Chapter 117
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 117
Nigella tore at her hair in a panic. Her once-neatly tied hair, without a single stray strand, was now completely disheveled, making her look utterly unhinged.
She couldn't accept that she was seeing the same thing as the ghost-possessed Duchess. The words she herself had been babbling just moments ago were no different from the Duchess insisting that the rats were her daughter.
Madness was contagious. God must be angry, punishing her for serving the Duchess.
If she had known this would happen, she should have run to the temple and confessed that the Duchess was possessed. She’d heard that a chef who accused his master of cannibalism had received a massive fortune for reporting a pagan. Of course, everyone else in that household, the chef included, had been executed as accomplices…
Even so, it wasn’t too late. The temple was still in the middle of a pagan hunt led by Bishop Marik. Just as Nigella was lamenting not reporting the Duchess, a sharp reprimand cut through the air.
“You, there. Are you just going to let Lady Agera keep staring into that water tank?”
The tone was incredibly casual. Having drawn everyone’s attention with a single sentence, Lady Rohanson glared at Nigella in silent condemnation. It was as if she had once again read Nigella’s basest thoughts.
Lady Rohanson glanced with disgust at her taxidermied double in the tank, then covered the Duchess's eyes. It was a fair, white hand, not so different from the one floating in the water.
“Lady Agera.”
The Duchess fumbled for Lady Rohanson’s hand and caressed it.
“…My daughter.”
She didn’t pull away. The living, breathing hand must have felt more like her daughter than the dead one. Under Lady Rohanson’s guidance, the Duchess stumbled to her feet.
“Hurry up and escort Lady Agera.”
At Lady Rohanson’s nod, the servants snapped out of their stupor and supported the Duchess.
“The rest of you, cover that thing back up.”
At her command, the other servants scrambled to drape the cloth over the tank again. They moved with such precision, it was as if they had become Lady Rohanson’s own limbs.
Finally, Lady Rohanson stared down at Nigella, who was still sitting there blankly. Those red eyes seemed to cast a binding spell over her.
“As you well know, you must not speak of what you saw to anyone.”
Nigella nodded fervently, as if she had just received a divine decree. She wanted to say, “Yes,” but her voice refused to come out.
As Lady Rohanson, having swiftly sorted out the situation, turned to leave, Nigella grabbed the hem of her dress. Lady Rohanson shot her a displeased look, causing Nigella to shrink back.
“Do you have something more to say?”
Nigella gave a slight nod.
“Go on.”
Only after receiving permission did Nigella manage to open her mouth. Tense with anxiety, she asked:
“…L-Lady Rohanson, what did the thing in the water tank look like to you?”
Nigella had gone out of her way to ask because, out of everyone who had looked into the tank, Lady Rohanson was the only one who remained perfectly calm.
And if Nigella had truly caught the Duchess’s madness, then Lady Rohanson, who had only just arrived, must be perfectly sane. What she saw would be the truth.
“What I saw?”
As Lady Rohanson spoke, Nigella swallowed hard, her throat suddenly feeling dry and prickly. Lady Rohanson bent down, leaned close to Nigella, and whispered softly in her ear.
“I saw the carcass of a rat.”
The answer was completely unexpected.
What was inside the tank was neither a stone statue nor a human. The rats had never disappeared in the first place. Nigella shed tears of joy, realizing she hadn't descended into madness alone.
* * *
Dealing with someone who has dementia is harder than one might think. There’s a reason nursing homes exist. Elderly people whose minds have regressed are incredibly stubborn and willful. Repeating the same thing is a daily occurrence, and they often can’t even remember the conversation they just had.
“What is the name of this tea?”
Asking the maid for the name of a tea she had personally chosen and brewed was nothing new. The maid explained its name and benefits once more, but Agera wasn't listening.
“Amaranth, hurry and drink!”
I could easily overlook her mistaking me for her daughter, or the fact that I had already emptied my teacup twice.
Unable to resist Agera’s sparkling eyes, I picked up the cup, merely wet my lips, and set it back down. My stomach was so full of water that I couldn't drink another drop. Still, she was expecting a reaction for what felt like the twelfth time, so I just commented on its lovely aroma. Despite my half-hearted response, Agera smiled innocently, looking incredibly pleased.
Even though Agera wasn't my real grandmother, my heart felt heavy. This unease made me wonder—did my grandparents suffer from dementia before I was possessed? My thoughts were hazy. The problem was, my memories from before my possession had been growing unclear lately.
I tried to recall if it had always been this way, but I had intentionally blocked out my pre-possession memories to avoid getting homesick. I had nothing to compare it to. Besides, I didn't even know how to get back, so there was no point in dwelling on my original world.
I don’t know when my memories started to fade. I can remember every novel I’ve ever read with perfect clarity, but I don’t even know my own name or age from my past life.
The only thing I can vaguely recall is my mom… and for some reason, the image of white hair. I couldn't have been in my forties or fifties, so why white hair? I must have put her through so much worry that her hair went gray at a young age.
In any case, the fading of my memories seemed to be proof that I was merging with Evangeline. If there were a system window, it would probably show a gauge reading something like ‘Synchronization Rate: 77%’.
One of my grandparents must have had dementia for me to feel this melancholy, right? It was best to just gloss over what I couldn't remember.
Agera stomped her feet like a child.
“I'm so happy I can show the greenhouse to my beloved daughter.”
I felt like I’d already heard her brag about the greenhouse dozens of times. But every time she brought it up, I looked around and marveled anew. It really was something to boast about. Planted with all kinds of exotic flora and beautifully landscaped, it looked like a sanctuary where fairies might dwell.
The tarp covering something in the middle was a bit of an eyesore, though. They said they covered it to regulate the temperature since they didn't have any automatic control devices.
Since Agera would keep asking why I wasn't drinking my tea if I sat still, I continuously stirred my cup with a teaspoon, pretending to sip. As I scanned my surroundings, my eyes met with a maid who was staring intently at me.
Was she glaring at my hand? Was the clinking of the teaspoon too loud? She wouldn't go to the Duke later and report, ‘Evangeline's table manners are absolutely atrocious,’ would she? It was highly possible. Anxious, I set the teaspoon down.
Worried she might also report that I ‘didn't entertain the Duchess with all her heart,’ I quietly agreed with whatever Agera said. Just then, a commotion broke out nearby.
“…Nigella! Pull yourself together!”
One of the maids suddenly clutched her ears, writhing in pain. What was going on? Before I could grasp the situation, other servants rushed over and suggested we wrap things up and leave.
They must have judged that it wasn't good to expose the mentally regressed Agera to someone in pain. But thinking she would easily agree to such a considerate suggestion was a grave mistake.
“Lady Agera, let's go inside.”
“No! Why do I have to leave? I'm staying here!”
“Duchess…!”
“I'm having a tea party with Amaranth!”
Now there was chaos on both sides. The maid seemed to be struggling to breathe from the pain, while Agera, full of defiance, stomped her feet and threw a tantrum. Since I was closest to Agera, I decided to calm her down first.
I didn't have any holy water on me, but my face had worked on her before. With two people already tending to the other maid, I figured it would be fine.
Apparently, it wasn't. The gasping maid suddenly broke free and ran toward the tarp. Then, she grabbed the cloth and yanked it off.
What was this? A surprise gift? I’d wondered why she was suddenly in pain, but was it all a hidden camera prank? My heart fluttered with happy delusions, but it plummeted the moment I saw what was behind the cloth.
Rats?
It was a surprise, all right.
They weren't even preserved in formalin. I had no idea why anyone would submerge rat carcasses in a water tank. I felt like I had walked into a science lab reeking of alcohol, not a luxurious greenhouse. Ugh. It was a horrific sight that would surely haunt my dreams.
No, why were there rat carcasses in the greenhouse in the first place? And why reveal them like a prank instead of just leaving them covered? Ah, I get it. They’re messing with me because they don’t like me.
You know, the classic trope where maids prank the villainess with maggot-infested soup, bugs, or rats. Since the Duke hates me, the servants are joining in on the bullying. As expected of RoFan residents, their motives are so predictable.
But the sheer volume of them… it was excessive. The scale was too grand for a few maids to pull off on their own. Surely the Duke wasn't the mastermind behind this? Dumbfounded, I stared blankly at the tank as Agera, before anyone could stop her, clung to it and began to sob.
She seemed to be saying something, but her words were lost in her nasal cries. She was probably saying she felt sorry for the rats. Her mood swings were already severe; this was terrible for her mental health.
If they wanted to bully someone, they should have just targeted me. Why drag the Duchess into this? I wanted to give them a piece of my mind, but throwing a tantrum here would be no different from branding myself as a villainess.
All of this would be reported to the Duke later. I needed to handle this maturely to build up some goodwill.
“You, there. Are you just going to let Lady Agera keep staring into that water tank?”
Apparently, they were. Since no one moved, I went over myself and covered Agera's eyes. Seriously, the public awareness in this world is just top-notch, isn't it? I saw it when Donau's house was burning and again when that knight caught fire at the temple. It’s a serious problem. Fortunately, I knew the solution. In times like this, you just have to single someone out.
Saying, ‘You with the black hair, please help,’ is far more effective than, ‘Someone, please help.’
With both my hands busy covering Agera's eyes, I gestured with my chin and eyes. Sure enough, once I singled them out, they listened. They covered the tank and escorted Agera back to her room.
“As you well know, you must not speak of what you saw to anyone.”
In other words, I was telling them to talk about it as much as they wanted. I wanted them to report to the Duke how flexibly and generously I handled the situation.
If the Duke finds out that I graciously overlooked the maids' bullying and even took the initiative to keep the rat carcasses a secret, wouldn't he see me in a new light?
Of course, I still had a long way to go. Right now, I was in a position where even the maids looked down on me. One of them even asked me at the end if I had properly seen what was inside the tank. Did she think I hadn't seen the rats just because I acted maturely instead of throwing a fit? She could have the villainess title for all I cared.
Anyway, I had more or less wrapped things up.
Not wanting to stay in the greenhouse any longer, we all went outside. Perhaps from the shock, Agera seemed completely drained of energy, simply walking along as the servants supported her. On the way, we ran into Rico, who had come to fetch me after finishing the cleaning of Amaranth’s old room.
“Lady Agera!”
Rico rushed over in shock upon seeing Agera stumbling along.
“What… why is she so exhausted?”
“…Be quiet!” Agera snapped, not even recognizing him as the butler, and shook her head violently.
“You all, explain,” Rico demanded of the other servants, but every single one of them kept their mouths shut as if they’d been glued.
Well, they probably had nothing to say. Making excuses would only make him angrier.
Since they were all just gaping and glancing at me, silently telling me to speak, I stepped forward and explained what had happened.
I told him how a maid had pulled back the tarp, revealing a water tank filled with rat carcasses, and how Agera had been deeply shocked by it. Hearing this, Rico gritted his teeth.
“To think this could happen the moment I stepped away…”
Having heard the whole story, Rico reprimanded the servants.
“All of you will be punished for failing to properly attend to Lady Agera. Especially you.”
He seemed intent on inflicting a harsher punishment on the main culprit who had pulled back the cloth. She hadn’t looked well… but there was no leniency for being sick. As expected of a class-based society.
“First, escort Lady Agera to her bedroom.”
At Rico’s command, everyone bowed their heads and began to move. While Agera and I were having tea, they had been whispering amongst themselves, but in front of the butler, they were utterly silent.
Did they think a Duchess with dementia and a girl who wasn't even treated like a real granddaughter were a joke? Rico was only angry about their failure to serve Agera properly; he didn't say a single word about me. Seriously, isn't this too much?
I had to bear with it. Once I get the Duke to dote on me, my treatment will change in an instant. I just had to look forward to the future.
Once everyone had escorted Agera inside, only Rico and I remained.
Where should I go? They said they were cleaning Amaranth's room, so I could just ask him to guide me there. No. I should probably see the Duke first.
If we were going to talk anyway, wouldn't it have been better to do it in the carriage on the way here, or as soon as we arrived?
“You said I was to hear the details from the Duke. May I meet with him now?”
“Yes. I will escort you,” Rico nodded, his expression complicated.