Chapter 31
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 31
I didn’t recognize her at first without her usual nun’s habit, but a closer look at her features confirmed it was Daisy.
We weren’t anywhere near the orphanage, so what was she doing out here in the rain, looking so miserable?
“How did you recognize her?”
The rain was coming down so hard it was difficult to see anything clearly.
“Mr. Jelly recognized her,” Canna replied.
Ah. I nodded in understanding. Jelly had helped me find my way back when I’d gotten lost at the temple, so he must have tracked her by scent this time, too. As expected of a werewolf—their sense of smell was top-tier.
Wait, is this an event? Jelly finds a despondent Daisy in the rain, saves her, and they build some chemistry… I see. Daisy must have been a character meant to appear briefly as a sub-couple with Jelly, either toward the end of the original novel or in a side story. And now, because I’ve completely derailed the plot, I’ve become the one standing in the way of their love.
I get it now.
“Jelly. Do you want to go out and bring her in?”
“Me? No way. It’s cold.”
Jelly burrowed deeper into a fur coat he’d acquired from who-knows-where. Where did that even come from? Did he sneak it from the clothing store earlier? That sounded exactly like something he’d do. I mean, I wouldn’t mind buying him a coat, but…
Isn’t refusing to go because it’s “cold” a bit much? Is this guy really supposed to be a sub-male lead? He has the triple threat of being a werewolf, a mage, and possessing those delinquent good looks, yet he’s throwing a tantrum when his destined partner is soaking in the rain? No, wait. This isn’t Jelly’s fault. It’s my fault for hogging all the romance routes and tangling the story’s flow.
This is getting annoying. I’ll just go myself. It’s a good chance to get on Daisy’s good side and try to clean up my past record.
“My Lady, I’ll go instead.”
“It’s fine. Stay here with Pudding.”
I handed the sleeping Pudding from my lap to Canna, then stepped out of the carriage and opened my umbrella. I really needed to thank the clothing store owner who gave me this. I hoped they made it home safely.
I strode over and stopped directly in front of Daisy. Her lips were blue; she must have been in the rain for a long time. At this rate, she’d collapse with a fever by tomorrow. I tilted the umbrella to cover her.
Daisy seemed to assume I was just a passerby, immediately apologizing and saying she would move. Who are you even worrying about right now?
“Daisy.”
Whether she recognized my voice or was simply startled by her name, the half-dazed Daisy slowly lifted her head.
“Lady… Evangeline. How… Why are you here…?”
She was trembling just as much as last time. Just how vile was the original Evangeline’s personality? She had literally traumatized this poor girl.
It was depressing that I was the one stuck cleaning up her mess.
“Because I was looking for you.”
It was a miracle I’d found her at all. If I hadn’t brought Jelly along, I would have been waiting at an empty orphanage while Daisy sat out here in the rain all day. This is how things spiral out of control for romance fantasy protagonists if they take one wrong step. It really drove home the fact that this was a romance fantasy world.
Now, I had to coax Daisy into talking. It would be better to get her into the carriage first and take her straight to the Rohanson mansion.
As I tried to help her up, Daisy suddenly clutched my skirt.
“I have a favor. You said you would grant me a wish.”
What? Oh, right. I did say that before we parted ways. My intention had been to compensate her for the bullying and reach an agreement so she wouldn’t go around badmouthing what Evangeline had done.
I was about to ask what the favor was when a good idea struck me. Well, not a “good” idea, so much as a “wicked” one.
I was going to make her a proposal anyway, but she brought up the favor first. Besides, she already ran her mouth to Gabriel and Hena, so the scales were already unbalanced.
Instead of granting her wish unconditionally, I’ll tell her I’ll do it if she tells me what she said to those two.
“Fine. But there will be a price.”
For the first time in a while, I felt like I was living up to the name Evangeline. It’s fine; I threw my conscience away a long time ago.
“You know what I want, don’t you?”
As if she would. I only asked to see what kind of answer she’d give. The real Evangeline seemed like the type to demand, “A massive amount of gold!” or “Become my servant!” So if I act like I want something huge, then scale it down to just asking about her conversation, she’ll think, I can handle that much, and spill everything.
“I’ll… I’ll give you myself.”
Cough. I nearly choked on air. That… that is indeed something huge.
No, why is Daisy offering herself when she’s still terrified of me? Don’t tell me the suspension bridge effect has gotten tangled up with some romance fantasy plot device.
“So please, please help me.”
I couldn’t tell if Daisy’s face was wet from the rain or covered in tears. Her desperate voice made the words I was about to say vanish.
“Alright, fine. I’ll do it.”
I held out my hand, telling her to take it and stand. After a moment’s hesitation, Daisy took it.
“Get in the carriage first.”
Once inside, Daisy looked horrified to see Canna. By the time she saw Jelly, she didn’t seem to have the strength left to be surprised and simply sat quietly in the corner.
Canna shot Daisy a cool look before fussing over me as I climbed in after them.
“Oh my goodness, you’re all wet.”
I only had a few splashes on me, while Daisy looked like she’d just been fished out of a lake. It seemed Canna was treating Daisy so coldly because whatever she’d said had left Hena in a terrible state.
Canna snatched the fur coat Jelly was wearing. Instead of putting it on myself, I draped it over Daisy. Jelly let out a hollow laugh as he watched his coat pass from hand to hand, only to end up on her.
“Hey, your good days are over now.”
“Shut up, Mr. Jelly.”
Wait, did I hear that right? I glanced at Canna in surprise, but she was already acting demure, as if she hadn't just uttered such harsh words. I… I must have misheard.
“Long time no see?” Jelly said to Daisy.
My heart fluttered. It felt like I was watching someone else’s romance unfold right in front of me. Daisy didn’t answer.
“Are you ignoring me after everything between us?”
Everything between us! He said it! While pretending not to care, I focused all my attention on them.
“I don’t think there was much of an ‘everything’ between us.”
“We ran away holding hands, didn’t we?”
“Who held hands—!”
Daisy started to shout but quickly clamped her mouth shut. I had been worried because she’d seemed so terrified, but seeing them now, they were a perfect match for a sub-couple. A grumbling female lead and a sly male lead? That’s a classic, time-honored combination.
I thought they would keep bickering, but Daisy fell silent, and the conversation died. I decided to get to the point.
“So, what is this favor?”
Daisy clenched her folded hands.
“I am… an orphan.”
Ah, so this is her tragic backstory reveal, the part where she gets closer to Jelly. The plot progresses smoothly even when I jump in.
“I was abandoned so young I don’t even remember it, and I grew up in an orphanage. Fortunately, the Director was a kind person, so even after I became independent, I still visit her occasionally.”
I’d already heard all this from the butler I threatened, so I wasn’t sure how to react. If I admitted I’d done a background check, she’d despise me as a typical villainess. I’ll just keep my mouth shut and pretend I don’t know.
“So I stopped by the orphanage today, but… everyone there has disappeared.”
What? Why is a missing persons case suddenly happening in a romance fantasy?
One possibility came to mind. Daisy and Jelly had escaped from slave traders. The plot might be circling back to that incident.
“My Lady, this is my wish. Please find the Director and the children.”
“Wow, that sounds like a pain just hearing it.”
Someone shut Jelly’s mouth! Why are you trampling all over your own romance plot with your own two feet?
Actually, come to think of it, even if Daisy has a deep backstory, the main female lead is Canna. The sub-couple usually gets together much later, so it makes sense that he isn’t interested yet. Jelly, you’re going to regret this bitterly later.
“Fine. I’ll find them for you,” I answered for him, glaring at Jelly.
He’s a dependent in my house anyway, so he has to do what I say. Don’t feel bad about being put to work, Jelly; it’s all for your future.
Since I’ve already ruined Canna’s romance route, I want to at least set up the sub-couple properly. As for Canna, I’ll find her the most amazing person in this world. Gabriel is off-limits because my life depends on it…
But would Canna even want to date? Looking at her now, she’s the typical original female lead who gets obsessed with the villainess, shouting “Friendship over love!”
“Do you have any leads?”
“Troy.”
“Troy?”
I thought it might be the same slave traders who had captured Daisy before. I asked for a lead, but she gave me a name. Was he one of the traders?
“He’s the Director’s son. Her biological son. That bastard must have done something to the Director and the children.”
Daisy went on to explain.
The kind Director’s son had been nasty and eccentric since childhood. Because the Director loved the other children as much as her own, he suffered from a severe inferiority complex. He apparently didn’t hesitate to use violence against the children who received special attention from the Director.
“Once, he poured hot stew on the arm of a friend who was about to be adopted. The scar was so bad the adoption was canceled.”
He bullied the chubbier kids by calling them pigs and stopping them from eating. If a visiting noble came by, he tried to hog all the attention for himself.
“And he said it was okay because he was the Director’s son. No matter how much the Director scolded him, he never changed.”
What kind of trash exists in this world?
“Once he grew up a bit, the Director and the children couldn’t take it anymore and kicked him out. But even after that, he would come back every so often, telling her to stop ‘this kind of thing’ and causing a scene to try and shut down the orphanage.”
And according to romance fantasy logic, Troy was likely connected to slave traders. He was probably involved in the disappearance of the children from Daisy’s orphanage.
Just you wait, Troy. I’ve never seen your face, but I’m going to show you what a villainess’s iron hammer feels like.