As the Demon Demands ✔️

Chapter Sixteen

Evangeline tapped her finger nervously on the table as she looked out into the garden. It had taken a while to soothe Rosa's worries before her maids Catherine and Vala had come in to check on her. It still felt weird to give them orders, but she had asked them to prepare a room for her mother to rest, which they happily obliged.

With her mother taken care of, she had asked another servant to find Claude for her to bring him to the garden. She had thought to meet him directly in the Magi Tower, but she figured it would have been safer if they had a discussion privately. She dared not to think what would befall him if anyone learned what he and her mother had been planning to do.

So currently, she was sitting under the gazebo waiting anxiously for Claude. There were guards stationed around the area, but they were far away enough that The servants had offered to bring tea and snacks, but she declined. This was going to be a quick conversation, and she didn't need to drag it out with food. Not to mention she was too nervous to eat anything.

She hoped Claude would accept this better than Rosa did. He was usually more level-headed, so once she explained everything, he would go back to Oakenfort without incident.

"Eve!"

Snapping from her thoughts, she looked up to see Claude rushing down the path towards the gazebo. She stood up to greet him, only to be shocked when he pulled her into a tight hug. The guards tensed, ready to strike, but when they looked at her, she was already waving a hand at them to stand down.

"Thanks the Gods, Eve," he murmured softly, somehow holding her closer. "I was so worried..."

She reached up to gently pat his back. But as soon as she could, she pulled away and created some distance between them. He seemed surprised. He opened his mouth to ask, but Evangeline merely gestured to the small table under the gazebo. "Let's have a seat first."

He still looked confused, but nodded. As he sat down, Evangeline took note that he seemed more alert than usual. His eyes flickered around, as if he were assessing the situation. Which told her that his plan to somehow smuggle her out of here was still in effect. As endearing as it was that he was willing to risk his life for her, it wasn't even necessary.

So, with a sigh, she said softly, "Mother told me about... your plan."

"Emperor or not, he cannot force you to marry him." His voice was low, not wanting to risk someone overhearing him. "I have connections that would allow us to flee to Noria. He won't follow you there."

Evangeline wasn't so sure about that. Marak had made it clear that he had no intentions of letting her go again. And if she tried to run away, he would likely do whatever it took to get her back. She dared not think how far he would go, but her gut was telling her that blood would be spilled mercilessly. She couldn't let that happen, especially not to her friends and family.

"I'm not going to Noria," she said firmly. "The marriage to His Majesty will happen. There wasn't any reason for you to come here-!"

"You can't be serious."

Evangeline bit her bottom lip as Claude just stared at her in shock. Like he couldn't believe she was turning down the chance to escape. But there was no need to. Running away would likely only bring misfortune, and she didn't have a desire to leave either. Being the empress was a daunting task, but marrying Marak wasn't.... an unpleasant thought. Just a lot for her to comprehend, but not unpleasant.

"He's a murderer," Claude said, keeping his voice hushed as anger twisted in his tone. "Have you any idea how many died by his hand? You were there the night of the coup – you saw what he was capable of."

"... His family were monsters." She couldn't argue against his points; she had seen firsthand what Marak had done. But when she thought about just who had been killed that night, she couldn't say she mourned them. "His methods were... violent, but the empire is better for them."