At the same time, in a different place.
In an expansive bedroom, illuminated only by the glow of the moon filtering through the windows, its owner lay sound asleep. Suddenly, the door sprang open, and the soft, elegant sound of footsteps echoed through the room. The intruder approached the side of the bed, then, in a clear and respectful voice, called out.
The sound of her name stirred Eva from her sleep, and though she immediately woke, she took a moment to prop herself up in bed. Seeing the still-dark room and sensing something was off, being awakened in the middle of the night, she glanced at her maid and asked.
"Sophia, what is it?"
Standing at the side, Sophia, now addressed, replied promptly.
"I was previously informed that that man had actually made an order for an assassin to go after Mr. Christian. However, while things were still progressing slowly, yesterday, after learning what you two shared outside, he became enraged and issued another order to speed things up."
"And I just received news that the assassin should have already gone to fulfill the mission."
Eva, who still had sleep in her eyes and hadn't fully come to her senses, felt her drowsiness vanish instantly upon hearing her maid's words. Her eyes widened, and she sprang to her feet immediately, asking to confirm what she'd just heard.
"Did that bastard Damian really do that? And why am I only hearing about it now?"
As Eva went to change her clothes hurriedly, Sophia stood still at the side silently for a moment, appearing to ponder her answer, before she finally spoke.
"But you were the one who wanted to test things out, and since it seemed there was still some time before any real action would come from the other side."
"I judged that it was acceptable to delay informing you a little."
Hearing the absurd reply, Eva felt a surge of anger raise toward her loyal maid who had served her since she entered this world. Her usual smile vanished, replaced by a cold, piercing glare directed at Sophia. In a tone far colder and more authoritative than she'd ever used with Christian, she asked.
"Since when did you start making judgments on your own?"
"I won't say anything more now, as time is tight. But don't expect me to just let what you did pass."
"Now, go and change into something more fitting, as you'll be taking action."
Sophia, initially only mildly surprised by the extreme reaction, couldn't help but lift her head and look directly at Eva upon hearing the final sentence. She was astonished, to say the least.
Her master, who had always refused to use her, only considering it as a last resort throughout her life, had now made the prompt decision to call on her, and with such urgency. So, Sophia couldn't be more surprised.
But, feeling the sharp gaze still fixed on her, she quickly regained her composure, lowered her head once again, and, returning to her professional demeanor, finally answered.
"I will start preparing right away."
Eva, giving her order again, watched the back of her maid as she left the room. She felt a surge of irritation at the behavior of someone she had trusted, someone she never expected to play such tricks on her.
While she knew that perhaps it was her maid's way of trying to act in her best interest, that still didn't make it acceptable.
Shaking her head and changing her clothes quickly, Eva made her way to the parking area and stood in front of her car.
It was not the usual luxurious car she would use every day, but another one built for rough situations, with security as its top priority. It could withstand most common threats, not to mention the weapons hidden inside.
It was a car, meant for this kind of situations.
Still, seeing that Sophia had not yet arrived, Eva couldn't help but start tapping her foot impatiently against the cold concrete floor. Making a rhythmic sound echo in the quiet parking area, amplifying her frustration further.
She glanced at her watch from time to time, checking how much time had passed. Her heart raced with each passing second as she felt like it like an eternity.
Eva had unknowingly grown nervous, and anxiety seemed to be eating her up. Though she had known this moment would come, now that it had arrived, she still feared the worst, and even though it was illogical, she couldn't shake the thought that she should have tried to delay the development of things to this extent, even if just a little.
Eva knew that Christian should possess a special ability, but it was geared more toward mental capability, or so she assumed. Of course, she also knew that he was physically strong, but how much strength he actually had, she wasn't sure.
And she was a little fearful of finding out now.
Hearing Sophia's voice the broke the silence, Eva turned to the side to find her dressed in casual clothes. But, knowing that anything aside from that restrictive maid uniform was acceptable for someone like her, Eva didn't comment on her attire, as despite her age, her body remained fit, a testament to her years of training.
Eva simply nodded in acknowledgment, her impatience easing slightly. Then, she made her way to the driver's seat and quickly settled in.
It was an unusual sight, as typically, the maid or another person would drive and the owner would sit, but Sophia said nothing, and Eva, now speeding as fast as she could, focused all her attention on getting there as quickly as possible.
The drive wasn't long, as the distance wasn't that far to begin with, and Eva drove at the maximum speed possible. However, as they neared Christian's house, Sophia, who had been silent the entire way, suddenly spoke.
"Please stop at the side for now, Miss."
Eva glanced at her questioningly but still did as told, pulling over to the side and waiting for Sophia to elaborate.
"Let's wait a little."
Eva narrowed her eyes even further and asked.
She could see Christian's house clearly from where she was, so she didn't understand the need for waiting.
"It seems too quiet, like nothing has happened, so the assassin might not have arrived yet."
"And by parking here, if he were to come, we'd notice immediately."
Hearing the irresponsible response from her maid, Eva couldn't help but raise her voice reprimanding.
"And what if the assassin has already come, and Christian is out there injured, or worse, on the brink of death, all alone, with no one to help him?"
She felt that, in this incident, they were completely out of sync, something rare between them. But knowing it wasn't the time to say more, Eva shot Sophia a final glare before reaching for the door handle, intent on getting out immediately.
Feeling her irritation reach its peak, Eva finally shouted,
And Sophia, feeling uncomfortable with the sight of her miss completely losing her cool, a side she had never seen before, lowered her head and spoke, while pointing with her finger.
"Mr. Christian just came out."
Eva looked where Sophia was pointing and, seeing Christian actually out there, walking toward the side of his car, felt a rush of relief. However, recalling her current situation, she immediately crouched down in her seat and shot a look at Sophia, silently urging her to do the same.
'Wait, why am I hiding?'
As Eva wondered this in her mind, she suddenly heard Sophia's voice again, which strangely she felt quite irritating today.
"But miss, is there really a need to hide? With the kind of tinted glasses the car has, he will never be able to notice us, especially now in the middle of the night."
And hearing the content of what she said, Eva's grudge toward her maid grew even stronger. She also felt like she was losing her dignity, having forgotten something so obvious, and the problem was that she couldn't argue with her on this one.
In the end, with her cheeks turning a little red, Eva returned to her seat, ignoring her maid at the side as if she hadn't heard a thing. Instead, she focused her attention solely on Christian.
She couldn't clearly distinguish things, since it was night and from her current position, but seeing the wrapped bundle-like package Christian was carrying, she felt her chest tighten. Her gaze shifted back to her maid, and all the blame she had been holding earlier melted away. Now, all she wanted was to confirm her suspicions.
"Yes, it should be the corpse of the assassin, just as you suspected."
Holding the steering wheel tightly upon receiving the confirmation, Eva kept her gaze fixed on Christian before finally asking, with her voice tinged with concern.
"How about his expression?"
Eva wanted to know his state, to understand how he was, hoping for some reassurance, even if just a little.