Chapter 50
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 50
This damned “Lady Rohanson fanaticism” showed no signs of dying down. He was usually perfectly fine, but the moment Lady Rohanson was involved, the kid became like this. This was exactly why he had wanted to leave that bastard Michel behind.
"Just move the luggage and go back with the others. Your job was done the moment you brought Misha."
"If I have been of help to Lady Rohanson, then I am satisfied. Sister, please make the absolute best dress that suits Lady Rohanson. You are the only one in the world who can make clothes worthy of her."
I have no idea who he's actually praising here.
"Michel…"
Raphaella quietly read the mood.
There were less than two weeks until Evangeline's debutante ball, and not many designers were skilled enough to whip up a dress on such short notice. Given the tight schedule, Artemisia would never have accepted the commission if it weren't for her brother.
Artemisia herself must have been even more shocked, as she clearly hadn't expected her brother to be in this state. That bastard Michel, seemingly feeling no remorse toward his older sister, had now shocked her three times: once when he was possessed by Donau's painting, once when he threw himself into that same burning painting, and now by becoming a rabid fanatic of Evangeline Rohanson.
Artemisia dabbed at her tears with a handkerchief.
"You've fallen into such a deep, hopeless love…"
What? Raphaella dug a finger in his ear, wondering if he had misheard.
"Of all people, to fall for Lady Rohanson, who is surrounded by such dreadful rumors…"
Leaving the two of them lost in their own world, Raphaella went to the carriage and quietly began moving the luggage. He should have just done this from the start. As Raphaella worked like a busy little ant, Uriel slinked up beside him.
"Sir Raphaella, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Since his rival is the Commander, does Sir Michel even stand a chance? You know, romantically?"
Beside him, Seraph's eyes were sparkling with curiosity. Raphaella gave up on answering. He just wanted to return to the Commander's side as soon as possible. Commander, our knight order is doomed.
"Seriously, you two. Just move the luggage and leave immediately."
"Huh? Yes, sir."
At least they were incredibly obedient. That was a small mercy.
* * *
Wow… is all of this fabric? Watching the workers carry in the luggage, I couldn't help but marvel. The powder room was rapidly filling up to the point where it could practically be called a walk-in closet now.
For a villainess, Evangeline wasn't very vain, so she had surprisingly few wearable clothes. On top of that, since she hadn't made her social debut yet, she didn't have a single dress to wear to a ball.
With only two weeks left, it was too late to get a custom dress made, so I had planned to just buy something ready-to-wear. But Gabriel, claiming he had a solution, went ahead and hired out an entire boutique.
And I don’t mean that metaphorically. Literally everything—from the boutique's designer and exclusive tailors to its seamstresses and fabrics—was currently being moved into the Rohanson mansion.
His reasoning was that while I could have visited the boutique, the tight schedule required constant alterations and fittings. It would simply be more efficient for them to work—and live—here. We even provided guest rooms for their lodging.
"I apologize for making things so chaotic."
Gabriel apologized, carefully reading my expression. It was another stark reminder that Gabriel was, indeed, the male lead. Of course. RoFan male leads have nothing but money, so throwing cash around to solve problems is just another Tuesday for them.
But Evangeline is rich too, you know? Who do you think you're flexing on? I felt a sudden, involuntary surge of competitiveness but took a deep breath and calmed myself. Well, saving money is a good thing, I suppose.
"How have you been, Lady Rohanson?"
Today, Gabriel's extroverted lieutenant, his biggest cheerleader, had come along as well. Raphaella greeted me with the over-the-top warmth of a long-lost friend. I wasn't the only one getting my energy drained; I could see Daisy beside me looking utterly disgusted.
Huh? But who is that behind him? Someone was trembling violently behind Raphaella.
"Ah, and this is the person who will be making your dress, my lady."
Before I could even ask, Raphaella pushed the person hiding behind him forward.
Ah. So this is the designer Gabriel bought with his money. It was painfully obvious she hadn't wanted to come, but the sum must have been too massive to refuse, so she’d been dragged here against her will. I worried she might end up running away crying, just like the tutors did.
"Her name is Artemi—"
"I-I-I can't work with human skin!"
Before Raphaella could finish his introduction, Miss Artemi-whatever cut him off and shrieked at the top of her lungs.
Wait, what?
"Pardon?"
At her thunderous cry, question marks practically appeared above everyone's heads. The powder room fell into an instant, dead silence.
"These crazy siblings are going to drive me insane…" Raphaella clicked his tongue and buried his face in his hands.
I was going insane, too. What skin? I must have misheard due to my lack of sleep. Or maybe my internal translator was malfunctioning.
Just how much worse has Evangeline's reputation gotten? I've never heard of a RoFan villainess making clothes out of human skin. No matter how dark and angsty this world is, shouldn't there be a limit? Just imagining it made me want to gag.
"What did you just say?"
"Hic! I-I'm sorry! I was wrong! Please just don't kill me!"
I had only asked her to repeat herself to be sure I’d heard correctly, but Miss Artemi-whatever was now bowing deeply, begging for her life.
"…Why would I kill you?"
Honestly, I'm such a nice villainess that everyone around me has practically figured out I'm a transmigrator. So why is there absolutely no change in my public reputation? If anything, hasn't it gotten even more vicious?
"You're someone Sir Gabriel brought here."
Didn't she get an explanation from him? Gabriel, what on earth were you doing? Why didn't you explain things beforehand?
Then again, what could I expect from a taciturn, tight-lipped male lead? It would be a miracle if we didn't end up in a misunderstanding that dug us into a deeper hole. This was the fault of Raphaella, whose job it was to explain things on Gabriel's behalf.
As if realizing his mistake, Raphaella quickly chimed in with an excuse.
"Her ladyship doesn't just kill anyone."
What do you mean she doesn't kill 'anyone'? Does that imply she kills 'some' people? I don't kill anyone at all!
This wouldn't do. If I left it to Raphaella, a new rumor would probably start about how I selectively murder people. I had to clear this up myself.
"I don't know what kind of rumors you've heard about me, but please don't believe such malicious gossip. Judge for yourself. What do you think of the me you see right now?"
"You are… beautiful…"
I brushed back the hair that had fallen into a disheveled mess from her bowing, offering a kind gesture. Miss Artemi-whatever murmured as if entranced.
Aha! My years of reading RoFan weren't for nothing. My conversational skills were really shining today.
Or maybe Evangeline's face was just doing all the heavy lifting. Usually, in RoFan novels, there's always at least one boutique designer who screams, "My lady, you are my muse!" She seemed to fit that exact archetype.
"I am so sorry for the misunderstanding! My name is Artemisia Schmitiana. I'm Michel's older sister."
"I am Evangeline Rohanson."
Miss Whatever has a really long name. I don't think I'll ever memorize it. But who is Michel?
"You are the benefactor who saved Michel, yet I let myself get scared by mere rumors and offended you. I am truly sorry."
Ah, now that she mentioned saving him, I remembered. She must mean that incredibly polite, melon-haired knight. The siblings were equally talkative and dramatic.
"What kind of rumors did you hear?"
"Ah, well…"
"I won't scold you, so please speak freely."
When Artemisia hesitated, I urged her to speak comfortably. I wanted her to tell me quickly; I was dying to know if all the good deeds I'd done so far had been completely useless. Sensing my gaze, Artemisia cautiously opened her mouth.
"Well… there was a rumor that the real Lady Rohanson died of illness, and the Count brought in a double to replace her. Of course, seeing you in person, I know that's not true at all! You are so elegant, and if you were really a double like the rumors say, the maids wouldn't be serving you so wholeheartedly."
Wait, what? Except for the fact that we share the same body, that's actually spot on. At this rate, the whole world is going to find out I'm a transmigrator. I hate to break it to you, but my maids actually like me 'because' they know I'm a transmigrator…
"And there was also a rumor that anyone who meets your eyes has their soul stolen. That you even bewitched a noble knight… But I'm sure that's just because everyone falls in love with your beauty!"
Now this is a classic villainess rumor. The knight must be Gabriel, right? They think his being head over heels for me is because of some dark magic.
"And they also said Lady Evangeline is buying up young children."
That was just me getting Daisy's younger siblings back! Hey, they were the ones human trafficking, so why am I getting the blame?!
"There were all sorts of speculations about why you were buying children…"
I guess out of all those speculations, the human skin theory left the biggest impression on her. That's why she said that earlier. To be fair, it was a shocking enough rumor to stick in anyone's mind.
"But they were all false rumors after all!"
"Mmh…"
Seeing her speak so brightly, I swallowed hard.
What should I do? They're mostly true. They were heavily distorted and twisted into bizarre shapes, but they were all based on a kernel of truth.
"I also thought they were just wild rumors… but seeing you in person, you were a little, just a tiny bit scary, so I…"
So, the biggest problem was Evangeline's face, which was gorgeous but terrifyingly intimidating.
"I won't let those malicious rumors spread ever again! I will do everything in my power to support you so that you can have the best debutante ball with Sir Gabriel. I'll make you the most magnificent debutante dress!"
Artemisia looked at me with sparkling eyes. It was hard to believe she had been terrified of me just moments ago. If I told her the rumors were actually true, would she get scared all over again?
"You don't have to overdo it."
"But my lady, clothes are one's letter of introduction. No matter how beautiful a person is, if they wear clothes that don't suit them, they are bound to be looked down upon."
Is that so?
"Then, what do you think of the clothes I'm wearing right now?"