Chapter 54
The child nestled in Lady Toten's arms appeared to be merely six years old at most. One could tell at a glance that illness hung heavily over him, and I immediately recognized him as the sick son they had mentioned. His condition looked far worse than I had expected. I could understand why the butler had said there was no hope.
"Butler! What have you done by not sending Rider back?"
When Lady Toten shouted sternly, the butler lowered his head as if ashamed.
"Please do not blame him. I told him not to stop me."
"Rider...."
As if handling something fragile, Lady Toten stroked the child's head with extreme care.
"Did you come because Mommy wasn't there?"
"Yes. And a guest has arrived, so I couldn't simply lie in bed."
Lady Toten, the butler, and the child's eyes all turned to me. Right, this is all because of me. Isn't it?
I was so embarrassed I wanted to hide behind Hena. But doing so would likely spawn another rumor that Evangelin had no shame and hid behind her maid, so I endured it stubbornly.
*Cough.* "I am Rider Toten, my Lady."
The child's voice was very faint, as if he lacked even the strength to cough. Seeing Rider cough while offering his greetings deepened my guilt. I should have just told Lady Toten to come to the Rohanson mansion!
Lady Toten looked at me as if asking why I wasn't greeting him back, so I gathered my dress and offered my greeting as well.
"I am Evangelin Rohanson. Young Master Toten, thank you for welcoming me despite your poor health."
I greeted her as humbly as I had learned from Dolrine, yet Lady Toten and her son looked at me strangely. Well, what went wrong? I tried my best to follow what I was taught!
Lady Toten averted her eyes from me. How shocking. She must have found it too unbearable to watch. Instead of mocking my greeting for being such a mess, she pretended not to see it, which was truly considerate of her.
"Are you satisfied now? Your coughing is severe, so let us go inside quickly."
*Cough, cough.* "Yes, Mother. Lady Rohanson, I am not feeling well, so I will retire now."
After I offered my greeting, Lady Toten urged Rider to return to his room and rest, saying they had now received their guest.
"Yes. Please rest well."
Though the child staggered, he walked on his own with support rather than being carried. Lady Toten watched her son's retreating figure and asked quietly, her voice so soft that Rider could not hear it.
"How old does he appear to you?"
His age? At most, perhaps six years old?
"About six years old."
"Rider is eight years old. But his illness makes him look much younger."
The child truly had a youthful face. No wonder he spoke so maturely and fluently. As Lady Toten said, his illness seemed to make him appear even smaller.
Only after Rider disappeared from sight did Lady Toten return to her seat. Gone was the perfect etiquette she had displayed until now; her slumped posture in the chair made her look utterly exhausted.
"...You are right. Since the Lady was honest with me, I shall also speak my true heart. Truthfully, I wanted to see with my own eyes after hearing that Lady Rohanson had made a full recovery."
Lady Toten finally admitted her true intentions.
"I was curious how someone who had not recovered even after using holy water could be completely healed."
Lady Toten glanced sideways. Following her gaze, I saw a symbol of the Sun God adorning the wall. Not made of simple symbols but carved with elaborate detail, it was a pattern I had also seen in Gabriel's Conquest. Why did that pattern look so ornate? Gabriel, who had even drawn Donau's corpse like a moth, would never be able to replicate that.
"It was such an obvious ploy, so of course you noticed. But I was flustered because I didn't know how to bring it up first."
"The butler of the Marquis house gave me advance word."
"The butler...?"
"Yes. He serves the Marquis house most loyally. Working diligently behind your back without your knowledge, Madam."
Butler grandfather, I did not forget to praise you! When you receive a bonus later, you will know it was thanks to me, understood?
Lady Toten seemed unaware that the butler had been working so hard behind her back, repeatedly murmuring "The butler, the butler?" She must be considering whether to give him a bonus. Or perhaps wondering how much to give?
Having settled on an amount, Lady Toten ended her muttering and returned to the original topic.
"Since you spoke first, I shall dare to ask. Is there a method to cure Rider? How did you recover? Please, I beg you to tell me. If there is any hope of improvement for our Rider, I can give anything...."
Finally, the long-awaited moment had arrived. Lady Toten must be thinking that a lifeline had descended to her.
And I must shatter her expectations. This must be how a doctor feels when pronouncing a death sentence. Let me prepare to be grabbed by the collar.
"I am sorry to disappoint your expectations, but there is no way."
"What?"
Lady Toten asked again as if she had misheard. I thought she wouldn't spit on a smiling face, so I smiled, but then belatedly realized that in this situation, I would look like a psychopath, so I put on a serious expression. But this too made me look like a madman. I suppose I truly have no talent for acting....
"Lies, those are lies, aren't they? You are just hiding it from me, right? Why, is the price I offered insufficient? I can even hand over the Marquis mansion. Lady Rohanson, please. Please, I beg you to tell me."
Lady Toten seemed to believe I was concealing the truth. She had even added the Marquis mansion to the bargaining table. As she spoke, her body leaned increasingly toward me.
"There is truly nothing you can do, Madam."
Her appearance was so pitiful that I grasped her shoulder.
"Why won't you tell me? Because I approached you using Sir Gabriel? I did have ulterior motives, but wasn't it helpful to the Lady? Please, have pity on Rider, who shares a similar plight to you."
Lady Toten now looked ready to weep. Her deeply contorted face clearly revealed the sorrow welling up within her.
No.... There really is nothing, what can I do. Evangelin simply died, and I happened to possess her body with fortunate timing. She truly won't believe me. This must be why the butler grandfather told me to prepare myself mentally beforehand. But butler grandfather, the special mission you assigned me is failing spectacularly.
This won't do. I need to circumvent this another way. I need to convey the fact that there is nothing to convey. Ah, right. Let us use the rumors circulating in the world!
"Have you perhaps not heard the rumor that I am not truly 'Evangelin'?"
"Surely you're saying that rumor is true? Please do not mock me. The Lady's deportment is not something that can be cultivated in a day or two."
I had failed. This was all because Dolrine had taught me so well. It wasn't a day or two, but I only learned for two weeks, you know? My talent is truly fearsome.
I needed to find an excuse that would make Lady Toten immediately understand and withdraw. But nothing came to mind? When I desperately looked at Hena for help, Hena gave me a hint.
Our Hena is a genius!
Right. Lady Toten is a devoted believer of the Sun God, so this method should work well. I leaned in as if sharing a secret and whispered in Lady Toten's ear.
"I summoned a demon."
"What?"
"I prayed to a demon to save Evangelin Rohanson."
The word Hena had mouthed to me was 'demon.' After saying it, she flinched and covered her mouth—was she impressed by her own brilliant idea?
I wore the smile that had frightened even Donau in his youth. I cannot act, but I can imitate a villainess well. Or perhaps because Evangelin is simply a villainess, everything she does gets filtered through a negative lens.
"Could you abandon the Rachel you love so dearly and lean upon a demon?"
Surely she cannot. Lady Toten is a devout follower of the Sun Cult. In the world of fiction, religious influence is always extraordinary. It is not for nothing that Saints are so popular. As expected, Lady Toten was struck speechless.
Still, in case she might be tempted by the offer, I added:
"Even if the price demanded is not the Marquis mansion but a human life? Even if that life belongs to an innocent stranger?"
For reference, this was one of the theories that emerged from the debate about what Evangelin does with the children she purchases. It is that same bizarre rumor that made Misha immediately shout that I could not touch human skin.
Later I heard through Misha that the most prevalent hypothesis was that Evangelin required human lives to maintain her healthy body. I used that hypothesis to crush Lady Toten's vain hope, but... I really must make my debut in society to correct these false rumors that have spread.
***
Rider, who had returned to his room at the Marchioness's urging, was in a deeply dejected state.
"Was I a disturbance?"
"Not at all. You were very dignified."
Rak shook his head at the child's question.
The sight of him dragging his ailing body to greet a guest out of duty as master was remarkably impressive for his age. Even though he looked ready to collapse at any moment, was he not walking back to his room alone, refusing any support?
"Butler, how did I appear? Was I fitting of Young Lord Toten?"
"Yes. Very much so. If the late Marquis had seen you, he would have been most pleased."
Only after Rak mentioned the late Marquis in his praise did Rider relax with satisfaction. As his body swayed momentarily, Rak hurriedly reached out, but the child leaned against the wall and steadied himself on his own.
"Forgive me, I shall rest for just a moment...."
Rak admired the child's mental fortitude. His body was weakening as if he might die at any moment, yet he never let it show.
If not for this cursed body, he would have been perfectly suited to be the lord of the Toten family. If the child had been born healthy, surely Rak would not have needed to scheme like this from the shadows.
"Please do not overexert yourself further. Lean on me. There is no one watching, is there?"
Rider was the type who cared not only about the eyes of fellow nobles but even the servants working in the mansion. Before them, he wished to appear not as a sickly young master, but as the Young Lord.
As the butler said, the mansion's staff were now distracted with attending to the guest they had not welcomed in so long. Thanks to that, there was no one on the upper floor.
Persuaded, Rider leaned into the butler's embrace. Rak was surprised by how light the child in his arms felt, but he tried not to show it as he made his way to the room.