Chapter 113
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 113
I recalled the Countess’s portrait I had found in the storehouse. We looked so alike it seemed highly probable that I wasn’t the Count’s child at all, but rather the illegitimate daughter born from the Countess’s affair.
I thought back to the Countess’s diary. Scammed into marriage, she had been desperately lonely, yearning for her family and starved for love. That must have been why she found solace with another man instead of that bastard Count.
Aside from my expression, I was a spitting image of the Countess—as if she’d reproduced by budding. With no risk of outsiders finding out, the Count must have simply turned a blind eye and raised me.
So, let's assume the Countess really did have an affair and gave birth to another man's child. Infidelity is condemned everywhere, throughout history. It would have certainly clashed with Duke Hosaquin's strict noble principles, which would explain why he cut ties with his daughter and refused to acknowledge Evangeline as his granddaughter.
I had planned to search for the Countess's diary in the Rohanson territory after the banquet, but I was dragged straight to prison instead, halting my investigation.
Listening to the Duke now, it seemed he knew the secret, too. I would have to dig for the truth while staying at his estate. If we entered the ‘regret route,’ the Duke would surely break down and spill his guts about the past.
My mission, then, was to shatter the Duke's unyielding noble pride. Too aggressive? Let’s rephrase it: Put Pride Aside: Operation Turn Duke Hosaquin into a Doting Grandfather!
It sounded like the title of a failed game. Perfect.
The time had finally come to unleash the RoFan knowledge I’d been accumulating.
You’d better brace yourself if you don’t want to become a doting grandfather. Let’s see who wins, you old geezer. I smiled darkly to myself as I watched the Duke.
First, even if the Duke disapproved of his daughter's affair, he didn't seem to hate his daughter herself. He had to feel some guilt for ignoring the Countess until her death, and that was the angle I needed to exploit. Memories and guilt—the ultimate carrot and stick. It would be stranger if it didn't work.
"You say you don't recognize me as your granddaughter, yet you admit we look alike."
I was reminding him that, like it or not, Evangeline was still Amaranth's daughter. Sure enough, the Duke’s face soured as if he’d chewed on broken glass.
"Yes. You resemble her to a sickening degree."
Sickening? Even though I wasn't the original owner of this body, that stung. Maybe it was because I was starting to feel like I’d completely become ‘Evangeline,’ making me overly immersed.
To soothe my wounded feelings, I began petting Pudding aggressively. Startled by the sudden contact, Pudding stared up at me in confusion. Ever since I saw his human form, I had refrained from touching him too much out of respect for his teenage privacy, so it had been a while.
But right now, my emotional recovery took priority. Yes, I know you're an ultra-handsome boy, but right now, you're a cat. Just sit quietly and be my healing totem.
Before long, Pudding succumbed and began to purr. If the Beastkin Protection Association had been in the carriage with us, they probably would have accused me of beastkin abuse and tried to throw me back in prison. The awkward silence was making my imagination run wild.
"It's fine if I bring my cat, right?"
He hadn't said anything, so he seemed to have tacitly approved of me bringing Pudding, but I needed to get firm confirmation just in case.
"...Is that cat any good at catching rats?"
The Duke studied Pudding for a moment before asking, with surprising calmness, if he was good at catching rats.
There was no way the man who had hurled a wine glass at Gabriel and called me sickening without hesitation was just making small talk about cats.
The "rats" he was referring to weren't actual rodents; it was slang for spies or informants.
"He's an excellent hunter."
The Duke gave a small nod, seemingly satisfied. Did he realize Pudding was a beastkin right away?
As expected of the villainess's grandfather… or maybe he just likes cats. Hmph! At least he recognizes a cute cat when he sees one.
"Ah, I almost forgot. This is a letter Sir Gabriel left for you."
My favorability must have recovered a bit. After staring silently at Pudding, the Duke handed over a letter as if he had just remembered it. If I hadn't brought a highly capable, professional hunter of a cat like Pudding with me, had he planned on pocketing Gabriel's letter and never giving it to me?
After handing it over, the Duke turned away and clamped his mouth shut, as if he had no desire to exchange another word with me.
The letter, which began with 'To my dear Lady Evangeline,' detailed the situation in slightly more depth than what Sir Ante had told me. It described how Bishop Marik was tyrannizing innocent people and how hard Gabriel was working, running himself ragged with the help of Madame Toten to stop her.
The more I read, the more I felt like I had been living the high life, just lounging around in prison.
It concluded with a warning that there might be a traitor in the Rohanson mansion and that it would be best for me to take refuge at the Duke's estate while he investigated. A traitor? No need to be so vague. It was obviously Count Rohanson.
My strategy of bringing up the Countess to trigger the Count's guilt must have backfired. I had said all sorts of things to torment him, like how the Countess was wandering around as a ghost or how she would crawl out of her grave.
But he brought it on himself. Given the resentment-filled words the Countess had left behind, it wouldn't be strange if she did return as a ghost.
Once I'm done winning over Duke Hosaquin, I'll bring the hammer of justice down on the Count. To hell with blood ties. From the looks of it, he's not even my biological father anyway.
It was obvious, considering how he’d locked the doors of the Rohanson mansion and ignored me while I was in prison. He was the one who launched a preemptive strike when I was just minding my own business.
The carriage rattled on in silence. Just as I was thinking about how terrible the driver was, especially compared to Melek's rock-steady hands, the carriage came to a halt. We had arrived.
"Get out."
With those words, the Duke left me behind, stepping out of the carriage first and striding into the mansion.
I hadn't expected an escort, but was he just going to leave me here? Dumbfounded, I remained in the carriage, staring at his retreating back until a servant hesitantly called out to me.
"Ex... Excuse me..."
When I looked down, the servant immediately bowed his head and avoided my gaze. Though he couldn't form a proper sentence, his fidgeting hands suggested he wanted to ask if he could help me down.
At the Rohanson mansion, they would have escorted me without me having to ask. It hit me all over again that this wasn't my home.
Don't tell me the servants here are going to start prostrating themselves and fainting, too. It hadn't been that long, but it reminded me of when I first transmigrated.
Right after I possessed this body, everyone would kneel the moment they saw me, begging for their lives and trembling in terror. I had finally gotten them used to me, but now I was in a completely unfamiliar place. On top of that, I had just returned from prison as a suspect in the Crown Prince's assassination. Another line had been added to my already notorious reputation, so they would probably tremble even more now. It was one hundred percent likely to happen.
"No need for an escort."
If I even touched his hand while he was shaking like that, he might pass out on the spot. I stepped down from the carriage on my own.
"And don't call me 'excuse me.' Address me properly as Lady Rohanson."
I could already feel the distance the people of the Duke's estate were keeping. It would be difficult to immediately call myself Duke Hosaquin's granddaughter, so I would have to start with Lady Rohanson and gradually close the gap.
"...I-I apologize."
The servant bowed his head even lower, as if he had committed a grave offense. I was about to say I wasn't trying to scold him, but I was interrupted.
"Lady Rohanson."
Placing a hand over his chest, a young man bowed politely and introduced himself. "I am Ricoradca Palamedes, the butler of House Hosaquin."
He was the butler? He looked so young I thought for a second that Duke Hosaquin had a late-born son. Considering every butler I'd met so far was middle-aged or older, he was remarkably young. He had likely inherited the position.
"Please feel free to call me Rico."
I didn't think I'd be able to memorize his full name, so it was nice of him to offer a shorter version.
"As the preparations were rushed, we were unable to properly prepare for your arrival, Lady Rohanson. I will severely reprimand this servant for his mistake, so please show him mercy."
As Rico shielded him, the servant looked at Rico with shining eyes. Wait, I wasn't even trying to scold him, but he intervened and made me look like the villain?
At first listen, it sounded like he was apologizing to me, but his wariness was glaringly obvious. Translated from his polite doublespeak, it meant: 'The people of this estate do not welcome you. The servant's mistake is your fault for showing up unannounced, but are you really going to punish him? Hurry up and say you'll let it slide.'
At Rico's words, I could feel the other servants stealing glances, curious to see how I would react.
Fearing Pudding might lose his temper and pounce on them for their disrespect, I held him tightly and patted him. Be understanding, my sweet Pudding. We're the ones at a disadvantage here.
Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Pudding sent me a telepathic message, saying he would go run around to blow off some steam instead of scratching them with his sharp claws. Was he going to go shred some walls or something?
I had already warned him not to torment humans, so it should be fine. Pudding leaped from my arms and dashed away, disappearing from sight.
"Is that a cat?" Rico asked.
"Don't worry about it." Lest Pudding draw unnecessary attention, I immediately steered the conversation back to the main point. "More importantly, you asked for mercy, didn't you? Fine. I'll grant it. In return, I trust you will hand down a punishment that satisfies me."
This moment would shape my image for the duration of my stay. Since I hadn't intended to punish the servant anyway, it was best to handle the situation with magnanimity.
Rico smiled at my words and offered his thanks.
"Thank you for your immense generosity, Lady Rohanson."
"T-Thank you very much."
Bowing after Rico, the servant quickly scurried away. As I watched him retreat, Rico redirected my attention.
"His Grace seems to have departed to attend to urgent business, so I shall guide you inside. Would that be acceptable?"
"Urgent business" was an excuse the Count often used to avoid me. For two people who loathed each other, they sure shared similar traits.
"Very well. I am curious as to why he brought me here."
"...Wouldn't you know that best yourself, Lady Rohanson?"
"What?"
"Oh, it is nothing."
Rico smiled, feigning innocence. Did he think I hadn't heard him just because he muttered under his breath? I'm not some RoFan female lead who conveniently fails to hear someone muttering right in front of her.
I had no idea what he meant by me knowing the reason best. The Duke had only mentioned having a use for me… and the deal with Gabriel.
Could Gabriel have requested this? He might have asked the Duke to get me out of prison and temporarily protect me here. According to Sir Ante, the situation outside was highly unusual. The Count was the kind of man who would hand me over to Bishop Marik on a silver platter to save his own skin—especially since I wasn't even his biological daughter. Gabriel must have decided it wasn't safe for me at the Rohanson mansion.
If my arrival was the result of a deal with Gabriel rather than the Duke's own initiative, then my visit must have been incredibly sudden. No wonder Rico was displeased. Still, it was impressive how well he hid it. As expected, a duke's butler was on another level.
"It would be best to discuss important matters directly with His Grace. For now, you must be exhausted. I shall guide you to your room."
His offer to show me to my room sparked an idea.
"May I choose the room? I would like to stay in the one my mother used."