The Useless Duke's Daughter Saves the World

♧ [V1 || Chapter 20] ♧

A/N: Note, at the end of this chapter, I switched from a first person's perspective (Evangeline's POV) to a third person's perspective. This will become more frequent in the future as a way for me to show what goes on in the background when Evangeline ISN'T in the limelight.

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"It's you!"

I was shocked. What is he doing here?

One of the two characters who had filled my thoughts the most, the male lead and my favorite character from the novel—!

Oh my god! He's so much more handsome than I expected. It's illegal to look like this! Ugh!

He was wearing a black coat over a white dress shirt, black pants, and a pair of grey boots. Despite wearing such simple clothing, he couldn't hide his dazzling looks. But, oddly enough, no one else was looking at him. I don't understand it. I thought he was the type of person who drew attention to himself, it even says so in the novel that wherever he went, people couldn't help but stare at him with awe. It wasn't just his face, it was also the way he carried himself in public—proud, bright, and handsome, the charismatic young duke of the only two ducal households in the entire kingdom, Malakai Caelestis.

"You are...." he trailed off. He was looking at me with confusion painted on his face.

H—huh?

"My cloak!" I panicked. It was only then I realised that the top of my hood had fallen off because of my sudden movements. I was been so busy admiring his face that I'd accidentally exposed my face to him.

I quickly pulled my hood down, hoping no one else caught me in that split moment. Did Malakai recognize me? That shouldn't be possible since we weren't supposed to meet until the selection ceremony. And despite both of them coming from duke houses, they've rarely interacted before the start of the novel. This was because Malakai had been occupied with his holy mage tasks and Evangeline was busy with her own social circle. So, why did he sound confused when he looked at my face?

"Oh! I apologize. From behind, I assumed you were a young boy. I didn't realize I grabbed onto a lady's wrist," he released my hand immediately.

Ah... That's what he meant. I thought he recognized me for a second. I'm not sure if I should feel relieved or insulted that he thought I was a boy.

"I—is there something you need from me?" I stammered. Deep inside, I was screaming. I felt like I had just met a celebrity.

Oh my god! Oh my god! It's really him! It's Malakai Caelestis!

"That pendant you're holding... Where did you find it?" he composed himself a lot better now. His eyes were fixated on the pendant I was still holding in my hand.

"What relation does it have to you?" I questioned. I didn't know the young duke was so interested in jewellery.

"It belongs to me," he said in a slightly impatient tone. 

Okay, was he always like this? I thought the Malakai from the novel was someone who was happy-go-lucky so, why was he so insistent now? Also, the novel never mentioned that he had a pendant as a keepsake. 

An impostor? But, that couldn't be... I'm certain my eyes aren't deceiving me. Midnight black hair and azure ocean eyes were the distinctive trait of those who hail from the Caelestis household. The most common hair colour in this world are brown hair, like mine, or blonde hair, but because I guess because they're the male leads, both Malakai and Elijah possesses unique hair colours like black and white. This was also the reason why Luca's hair colour shocked me for a moment.