Freya watched, distressed, by the way Evo was acting. His behavior, his tone of voice, the way he moved — everything about him felt strange, and she had no idea why.
They had gone several days without speaking. The last time they saw each other, he had been one person… but now he seemed completely different.
His expression showed not even a drop of warmth. He looked cold and distant.
- E-Ev, how are you?
Freya asked cautiously. His actions were already strange enough; she didn't want to make an already bad situation even worse.
Evo looked at her and felt the pain—along with a hint of fear—visible in her eyes.
There was nothing he could do.
He knew exactly what she was feeling. The Evo now standing before her looked like a stranger.
She feared the Evo she once had in her life had shattered forever.
He wanted to reassure her, tell her his heart had only grown firmer, that he was simply protecting himself for the moment.
But there were more important matters to address now. Their personal issues could come later.
- Yes, I'm fine, Freya.
Evo walked to the armchair facing the sofa where Freya sat. He settled into it, aligning himself with her, gazing straight into her eyes, showing the sincerity of what he was about to say.
Ravina sat beside Freya, staring at Evo. He glanced at her briefly, then turned his attention back to the woman in front of him.
Evo sighed, crossing one leg over the other as he adjusted his posture.
- Freya, we need to talk seriously.
Freya straightened up and nodded. Her personal concerns could wait — she had to pay attention to him now.
- By the way you're speaking… this must be a delicate subject.
Evo looked away for a moment, glancing up at the ceiling as he gathered his thoughts.
- Well, in a way, yes. But before we begin, I want to ask you something.
He looked back at her, and Freya nodded for him to continue.
- Go on, ask, Ev.
- I have a question. Nothing major — just information.
Then Evo finally asked what he wanted to know:
- What is the exact date of the Spring Ball you two are organizing?
Freya and Ravina stared at each other, startled. Then they both looked at Evo.
As if sharing the very same thought, the two asked at once:
- How do you know about that?
Evo found their reaction odd. It was just an event. Even if it wasn't public yet, the staff should already know.
Him knowing about it wasn't a big deal. Even if he had learned it by experiencing the event himself.
If someone had told him, it wouldn't be strange.
But the way they reacted when he mentioned the ball… that planted serious doubts in his mind. Their behavior suggested no one was supposed to know.
Evo narrowed his eyes, curious:
- Why are you two acting like this? I only asked something simple.
- There's no reason for this whole fuss!
He spoke, resigned with the tense atmosphere.
Seeing his confusion, the two of them grew even more unsettled about how Evo knew.
It should have been impossible for him to know about the Ball.
- Evo, I don't understand how you found out about this!
- But answering why we reacted this way… it's simple.
Freya leaned forward, looking straight into Evo's eyes.
- This event… only Ravina and I know about it. No one else. We haven't told a single person.
Evo's eyes widened in shock. A small surge of panic rose inside him.
He didn't understand why no one knew. They were still in spring, and an event like that needed planning and announcements.
At the very least, the staff should know — but apparently, they didn't.
There were still a few days left before the end of the season. They were cutting it extremely close.
Seeing his growing anxiety, Freya added further explanation:
- The Spring Ball is something Ravina and I were planning for… next year's spring.
- It's still just an idea — we haven't planned anything.
- Now do you understand why we're so shocked that you know something only the two of us do?
- It's strange.
Evo's expression grew even more tense as he took it in.
- So everything I saw… is scheduled to happen next year?!
He muttered while scratching his head, staring at the floor.
The event he thought would happen in a few days… was actually a year away.
After a few seconds of thought, he looked at the two women waiting in silence.
- Why is Evo acting like this? How does he know?
Freya wondered internally.
- Could this have something to do with the Goddess's message?
She tried to connect the dots.
But they had too little information. Their conversation with Evo had just begun. Better to wait before forming theories.
Evo, alternating his gaze between the two, finally understood their reaction when he mentioned the ball.
- Of course they would act like this…
- I show up talking about something only they knew. It's extremely suspicious.
- I would react the same way.
He shrugged, reaching a conclusion:
- Well… at least I have more time to do everything. And not make any mistakes.
- If possible, we might even prevent it altogether… Yes, we could even do that…
A plan formed in his mind — a plan that could work, if executed properly.
He had a lot of information. And if that information was used well…
Evo gave a sinister smile — enough to confuse and slightly frighten both women.
- Yes… if everything goes correctly…
- We can end those bastards once and for all.
He murmured to himself, that cruel smile lingering, until Freya snapped him back:
- Ev! What kind of smile is that?
Evo jolted at her urgent tone.
He realized he was showing his excitement far too openly.
- I made a small mistake…
He thought.
Ghn… ghm!
He cleared his throat.
- Sorry… I was thinking out loud.
He apologized and returned to his previous, controlled demeanor.
He quickly planned how he would conduct the conversation from here on — and nodded internally, satisfied.
- Listen, Freya… I ask that you don't question how I know about this — or anything I'm about to say in this room.
- Because even if you ask…
Evo sank deeper into the armchair.
- I honestly don't know how to answer you.
He finished speaking and waited for the two to think and give him an answer.
Freya and Ravina exchanged a long look.
Everything about this was strange. Stranger still was Evo mentioning things no one else should know — and asking them not to question him.
- Suspicious…
Both narrowed their eyes at the same time.
They were ancient — their sense for things out of place was extremely sharp. And everything in that room smelled wrong.
Even Evo's behavior didn't seem natural. It was as if something had forced him into this change.
They analyzed Evo, who was staring up, waiting patiently for them to think before responding.
He knew everything he was doing looked deeply suspicious — and from here on, it would only grow worse.
Because everything Evo still had to say would be like dropping bombs on their laps. And it would change many things from this moment on.