Chapter 135
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 135
“Ah… Canna stepped out for a moment. She said she was going to see Lady Rohanson.”
“I see.”
Jeremia nodded. Although their interactions had been brief, she could already tell how much Canna adored Evangeline. Since they hadn’t seen each other in a while, Canna must have missed her terribly.
“Canna seems to really like Lady Rohanson.”
At Jeremia’s words, a deep frown creased the maid’s face.
Why was the girl in front of her so displeased by that? It was hard to tell exactly who the vivid hostility was aimed at. However, the displeasure vanished from the maid's face as quickly as it had appeared, so Jeremia let it go.
“So, you’ll be attending to me until Canna gets back?”
“Yes, Sir Azazel.”
The girl called Jeremia "Azazel." That was only natural; she couldn't possibly know that someone else was inhabiting Azazel's body. Still, where had she heard the name?
Pudding and Jelly always referred to Jeremia as "Tart." She’d been told the name suited Lady Rohanson's tastes, so she hadn't been in a position to protest.
Because of that, the name Azazel was never mentioned within the mansion. So how did this maid know it? A young maid working at the Rohanson mansion should have no reason to have ever met one of Bishop Marik’s paladins.
“I should at least know the name of the person attending to me. What is your name?”
“I am called Hena.”
“Hena?”
The name Hena was familiar to Jeremia. She was Canna's older sister and one of Evangeline's maids. Ah, she's one of Lady Rohanson's personal aides. That would explain how she knew the name Azazel. With that, Jeremia dismissed her suspicions about Hena entirely.
“Call me Tart, not Azazel. Did Jelly tell you my name?”
“Yes.”
Hena nodded. Unlike Canna, she was a person of few words.
“I’ll be in your care, then, Hena.”
“I look forward to it as well.”
Hena bowed her head in greeting.
* * *
While Canna was away, Hena came to attend to Azazel. Using her duties as an excuse, she hovered nearby and observed him.
Azazel Astaroth. The man who once bore a name bestowed by Bishop Marik was now mimicking Lady Rohanson's way with demons, telling people to call him by the ridiculous name of "Tart."
Watching him, Hena thought he seemed more like an immature boy than the man from the rumors. He didn't look like a murderous fiend who would ruthlessly tear a person limb from limb out of sheer boredom. Even his way of speaking was more like that of a noble young lady than a knight.
That was why, at first, she hadn't connected Azazel with Bishop Marik's personal guard. It was only after learning his name that she was able to report the truth to Bishop Marik.
Upon hearing that her own guard had betrayed her to serve Evangeline, Bishop Marik showed no disappointment. She merely explained that such was the nature of demons and warned Hena to always be cautious.
“Um… Bishop.”
“Yes. Speak, Hena.”
“If I do as you say… will Canna really be able to return to normal?”
When Hena asked anxiously, Bishop Marik reassured her.
“Of course. Once we kill the demon occupying Lady Canna’s body, she will return to her rightful place. I may be humble, but I will pray ceaselessly that Lady Canna does not lose her way.”
Hena thanked Bishop Marik profusely for offering them her prayers and blessings.
Hena had met Bishop Marik on the day the Crown Prince was assassinated. It was when Evangeline had been taken away by the Imperial Knights and Madame Toten was being held for questioning. Seizing that opportunity, Bishop Marik had approached Hena.
Or rather, she had appeared to reveal the truth to Hena.
At first, Hena had been extremely wary of Bishop Marik, believing the Bishop had lured Lady Rohanson into a trap.
However, as she listened to Bishop Marik's explanation in the brief time they had, Hena realized she had been living in a narrow well her whole life. No, not a well—it was more like a miniature garden, carefully crafted by Lady Rohanson.
“So Lady Rohanson deceived me?”
“Indeed. If not for me, you would have spent your entire life serving Lady Rohanson, never even recognizing your own enemy.”
The truth Bishop Marik revealed was horrifying. Hena had simply recounted her experiences, and the Bishop had extracted the truth from within her story. The truth she laid bare was this:
Everything was nothing more than a play staged by Lady Rohanson to seize Canna's body. Donau had kidnapped Canna under Lady Rohanson's orders. The summoning circle had belonged to Lady Rohanson from the very beginning. Even the cat Canna had chased was another demon named Pudding.
According to the Bishop, the Canna whom Hena had cherished and cared for so deeply no longer existed in this world. The thing now occupying Canna's body was a demon that Lady Rohanson had summoned through Donau. The real Canna had died the day she was kidnapped. She had become someone else entirely on that day. That explained the sense of wrongness Hena had felt all this time.
It wasn't that Canna refused to heal the wound on her neck; she couldn't. Holy water had no effect on wicked things. Yes, just like Lady Rohanson's cat.
Even though she had already suspected it, having Bishop Marik point it out piece by piece filled her with a wave of self-loathing.
“Canna… my poor little sister…”
Hena, too, had vaguely sensed it.
When she first heard Daisy's words, she had thought that no matter who Canna was, she would still be her sister. However, seeing the demon named Melek awaken in the body of Madame Toten's deceased son had left her with complicated feelings. In truth, it shouldn't have been surprising. Evangeline Rohanson herself was an entity who had taken over the body of a deceased young lady in that exact manner.
The Canna who used to lie bedridden and the Canna of today could not possibly be the same person. The crack of doubt that had formed when she saw the painting in the temple had widened into a chasm, deep enough to swallow a person whole.
Bishop Marik had seen Hena's turmoil at a glance and appeared before her, offering help.
She had rebuked Hena, asking how she could remain complacent, satisfied with her sister's empty shell while the real Canna was suffering somewhere. She had chided Hena for her lazy affection, and Hena had been consumed by shame.
Fortunately, Bishop Marik had given Hena a way forward. She promised that if Hena followed her instructions faithfully, she would punish Lady Rohanson and restore Canna to normal.
And so, Hena became Bishop Marik's spy.
She intercepted and delivered letters and handwriting samples from the Rohanson territory and reported every detail of their internal affairs.
She couldn't speak of Lady Rohanson near the mansion, but it didn't matter once she was far enough away. Hena was under relatively little surveillance, so meeting with Bishop Marik wasn't difficult.
There was only one reason for this lack of scrutiny: the thing pretending to be Canna adored Lady Rohanson. And Hena loved her sister. Naturally, everyone assumed Hena served Lady Rohanson for her sister's sake.
Indeed, if Bishop Marik hadn't opened her eyes… Hena would have never realized the truth and would have followed Evangeline forever, alongside the thing that wasn't Canna.
Thanks to this, the arrogant demons didn't watch Hena closely. That, and Bishop Marik's extreme caution.
“I truly despise demons.”
That alone was reason enough for Hena to turn her back on Evangeline.
Hena sat blankly in the bedroom she now had to herself while Canna was away. The more she followed Bishop Marik's orders, the more disgusted she became with the wicked entity pretending to be Canna, and the more horrified she was by the creatures infesting the Rohanson mansion. She couldn't bear the fact that Lady Rohanson and two demons were right above her, separated by a single ceiling.
Her nerves had been so frayed that yesterday, she had even choked Canna. But Canna hadn't died. To Hena, this was proof that she was a demonic entity.
The thing pretending to be her sister had cried out, "Sister!" It begged her to stop, mimicking Canna so perfectly that it brought Hena to tears. Hena had wavered for a moment, but the thought of the Bishop stopped her from giving in to the demon. Still, no matter what was inside, the body belonged to Canna. The moment Hena saw the lingering marks on her sister's neck, she broke down and wept in its arms.
When she woke up this morning, the space beside her was empty.
Canna had disappeared, leaving behind a note that read, 'Sister, you need some time to cool your head. I'll be staying with Lady Rohanson for a while.'
Hena thought it was for the best. She had been afraid she might cause further harm to Canna's body. Now that her sister was away, there was nothing holding her back. It was time to begin the task Bishop Marik had requested of her.
* * *
An unexpected guest arrived at House Hosaquin. It was none other than the maid of that Lady Rohanson.
The staff of the ducal house harbored a dozen worries upon Canna's arrival. As the maid of the dreaded Lady Rohanson, they were terrified she would throw her weight around, using her master's fearsome reputation as leverage.
But contrary to their expectations, Evangeline's maid, Canna, quickly blended into the estate. Why is Evangeline Rohanson's maid so sociable, eloquent, gentle, and quick to smile? Everyone was puzzled, but Canna quickly won over the staff of the ducal household.
Canna's smile was addictive. The ducal staff began to treat her with exceptional care, terrified that the gentle curve of her lips might falter even for a second.