped up again. Her usual tactics wouldn’t work.
Bring up a subject he excels in, and let him chatter… No, better to fluster him with a topic he’s bad at. And I just heard about the perfect thing.
The girls had said, “Lloyd doesn’t have a romantic bone in his body and freaks out when the topic comes up.” She figured that would give her an opening.
“Lloyd, are you in love with anyone?”
“Huh? Huh?”
This subject rattled him hard.
Eve was pumping a fist inside her head. Her intel was right on the money.
“Princesses want to know these things. We can keep it just between the two of us.”
Eve was getting rather into it now. But little did she know…Marie had once spoken as the princess, telling him how she felt behind a door—and been rejected.
“Er, uh…I’m glad you’re interested, but I believe I’ve already given you my answer.”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
This new information put a quick halt to Eve’s approach.
Her mind filled with noise. Change the subject! Tell me that first! Poor Marie! She was getting swallowed in an emotional maelstrom.
How did Marie manage to ask him out and get turned down? Is she dragging around some bad karma from a past life? I’ve done way worse, and nothing that bad has come of it!
Given her own history, Eve could only assume Marie’s previous incarnation had been even worse than hers.
Flustered, Lloyd was trying to carefully choose his next words while remaining mindful of the princess’s feelings.
“Saying this face-to-face is awkward, but…I’m still sorting myself out. I’m not ready for love.”
“Uh-huh.”
“But I am a soldier, and no one wants to protect you more than I do. That’s why I want you to be less reckless, and look after yourself. I would gladly give my life for you.”
“……”
“I promise, I will keep you safe.”
The “coming-of-age” vibes were going strong now.
Lloyd blushed and was scratching his cheek, not quite meeting her eye. That left his neck exposed, a fact not lost on Eve.
Is this my best shot?!
She may have taken the long route, but if she could jab the needle in him, this farce was done. Lloyd had spun her round so many times she was past caring and just wanted to pack up and go home. Her fingers tightened on the syringe.
You’ve stirred your last pot! You’re done, Lloyd!
Eve pulled out her hand holding the syringe, but—
“Mm?”
Her hand started shaking. She couldn’t even aim.
What the—? A fit, here, now?!
Asako’s favorite chamomile and herbs should have kept the girl sound asleep inside of her body. Eve had no idea what had brought this fit on.
Sensing confusion, Lloyd turned toward her. “Um, what’s wrong?”
That’s what she wanted to know. The syringe was still in her hand. Lloyd calmly took it from her.
“Ah…!”
Lloyd took a deep breath, like he was about to scold a wayward child.
“You think a weapon like this will be enough to let you investigate evil? That’s even more dangerous than I thought! I’ll be taking this with me.”
“H-har?!”
Unable to stop him from stealing her last resort, Eve soon found his hands clasped tight on her shoulders.
“I’ll handle all the dangerous work! There’s no need for you to hold on to this!”
“Yeah, but that’s my…”
“I’ll keep you safe and sound! Let me protect you!”
At this point, Lloyd realized he was getting a bit carried away, and turned bright red.
“S-sorry… I’m getting a bit worked up.”
“Uh-huh.”
“It’s awfully late. You should really go to bed. See you later.”
As if trying to hide from his embarrassment, Lloyd hopped to his feet and quickly walked away.
Eve was left sitting on her own in the garden. Without that weapon, she had no way to capture him…but that wasn’t the problem.
ba-dump.
Surprise? Shock? The way her heart raced was neither, nor had Eve ever experienced anything like it.
“What is this…? No, not…”
The moment the word love crossed her mind, Eve stifled a laugh.
“Love? Me, in loooooove? You’ve gotta be kidding! That’s like, in the top five jokes ever!”
After a long fit of laughter, she glanced around, and pulled the camouflage hood up again.
“Took a big swing, but I whiffed hard. I’ll get another chance, though.”
Trying to be optimistic, Eve got to her feet and headed back to her chambers…never realizing the emotions running through her were entirely genuine.
✦ ✦ ✦
