Kinder held her breath the entire ride in the carriage. Fearing that the sound of her breathing might grate on the listeners' ears, she unconsciously lowered her body and stifled her breath. She stole a glance at Evangeline.
Evangeline Rohanson did not reject the hand Kinder had extended. When Kinder asked for help, she readily offered her assistance. Of course, she had warned Kinder that she could not be a "perfect solution," but wasn't that far better than the days when she had spent her entire life praying without receiving a single response?
Why would it not be perfect? Was there a problem with reviving Rider?
Kinder tapped the toes of the slightly oversized shoes together. She was wearing the shoes of the Lady's mother, the late Countess. The Lady had told her to wear them without any particular meaning, but Kinder was seized by a strange feeling.
No emotion was mixed in the Lady's voice when she recalled the Countess. Kinder thought she understood why rumors circulated that the Rohanson Lady was somehow different from others. Was that the problem? If Rider were revived, would he too lose all affection for Kinder and behave like a doll, like the Lady?
"We have arrived."
"Good work, Mellek."
The coachman, who had blindfolded eyes for driving the horses, announced their arrival. It was a conversation outside the carriage, so the words should have been swallowed by the sound of rain, yet the voice was as clear as if spoken right beside her.
The Rohanson Lady descended from the carriage escorted by the monster that was her limb. In front of the Lady, it was obediently rolling over and wagging its tail—truly nothing could be more dog-like.
The accompanying maid hurriedly held an umbrella over the Rohanson Lady. Then the monster extended its hand as if to escort Kinder as well. Kinder turned away from the hand and got off the carriage by herself.
Whether the sight was amusing, the monster chuckled. When Kinder had been pacing and hesitating in front of the Rohanson mansion, that man had suddenly appeared without warning and strangled her throat.
"Oops, my mistake. It was so noisy I almost killed you. Will you keep it a secret that I strangled you? The Master told me to bring you just as you are."
Then he claimed it was a mistake and warned her to keep it secret from the Rohanson Lady. Kinder had never screamed or made a sound, so what did he mean by noisy? Kinder's heart raced wildly. Surely the noise he mentioned wasn't the sound of her heartbeat?
"It's noisy inside?"
At the word "noisy," Kinder recalled the moment she first met the monster disguised as a guard, and goosebumps rose on her skin as she trembled and averted her gaze.
"Could something have happened?"
At the maid's guess, Kinder tilted her head in confusion, then suddenly her face turned pale blue and she rushed inside. She didn't even have time to properly check if Evangeline was following behind.
Only one thing came to mind when it came to the mansion becoming noisy. Rider's death had been discovered! Usually, no one but Kinder would look for the child, so why! Why of all days, today! Had they sensed something strange because Kinder wasn't acting as usual and gone to check on Rider?
"Madam! You must go to the young master quickly! Master Dies has...!"
"Madam, is it true that the young master has passed away?"
The servants, each whispering among themselves, rushed at Kinder and bombarded her with questions. Kinder ignored them as if she heard nothing, clenched her teeth, and quickened her pace.
Kinder stopped at Rider's room, which normally would have been the best-lit place in the mansion. But now it had become the ugliest and darkest spot.
"Why has the Madam come so early... of all times."
The servants gathered in front of Rider's room buzzed with agitation.
"Butler, nanny. What is going on?"
Kinder's voice trembled. The nanny beside the butler avoided looking at Kinder, perhaps unable to face her. It seemed she was at least aware that she was currently acting outside of common sense.
"Madam."
The butler called out to Kinder in bewilderment.
Kinder clenched her fists tightly. Rider's door had been struck with an axe, half of it shattered. Through the large gap in the gaping door, the scene inside Rider's room was visible. Beyond the broken door, a trembling maid was tightly embracing the child.
"Sister-in-law, you've come early."
The culprit was Dies. Dies, holding an axe, greeted Kinder with a brazen smile on his face. He had said he would arrive late at night, but he had arrived while Kinder was away and was running rampant.
"Dies, what is the meaning of this!"
"What do you mean? I just wanted to check on my nephew's condition. The one who did something was probably that maid over there."
Dies pointed shamelessly at the maid tightly embracing Rider beyond the broken door.
"M-Madam..."
The maid called out to Kinder desperately. It was Wether, the maid Kinder had asked to look after Rider. Whether scratched by the broken door pieces, blood was on her face. Even in the confusion of being injured, she had wrapped Rider well in bed sheets and was holding him protectively.
Kinder felt dizzy. Holding Rider so close, Wether must have realized the child was dead. So why had she continued to protect the child?
Kinder couldn't understand. For whatever reason, Wether had honored Kinder's request until the end. If Wether hadn't blocked the way, Rider's death would have been announced long ago.
"I just wanted to see my nephew's face, but she wouldn't let me in. Isn't that suspicious? So I brought an axe and was breaking down the door."
"There's nothing suspicious. I asked her to. I said that since he had finally calmed down after being ill, no one should enter. That maid was just following my orders. Didn't the maid tell you?"
"Ah... come to think of it, I did hear that. I just thought she was lying. My mistake."
Dies curled the corner of his lip in a smile and lowered the axe. It was an eerie smile with eyes that weren't smiling at all. The axe too hadn't been completely released from his hand.
"Now that I've returned, that should be enough, right? You must be tired from going to the Marquis household, so go in and rest quickly."
"Yes, I will. But you know... Sister-in-law, isn't it strange? With all this commotion, my nephew hasn't batted an eye and is fast asleep. He's sleeping like a dead person, isn't he?"
"Didn't I tell you? He's fallen into a deep sleep after being ill for five days. He must be that tired, so he can't hear the surrounding noise."
At Kinder's words, Dies wiped the smile from his face and raised the axe. Instantly, Kinder squeezed her eyes shut in fear, but no pain was felt. When Kinder slightly opened her eyes, Dies had the axe resting on his shoulder.
"Surely you don't think I'd keep swinging an axe so uncivilized? I'm a person with common sense too."
Kinder's face flushed red with shame at being toyed with. Dies had deliberately swung his hand large to threaten Kinder.
"And now that Sister-in-law has arrived, I don't need to deliberately break down the door. That maid will open the door for you. If Sister-in-law is beside me, there shouldn't be a problem with me checking my nephew's condition, right?"
Kinder bit her lip. There was no room for rebuttal. Dies already seemed convinced that Rider was dead. To Kinder's eyes too, Rider looked exactly like a corpse, even thinner and lifeless from being ill for several days. He wasn't breathing, nor showing any movement like tossing in his sleep, so anyone observing for a long time would have to notice that the child had already passed. And if the blanket Wether was covering him with was removed, surely there would be death marks all over his body.
"Tell them to open the door. Why don't you check? Aren't you worried about your son? Let's go in and see together."
"Ah, if the axe is the problem, I'll put it down right now."
Dies threw the axe to the floor. The blade spun and slid to Kinder's feet. It could have caused a serious injury, but Kinder didn't react. When Dies couldn't get a reaction from Kinder, he changed his target.
"Hey, your mistress has arrived, what are you doing not coming out? If you don't come out quickly, you're fired. If firing isn't enough, I'll call the guards. I'll hand you over to the guards for the crime of kidnapping and imprisoning a noble heir, so know that."
Wether looked at Kinder with wavering eyes. If she had laid hands on a noble heir, it wouldn't end with just a fine. Since Rider was dead, she could even be framed as a murderer.
The gathered onlookers began whispering, asking if the young master really was dead. Kinder bit her lower lip. What should she do? She felt driven to the edge of a cliff. One step forward and she would fall to the bottom. Or perhaps she had already fallen.
No. Kinder looked for Evangeline. If it was the Lady, the Rohanson Lady would create a breakthrough.
Where was the Lady? Had Kinder run ahead on her own and couldn't find her way properly?
Kinder looked around, and when her eyes met something white in the corner of her vision, she gasped.
The Rohanson Lady was right beside her. Her presence was so clear and distinct that Kinder didn't know why she had only now noticed. It was strange that she hadn't perceived the Lady until now. However, not just Kinder, but even Dies and the butler were unaware of the Lady's presence.
"P-please help me... Lady."
Evangeline, who had been observing the situation like a third party detached from reality, only moved leisurely after Kinder asked for help. The air changed with every step the Rohanson Lady took.
On the first step, people were surprised by the suddenly appearing presence; on the second step, they lost their words at the Rohanson Lady's commanding presence; and on the third footstep, they held their breath in fear from the pressure Evangeline Rohanson exuded.
"W-who..."
Only Dies managed to speak. Even then, he stammered and could barely get a word out.
The Rohanson Lady paid no attention to someone like Dies and looked only at Kinder. Kinder forgot that the current situation was extremely dire and was momentarily seized by a strange ecstasy. It felt as if she had become the only existence chosen by a god.
The Rohanson Lady stood right behind and gently embraced Kinder. White gloves brushed her shoulder, and hair tickled her neck. Cold breath exhaled at her ear, and temptation like a serpent's language was heard right beside her. It was a whisper only Kinder could hear. If Kinder had been ignorant of Evangeline, she would have mistaken the voice in her ear for the words of a god.
"Madam Toten, do you wish to revive your child?"
"Yes... yes."
"Even if what is revived is not your son? Even if it is someone else borrowing your son's shell?"
Kinder wanted to turn around and demand what Evangeline meant, but her whole body was held fast as if wrapped by a snake, unable to move.
Kinder recalled the conversation from their first meeting upon hearing those words. Right, the Lady had certainly said she was a substitute. It wasn't just words to refuse Kinder's request? Then Rider, my son... has he truly died forever? So regretfully, miserably, and wretchedly?
"The choice is entirely yours, Madam. Either officially acknowledge the child's death and accept the parting, or at least pretend he is alive."
What Kinder wanted was for Rider to be revived. However, as Evangeline had forewarned, a perfect solution did not exist.
Kinder quickly accepted reality. The reason she didn't even resist was probably because she was too exhausted. Rider's last words lingered in her head.
"This might be my last moment, so please let me leave some last words."
"Please protect the Marquis household in my stead, Mother."
Accepting the parting with her son, or accepting the "thing" that would mimic her son on the outside. If Kinder had to choose one of the two, it would be the latter. Kinder loved Rider deeply. Enough to use her son's corpse to fulfill his dying wish. Kinder had that selfish kind of love.
"Mother loves me, right?"
Even selfish love was part of proper love.
"Yes. Even so, it's fine."
Finally, Kinder gave her permission.
"Mellek."
"Yes, my Lady."
Evangeline called the blindfolded coachman. It was unknown why the coachman had entered the mansion with them.
The two whispered something, and before Kinder could question it, the coachman's form blurred. The coachman became black smoke, swam through the air, and reached Rider. The black smoke seeped into Rider, but thanks to everyone being distracted by the Rohanson Lady, Kinder alone must have witnessed that scene.
"The young master moved!"
A maid in the crowd cried out. Kinder noticed that the voice was the same as the Rohanson Lady's maid.
People turned their eyes from Evangeline to look at Rider. Just as said, the child who hadn't shown any movement frowned. The cheeks moved like a child throwing a tantrum in sleep, and Rider's eyes flew open.
"Gasp!"
Someone who met Rider's eyes covered their mouth. That was true for Kinder as well. She was the one who had asked the Rohanson Lady, who had made the choice. But the moment she saw the strange thing that had taken its place in her son's body, nausea rose.
Rider's hand twitched.
"W-what is this..."
Of course, the most terrified among them was Wether, who had been holding Rider until now. To Wether, feeling a corpse that had been dead suddenly twitching again in her arms...
"Ah, that is a bit scary."
Hena, who had experienced something similar to Wether, recalled Evangeline's funeral and deeply empathized.