Chapter 16
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 16
Naturally, my guilt would ease if Gabriel turned out to be the second male lead. Stealing Canna’s husband is one thing, but a man with a one-sided crush moving on to someone else? That’s a completely different matter. A different matter entirely. Pushing aside my lingering discomfort, I gave half-hearted responses to Canna’s chatter until the topic eventually shifted to the painting.
“A painting?”
“Yes. I heard it was donated to the temple.”
“Really? If it’s a depiction of Donau’s final moments, I suppose I am a bit curious to see it.”
Right? I was curious myself—just how "holy" did he paint a corpse for people to start calling it an angel?
“Do you want to go take a look? I can’t go, though.”
“Why not? I thought I’d go with you, My Lady…”
“Canna!”
Hena hurriedly cut her off just as Canna was about to insist I come along. Nice one, Hena!
Canna looked bewildered for a moment, but after seeing the look of pure distaste on my face, she nodded in understanding.
“I suppose… it would be quite uncomfortable for you, My Lady.”
Exactly. Being curious is one thing, but actually going to see it is another. I have no desire to go out of my way to look at a painting of a dead body. To a modern person, a painting of a corpse feels… well, a little morbid, doesn't it?
Of course, the residents of a RoFan world like Canna and Hena would see it differently. The era is different, and in certain religious contexts, death itself is viewed as something sublime. Given that the temple is calling it an angel and a blessing from God, that’s probably the case here, too.
“If you’re going to see it, you’d better go soon.”
Gabriel seemed to want the painting taken down, so it might be destroyed before long.
* * *
Canna and Hena decided to head to the temple to see the painting. Since it had been a while since they’d gone out, I handed them a generous amount of money, telling them to buy something delicious and enjoy themselves. Ten gold coins should be enough, right?
Thinking there might be pickpockets or thugs who might threaten them for everything they had, I split the gold into two pouches and gave one to each of them.
“Young Lady… we could buy a house with this.”
No, Hena! How could you buy a house with this? Do you know how expensive real estate is these days? Ah. Right. This is a novel. But in RoFan novels, the protagonists usually throw around tens of thousands of gold coins. Is property just cheap here?
“Is that so?”
“Yes. You can buy a house for about five gold coins.”
Wait, what? So the money I just gave them is enough to buy two houses? Evangeline hadn't been spending her money, so a literal mountain of gold coins was piled up in her room. Now I see why RoFan female leads are always into real estate speculation. Dammit! If only I’d known the original setting better, I would’ve become a speculator instead of obsessing over summoning circles.
“I have lots of money too!”
Canna pulled out her own pouch to show off her wealth. Inside was a single silver coin mixed with some copper coins. You call that "lots of money" when there isn't a single gold coin and only one silver? It’s not like Canna is a new recruit… Don’t tell me they aren't paying her properly.
“Hena. How much do servants usually get paid?”
“The pay at the Rohanson estate is on the higher side, but elsewhere, the average annual salary is about four silver coins.”
Four silver?
“Twenty silver coins make one gold coin,” Hena added quickly.
I’m sorry for being such an ignorant master who doesn't even know basic common sense. It was definitely a good move to pretend I have amnesia.
Twenty silver for one gold. If an annual salary is four silver, that means it takes five years of work to earn a single gold coin? Holy… Then the ten gold coins I just handed them represent fifty years of labor? No wonder Canna and Hena looked absolutely terrified when they received them.
But if the cost of living is like this, why does Evangeline have so much money?
Ah, come to think of it, the diary mentioned that Evangeline’s mother was the daughter of a Duke. It must be money she left to Evangeline in secret, away from the eyes of that wretched Count Rohanson.
In that case, the money Canna proudly showed off must indeed be her salary. One silver coin is actually quite a lot.
“Young Lady, I think this is far too much.”
“It’s fine.”
Hena was flustered, but I had no intention of taking it back. This is how a villainess buys people’s loyalty. Besides, Canna is a RoFan female lead; it makes no sense for her to be penniless!
I felt a bit bitter. Most RoFan female leads are nobles, so why did Canna have to be part of the minority?
Honestly, I don’t know why the social status in this RoFan world feels so nerfed. Is it because it’s a dark, angsty genre? The female lead is a maid, the villainess is a mere Count’s daughter instead of a Duke’s, and the male lead—or sub-ML—is just a knight commander… This won’t do. Gabriel is definitely disqualified as the male lead. Canna’s partner absolutely has to be a Duke.
“We’ll be going now.”
The Rohanson carriage I had prepared arrived, and it was time to send them off. My innocent girls, don't get hurt out there, don't get scammed, watch out for people, watch out for ca—I mean, carriages.
“You know what you have to do, right?”
“Yes. I’ll check to see if Sir Gabriel is handling the matter properly.”
Since I suspected Gabriel might be the sub-ML, I asked them to check if he was doing his job well while they were there. If he’s incompetent, he’s out as the male lead and officially demoted to sub-ML.
I had already sent a letter in advance asking him to look after the girls even if I wasn't there, and since Canna was involved in the incident, she’d be able to explain things well.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay without me?”
“Yes. Because you are always watching over us, My Lady.”
Canna seemed to trust me with a religious fervor now. I appreciate the faith, Canna, but I’m not a god, and I can’t watch over you all the time…
“We’re taking the Rohanson carriage, so we won’t get caught up in any unnecessary trouble,” Hena added, clarifying Canna’s words.
Ah. So that’s what she meant.
Canna really has picked up some skills from her time being tormented by Evangeline. Look at that flattery.
* * *
The carriage rolled smoothly as it left the Rohanson estate.
Perhaps because it bore the crest of a noble family, no one blocked their path, and they arrived very quickly. Unless they had a death wish, no one dared to jump in front of a noble’s carriage. Most nobles would simply get angry at someone for blocking the road, even if that person’s legs had been crushed under the wheels.
Canna marveled at the splendor of the bustling streets passing by the window.
“Sister! Should we stop by the boutique later? Let’s buy some dessert for the Young Lady too!”
“Canna, are you really planning to spend the money the Young Lady gave us?”
“Why not? She gave it to us to spend.”
The Young Lady had handed over ten gold coins as if she didn't know the cost of living, but in truth, even if she had known, she wouldn't have given them any less. Besides, she wouldn't care whether they returned the money as is or spent a little and brought back the change. She was the type of person who would just shrug it off even if Canna had bought a house while she was out.
Hena didn't seem to realize the depth of the Young Lady's favor, so she was always frightened and walking on eggshells. But in reality, didn't the Young Lady overlook even Canna’s occasional cheekiness with generosity?
‘I hope Sister realizes someday just how much the Young Lady cherishes us.’
Of course, Canna didn't want to pressure Hena, so she didn't try to persuade her just yet.
“Sister… I just said that because I’ve never been to a place like that before. I’m sorry.”
“Canna…”
Instead, she lowered her eyes and acted completely dejected. When she acted like this, Hena would look at her with such pity that she seemed ready to pluck the sun from the sky for her. It was a bit sly, but it wasn't a lie.
Canna had been frail since birth and had been so sick until recently that it seemed she might die at any moment, so it was only natural that she’d never seen the city center. Of course, she hadn't had the money to go, either.
And Hena probably hadn't gone often, either. Every penny she earned would have been spent on Canna.
“Alright. Let’s stop by on our way back.”
“Thank you, Sister! I’m so happy!”
As Canna beamed with joy, the tension finally left Hena’s face, and a small smile crept onto her lips.
Canna hoped her sister, who had always sacrificed for her sick younger sibling, would take this opportunity to spend some money on herself. And she would buy Hena a gift—not with the Young Lady’s money, but with money she’d earned herself. Her sister would be so happy, wouldn't she? Canna began to ponder what would make a good gift.
“But only for a moment. The Young Lady will be waiting if we’re too late.”
“Okay. I promise.”
Canna suspected the Young Lady already knew exactly what they were doing, so instead of arguing with Hena's excuse, she simply nodded obediently.
‘It seems Sister can’t see it.’
Canna playfully poked the eye beside her. The eye squeezed shut as if startled, then glared at Canna through teary lashes.
The Young Lady had attached an eye to Canna. If it had been one of those swarming masses that hovered around the Young Lady or the things that bloomed like mold on the mansion walls, she might have felt some revulsion.
But because it was a single eye that had popped out from that mass, it felt more cute than gross, even though it should have been macabre. Was it because it was an eye the Young Lady had given her?
This eye protected Canna when the Young Lady wasn't around.
Previously, it had taught a lesson to a servant who had sneaked up to the third floor to rummage through the rooms.
Hena had told her there were orders not to wander around the third floor, but the way the servant had crept in made it look like they were trying to steal something valuable from the late Countess’s room.
The servant didn't seem to know that Canna and Hena were living on the third floor at all. Since they hadn't come for the sisters specifically, Canna had only intended to scare them off.
The eye had merely forced the servant to their knees, but the servant was so cowardly that they had begged for their life, offering every penny they owned. Canna hadn't even intended to hurt them. Their weeping and begging for mercy reminded her of when she’d been kidnapped by Donau, so she’d just let them go. Later, she heard from Hena that a strange rumor had begun to circulate.
‘They said the ghost of the Countess wanders the third floor.’
Incidentally, the rumor included the detail that one had to offer silver coins to escape the Countess’s ghost. It was obvious who had started that part.
* * *
“Um… we have arrived.”
The coachman called out to Hena and Canna. His voice trembled, and he couldn't even meet Hena’s eyes, making it painfully obvious how intimidated he was by her.
Ever since she’d become the Young Lady’s confidante, all the servants in the mansion found Hena difficult to approach.
The personal maid of Lady Evangeline.
That was the title Hena was known by in the mansion these days. There were rumors that several people had quit out of fear and that Daisy had been blinded and sent to a monastery, so the fact that Hena was working perfectly fine made her stand out even more by contrast.
As for Canna, she never left the Young Lady’s side and wasn't officially employed, so people didn't recognize her face and treated her normally. Of course, after a normal conversation and parting ways, they would often rack their brains, wondering, ‘Wait, who was that girl?’
“Thank you.”
“No, not at all. I will wait right here.”
Did that coachman, who spoke so formally even to a mere maid, remember that he used to chat with Hena occasionally in the past?
“It’s magnificent.”
Regardless of whether the coachman was flustered by Hena or not, Canna looked up at the Grand Temple and voiced her impression.