Reincarnated Hero System

Eliza had simply been doing what Evan had thought of earlier—looking for a suitably sized rose to pluck and use with her dress for the night.

She was contemplating either going with a red rose to match her dress, or a golden rose to match her hair, and it was during this contemplation period that she had taken off her hat, attempting to compare the shade of her golden blonde locks with that of the rose petals.

Suddenly, the blowing of the wind intensified and the cold winter breeze swirled some petals on the floor, turning them into a whirlpool that flew towards her eyes.

In an attempt to stop them, she had accidentally let go of her hat and it got carried with the wind, blown away to a rose arch a short distance from her.

Before Eliza used her magic to pick it up, someone who turned around the corner saw it and beat her to the punch.

He had dark-wine coloured hair and similarly coloured eyes, as well as an objectively handsome face.

For some reason, he froze at the sight of her and Eliza tilted her head in confusion, wondering why he hadn’t returned it to her.

‘She looks familiar…where have I seen her before? Oh well, doesn’t matter.’

Suddenly, his lips curled up into a smile and he approached Eliza, his heart racing like a teenage boy experiencing his first love. Stopping a distance away, he courteously held out the hat and spoke.

“Behold, a hat bearing the essence of a lovely lady has descended before me. Permit me the honour of returning it, and perhaps, in doing so, may I also be granted the privilege of holding onto that lady’s heart?”

Eliza barely held in the laugh that threatened to escape her lips when she heard the words the young man had spoken shamelessly.

‘How can you say this without being embarrassed? I’m the one being spoken to but I’m suffering from second-hand embarrassment here…’

Naturally, she understood that the young man was hitting on her but the thought of entertaining his advances did not even exist in her head.

“Thank you for returning the hat.”

While speaking, she accidentally let out a small laugh. However, Eliza was someone who could be described with the words ‘terrifyingly beautiful’; so even this little gesture appeared enchanting to the observer.

In the eyes of the man before her, it looked like she was giving him a smile.

“Even your voice is beautiful. I am Count Christopher Cheverton of the Duke of Cheverton.”

“Oh…”

His self-introduction prompted Eliza to remember the Duke who had helped A LOT during the Dullahan Attack, as well as the other wine-haired girl she had seen not too long ago.

‘So, this is Charise’s brother…’

“The instant my eyes beheld you, it felt as if these exquisite golden roses had taken human form.”

“…”

Eliza was wondering how to reply to him when she sensed Evan’s presence get closer, her gaze automatically turning in his direction.

‘Oh, the garden is like a maze so they’d probably end up coming from somewhere else…’

Her looking away to spot Evan was seen by Christopher as her looking away out of embarrassment, so he spoke to ‘reassure’ her.

“I can see you think I’m being overly generous with my words, but I assure you, this is no exaggeration.

Never have I encountered such beauty in all the lands I’ve travelled. May I have the honour of learning your noble name?”

“…”

‘Ah, right. This guy was around.

Oh well, Charise is there with them so it’s better if she comes to take her brother away.’

Such was Eliza’s train of thought, however, her continued silence made Christopher’s heart grow impatient.

“I would never speak or act rashly. Your noble beauty has captivated me completely.

Would you care to join me for a walk? I sincerely look forward to hearing more from you as we breathe in the fragrant scent of roses.”

‘This one’s aggressive…I’d like to see Evan’s aggressive side once though.

He’s usually in control of himself most of the time…even when he’s clearly turned on by me. I’d also like to see him unsettled…it’d be such a nice gap…’

While Christopher was full of confidence as he had never been rejected before, Eliza’s head was filled with thoughts of Evan, Evan and some more Evan.

So absorbed in himself, Christopher did not pick up on the dumbfounded gazes watching them. They were from the side that was close to the rear of the direction where Eliza stood.

Funny enough, as Eliza’s mind was engrossed in imagining an aggressive Evan, she had ended up missing when he had finally arrived.

As such, she did not see Evan’s face and correct Charise’s misunderstanding that the boy was calm.

Others would not be able to tell, but a single glance was all Eliza needed to know when Evan was contemplating killing something.

◇　◇　◇

The sight of someone making a pass at their girlfriend was NOT something anyone would like, and Evan was no different.

He was in a very happy mood earlier as he prepared for the surprise to give Eliza that night when he cut his call with Countess Sofia and saw…this.

His sky-high mood crashed to rock bottom in a split second.

‘Tsk…this is the problem with having a beautiful girlfriend. You’d have flies buzzing around.’

Outwardly, Evan’s expression was unchanged but inwardly, he reminded himself that this was Duke Cheverton’s son and killing him would not be a good idea.

‘Maybe I’d get off with blinding him…’

Such a thought crossed Evan’s mind as he appeared behind Eliza who had finally noticed him and was in the midst of turning around, completely ignoring Christopher’s persistent insinuation of a date.

“That would be difficult, Count Christopher. She has a prior engagement.”

Eliza’s face carried a faint blush, obviously not because of Christopher, but because she had suddenly heard Evan’s voice—the same voice she had just imagined saying a few obscenities to her.

Ignorant of this, Evan wrapped his arm around Eliza’s waist and pulled her into his arms.

Christopher was surprised at Evan’s sudden emergence, he was surprised again at him naturally embracing the young woman, and he was shocked speechless by Evan’s following words.

“So? What business do you have with my girlfriend?”

“…Ev-C-count Bourne’s…girl…friend?”

He instantly recognized Evan despite never having met him in person, as such, he almost called out the boy’s name. However, his noble background kicked in and he quickly switched to Evan’s title.

His eyes shook tremendously with shock, as the young woman who had captured his heart in an instant was already dating another man.

The sight of Eliza adjusting Evan’s arm around her waist to see if it could wrap all around her—this casual action shocked him all over again.

Seeing as Christopher’s gaze was still on Eliza, Evan’s eyes narrowed in displeasure.

“Count Christopher.”

His deep voice forced the young man’s gaze to snap in his direction and at this, Evan warned.

“Do not personally approach my girlfriend like this again.”

His eyes held a different message, however. Something that read ‘Get the fuck out now!’

Christopher sensed this hidden message and frowned.

“Your words are too harsh, Count Bourne. It was just a momentary idle conversation.

Even being Married does not mean a woman becomes another’s possession, much less merely dating.”

“…”

Looks of shock adorned the faces of everyone present. Even Charise who wanted to smack her brother’s mouth shut was dumbfounded at his words.

It sounded like Christopher was saying he would make a pass at Eliza again.

“…”

“Duke Cheverton really is an amazing man. He was able to have a son who lives like he has an Extra life.”

Evan’s calm voice delivered this gentle threat and sensing the hidden meaning in his words, Laurene’s instincts kicked in and she reached out to Charise who was closest to Christopher.

“Wha… what??”

As Christopher replied in a fluster, the wind rustled some petals and sent them flying in Eliza’s face, with some getting stuck in her hair.

She frowned and pulled out a handheld mirror to take a look at her hair, and it was because of this that she saw the look in Evan’s eyes through his reflection.

Just like Laurene, she instinctively moved.

Suddenly—

***WHOOOSSHHH!!!!!

—there was a mighty gust of wind from that roared from the west, sweeping eastward with such a force that it nearly knocked Charise, Richard and Myra off their feet. The girl’s skirts whopped about wildly in the air and the fallen rose petals on the floor were knocked off.

The wind also held enough force to flatten nearly every single rose plant behind them.

“…what?”

Charise questioned dumbfoundedly from behind the barrier Laurene had conjured at the last split second.

Richard and Myra, equally stunned, blinked repeatedly at the sight before them.

Christopher was down on the floor, his skin pale as a sheet of paper and his eyes wide with terror, as if he had seen a ghost.

Eliza’s mirror lay shattered in two on the floor, and her left hand, which had been holding the mirror, now clutched Evan’s left hand, halted just an inch from where Christopher’s face had been moments earlier.

“Don’t kill him, Evan.”

“Come on, Liz. I wouldn’t do that. It’s a crime to kill someone in the Castle.”

Evan’s reply was one that insinuated Christopher’s fate would have been vastly different had they not been in the castle, and Eliza who knew he was saying that just to scare the poor guy, only sighed.

She held out her hand and a burst of ether was released from her form, permeating into the surroundings and causing the half-destroyed rose garden to surge with life once more.

The fallen stands rose up and the creeping roses bloomed beautifully, creating a picturesque scene.

Yet, when the onlookers turned their attention back to the person who had wrought this transformation, they found that both she and her boyfriend had vanished.

◇　◇　◇

“Evan, your reaction now was too much.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“It’s best to just ignore things like that. It matters not what he says anyway, since I’m yours. I didn’t even hear the half of it since my mind was filled with thoughts of yo-Ah!”

Eliza realised her slip up, but by then it was already too late. Seeing this reaction, Evan’s annoyance vaporised and he burst out laughing.

“Thought of who, my dear Liz?”

The girl pouted and looked away, a blush creeping up her cheeks as the scenes she had imagined earlier resurfaced in her mind.

“I wonder, what were you thinking about?”

“…shut up.”

Eliza covered his mouth to stop him from talking, but she could not do anything about the mirth in his eyes.

While she was drowning in her embarrassment, a part of Evan’s mind was thinking something else.

‘Countess Sofia better bring that thing this night!’