novelraw Chapter 301: The Curse is Me
Chapter 301: The Curse is Me
Evangeline quickly set the glass down, coughing softly as the burn spread down her throat. She hadn’t realized it was alcohol—let alone something stronger than the usual kind.
"They must have offered me the wrong drink," she murmured, trying to compose herself.
So she smiled faintly and placed her hand in his, her touch light and hesitant. She tried to offer a smile though it didn’t come too widely. "I only hope you don’t mind my dreadful dancing skills," she murmured.
"N–No, I don’t mind— I mean! You couldn’t possibly have dreadful dancing skills," Liam stammered in a rush.
As he looked over her shoulder, Evangeline followed his gaze and spotted three young men about his age, half-hidden by the crowd, raising their glasses to hide their laughter as they cheered him on.
"Perhaps they mistook you for a Seraphess," said a warm voice.
She turned as the man gave a courteous bow, his silver-rimmed glasses slipping slightly down the bridge of his nose. He took the glass from her hand and passed it to a nearby servant before turning back to her. The light caught on the gold thread of his uniform, the kind worn by attendants of the ballroom.
"I don’t have wings," she said quietly.
"Some don’t need wings to shine," he replied, a gentle smile softening his face. "Servants often decide who’s Seraph and who’s not just by appearance. I suppose they saw how radiant you are, miss..." His brown eyes held both shyness and courage. "May I ask your name?"
"Evangeline," she answered politely.
Though she was wary of strange men, there was something disarmingly nervous about him. His sincerity made it difficult to remain guarded.
"I’m Liam. Liam Barney," he said, straightening his glasses. "I suppose you don’t remember me? We’ve met before."
Evangeline tilted her head, brows furrowing. She didn’t interact with many men which became an easy clue to narrow the search, but no matter how hard she tried to untangle her memory, Liam’s face didn’t surface.
"I’m sorry," she said softly. "I can’t seem to remember."
Liam shook his head quickly, almost flustered. "No, no, please don’t apologize. I wouldn’t expect you to. We were only in the same room back then— I never had the courage to introduce myself." His smile grew faintly wistful. "I told myself that if I ever met you again, I wouldn’t let the chance slip. And... well, it seems fate has been kind."
Was this affection?
Evangeline blinked, looking back at the shy Liam feeling nervous with the sudden attention given by the young man. She didn’t recall when the last time someone had confessed ever feeling attracted to her and though Liam didn’t make it too obvious with his words, his expression said almost everything that needed to be known.
Silence settled between them—a little awkward, yet not entirely unpleasant. Evangeline wasn’t sure what to say, and Liam seemed occupied with searching for the right words to keep her entertained.
At last, she spoke first. "Is that... a uniform?"
"Oh?" He glanced down, brushing his hand over his coat—a deep reddish black trimmed with gold at the sleeves. An eagle-shaped brooch glimmered faintly on his chest pocket, catching her eye. She frowned slightly, realizing she had seen that symbol somewhere before.
"Yes," Liam said with a small, proud smile. "I was recently chosen as one of the youth members of the organization."
"Organization?" she asked curiously. "Is it a church group?"
"No, no," he chuckled softly. "It was Lord Valentine who founded it. A place where those blessed with intellect can come together to solve cases. We call it the Case Organization. I’m still new, and tonight I’m here to represent our members to the guests."
"Such a brilliant idea," Evangeline murmured, her gaze drifting again to the eagle brooch. She had always admired clever, accomplished people— those who could think, reason, and contribute meaningfully to the world. Knowing that Hades himself led such an organization only deepened her quiet admiration for him.
Liam noticed her interest and smiled. "If you’re intrigued, they do have open seats for women as well."
"Oh, no," she said quickly, shaking her head. "I wouldn’t belong there." Her voice softened, almost a whisper. "I can’t even read. I’d only slow everyone down." and before Liam could say anything to add, she continued, "By the way, where have you seen me before, Sir Barney?"
"Oh, not long ago," Liam smiled shyly as he eagerly explained, "I don’t think you remembered but I saw you in this castle. I was called here to see Lord Valentine when I saw you being lead here. I saw you looking at the portraits and... I thought since then that I would like to see you again..."
Though Liam was sincere and she was touched by his quiet admiration, she didn’t know how to return such affection, especially as she had just known Liam for a brief minute.
While wiping his palms on his coat, Liam cleared his throat. "I–If you don’t mind, Miss Eva, would you care for a dance?"
Evangeline blinked. A dance? Of all things— she hadn’t even imagined it. She was awful at dancing. She had never properly practiced before, and the thought of stepping into the center of a glittering floor, surrounded by hundreds of eyes, made her stomach twist in dread.
Her first instinct was to decline as gently as she could— but then she noticed his hand. How Liam’s fingers trembled slightly as he held it out to her, his ears and neck flushed red, as though he had gathered every ounce of courage he had just to ask.
The sight disarmed her. It was rare for anyone to approach her with such sincerity, and she couldn’t bear the thought of make him return with a broken heart and courage.
So she smiled faintly and placed her hand in his, her touch light and hesitant. She tried to offer a smile though it didn’t come too widely. "I only hope you don’t mind my dreadful dancing skills," she murmured.
"N–No, I don’t mind— I mean! You couldn’t possibly have dreadful dancing skills," Liam stammered in a rush.
As he looked over her shoulder, Evangeline followed his gaze and spotted three young men about his age, half-hidden by the crowd, raising their glasses to hide their laughter as they cheered him on.