The Kind of Evil-Chapter 492: A quiet night.
Rasmus was leaning on the stone railing on top of the city wall. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Satan said and her existence. His ears listened to everyone’s conversation in the distance, but more importantly he was listening to Aurelia and the others.
While Rasmus was deep in thought, he felt a presence coming toward him. He didn’t need to turn around because he could see through Mana. It was Erlina, holding a bottle of wine on her left hand and two wine glasses on her right hand.
"You have been acting weirdly, Count," Erlina leaned against the railing, standing beside Rasmus and looked at him with a serious expression. "Well, it’s not just you though, Aris and Rullein also acted a bit differently. You’re okay?" She asked and offered him a bottle of wine.
Rasmus took the bottle and a glass from Erlina’s hands. He poured the wine glass half full and poured Erlina’s glass similarly. He swirled his glass and smelled it before he took a sip while Erlina did the same.
"I’m fine, I just need some time alone," Rasmus answered as the sweet aftertaste lingered in his mouth.
Erlina hummed as she nodded with understanding, and then she looked at Rasmus, truly looking at his face. She wondered how he could maintain expressionless since it was more tiring than showing one.
"Do you still want to be alone?" Erlina asked, her voice was barely above a whisper.
"I am alone right now," Rasmus answered and took another sip of his wine. "Your presence is never unwelcome," he pointed out and took another sip.
Erlina smiled and stared at Rasmus gently, the warmth in her eyes mirrored the warmth in her heart. She took a big sip of her wine as she let the silence fill the air, giving a peaceful atmosphere.
"We are done here?" Erlina asked, already feeling tipsy since she had a drink before she came to check on Rasmus.
"I’m done here. It’s Anastasha’s turn this time since this is her battlefield now. You can stay here if you want, I believe she will help you get what you need from this continent, like the mining sites," Rasmus answered as he emptied his glass and poured his glass full this time.
Erlina hummed as she swirled the wine glass lazily, her gaze was distant and unfocused.
𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"What is it?" Rasmus asked as he turned to face Erlina.
"You’re going to East Neva next, right?" Erlina asked, slowly lifting her head and stared into Rasmus’ eyes. "I have bad memories of that continent, something that I don’t want to relive again," she muttered.
"I heard from Matthias about your past, but I suppose what he knew was only a small part of what happened back then," Rasmus said as he took the wine glass from Erlina’s hand since she could no longer handle alcohol.
What Rasmus heard from Matthias, Erlina was the daughter of a powerful lord. She was an illegitimate child where her mother was a courtesan. The wife of the lord hunted her and her mother, and based on what he understood, Erlina’s mother was killed.
Erlina grabbed Rasmus’ wrist, preventing him from taking her glass away. She snatched the glass and suddenly emptied the glass in a single gulp. She kept holding Rasmus’ wrist tightly as if he was her lifeline. Rasmus looked at her and thought the worst thing that might have happened to her.
"I never told this to anyone, not a single soul..." Erlina muttered as she leaned her head against Rasmus’ chest. "My mother was..." Her voice trembled and decided to pause to take a deep breath. "My mother was tossed around and I could only watch and then they killed her. They tried to do the same to me..." She clutched onto Rasmus’ shirt, her whole body began to tremble.
Rasmus listened and stood still, allowing Erlina to use his body as her anchor. He could feel the fear and the terror in her voice and body language.
"They touched me, but I managed to escape before they could do anything else..." Erlina’s eyes were glimmering in tears that threatened to fall.
"I can vividly remember that day and every time I close my eyes, the first thing that comes is that memory," Erlina said, seeking comfort from Rasmus’ presence. "It’s weird, isn’t it? For someone like me to seek comfort from a man, especially after what I experienced in the past..." she rested her head on Rasmus’ chest.
Rasmus didn’t say a word, nor even showed any expression when Erlina looked at him in the eyes. He could see that Erlina had calmed down, and the weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
"Ugh, I feel so pathetic..." Erlina sniffled as she wiped off the tears in her eyes. "The next time I got tipsy, please don’t let me snatch the drink," she chuckled as she pulled away and tried to regain her composure.
"Why would I ruin the fun?" Rasmus smiled as he refilled Erlina’s wine glass. "I know you don’t need a reason to tell me this story, but it seems you want something from telling this story," he said and watched Erlina stare at her reflection in the wine.
"I’m not sure what I want..." Erlina stood beside Rasmus and rested her head on his shoulder. "I thought I wanted revenge, but I felt it wouldn’t be enough or perhaps meaningless," she closed her eyes, her voice was barely above a whisper.
"You just want someone to bear that nightmare with you," Rasmus said and took a sip of the wine. "You should have told Carrion instead of me. He’s your future husband, not me," he watched the people below, still enjoying the night around the bonfire.
"I never have anyone to call a friend. You’re my dearest friend, Rasmus. I don’t want to be lonely in this kind of world that I’m living in, and I know you’re not that far off from what I feel," Erlina muttered and took a sip of her wine.
"You chose the wrong person to call him a friend," Rasmus chuckled as he emptied his wine glass.
"That’s not yours to decide, just deal with it," Erlina patted Rasmus’ chest as she pulled away and looked at the empty wine bottle. "I..." She paused as she stared at the sky. "I know you’re lonely as well, Rasmus. You just don’t bother about it," she revealed as she looked at Rasmus.
Rasmus didn’t respond to Erlina’s accusation, not denying or admitting it. Suddenly a chill and strong wind hit their faces and someone landed in front of them, it was Marina.
"Did I disturb your moment?" Marina asked as she looked at Rasmus and Erlina. "I think I just witnessed something that I shouldn’t have," she chuckled softly.
"No, Lady Marina. I just need a shoulder to lean on, but it’s done now," Erlina answered with a smile on her face. "Just a woman thing, you should know that," she chuckled.
"Hmm, I don’t have such luxury, but I do understand what you mean," Marina nodded with understanding, and then looked at Rasmus. "Count Blackheart, I believe this is the first time we ever have a proper conversation ever since we met," she smiled softly at Rasmus.
"Yes, and I assumed you have been wanting to have a conversation with me," Rasmus nodded.
"Although, I don’t think I have the time for that now. I have to go back to help the situation that might have gotten worse," Marina looked at the sky as if she could hear something by the expression she made. "So I’m here to ask since my sister said that you promised to go to West Neva next. Are you going to keep that promise?" She asked with her brows raised.
"Yes, I’m planning on doing so once I’m done here," Rasmus nodded, remembering the promise.
"Oh, there’s something else that I want to tell you, Count. It’s more of a warning than an information," Marina said as she looked at the sky that had slowly revealed the hue of dawn. "West Neva might not welcome you. The world over there is completely different from Central and South Neva," she warned as she stared into Rasmus’ eyes.
"The West and East Neva are similar but quite the opposite. East Neva is more of a kill or be killed while West Neva is more of survival of the fittest. They might sound similar, but they’re different," Erlina said as she looked at Rasmus.
"Direct and indirect violence. I understand that much," Rasmus nodded with understanding. "I will keep it in mind, and I’ll ask Alexander about the world in West Neva," he lowered his head slightly to show his respect.
"Please do, and until then, farewell," Marina lowered her head slightly before a whirlwind appeared around her body before she completely disappeared into thin air.
Rasmus slowly looked up and noticed it was dawn already.
"Time seems to be catching up on me, and time will wait for no one..." Rasmus muttered as he closed his eyes.
