"Shall we rest for a moment?"
My legs were killing me. My neck hurt too, and from forcing myself to keep smiling, my facial muscles were strained. They said Gabriel had excellent networking skills and invited Mrs. Toten as a chaperone, but that wasn't an exaggeration—every time someone passed by, they turned out to be Mrs. Toten's acquaintance, so I kept greeting them like a machine.
No more, I don't want to introduce myself anymore.... I'm not even Evangelin, but saying my name so many times feels like I'm about to experience Gestalt collapse. Did Gabriel know this would happen and ran away alone? No... he did go to work. But he said he'd return quickly, so when is he coming!
"Is Mrs. Toten tired too?"
Looking closely, I wasn't the only one—Mrs. Toten also seemed exhausted. She couldn't even properly hold her son's funeral and was dragged here to chaperone, so it was understandable. Moreover, since Rider's death being revealed would mean the marquisate changing hands, she had to act as if her son was perfectly fine, just like usual, so her fatigue would be even more severe.
It must be hard to do this sober. Seeing a maid serving wine, I quickly grabbed a glass. I shared one with Mrs. Toten, mimicked a toast, and downed it. This is legal doping.
I returned the empty glass and dismissed the maid, saying it was good. Looking at other nobles, they just carried their wine glasses around, but that was because there was still contents inside—when you do a one-shot, they apparently collect it right there. The serving maid looked at me strangely. What, never seen someone down wine in one shot before? Right? I guess it's a first.
"Your scarf is lovely."
When things get awkward, compliments are the best. But apparently the person hearing it wasn't the right one. Hearing my compliment, the maid momentarily scowled, then hurriedly smoothed her expression, bowed, and disappeared. Even the maids in the imperial palace had elegant gaits.
"Seems my compliment wasn't to her liking."
I guess even villainesses don't like receiving compliments. It hurts a little....
"I would love to hear it."
Along with a coquettish voice, an unfamiliar face suddenly popped up before my eyes. Wavy golden hair sparkled as it flowed down, mingling with the chandelier's light. When our eyes met, my eyes and cheeks flushed warm as my eyes softly curved.
Wow, wow.... Is he crazy? Is this even a human face? I thought Oratorio was a splendidly handsome man, but he couldn't even dare to be compared. Looking at his clothes, he seemed to be a servant of the imperial palace, but I was dumbfounded wondering if such a handsome servant was allowed to exist.
"Please compliment me to your heart's content."
You're very handsome. If I stayed still, I felt like I'd start gushing, so I just smiled back. The handsome servant waited for his compliment, and when I said nothing, he lowered the corners of his eyes in disappointment.
"Surely my appearance isn't to your liking?"
That's impossible. I can say with certainty that his beauty existed in a realm beyond personal preference.
"I like it."
Only after hearing the short answer was he satisfied, as the handsome servant smiled brightly.
"I was worried, so I'm glad. Ah, Lady Evangelin, you'll drink the wine I offer too, right?"
I just did a one-shot? But when I came to my senses, another glass of wine was in my hand. I realized this is what it means to be enchanted by a face. The servant watched pleasantly as I brought the wine to my lips, then departed as if he'd done his duty.
Having drunk two glasses of wine and feeling slightly tipsy, I was watching people when out of nowhere I made eye contact with the Count. The Count frowned heavily and pointed with his finger toward where Duke Hosquin was.
Oh dear, uncle.... Even without rushing me, I'll approach on my own just fine? We have a deal, so at least I need to show that I'm approaching Duke Hosquin.
"Mrs. Toten, how about we pay our respects to my grandfather now?"
It's absolutely not because the Count is rushing me, it's just that there are fewer people around Duke Hosquin right now, so the timing is perfect. Mrs. Toten must have thought it was fine too, as she nodded.
Mrs. Toten said it would be more comfortable to speak through someone else rather than directly addressing Duke Hosquin first. The person currently stuck to the Duke was Viscount Hukel, notorious for loving to butt in and having no sense, she explained that he would naturally approach us if we just passed by nearby.
"Well, well! Mrs. Toten, the Marchioness, it's been a long time!"
"Viscount Hukel."
Wow. The setup is incredible. Just as Mrs. Toten predicted, Viscount Hukel grabbed Mrs. Toten as she passed by and spoke to her. He probably knew about the relationship between Duke Hosquin and me, but it was remarkable that he prioritized advertising his connection to us, who were at the center of attention at the banquet, over being careful.
Does he not feel Duke Hosquin's gaze from beside him, glaring as if to kill?
"When I sent an invitation last week, there was no reply. I'm a bit disappointed."
"Oh my, I don't recall receiving a letter.... I suppose the butler made a mistake. If I had confirmed the Viscount's invitation, I certainly would have replied. I'll scold the butler severely when I return, so please overlook it, won't you?"
"Haha, Mrs. Toten scolding the butler? You've become much more witty in the meantime."
That's probably not a lie.... That butler is currently locked in the basement....
"It's all thanks to being with young people. Ah, this is Lady Rohanson, whom I'm chaperoning."
"Pleased to meet you. Evangelin Rohan...."
Crash!
Before I could even finish my greeting, the sound of glass shattering was heard. The culprit was obvious. Duke Hosquin, his face bright red, gritted his teeth and looked at me with eyes full of anger.
He must really hate me. Count.... You didn't tell me the difficulty would be this high....
The glass breaking sound was because the Duke had thrown his wine glass on the floor. Servants quietly glanced at each other and approached to start picking up the glass fragments. Seeing that, I thought of our household servants—apparently Evangelin's personality takes after her grandfather.
"Oh right, you two are grandparent and grandchild!"
And Viscount Hukel wasn't just at the level of having no sense—he was at the level of owing a debt, taking out a loan, and hitting negative numbers. Viscount Hukel was smiling broadly, but only after receiving Duke Hosquin's fierce glare did he seem to grasp the situation, hiccupping and then running away.
"I-I seem to have had too much wine, please excuse me for a moment...!"
Suppressing an opponent with just a look—truly worthy of a villainess's grandfather.
Viscount Hukel ran away, but still, the intended purpose was achieved. The Count just needed to see that I had approached Duke Hosquin.
Now the problem begins.... If I'm not careful, I might end up on a family regret route where Duke Hosquin actually comes to love his real granddaughter and leaves her the inheritance, so I need to be careful. Count Rohanson wants the Duke's inheritance so badly, so I can't let that happen.
In typical family regret stories, the family gets moved by the protagonist smiling brightly without any other purpose even when they're cold. I just need to do the exact opposite, right? I should make it obvious I have ulterior motives, and not smile innocently either.
"Grandfather, it's nice to meet you for the first time."
Is it really the first time? The Countess was said to have been disowned when she married. Or whatever, I have the secret weapon of memory loss anyway.
"Who says you're my granddaughter!"
"It seems the Duke no longer considers my mother as his daughter?"
As if that could be true. Just looking at him, Duke Hosquin was a patriarchal tsundere. He probably wanted to treat his daughter kindly but just kept shouting in anger, so now he must be left with only regret and lingering attachment. My prediction seemed correct as Duke Hosquin fell silent as if struck to the core.
"That's too harsh. Mother always missed her grandfather."
"...Amaranth?"
Ah, he softened a bit. Duke Hosquin scanned my face with a strange look. As the Count said, Evangelin was a spitting image of the deceased Countess, as if transplanted directly. Surely he wouldn't overlap me with the deceased and leave me the inheritance out of regret just because the face is similar? That can't happen.... It can't be helped. I'll have to cross the line a little.
"Yes. She said married life was so exhausting she wanted to run away, but her disowned father wouldn't take her back, so she was sad and lonely, missing you every day."
I lowered my voice so others wouldn't hear. It was words that would stab the Duke, who lost his daughter, like a knife, but I wasn't lying, and honestly, I did want to criticize the Duke. Don't treat your daughter coldly as an outsider—take care of her a bit. If you read the Countess's diary, you'd vividly feel how sad and lonely she was at the time.
"Why did you do that? Did you hate my mother for not listening to you? Was it unforgivable that she ran off and married a man you didn't approve of? Is that why you never visited even once until she passed away?"
"You, you..."
Duke Hosquin, cornered, glared at me fiercely. He was seething with anger like boiling lava, so I kept fanning the flames.
"Yes. I am your granddaughter, Evangelin Rohanson."
And when the anger crossed the limit, Duke Hosquin, unable to bear it, lost his reason. He picked up a wine glass that servants had left on a table while cleaning up the glass fragments the Duke had broken earlier. This isn't a morning drama, is he really going to throw that? Today is my debutant ball, and I'm wearing a white dress of all things!
I was stepping back to try to get hit by less wine, but my body was suddenly pulled backward and I fell into someone's embrace. A familiar scent, a familiar warmth. When I slightly raised my head, I saw eyes that were uniquely filled with blue. Outside the window, darkness had already fallen, but inside those blue eyes, it was still a sunny afternoon.
He shielded me and took the wine instead, red liquid dripping from the ends of his black hair. It was a color that didn't suit Gabriel, who was full of blueness.
"Sir Gabriel."
"Yes, my lady. As promised, I returned before the dancing began."
Gabriel smiled with his eyes curving upward.
It was such perfect timing I wondered if he'd been waiting to come out just now—a romantic male lead-worthy entrance.
"Are you alright?"
"Except for a few drops of wine splashing on me."
"I'm glad I wasn't late."
Gabriel smiled with such relief that it was impossible to recall his usual cold demeanor. It wasn't the smile he put on like a painting to be polite, nor the smile he used to hide complicated feelings while watching my reaction in front of me.
It was simply his genuine relief at saving me, revealed without any pretense. This really hits me... I felt a tickling sensation like ants crawling on my arm, and more than anything, I felt bad pushing away the person who had just saved me.
Something feels strange... is this why they say clichés are enduring?
"You didn't have to shield me like that."
"I wanted to hear something else rather than those words."
"...Thank you."
He saved me on his own without me asking, and now he wants to hear gratitude. Whether those were the words he wanted to hear, Gabriel smiled even more brightly. It was such a clean smile that I felt like I was being purified and would disappear.
When I tapped his arm to let me go, Gabriel reluctantly released his arms that had been holding me. Duke Hosquin, having thrown the wine himself, was now glaring at the innocent Gabriel. Who should be angry right now!
"Sir Gabriel. Do you know whom you're protecting?"
"Yes. I am more clearly aware than anyone else in the world."
It might be strange to defend a villainess, but Gabriel would go a step further—he doesn't care if I'm a possessor or a ghost....
Duke Hosquin massaged his deeply furrowed brow as if he had a headache. Perhaps because he vented his anger, he seemed calmer than before, but when people around started whispering "The Duke threw his glass at his granddaughter," hearing that seemed to make him angry again. Duke Hosquin looked at me with a steady glare and declared.
"Listen well and keep this in mind. Amaranth has no daughter. You are not my granddaughter."
It seemed to mean that while he had lingering feelings for the Countess, he hated me, the second Count Rohanson, enough to deny my existence.
"Amaranth asked me to turn a blind eye, so I've lived pretending not to see until now. Though I tacitly allowed it, you can never, absolutely never become my granddaughter. Even if I have to die for it, absolutely."
He even pinpointed my intention for approaching. Right, with rumors spreading that his health is bad, of course he'd figure out that my inheritance is the purpose when I approached immediately.
But there was an important word. Listening to the Duke's words, it seemed the Countess had been in contact with the Duke to some extent. Wasn't she disowned for her whole life?
What does it mean that he tacitly allowed it and she asked him to turn a blind eye? Is there some kind of secret about my birth? But looking this similar, I can't be a child Count Rohanson brought from outside.
Could it be the opposite—that Amaranth was a child born outside? She did look exactly like Amaranth, as if she had given birth alone. Did the upright Duke Hosquin cut ties because she was an illegitimate child? This actually seems plausible....
Without any information, my head felt like it would split. I need to read Amarath's diary volume 2 and find out the truth soon. But Duke Hosquin declared he'd never give up the inheritance and even threw wine—would the Count come out as originally promised...? If I'd known this would happen, I should have provoked him more moderately.
Duke Hosquin increased my confusion without any apology and tried to leave.
"Causing blood to be shed at the Crown Prince's banquet, I would have nothing to say even if my head were cut off. I'll go apologize to His Highness separately first. You should hurry and get treated."
Blood to be shed, what does that mean.... At that moment, Gabriel swayed. I hurriedly wrapped my arm around his waist to support his body.
"Sir Gabriel!"
Mrs. Toten exclaimed in shock. I was also flustered as I tried to understand what he meant by telling him to get treatment.
The realization came quickly. Come to think of it, why were both of Duke Hosquin's hands empty? Shouldn't he have been holding an empty wine glass?
Oh no, damn it! What flowed down from his head wasn't just wine. Duke Hosquin had thrown the wine glass. That, that wicked grandfather, no, that old geezer! If you hurt someone, at least apologize! At least pretend to be sorry! While I was glaring at Duke Hosquin in anger, Gabriel acted foolishly even with his head split open.
"Are you worried about me?"
Obviously! What are you asking! I was so dumbfounded I couldn't answer. If he weren't injured, I would have smacked the back of his head like I did with Daisy. What's so good about this that he's laughing!
I didn't even answer, but whether he took my silence as affirmation, Gabriel narrowed his eyes, looked at me as if appraising me, then raised the corners of his mouth again. He got hit in the head with a wine glass, so maybe there's something wrong with his head? His occiput is split, yet he's happy because I'm worried? Is it good? Is it?
Afraid that I might take the wrong route and Gabriel would intentionally get hurt in the future to get my attention, I shook my head and rebutted.
"Why should I worry when you got hurt inserting yourself into things on your own?"
"So you are angry at me."
"I'm angry?"
"When you're angry, you drop the honorifics, don't you, my lady?"
Did I just use informal speech? I guess so... I learned that a noble should maintain composure in any situation, but if Doline saw this, she'd beat the ground and cry that all the education so far was useless. Sorry, Doline. I guess the contents are just a three-month noble, so it can't be helped.
"It seems like you're getting angry just for my sake. I'm pleased in many ways."
Gabriel's words made me want to explode. I don't even know why I'm so angry. It's not like I've never seen someone get hurt because of me before—when the Rohanson mansion servants got hurt, I was just startled, not this angry. What's the difference between my house servants and Gabriel that I'm particularly annoyed only at Gabriel's injury?
Is it because we've gotten a bit close? Come to think of it, if Kanna had been hurt like that, I would have already turned everything upside down and committed filial impiety by throwing a wine glass at Duke Hosquin's occiput too. Right, that's why. Gabriel got hurt shielding me in someone else's family fight, so if I wasn't worried or angry, would I even be human?
Gabriel soon regained his balance and straightened his body. Looking at Gabriel soaked in red wine, I sighed inwardly. Because it was red wine, I couldn't guess how badly he was hurt. I opened my mouth, being careful not to use informal speech.
"As grandfather said, it would be good to get treatment."
"But soon the dancing will begin."
Is that important right now? Treatment doesn't take that long, he just needs to spray some holy water and come back.
"Even if you stayed, you're not in a condition to dance together."
"Ah. Wine would get on you, my lady."
Gabriel created distance between us as if he'd just realized. I said I wasn't worried, and he believed me exactly as I said. Does he think I said we can't dance together because I'm worried wine would get on my clothes?
I wanted to scold him, but I'd already blurted out that I wasn't worried, so I couldn't take it back. Since he doesn't seem to value his own body anyway and probably wouldn't listen to me, it seemed better to just push through like this.
"Then change your clothes and come back. Hena has holy water, so get it from her and treat yourself too."
"I have holy water... never mind."
Gabriel hesitated without finishing his sentence. Holy water what? Oh, does he mean he has holy water too? Thinking about it, Gabriel is a holy knight, so of course he'd carry holy water around.
No, then he has holy water too, so just go quickly—what's the problem that he keeps wanting to stay! Is it because of me?
"I'm just afraid something might happen to you while I'm away."
So it was because of me. In the brief moment Gabriel was called away, I almost got hit by a wine glass from Duke Hosquin, so of course he'd be anxious about leaving me alone again. But Duke Hosquin intentionally provoked me, so if I just stay quiet from now on, it should be fine, right?
"If you're worried, I promise to stay quiet. There are many eyes watching here, you know?"
I appealed to him to stay quiet, saying I'd be mindful of others' gaze.
Hearing my words, Gabriel made a strange expression, looked into the air out of nowhere, then nodded as if he understood.
"Yes, that's right. There are always eyes watching over you, my lady."
"Sir Gabriel, though I may not be trustworthy, I'll stay by Lady Rohanson's side."
Only after Mrs. Toten joined in did Gabriel finally agree.
"Then I'll hurry back. My lady, please be careful."
Gabriel bowed and went outside the banquet hall. Look at him warning me until the end. Setting aside whether he likes me, he really doesn't trust me. Geez, it's hard to even send an injured person to get treatment....
Looking at the gazes focused on the departing Gabriel, it seemed the rumor of a villainess wielding a holy knight would become even more prominent.
By the way, I wonder if Gabriel will treat himself properly and return. He won't just change his clothes, right? No... Rapahella and Uriel will treat him well. This is why a competent adjutant must always be by the male lead's side. Without an adjutant like Rapahella, Gabriel would have used his body recklessly and met an untimely death long ago.
Now I need to do some cleanup. Duke Hosquin had already fled, and I sent Gabriel to get treatment, so I was the only one left to clean up.
"Mrs. Toten, I apologize for showing such discord."
I raised my voice slightly so that people around could hear, pretending to speak to Mrs. Toten.
"I just missed my family and wanted to share stories about my deceased mother, but it seems my grandfather still doesn't trust me."
"Lady Rohanson.... Someday Duke Hosquin will open his heart, so please don't worry."
Mrs. Toten played along, subtly shifting the blame to Duke Hosquin as the bad guy. I approached with good intentions, but Duke Hosquin snapped and threw a wine glass.
To people who didn't know I provoked the Duke, at first glance, it just looked like the Duke mistreated his disowned granddaughter. I'll send his reputation straight to rock bottom. That's what happens when you leave first.
"Ouch!"
At that moment, the maid cleaning the floor let out a small scream. She made a noise and seemed surprised herself, covering her mouth and looking around. She seemed anxious that she might get scolded for causing a commotion without fulfilling her duty properly while cleaning.
"Did you cut yourself?"
"Huh? No! I thought I was cut, but seeing there's no wound, I think it just got pricked."
What was gently pooled at the fingertip must have been a wine droplet, not a blood droplet. When the maid wiped her hand on her clothes, her finger was clean, confirming that wasn't just an excuse. Good thing she's not hurt.
"I'm sorry for giving you more to clean."
"No, no, my lady!"
When I apologized, the maid waved her hands flustered. By speaking kindly to a maid, I was hoping people would think Evangelin is actually a decent person unlike the rumors. Sorry for using you... my conscience hurts....
"Since the lady must have been very shocked too, it would be good to rest for a while until Sir Gabriel returns."
It wasn't shock but a guilty conscience, but Mrs. Toten must have thought I was traumatized, as she supported me and led me to a less crowded area. When I approached, even the few people there scattered. Just a moment ago they were trying to talk to me, but now that it seems I'm disliked by the Duke, they immediately tucked their tails and pretend not to know me.
"I didn't know Duke Hosquin would act so harshly. I apologize for not being of help to you."
"No need to concern yourself."
As I quietly held my position as I told Gabriel, the maid who had asked if I was okay a moment ago approached shyly and served wine. Someone who knows what's what. Shocked hearts should be calmed with alcohol. I received wine with Mrs. Toten and clinked glasses.
"This tastes different from what we had earlier...?"
Mrs. Toten took a sip of wine and murmured with a puzzled expression. Is it that strange? I took a sip too, but maybe my palate isn't sophisticated enough, I couldn't feel a big difference. It was fuller than what I had before, but wasn't that just because it was aged longer?
By the time I finished the glass, the curtain was rising in earnest for the Crown Prince's banquet. I was already exhausted and wanted to go home.... I newly respected the romance fantasy characters. Being part of society isn't an easy job either.
"The banquet is officially beginning now."
The Crown Prince and one of the twin imperial grandchildren came down holding hands. The Crown Prince was overshadowed not only by his son, mentioned as a candidate for the next emperor, but also by his daughter who had no modifiers. The two soon stopped at the center of the banquet hall.
"The one who just came out is Lord Jeremiah."
"Can Mrs. Toten distinguish between the two?"
They had not only blonde hair and blue eyes, but even their clothes and hair were perfectly copied and pasted—how could anyone distinguish them?
"The two look perfectly identical on the outside, so they say even their father, the Crown Prince, cannot distinguish them."
Shouldn't parents be able to tell? So the parents couldn't tell either, but Mrs. Toten could? How sharp are her eyes? Mrs. Toten smiled slightly and continued explaining.
"Actually, once you know the answer, it's very easy. The two have different colored accessories."
Different colored accessories?
"When the twins were born, His Majesty gifted them necklaces with only different colored jewels, and that's how people distinguish them. Emerald of green jade is Lord Jeremiah, and black jade is Lord Tenebre."
Ah, that's true. The one standing with the Crown Prince right now was Jeremiah since she was wearing a green emerald necklace. Since E and E are similar, it wasn't hard to remember.
Mrs. Toten added that the two never remove their accessories from their bodies even when bathing, so you can identify them just by looking at their necks. Once you know the answer, it really is easy to distinguish.
"My beloved daughter, may I ask for a dance to commemorate my father's birthday?"
"Gladly."
When the Crown Prince and Jeremiah took their positions, the orchestra's performance began too. Dozens of instruments moving for just two people was truly marvelous.
As the Crown Prince and Jeremiah spun their bodies in circles, the lighting, whether directed or not, started going out one by one, and after the final rotation, all lights were extinguished. They must have closed the windows too in that time—I couldn't see an inch ahead. I don't know what kind of big event they're planning to even turn off all the lights.
People around also seemed to panic at the sudden darkness and started murmuring in confusion. Someone near me also exclaimed "Ah!" and stumbled as if pushed, so I caught them and helped them up. In the process, wine spilled on my clothes and they became damp. Gabriel... your sacrifice to save me was in vain.
"Lady Rohanson, thank you."
Before I could even ask if they were okay, the person thanked me and left. So, how long are we going to stay in this darkness? The music hadn't stopped, so it didn't seem like an emergency but a planned event... they wouldn't do fireworks indoors, would they? Something different might come out? Whatever it is, seeing people this confused, it was definitely a failed event.
Contrary to expectations, the lights came back on quickly.
And what unfolded before my eyes was a sight beyond imagination. The Crown Prince, who had been dancing holding Jeremiah's hand just before the blackout, was hanging limp from the chandelier. A sword was thrust into his heart, but strangely, the sword handle was familiar. The moment I realized the identity of this déjà vu, I covered my mouth in shock.
That, that's my dagger, isn't it? I wasn't the only one who noticed—someone screamed as they shouted.
"Lady Rohanson assassinated His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Crazy, what? That's not true!