Chapter 27
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 27
Gabriel probably needed to see that stubborn old Bishop, so I figured it was time for me to make a considerate exit.
Had I gotten everything done?
I’d successfully rescued Hena and Canna from the nobles’ harassment, and the kids had seen the painting. Well, it burned up, so I didn’t get to see it, but I never planned on looking at it anyway. I recovered the statement, and by saving one of his knights, I even managed to earn some favor with Gabriel.
A new character named Daisy popped up out of nowhere, but Gabriel still seems to like me, so no problems there!
“Shall we head back now?”
“Yes!” Canna answered enthusiastically. I suppose she was eager to leave, considering she’d been waiting for me for hours.
As I gathered my things and stood, Gabriel reached out as if to stop me. His hand froze awkwardly in mid-air, as if he couldn’t quite bring himself to actually grab me.
“Are you leaving already?”
Am I supposed to move in with you? I bit my tongue to suppress the sarcastic retort. Patience… I am now a resident of a RoFan novel. I can’t get creeped out or go stone-faced just because the male lead drops a romantic line. I have to seduce him properly to escape my villainess fate.
“It’s getting late,” I said instead.
“Then I shall escort you to your carriage.”
Gabriel rose from his seat. I figured he was just seeing me out on his way to meet the Bishop.
When we stepped outside, the sun was already setting.
The walk to the carriage was short. The coachman, who had been trembling in his seat, gasped when he saw me. Oh, right. I’d given him a heart attack earlier by teleporting.
I was about to explain the situation to put him at ease when the carriage door opened. Jelly poked only his head out, not bothering to step down.
“You’re here?”
“Good job, Jelly.”
He sounded like he was looking for praise after a hard day’s work. As I stroked his head, Gabriel called out to me.
“Lady Rohanson.”
I turned to see him holding out his hand. What now? Ah. He was offering to help me into the carriage.
I placed my hand on his. But instead of guiding me up, he lifted my hand higher and pressed his lips to the back of it. I was so startled I almost punched him. This wasn't an escort; it was a farewell.
I know it’s a standard RoFan greeting, but experiencing it firsthand felt… weird. I should have worn gloves! Fortunately, Gabriel’s lips barely brushed my skin.
Still, a ticklish sensation remained. It wasn’t the feeling of moist skin, but of his breath. As that warm, soft breath ghosted across my hand, a strange shyness washed over me, and I had the sudden urge to run away.
“I shall look forward to the day we meet again.”
I didn’t answer, simply climbing into the carriage. Canna, the last to board, slammed the door shut with unnecessary force.
Listening to Canna grumble about how much she disliked Gabriel, I briefly wondered if I should tell her that he was originally supposed to be her soulmate.
The carriage rolled away, oblivious to my complicated thoughts.
* * *
Long after the House Rohanson carriage had vanished from sight, Raphaella, who had been standing in a daze, finally snapped back to his senses.
“What… what did you just do?” he asked, so flustered he was stumbling over his words.
“A farewell.”
“What on earth were you thinking…?”
Gabriel’s response was perfectly logical. But when the person in question was that Evangeline, wasn't kissing the back of her hand the most illogical thing he could do? Honestly, from the Commander down to Uriel, how could they all be so nonchalant? Michel was out of his mind, so he didn’t count.
“And just now. Commander, why didn't you tell her everything? Before we came here, Lady Evangeline and the nun were talking, and your name came up. It seemed like the nun confessed everything to the Young Lady…”
When Evangeline Rohanson had pressed Gabriel about what he had heard, Raphaella had hoped the Commander would just be honest. His heart had dropped the moment he met her red eyes. Her gaze had been as sharp as a blade.
That was why he had been frantically gesturing for Gabriel to just tell the truth… and yet, Gabriel had lied.
At that moment, Raphaella had been preparing to meet his maker, thinking it was all over. But then Gabriel went a step further and handed the statement over to Evangeline.
Naturally, everything Daisy had confessed was written there in detail. What was the point of lying with his mouth when his actions were so honest? Yet, surprisingly, Evangeline had just let it slide.
“Why did you do that? I’m sure you had your reasons, Commander, but…”
Gabriel had acted on instinct.
From what he had experienced so far, what Evangeline Rohanson valued most was maintaining her role. Judging by her actions and polite speech, she seemed to be deliberately acting in a way that made the world perceive her as ‘Evangeline Rohanson.’
The only times she discarded her lady-like demeanor were when Gabriel overstepped his bounds by offering help. She had been so furious because he had tried to peel back that facade.
So, Gabriel had played along. He couldn't risk her wrath by telling a verbal lie, so he handed her the paper while his words said the opposite, signaling that he would pretend not to have seen anything. Fortunately, his handling of the situation seemed to have earned Evangeline’s approval.
And by giving her that intentional farewell, Gabriel had realized one more thing.
He had reached out his hand for the greeting.
Evangeline wasn't short, but perhaps due to the significant difference in their builds, her hand was remarkably small in his.
Her body temperature was extremely low. As he cupped her hand, he focused on his fingertips to measure her pulse.
Even as he made the gesture of kissing her hand, he had guessed she wouldn't pull away. He had deliberately slowed the motion, taking his time to calculate her heart rate. It was slow, but her heart was definitely beating. She was breathing, however faintly.
He had suspected she was a reanimated corpse, but she was clearly alive.
Daisy had said Evangeline Rohanson was moving a dead body, but it seemed she was wrong. However, his belief that the thing inside was not human remained unchanged. Evangeline viewed humans as mere insects, and in her presence, it felt entirely natural to be treated as one.
The moment he first saw her was still vivid in his mind.
The only dead thing among all living creatures.
The conspicuously cold thing among all things warm.
That was why Evangeline Rohanson was special.
Gabriel unconsciously touched his lips. He hadn't actually kissed her, yet the memory of her low temperature remained like a brand.
* * *
Uriel laid Michel down on a bed in the infirmary. Should I just leave him here? He was drenched in holy water, so he probably doesn't need any other treatment… Just as Uriel was about to leave, Seraph entered.
The sound of clashing swords could be heard earlier; he must have been sparring. There was a shallow graze on his neck. When Seraph saw the soaking wet Michel, he gasped in horror.
“Sir Michel! W-what happened? Why are you so wet? Are you hurt? That’s not cold sweat, is it? Please don't die, Sir Michel…!”
“Sir Seraph, calm down. It’s just holy water.”
“What? Was he that badly injured? Oh, wait—he didn't jump into a fountain, did he?”
Seraph was exceptionally timid and prone to worrying. Uriel began explaining what had happened so Seraph wouldn't jump to the wrong conclusions.
The explanation was slow-going, however, as Seraph kept interrupting with wild guesses that distorted the story.
Their conversation continued until Gabriel and the other knights finished seeing Evangeline off and stopped by the infirmary.
“...And that’s how it happened.”
“I see… I understand perfectly now.”
Raphaella almost closed the door and left when he saw the two of them talking. A fussy Seraph and a simple-minded Uriel—what a terrible combination.
Fortunately, another knight named Jeremy was also there. Jeremy had come looking for Seraph, who had gone to the infirmary for a quick treatment during their spar and hadn't returned, only to get caught up in the conversation. When Jeremy made eye contact with Raphaella, he gestured frantically, pleading for rescue.
“Sir Raphaella! Commander!”
“Commander. What about Lady Rohanson?” Uriel asked.
“She has returned.”
“Ah…”
Uriel sounded so mournful that Raphaella momentarily wondered if ‘returned’ meant she had ascended to heaven.
“And Michel?”
“He’s still sleep—oh, you’re awake?”
Seraph and Michel, who was now wide awake and staring, shared an awkward look. Raphaella pressed a hand to his forehead.
“Ah… My apologies. You two were talking so happily that I found it a bit difficult to interrupt,” Michel said, scratching his cheek as he sat up. Fortunately, he seemed to be moving fine.
“Michel, are you alright?”
“Yes. I apologize for causing such concern.”
“Do you remember what happened?”
“Yes. I remember parts of it, and after hearing Sir Uriel just now, I have a general grasp of the situation.”
Gabriel and Raphaella were greatly relieved to see that Michel had no injuries and seemed perfectly fine. It was thanks to the holy water Evangeline had poured on him. His mental state seemed to have returned to normal as well. Still, they had to ask.
“Michel, are you feeling better now? Not your body, your head.”
“Pardon?”
“Do you still think the thing in that painting was an angel?”
“Ah… My apologies. I don't know why I thought that. Thinking back on it now, it was a truly ominous and bizarre painting.”
“Looks like he’s back to his senses.”
Raphaella sat on the bed opposite Michel, feeling immensely relieved. This guy, making everyone worry like that.
“Michel, you really should be grateful to us. We locked you in your room so you’d snap out of it, but you somehow escaped and had the nerve to go hugging a burning painting. If it weren't for Lady Rohanson, you would have been seriously injured.”
Raphaella lectured Michel, venting all his pent-up frustration. Michel listened sheepishly, but his eyes lit up the moment Evangeline was mentioned.