Chapter 158
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 158
"What… what do you mean by that?" Daisy asked, flustered.
"A rat trying to frame me stole my appearance. The person you all saw was that rat, not me."
Daisy had never heard about what happened at Duke Hosaquin's estate, so she looked puzzled, but she nodded anyway. Since she hadn't believed I was the arsonist in the first place, she seemed to accept my explanation easily.
"And how are we supposed to believe that…?"
On the other hand, the servants of the mansion, whose trust in me was already at rock bottom, immediately protested. Even before I possessed her, Evangeline had been a villainess who committed every sort of tyranny imaginable. After my arrival, I’d gotten on Bishop Marik's bad side and strange rumors had begun to circulate, so it was no surprise they couldn't trust me.
"I have no reason to kill you."
"…Isn't it just as Bishop Marik said? Weren't you going to kill us and use us as sacrifices?"
My vision blurred. Were they seriously warier of me than of Bishop Marik? I thought I had treated the servants well enough in my attempt to shed the villainess image, but it felt like all my efforts had been for nothing.
In that case, I needed a more convincing excuse. Just then, my eyes fell on the collapsed knights. If this was how things were going to be, I had no choice but to lean into my fearsome reputation.
"Use you as sacrifices? Look at those knights on the ground. I can kill you all easily without needing to throw you into a fire. In fact, I should be asking you why you think I’d resort to such a troublesome method."
"Is it really true that you didn't set the fire, Lady Rohanson?"
"Yes."
This time, my persuasion seemed to have some effect. It was a little sad that fear succeeded where loyalty had failed.
"And… why would I burn down my own home?"
Perhaps because I was feeling dejected, my voice came out tinged with sorrow.
"…Home."
Someone seemed to repeat my word. Exactly. Think about it. Who in their right mind would set fire to their own home? I thought it was a perfectly logical argument, but the servants still looked at me with suspicion. Wait, who would do that? Ah, right here. My eyes grew misty again. In their eyes, I must look like a lunatic who would burn down her own house. Just as I was about to give up, I heard a cough from beside me.
"Butler?"
Supported by Daisy's younger brother, Ranon, the butler staggered to his feet. He had clearly been through a lot, as he looked far from presentable.
"I, Phlox, am deeply sorry for failing to greet my master upon your return after such a long absence."
Coughing, the butler bowed to me.
"And I apologize for failing to properly protect the mansion in your absence. Welcome back to the Rohanson Mansion."
It was the first time since my possession that the butler had treated me with such respect. After bowing deeply to express his deference, he slowly raised his head and looked at me.
"What are you all doing? Our master has returned, and you have yet to greet her!" he barked at the other servants.
At his command, the hesitant servants, who had been warily watching the situation, began to stand one by one. Even the injured were helped up by those nearby. Mary, who had been clinging to my leg, sized up the atmosphere before pattering over to stand neatly beside Daisy. Before long, everyone was in their place.
The servants exchanged glances, and after a beat, they bowed their heads in unison.
"Welcome back, Lady Rohanson."
"We are glad you have returned safely."
"Welcome home, Lady Rohanson."
It was a greeting that made it seem as if I were returning from a simple outing. The words weren't synchronized, and their timing was all over the place—a complete mess. It was a chaotic welcome in a bleak situation, surrounded by a burned-down mansion, injured people, and even casualties. Yet, ridiculously, my heart swelled.
A sudden wave of emotion washed over me. It was unfamiliar, but not unpleasant. It truly felt like I had come home. Though it had indeed been a long time since I was last at the Rohanson estate, this felt different—like I had been away for an eternity and had finally, finally returned to my home.
Supported by Ranon, the butler walked toward me.
"I didn't expect you to take my side," I said. I had been sure the butler, as Count Rohanson's man, would stab me in the back. With Hena gone, I had never dreamed he would side with me. Truly, you can never predict what lies ahead.
"I merely calculated who is capable of protecting this mansion." The butler glanced at Daisy and the children before continuing. "The master of this nest shows no sign of returning, and we are about to be torn apart by the claws of a blind lion. In such a state, we have no choice but to seek shelter, even in the belly of a demon."
In other words, Count Rohanson had abandoned them, and since they were on the verge of being slaughtered under the pretext of Bishop Marik's heretic purge, they had aligned themselves with me.
"From what I have observed, Miss, you do not abandon those you have taken under your wing."
So he was saying that since the people of the mansion were now my dependents, I had to take care of them? Good grief. To think this was the same man who had been so wary of me that he wouldn't let me anywhere near the Count. And his way of addressing me had changed, too.
"Miss?"
The butler, who had always kept his distance by calling me "Lady Rohanson" or "My Lady," had just called me "Miss." What was with him, after all this time spent watching me with guarded eyes? Since Canna was the only one in the mansion who called me that, it was a highly unfamiliar title.
"In the past, I used to call Lady Rohanson 'Miss'."
Ah. Evangeline probably wasn't a villainess from birth. Back when she was still innocent, she must have been close to the butler, who called her "Miss." Then, as she gradually became a tyrant, they grew distant, and the title changed. The fact that it had changed back now was probably his way of acknowledging how I had turned over a new leaf and was taking care of the mansion's people.
Still, it seemed he was finally accepting me. It was late, but no master would refuse loyalty.
Thanks to the butler stepping up to rally the servants, I had received a proper greeting instead of an apology. Pudding was highly satisfied with this outcome. Seizing the moment, I asked Pudding to bring some holy water from the Duke's estate. Pudding, whose personal creed was that anyone who slighted me deserved to die, seemed to have calmed down as well, transporting the holy water without a single complaint.
Those who still had some strength left busied themselves treating the injured with the holy water. Canna was also running around, saying she would take responsibility for what Hena had done.
I checked on Daisy and the children. Doline was fast asleep from exhaustion, but fortunately, she had no major injuries. Daisy was fine, too, but Yulma's condition was the most serious. Daisy hugged the child, her eyes welling with tears.
"We almost lost Yulma. But… Mr. Jelly saved her."
To his credit, Jelly had dragged his injured body all over the mansion to rescue people.
"That's right! The doggy saved us, but people called him a demon…!" Mary nodded, chiming in with Daisy before stomping her feet in anger. "But… but I only hurt the doggy…"
Unable to contain her rage and guilt, Mary began to sob again. She even recoiled at the sight of a vial of holy water, crying that she didn't deserve to be treated.
She was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe, so I comforted her, telling her she had done nothing wrong. With several adults surrounding her and repeating that she wasn't at fault, Mary eventually calmed down. Jelly was injured, but he would surely be happy to know there was someone who recognized his good deeds and took his side.
Speaking of which, everyone said Jelly's condition was bad… Would he be okay? I needed to rescue him as soon as possible, but I had no good way to do it. Should I just teleport to the Temple and break him out? There would definitely be guards, but with Pudding's ability, it might not be that difficult. The biggest problem, however, was that if Jelly disappeared, I would immediately be framed as the culprit.
"Lady Evangeline. Do not worry, we do not die easily."
I was fretting that the Temple probably wouldn't bother treating Jelly, but Pudding, as if reading my mind, gently comforted me. Right. Beastkin had to be sturdier than humans.
"And what does it matter if he dies? He's a useless fellow. It's better for him to die than to cause trouble for Lady Evangeline."
Pudding spoke with a bright smile, but his words were incredibly brutal. Of course, since he was close to Jelly, he probably didn't mean it. It was likely just his way of comforting me, assuring me that Jelly would be fine so I shouldn't worry. Don't worry, Jelly. I'll rescue you somehow.
Jelly was one concern, but there was another. I became deeply curious about the well-being of the person who had been weighing most heavily on my mind.
My mouth went dry. After a moment of hesitation, I voiced the question that had been bothering me.
"…Was Sir Gabriel badly hurt as well?"
"Yes…" Daisy replied, lowering her head. My own heart grew heavy. A pang of guilt struck me; it felt like Gabriel kept getting hurt simply by being associated with me. Just then, Raphaella, who had been running around helping the injured, approached, having apparently overheard Gabriel's name.
"Were you speaking of the Commander?"
I nodded. "I heard he was injured, so I was worried."
"…The Commander will be very pleased to hear that Lady Rohanson was worried about him." Raphaella promised to deliver my words to Gabriel once he recovered. "The Commander returned with us, his knights, not with Bishop Marik. His subordinates will do their best to see to his treatment, so please focus on your own safety first, Lady Rohanson. If anything were to happen to you, I am certain the Commander's wounds would fester rather than heal."
Fortunately, since Gabriel had returned with the Pararos Knights, he was far more likely to receive immediate treatment than Jelly was. It would have been terrible if Gabriel had a constitution like mine that was immune to holy water.
"But Sir Raphaella, why didn't you return with them? Why are you the only one who remained?" I asked, voicing the question that had been on my mind.
Raphaella shrugged. "Bishop Marik said it would be untrustworthy to leave only her own knights behind. Then she pointed at me and told me to stay here and monitor the situation."