Chapter 16
Obviously, if Gabriel is a sub-male lead, my guilt would lessen. Stealing Kanna's husband feels different from a man who had a crush on Kanna falling for someone else. The feeling, that is. Pushing aside the awkwardness, I gave halfhearted responses to Kanna's mumbling, and before I knew it, the topic had shifted to the painting.
"The painting?"
"Yes. They say it was donated to the temple."
"Really? If it's a painting of Donau's dead appearance, I would like to see it once."
Right? I am curious about how sacred they must have painted it for people to call it an angel and whatnot over a corpse painting.
"Want to go see it? I can't go, though."
"Why? I'll go with the young lady...."
"Kanna!"
As Kanna was about to suggest going together, Hena hastily cut her off. Hena, nice!
Kanna, who had been bewildered, nodded after seeing that I detested the idea.
"Well... the young lady would find it repulsive."
Correct. I am curious, but seeing it is different. I don't particularly want to go look at a painting of a human corpse. A corpse painting, as a modern person, isn't that a bit... criminal?
Of course, rofan residents like Kanna or Hena would have a different standpoint. The era is in the past, and there are religions that place sublime meaning in death itself. Here too, words like angel and God's blessing came from the temple, so isn't that the case?
"If you're going to see it, you should go quickly."
Gabriel seemed to want to take the painting down, so it might be discarded soon.
***
Kanna and Hena decided to go to the temple to see the painting. Since they were going out after a long time, I gave them plenty of money to buy delicious food and have fun. Ten gold coins should be enough, right?
There could be pickpockets, and thugs might threaten them to hand over all their money, so I split the gold coins into two pockets and gave them one each.
"Young lady... with this, I could even buy a house."
No, Hena! How can you buy a house with this. How expensive are house prices these days! Ah, this was inside a novel. But in rofan, protagonists go around throwing tens of thousands of gold. Are house prices a bit cheap here?
"Really?"
"Yes. You can buy a house for about 5 gold."
Whoa. Then with the money I just gave, I could buy two houses? Evangelin didn't spend money and saved it up, so gold coins were piled like a mountain in her room. Now I understand why rofan female leads speculate in real estate. Damn! If I only knew the original work, I wouldn't be obsessed with the summoning circle but would become a speculator.
"I have lots of money too!"
Kanna said she also had a lot of money and showed her pocket. Inside, there was one silver coin mixed with copper coins. You say you have lots of money but there's no gold coin and only one silver? It's not like Kanna is a beginner... surely they don't pay salaries late?
"Hena. How much do servants usually receive?"
"The Rohanson mansion pays high wages, but other places usually have an annual salary of around 4 silver."
4 silver?
"Twenty silver coins make one gold coin."
Hena hurriedly added. I'm sorry for being such a foolish master who doesn't even know this basic common knowledge. As expected, it was good to say I lost my memory.
Twenty silver coins for one gold coin. If the annual salary is 4 silver, that means you have to work for 5 years to receive one gold coin? Whoa... then the ten gold coins I just gave them would require 50 years of work? Now I understand why Kanna and Hena were flustered when they received it.
But with prices like this, why does Evangelin have so much money?
Ah. Come to think of it, Evangelin's mother was said to be a duke's daughter in her diary. Perhaps it's money secretly left to Evangelin by her mother, separate from that wretched Count Rohanson.
Then the money Kanna proudly showed must be her salary too. 1 silver is actually a lot then.
"Young lady, I think you gave us too much."
"It's fine."
Hena was flustered, but I had no intention of taking it back. Villainesses are supposed to buy hearts with money. Besides, Kanna is a rofan heroine, how does being penniless make sense!
My heart became bitter. Most rofan heroines are nobles, so why did Kanna have to fall into the minority side!
Honestly, I don't know why this rofan worldview has such a downward status patch. Is it because it's a tragic rofan? The heroine is a maid, and the villainess isn't even a duchess but a count's daughter, and whether the male lead or sub-male lead is the knight captain... No good. Gabriel is disqualified as the male lead after all. Kanna's partner must absolutely be a duke.
"Then we'll be on our way."
The prepared count family carriage arrived, so now it was time to send the two off. My innocent children, don't get hurt out there, don't get scammed, be careful of people... no, be careful of carriages.
"You know what to do when you get there, right?"
"Yes. I'll check if Sir Gabriel is handling the work properly and come back."
I asked them to check if he's doing the work well since they were going anyway, suspecting Gabriel might be a sub-male lead. If he can't do the work, he's disqualified as a male lead and is just a sub-male lead winner.
Even if I don't go with them, I sent a letter in advance asking them to take good care of things, and Kanna is a related party so she'll explain well.
"Will it be okay if I don't go with you?"
"Yes. Instead, the young lady always watches over us."
Kanna seemed to trust me at a religious level now. I'm grateful she trusts me, but I'm not a god, Kanna, and I can't always watch over you....
"Since you're riding the Rohanson count family carriage, you won't get caught up in unnecessary trouble."
Hena explained the meaning of Kanna's words. Ah. So that's what she meant.
Kanna must have suffered from Evangelin before. What kind of lip service is that?
***
The carriage that left the Rohanson mansion rolled smoothly.
Perhaps because it bore a noble family's crest, no one blocked the way, so they arrived very quickly. Unless someone has two lives, no one rushes at a noble's carriage. Even if they get run over and their legs are crushed, typical nobles would get angry that someone blocked their way.
Kanna looked at the bustling district scenery passing outside the window and marveled at its splendor.
"Sister. Should we stop by a boutique too? Let's buy desserts to give to the young lady!"
"Kanna, surely you're not planning to spend the money the young lady gave us?"
"Why? She gave it to us to spend."
The young lady seemed not to know the prices and gave 10 gold, but even if she knew, she wouldn't have given less. Besides, whether we return the money as is or spend some and keep the rest, she wouldn't mind. Even if Kanna bought a house she liked while out, she would probably just accept it.
Sister doesn't realize the favor she's receiving now, so she's always frightened and checking like that, but actually, the young lady generously overlooks even when Kanna acts cheekily.
'Sister needs to realize someday that the young lady cherishes us.'
Of course, not wanting to pressure Hena, Kanna didn't rashly try to persuade her.
"Sister. I've never been to a place like that before, that's why. I'm sorry."
"Kanna..."
Instead, she lowered her eyes and acted completely dejected. When she acts like this, Hena acts as if she'd pluck the sun from the sky for Kanna out of pity. It seems a bit cunning, but it wasn't a lie either.
Kanna had been weak since birth, and until recently she was so sick she seemed like she would die soon, so of course she had never seen the bustling district. Of course, she had no money to go either.
And Hena probably couldn't go often either. She would have had to spend whatever money she earned on Kanna.
"Alright. Let's stop by on the way back later."
"Thank you, sister! I'm so happy!"
As Kanna smiled broadly with joy, Hena, who had been stiff until now, also quietly smiled.
She hoped her sister, who had sacrificed for her always sick younger sister, would spend money on herself this opportunity. And buy a gift with money she earned directly, not the money the young lady gave. Then her sister would be very happy, right? Kanna started thinking about what gift to buy.
"But just for a little while. If we're too late, the young lady will be waiting."
"Yeah. I promise."
Of course, the young lady would know everything Kanna and Hena were doing outside. Instead of making excuses like that, Kanna just nodded quietly.
'Sister must not have eyes, after all.'
Kanna poked the eye right next to her. The eye seemed startled, squeezed its eyelid shut, then glared at Kanna, wet with tears.
The young lady had attached an eye to Kanna. If it had been clusters floating around the young lady or things growing like mold on the mansion walls, she would have felt repulsed.
But perhaps because it was a single eye that popped out from there, instead of being grotesque as it should be, it actually felt cute. Is it because it's an eye the young lady attached?
This eye protected Kanna when the young lady wasn't there.
Before, it had dealt with a servant who came up to the 3rd floor and was rummaging through the room.
According to her sister, there was an order not to wander around the 3rd floor, but seeing him sneak in, it looked like he came to secretly steal anything valuable from the countess's room.
He didn't seem to know at all that Kanna and Hena stayed on the 3rd floor. Since he hadn't come targeting them in the first place, I intended to just scare him and send him back.
I only made him kneel, but he must have been very frightened, as the servant begged to be spared, saying he'd give all his possessions. I had no intention of harming him. Him crying and begging for his life reminded me of when I was kidnapped by Donau, so I just sent him back. After that, I heard from Hena that a strange rumor was circulating.
'They say the countess's ghost wanders on the 3rd floor.'
For reference, the story also said to offer silver coins to escape the countess's ghost. It was obvious who the source was.
***
"Um... we've arrived."
The coachman called Hena and Kanna. His voice trembling and not being able to make eye contact clearly showed he was uncomfortable dealing with Hena.
Since becoming the young lady's confidant, all the mansion's servants found Hena intimidating.
The exclusive maid of 'that' Lady Evangelin.
That was what Hena was called in the mansion these days. Previously, several people expressed fear and submitted their resignations, and with the rumor that Daisy went blind and was sent to a convent, Hena working perfectly stood out even more in contrast.
Kanna not only never left the young lady's side but also wasn't officially hired, so people didn't know her face and treated her normally. Of course, after having a normal conversation and parting ways, it was common to later wonder 'But who was that girl?' and try to recall.
"Thank you."
"No, no. I'll wait here."
Would that coachman remember the fact that he used to occasionally chat with Hena in the past, now that he speaks formally to a mere maid?
"It's splendid."
Ignoring the coachman's flustered reaction toward Hena, Kanna, who had been looking up at the Great Temple, voiced her impression.