"Where shall I take you?"
"To the Imperial Palace."
After stating my destination, I boarded the carriage. No matter how skilled a coachman might be, they couldn't compare to Melek. The carriage began to roll with a rattle. Feeling motion sickness, I stared out the window and noticed the rain had stopped. The clouds cleared, revealing the moon's soft glow. Lady Toten stared blankly at the sky.
"The rain has stopped."
The heavy rains that had poured for days finally cleared. The moon was annoyingly beautiful.
"Lady Toten. Do you know what date today is?"
"Yes. Of course."
Lady Toten looked puzzled, as if I had brought up something out of nowhere. Actually, I debated whether to say this or not, but decided to just say it.
"Please never forget today. We stole death from Rider. We stole the chance for Rider to be mourned, and even stole eternal rest. So let's at least remember the anniversary."
I took out a flower made of jewels from my pocket and handed it to Lady Toten. This was a crystal flower that Misha gave me as a bonus, saying it was practice material when working on my ruby flower. It didn't go well with my debutante dress, so I brought it thinking I might give it to Gabriel.
I didn't expect to use it for this purpose. This was my flower offering to Rider.
Lady Toten received the crystal flower. Then she clutched the jewel tightly as if it were precious and burst into tears. Lady Toten cried her heart out like a child.
While crying sorrowfully, she poured out what had happened. That Rider had been very ill for five days. That today he finally ascended to heaven. Everything from Rider's last words to how she came to find me with a desperate heart.
"I will never forget today. It's the Crown Prince's birthday, so I couldn't forget even if I wanted to."
Lady Toten promised me with red, swollen eyes. By the time Lady Toten finished her story, we had nearly arrived at the Imperial Palace.
"We're almost there."
Lady Toten, having set down her emotional burden, looked much more at ease than before.
The rain had stopped, so I opened the glass window and looked out. Whoa, the Imperial Palace is across the river. As we crossed a massive suspension bridge, I saw an enormous gate with incredible presence. That's a gate? It was so impressive my jaw wouldn't close.
Guards stood before the gate, and it seemed each carriage was being inspected.
"They're checking the guest list to see if you're qualified to enter the Imperial Palace."
Lady Toten, who had returned to being a perfect noblewoman except for her red-rimmed eyes from crying, explained why the carriage had stopped in front of the castle gate. It's not like we're crossing a national border, but the inspection is really strict. Well, it is the Imperial Palace, so assassins could mix in, so they need to be careful. After checking each team, finally it was our turn.
"May I see your invitation... Hic! This person's head is turned around...!"
I had left the window open, so the voice from outside reached me. But the pronunciation was garbled so I couldn't hear well what was being said. Turned? Is he telling someone to turn around? Ah, maybe the coachman doesn't have an invitation. Hena called the guard to draw attention this way.
"If you're looking for the invitation, it's here."
"No, the invitation isn't the problem right now, the coachman, the coachman's neck is... what? Did I see wrong? It looks fine."
"What are you talking about?"
When Hena asked back, the guard tilted his head but accepted the invitation. Then, confirming the Rohanson Count family name written on the invitation, he asked in a questioning tone.
"The Rohanson Count family? Count Rohanson has already entered."
"Count Rohanson departed first, and this carriage carries the Rohanson young lady who is having her debutante ball today and her chaperone, Marchioness Toten."
"The Rohanson young lady...?"
The guard looked into the carriage as if doubting those words, then his eyes met mine. I tried to smile and greet him with my eyes, but the guard turned pale and bowed his head deeply.
"My, my, my apologies!"
How far has Evangeline's notorious reputation spread? At this point, she could be called the number one villainess in the capital. It's gotten to the point where seeing people tremble and get scared when they see me has become familiar. That guard isn't even bowing his head to the ground like the maids in the mansion—he's just averting his eyes, so that's actually a relatively good level.
After passing inspection and going through the castle gate, we ran a bit more and arrived at the venue where the banquet was being held.
"It's splendid."
"Isn't it?"
It was truly a castle surrounded by light. The Imperial Palace looked like a building made of gold. The light spreading along the river made it look even more magnificent. This era wouldn't have LED lights, so how did they create such lighting? Is it magic after all?
And finally the carriage stopped. The place where the Crown Prince's birthday banquet was being held was called the Lion Palace, and true to its name, a lion statue was fiercely opening its jaws.
Hena got off first to escort me, but suddenly another hand popped out. Just looking at the long, straight fingers, I could guess who the owner was.
As expected, when I lifted my head, I saw a completely different deep blue color. With the continuous rain, I hadn't seen a blue sky lately, but looking at Gabriel's eyes, it felt like the sky had cleared. Ah, the rain really did stop.
"Sir Gabriel."
"Good evening, Lady Rohanson."
Maybe because we parted on bad terms last time, it felt like it had been a very long time.
His long eyelashes fluttered. Whether it was because he was dressed up or not, today he looked even more striking than usual. Maybe because his hair was styled nicely, revealing his features clearly? Anyway, being the male lead, he was annoyingly handsome.
While admiring, I accepted Gabriel's escort and got off the carriage. Since it was the entrance, there were many people and carriages, but fortunately it wasn't drawing loud attention like walking a red carpet. Rather, it seemed deadly quiet.
It suddenly felt fortunate that debutante outfits required wearing white gloves. Gabriel's hand touching through the thin cloth was colder than usual. Had he been waiting outside all this time?
"Have you been waiting long?"
I stopped by the marquis's mansion, so I arrived much later than the announced time. He wasn't waiting outside all this time and got this cold, was he?
"I was waiting because I saw an omen of good fortune for the Rohanson family from afar."
Good omen my foot, it's probably a bad omen.
By the way, the symbol of the Rohanson Count family was a phoenix split in half like a decalcomania. The reason it's split rather than two birds is because there's only one phoenix in the world. This was also something Doline, my etiquette teacher, taught me.
"Today you looked even more dazzling, I thought a star had fallen."
Using the compliment I learned from Misha here. I thought he'd be discouraged since I rejected his confession, but why is he so smooth today? Gabriel really has a way with words. I've made it clear that I have no intention of dating him and that this is just keeping him on the hook, but he still seems fine with it.
"You remember what I said last time, right?"
We're just flirting. You know that, right?
"Yes. I remember. But today there are many eyes watching. Above all, the Temple people know that I admire the lady."
What? He went around spreading that rumor? Gabriel really has no tomorrow sometimes. This man only knows how to accelerate...
Well, originally I decided to hang around with Gabriel to somewhat neutralize my bad rumors and avoid the Temple's suspicion. And incidentally, I used my abysmal spirit affinity to catch those who were stealing my summoning circle.
"Then I'll gladly play along too."
I pushed last time, so today it's time to pull. I need to push and pull appropriately so Gabriel in my fishery won't run away and stay put. It's time to use the special training I received from Doline. And it's time for my old romance fantasy knowledge to shine.
I rolled my eyes and smiled broadly. Last time he was shocked seeing me smile, so I practiced smiling intensely in front of the mirror for two days. I asked Daisy if I looked like I was smiling like Evangeline, and Daisy hesitated and said she's never seen the young lady smile. Was it because she's a villainess that she didn't go around smiling? That's why my facial muscles are this stiff.
It must have been shockingly pretty to Gabriel who likes Evangeline's face, because Gabriel froze and lost his words. Oh my, you fool. Wake up, I said, patting his arm and pointing to Lady Toten who was getting off the carriage behind me.
"Sir, Lady Toten has arrived."
Gabriel saw Lady Toten getting off right behind me and welcomed her without surprise.
"It's been a long time, Lady Toten. I was worried when I didn't hear from you."
"I'm sorry. There were circumstances..."
Gabriel didn't press for details, seemingly out of consideration for Lady Toten. Or maybe, given his setting of being warm only to his woman, he might not actually care what happened to Lady Toten.
"Now that Lady Toten is here, we won't need Bishop Marik's help."
Since Lady Toten came with me, I don't have to walk dangerously with the exorcist and feel threatened for my life, right? I'm a romance fantasy possessor, so it might be different from cases like Melek who's possessed by a ghost, but that's just a hypothesis. I was worried I might be physically exorcised without anyone knowing.
"Is Bishop Marik inside the banquet hall?"
"No. He returned before you arrived, my lady."
"He returned?"
"Yes. It seems the Archbishop summoned him. He said the lady would come with her chaperone, and to join together next time there's an opportunity."
"...So Bishop Marik knew Lady Toten was coming as chaperone."
That's why Gabriel wasn't surprised to see Lady Toten.
How did Bishop Marik know that? He said he had surveillance on me, and that seems to be true. But Jelly and Pudding were removing any suspicious people attached to the mansion... I don't know how he heard about it through their surveillance net. Exorcists really can't be trusted.
Perhaps he might have put surveillance on Lady Toten's side rather than mine. He said he saw through Lady Toten's seclusion, and he knew that she readily agreed to be my chaperone.
"Bishop Marik...?"
Lady Toten quietly recited the name. Is she acquainted with him? Then it might not be surveillance but that they contacted each other.
"Are you acquainted?"
"That's not the question. She's the one who ordered not to sell me holy water."
Unlike my expectation, Lady Toten revealed her hostility without hiding anything. She wasn't this fiercely angry even at Dies who went on a rampage with an axe, showing just how much she hates Bishop Marik.
"Bishop Marik forbade holy water?"
"Yes. As soon as bad rumors about Rider spread, saying given public eyes, and that she couldn't give holy water to a cursed one anymore."
This was a story I had briefly heard from Gabriel before. So the person who blocked the distribution of holy water was Bishop Marik. As I analyzed, Bishop Marik was indeed a suspicious exorcist who was merciless to evil beings.
I could fully understand Lady Toten feeling sick just hearing Bishop Marik's name. Seeing all the various forms of holy artifacts decorating the mansion showed how much Lady Toten believed in the Sun God, yet the bishop of the Sun God actively labeled Rider as a 'cursed child' without even trying to uncover or explain the truth, treating rumors as truth.
"He said since holy water doesn't work, it wouldn't be needed anyway. Thinking back now, Bishop Marik's choice seems to have been right. Rider eventually..."
Lady Toten laughed self-deprecatingly and lamented, then flinched as soon as she unconsciously said Rider's name and checked Gabriel's expression. She seemed to have made a slip of the tongue because saying holy water was no longer needed meant that Rider had died.
"Rider will eventually become healthy enough to not need holy water. Right?"
"Yes, yes... that will happen."
I hurriedly added words to cover up the mistake, and Lady Toten chimed in.
While riding in the carriage, I had thought about it, and it seemed Rider's death news shouldn't spread, so we decided to keep it a secret from Gabriel too.
Honestly, I considered telling Gabriel briefly, but Lady Toten wanted as few people as possible to know the truth, so we just decided to hide it. Above all, Gabriel was a holy knight, and he probably wouldn't take the story of a ghost possessing a child well... Gabriel's blue eyes were quietly unreadable. Gabriel, who had been maintaining silence, spoke.
"Rider is..."
"He recovered!"
Lady Toten rarely raised her voice and cut off Gabriel's words. Then she sent me a look begging for salvation, so I quickly nodded too.
Gabriel fell for me at first sight so he's an exception, but he won't let Melek off easily. No matter how good the intention is and it was to help Lady Toten, logically thinking, manipulating a corpse isn't something that can be tolerated.
Lady Toten didn't welcome visitors, and Gabriel knew that well too. Then there's no reason to meet Melek now, so we don't need to talk about it.
I don't know if Gabriel didn't realize it or was pretending not to know out of consideration, but he didn't pick at anything. However, when our eyes met and he smiled smoothly, I suddenly wondered if he had figured it out.
As Lady Toten and Gabriel awkwardly just watched each other, a brief silence lingered, and a knight wearing the same uniform as Gabriel broke the silence and interrupted.
"Captain, excuse me for interrupting your reunion, but I need to inspect Lady Rohanson and Lady Toten's belongings as well."
"Uriel."
It was a knight named Uriel who had guarded me at the Temple before.
Gabriel's knight order had come to support, and it seemed they were even handling the belongings inspection before entering the banquet hall. Well, it was the Crown Prince's birthday banquet hosted by the Crown Prince himself, so the inspection was bound to be strict. Given the era, assassination attempts could happen. Plus, most attendees today brought birthday gifts for the Crown Prince, so they'd need to check those too.
"Excuse me, Lady Rohanson. You are truly beautiful today as well."
Uriel spouted flattery with an expressionless face that looked like it wouldn't budge even if stabbed with a sword. I am a bit pretty today... but he's praising without any intonation like someone educated with rote praise phrases.
Looking at it this way, knights really are in the service industry. Their main income is selling holy water to nobles, so at this point aren't they just a high-end water sales company? Is this too irreverent a thought? Well, I'm a possessor so it's fine.
Other knights checked the gift for the Crown Prince, and Uriel, being the same gender, simply scanned me and Lady Toten. Meanwhile, Gabriel turned his body and looked in another direction. He excessively flirts, but he's surprisingly prudish in situations like this...
I glanced around and saw other nobles quietly accepting body inspections without resistance. I thought there might be at least one villain who would refuse inspection, asking if they were being suspected, making a scene, but everyone was quietly complying. Ah, maybe that villain role drawing aggro was originally supposed to be played by Evangeline.
"Captain, inspection complete."
Uriel called Gabriel, saying the inspection was done.
"No weapons, I see?"
Uriel said it as if somewhat disappointed. Why are you disappointed? You wanted me to have a weapon? Then I'd have to meet that expectation.
"I actually did bring a weapon."
"Pardon? What do you mean by that?"
When I spoke playfully, Uriel was flustered by the mention of a weapon and asked again. Enjoying the villainess act, I silently raised my hand and pointed behind Uriel. There, they were examining the gift meant for the Crown Prince. When Hena opened the luxurious box, a splendid dagger appeared.
"A... sword?"
The knight who opened the gift box looked at the sword and his hands trembled in great confusion.
"Captain, what should I do with this...?"
The knight called Gabriel, then raised his head and saw me attached right next to Gabriel, his pupils dilated with shock as he alternated looking at us. It was clearly visible that he was confused, thinking 'what do I do about this?' since his superior to report to was my partner.
"The lady was just joking. It's a decorative piece without a blade, so bringing it in won't be a problem."
Gabriel quickly defended me. I also nodded, wearing the smile I had practiced hard.
"Is, is that so? Let me draw it out to check."
The knight watched me while taking a deep breath and drew the sword. As Gabriel explained, the sword had no blade, only a handle and scabbard. Confirming there was nothing where the blade should be, the knight let out a big sigh of relief and put the sword back in the box.
"Yes. As you said, it seems there won't be any problems. Lady Toten's items as well."
Lady Toten had brought expensive cufflinks as a gift for the Crown Prince. They say such decorative items like cufflinks are the most standard gifts.
I just brought it because the Count said it would be perfect to give to the Crown Prince, and I didn't want to prepare separately, so I just brought what was given to me.
They said it was an artifact from a kingdom that fell long before the Empire was established. It wasn't even a sword with a blade, and it had historical value as a decorative item, so I thought it was appropriate as a gift since it wouldn't cause any trouble. Just in case, I had asked Gabriel beforehand and finished a preliminary inspection.
"Were you surprised too, Sir Uriel?"
"Yes. My heart dropped."
Uriel really is the pinnacle of expressionlessness. Who would believe his heart dropped when he says it with such a calm face. The finished inspection gifts were taken by a royal servant, not Hena. Hena decided to wait where the maids were waiting. Uriel offered to guide Hena, which was reassuring.
"I'll go in first."
"Yes. See you inside, Lady Toten."
Even as a chaperone, she couldn't enter together, so Lady Toten stepped into the banquet hall first. The attendant who checked the guest list shouted Lady Toten's name with a loud voice.
"Marchioness Kinder Toten of the Toten Marquisate enters!"
Whoa, how! So now they announce names like that as we enter? Wow. What is this, this is totally like a romance fantasy! Ah right, I'm inside a romance fantasy.
"Shall we go in now?"
It seems it's our turn to go in too. Gabriel hesitated and extended his hand for escort.
When I slightly lowered my gaze, his long, moist eyelashes trembled and shook. At first I didn't notice because he was smoothly saying compliments about stars and such, but Gabriel was definitely particularly nervous today. Was he nervous because I came out dressed up? Well, after finishing the full styling, I have to admit I was annoyingly pretty, fitting for a villainess.
But that wasn't why Gabriel was nervous.
"It must be unpleasant to touch me... but you said you'd play along, so please bear with it just for today."
Spoken as if crushed, my fingertips trembled as if resonating.
I thought he was nervous filming a romance alone, but that wasn't it. Gabriel was just being cautious, remembering the words and actions I had made. He assumed I would find contact with him unpleasant since I didn't give my hand when we parted ways last time.
Who ground down his self-esteem this much! Yeah, me. Seeing Gabriel take such a humble posture, my conscience pricked with guilt. Managing just Gabriel is already this overwhelming, what kind of conscience do people who manage fishery with multiple legs have? Managing a fishery while push-and-pull is too hard...
"It's not unpleasant. I told you I like you, didn't I?"
As if soothing, I placed my hand on Gabriel's hand and squeezed slightly. Honestly, not many days had passed so there wasn't a huge change in feelings, but I did reflect on being too cold to Gabriel.
Gabriel looked at me with a complicated expression. Right... you don't understand why I'm being like this either, do you? But that's how fishery management works—you have to adjust the distance while push-and-pulling. Just understand it.
"Is that because I know my place?"
"What?"
"Never mind. It wasn't anything important, so don't worry about it."
What do you mean it wasn't anything! I'm not a sunshine female lead, I'm a villainess, so even small mutterings are heard clearly without filtering! Seeing him severely knowing his place with his self-esteem at rock bottom, my guilt deepened.
While I was wondering what to say, worried that comforting him might be deception, we had already entered the banquet hall.