Chapter 10

What… what did he just say?

Evelyn flinched, instinctively trying to pull away, but the harder she resisted, the tighter Chaser’s grip became on her shoulder.

He looked at her with soft, admiring eyes—as if he truly loved her—not reacting at all to her wide-eyed shock.

“Evelyn,” he said gently, “when will you finally accept my feelings? I’ve thought about it over and over, and I’m clearly a better choice than Viscount Pezzeto.”

His voice was full of affection. That was what made it worse.

The forced sweetness in his tone only made Evelyn’s shoulders tense up even more.

When her stiff expression didn’t change, Chaser leaned in and whispered quietly near her ear.

“Just go along with it. Play the part.”

He then softly brushed her cheek with his fingers, like a man deeply in love.

But for Evelyn, the gesture filled her with dread.

Her face was pale, her hands were cold with fear, and yet Chaser kept smiling at her as if everything was fine.

“There’s no way Evelyn is marrying Viscount Pezzeto,” he continued, voice still warm. “Even if she doesn’t return my feelings, I’ve already decided to support the monastery regularly. Out of sympathy for their situation, of course.”

The cold warning behind his kind words was unmistakable—one no one would dare challenge.

Is he… helping me?

Evelyn glanced up at him.

Their eyes met.

He was still playing the role of a man hopelessly in love, smiling gently at her.

The kindness in his act only made Evelyn more afraid.

But now that she could read his face clearly, she finally understood—he was trying to help, in his own twisted way.

“A woman like Evelyn doesn’t need to throw herself into a meaningless marriage,” he added.

“Oh my…” Mrs. Henna, still inside the shop, couldn’t hide her admiration.

What was a nightmare for Evelyn seemed to be entertainment for the woman watching it all unfold.

“Shall we go?” Chaser asked, still holding onto her shoulder.

He was just about to lead her out—until Judy’s voice rang out behind them.

“E-Evelyn! You’re not seriously falling for that, are you?! Anyone can see he’s a smooth-talking scam artist!”

Evelyn froze in horror.

She gave Judy a desperate look, silently begging her to stop—but Judy, having already taken money for the arranged marriage, wasn’t ready to give up.

“If you’d just say yes, you could move into Viscount Pezzeto’s mansion tomorrow! Do you even understand what an opportunity this is? You’d be a noble! And think about me too! I worked so hard to get you that proposal!”

Even someone as gentle as Evelyn could tell that Judy wasn’t looking out for her—she was just looking out for herself.

So Evelyn said nothing.

“A scam artist, huh? That’s a new one.” Chaser smiled. “No worries. I’ll send the Viscount my refusal myself. That should settle things, right?”

He said it so casually that Evelyn realized he was handling the situation for her—there was no need for her to speak.

“I mean, I’m clearly a better catch than Pezzeto. Don’t you agree, Evelyn?”

At that point, Evelyn didn’t care about appearances anymore—she just wanted to get out of the apothecary and return to the quiet monastery.

“Let’s just go,” she said.

“Shall we? I was hoping for some of your warm stew tonight.”

Even though he said that, Chaser still didn’t move.

Evelyn, desperate to leave, reached out and took his hand.

The cold leather of his gloves made her flinch, but she gritted her teeth and slid her fingers between his, speaking softly, almost like a plea.

“I’ll make it with lots of meat. Just… let’s go.”

Chaser’s lips curled into a satisfied smile, and at last, he began to walk.

The soft chime of the bell rang behind them as the apothecary door closed.

But as soon as they stepped outside, his smile disappeared.

“Why didn’t you say anything back there?”

Evelyn chose her words carefully, trying not to upset him.

“Because… I’ll still have to see her. Often.”

“Even after she talked to you like that?”

“There’s only one pharmacy in the village.”

She was thankful he’d helped her get out of Judy’s grasp—but now she couldn’t stop worrying about how she’d get medicine in the future.

She felt a bit of gratitude, yes. But truthfully, she was still upset.

“You don’t look very thankful.”

“…”

Seeing her downcast face, Chaser let out a dry laugh.

“You know that engagement rumor has already spread through the village, right?”

“I heard something about it…”

She’d hoped the blacksmith had exaggerated—but now it was clear the rumor had already taken root.

“Well, now a new story will spread. That a charming young nobleman is courting you. How does that sound?”

“I don’t really know.”

“Better than the story about you being sold off to an old noble, though.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

It was true—having a nobleman from a powerful family showing interest in her was far better than being married off to someone like Pezzeto.

“You did that to help me, didn’t you?”

Chaser didn’t answer. He just smiled and gently squeezed her hand.

It felt like he was making sure the rumor stuck—his grip even tighter now.

But still, one question refused to leave her mind.

Why?

Why would Chaser Luisa help someone without expecting anything in return?

Was this a side of him she never saw in the original story?

I really don’t understand him.

Even with this act of kindness, Evelyn still found him terrifying.

Just remembering the look in his eyes back in the apothecary was enough to make her chest tighten again.

Without thinking, she looked down at their joined hands.

No matter how briefly they had held hands, it was ridiculous how the strange texture of his leather gloves was starting to feel familiar—how the warmth beneath them almost felt real.

Chaser didn’t let go until they were completely out of the village.

A complicated, difficult man.

That’s what Chaser Luisa was.

Chaser blended into the monastery as if it were the most natural thing in the world, even though Evelyn was still anxious, never knowing when he might suddenly change.

“Sorry to drop in so suddenly. Thank you for understanding. I’ll just be staying a few more days.”

Chaser had personally sought out Sister Lasagna, greeting her with a kind smile, which made Evelyn’s heart skip in panic.

From Evelyn’s perspective, it was all an act. But thanks to his charming outward appearance, Sister Lasagna welcomed him with a warm smile and said he was welcome to stay as long as he needed.

It only made Evelyn more nervous.

But Chaser, unlike her, was often away from the monastery from early morning, out searching for the item he’d lost, and would only return late at night.

Maybe it was because he was out of sight so often, but Evelyn soon found herself settling back into her usual routine.

Today was one of those rare peaceful days.

“He’s still not awake…”

Evelyn gently wiped the unknown patient’s face with a damp cloth and stretched her arms out, yawning.

The visiting doctor who had come a few days ago said it was simply an overdose of sleep-inducing herbs—nothing to worry about.

But even with that explanation, she still had doubts.

Isn’t it strange that someone would show no signs of digestion or movement for days, even if they’re asleep?

Sure, being hungry or thirsty made sense—but no movement at all? Not even basic functions? It didn’t feel normal.

Still, the doctor said to just wait and observe…

Evelyn walked over to the window to air out the room, only to freeze the moment she looked outside.

At this hour?

Chaser was outside—and surrounded by children.

The youngest, Jerry, had his arms wrapped tightly around Chaser’s leg, whining about something. Evelyn’s face went pale.

Then Chaser casually scooped Jerry up into his arms.

No! Don’t!

Evelyn panicked. She imagined him throwing Jerry aside in annoyance.

She nearly burst out of the room without thinking, forgetting even to close the window—but then, she stopped halfway, confused.

“Higher, higher!”

Chaser had gripped Jerry’s sides and was lifting him into the air, playing with him—tossing him up gently, making him laugh.

“Me too! I wanna go next!”

“Me too! Me too!”

The children shrieked with joy and swarmed around Chaser, begging for turns.

“…What?”

Evelyn blinked, unsure if she was seeing things. She rubbed her eyes.

But no—the scene before her didn’t change.

Her knees gave out, and she slowly sank to the floor.

“…Is this really happening?”

She clung to the window frame and gradually pushed herself back up.

Looking outside again, she saw Chaser playing with each child—lifting every one of them up the same way, one by one, without skipping anyone.

His face was expressionless as usual, but the sight of him calmly surrounded by laughing children looked… peaceful.

Despite her fears, Chaser was getting along surprisingly well with Sister Lasagna and the children.

Watching that scene, a sudden thought crossed Evelyn’s mind.

Chaser’s… human after all.

She immediately shook her head.

No. That’s nonsense.

It had been a week since Chaser started staying at the monastery.

Evelyn had just returned from the village after picking up groceries—since, of all times, the monastery had run out of food.

And, of course, she ran into him on the way back.

She’d been avoiding being alone with him, so this was the first time in days they’d crossed paths one-on-one.

Feeling awkward, Evelyn kept shifting her eyes around, unsure where to look. Then Chaser asked bluntly,

“What’s that?”

“Groceries. We were out of everything, so…”

She’d bought quite a bit since rain was expected soon, and deliveries would be difficult. The paper bags were heavy.

Just as she was about to lift them again, Chaser—watching her quietly—sighed and snatched them from her hands.

“Oh! I can carry those!”

Chaser didn’t answer. He just stood beside her.

When she hesitated, he frowned and said, slightly annoyed,

“Aren’t we going?”

“Y-yes. Let’s go.”

As Evelyn took a step forward, Chaser walked beside her, matching her pace.

Now with her hands completely free, Evelyn awkwardly fidgeted with her fingers as they walked in silence.

She wasn’t used to any of this.

Not him offering to carry things.

Not him walking in step with her.

After a long pause, she finally spoke, her voice hesitant.

“There’s… something I’ve been meaning to ask.”

Maybe the bit of humanity he’d shown these past few days had softened her defenses. Maybe she was just too curious.

But the question slipped out before she could stop herself.

“Can you tell me what exactly it is you’re looking for, Mr. Chain?”

“You want to know?”

“I thought about it, and I think maybe I should help. Since I grew up here, I know the area well…”

“It’s a monster. One that escaped from the capital.”