Chapter 60
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 60
No matter how agitated he was, Gabriel had been skilled at maintaining a calm facade since childhood.
The red flower Evangeline Rohanson had transplanted into a glass case trembled shyly. Gabriel knew all too well that the flower could only breathe inside its owner's coffin.
"Did you see her?"
The question came abruptly, in place of a greeting. Even without a subject, he knew exactly who she meant.
"You saw the lady, didn't you?"
Canna was the only one in this mansion who called Evangeline "the lady." If the Evangeline of the past had been everyone's lady, this one was Canna's alone.
Likewise, the only ones in the mansion who could truly see such things were the two of them and Canna. Hena only caught glimpses through the eyes Pudding had lent her, and it was the same for Daisy. On rare occasions, the other servants would witness the same sights as Canna, but every time they did, they were utterly terrified.
Daisy had been no exception. Canna, who had disliked Daisy ever since she tried to drive a wedge between her and Hena, had almost burst out laughing when she heard Daisy had run away in terror after seeing a mere mass of eyeballs.
Of course, now that her sister and Daisy were on good terms, she could be more understanding. For someone with a weak stomach, it was bound to be a horrifying sight.
Was this earnest-looking knight also weak-stomached? His exceptionally pale face certainly made him look terrified.
"Sir Gabriel. If you wish to love the lady, you must be able to endure it. You must love even this side of her."
Glad to have found an unexpected ally, Canna offered her advice generously. The cat in her arms patted her arm as if to say she was wasting her breath, but Canna felt she could at least offer some guidance as his senior in this matter.
Lord Pudding really did have a wicked streak. In the first place, those things were merely byproducts of the cat marking his territory. The cat had been testing Gabriel, who the lady favored and who had begun to show interest in her. After all, if he couldn't even accept the side of her the cat revealed, he would never be able to handle the lady herself. As expected, the result had only earned the cat's disappointment.
"If you endure, you can be loved. You envy me, don't you?"
"Envy you? Me?"
Gabriel could deny it, but Canna remembered that moment vividly.
On the day of their first visit to the Grand Temple, she had seen the look he gave her while she was being protected by the lady. It was the envious gaze of someone who lacked what she had. It was proof of his jealousy.
In Canna's eyes, Gabriel was a man dying of thirst. A well couldn't quench it, so he had passed it by; he had even ignored rivers. But what would happen if he encountered the ocean?
He would probably think it bliss to dive right in and drown. Even if the saltwater made him cough and stung his eyes, he wouldn't care in the slightest. He would believe he was drowning in a sea of sugar.
"You already know the lady isn't a normal human. You heard it from Miss Daisy, didn't you?"
Since the documents containing Daisy's accusation against Evangeline had been entrusted to Canna, she knew their contents by heart. She had destroyed them lest anyone else see, so her heart had leaped into her throat when the lady asked for them again.
"You only saw what you already knew, so why are you so frightened?" Canna asked, genuinely puzzled. She couldn't comprehend Gabriel's lukewarm reaction.
Gabriel avoided her gaze and swallowed his response. Contrary to Canna's assumptions, he hadn't been frightened by what the cat showed him. The crimson-drenched sight had evoked disgust, not fear.
"Did you think the lady was some kind of winged angel? Are you disappointed because she's different from what you imagined?"
In truth, what Gabriel feared was Evangeline herself. He feared she was nothing but a non-existent illusion, for he had seen she had no reflection in the mirror. Her low body temperature against his skin and her faint heartbeat felt utterly futile—as if Evangeline were truly a corpse. It brought back memories of his childhood, of running with a dead child on his back.
"Indeed. I suppose I already knew, yet I couldn't bring myself to accept it."
Just as Daisy and the priest who had overseen the funeral said, Evangeline Rohanson was dead. Even so, Gabriel wanted to treat her as if she were alive.
Was that why Evangeline had been so angry? Because he had shown interest in her without even properly recognizing what she was?
"I am running late, so I must take my leave. Thank you for the advice."
Having nothing more to say, Gabriel gave Canna a polite nod and hurried away. Unlike before, his pace was incredibly swift.
"If the knight wants to run away, that's fine by me," Canna muttered, watching his receding figure. The cat clicked his tongue in disapproval.
If Gabriel couldn't overcome this trial, Canna would be the only human on earth who loved the lady unconditionally. While she would be thrilled to have her lady all to herself, she also wished for her to have more people to cherish.
A breeze blew, scattering petals through the air. Canna bathed in the cherry blossoms as if they were snow, basking in the brilliant spectacle.
"It's spring."
Yet it was June, well past spring. It was a summer night, and the cherry blossoms—the pride of House Rohanson, planted by the late Countess—remained in full, beautiful bloom, refusing to fall.
*
After Gabriel left, I was heading back to Misha to take off the dress when I ran into Canna, who had just returned from her walk.
Her already round eyes widened even further, and her cheeks flushed a deep crimson. She looked utterly smitten. I figured this was exactly the reaction Misha had hoped to get out of Gabriel.
"Are you an angel? Why don't you have wings?" Canna gasped, covering her mouth in awe.
Why is everyone in my household so good at flattery? Misha's staff were quite the smooth talkers, too. Did they all take a crash course from Misha when I wasn't looking? Then again, to survive next to a villainess, you had to play the sycophant and put on a little show.
"No wonder Sir Gabriel lost his mind. Even I'm wondering why you aren't an angel…"
"Did you meet Gabriel?"
"Yes. He looked utterly exhausted when he left." Canna mimicked him, slumping her shoulders as she walked.
A sharp pang of guilt hit me. I suppose I was a bit harsh.
Should I have just accepted it? Or at least said thank you?
It's not like I'm actually going to fall in love with him. My goal is just to avoid the villainess's death flags, so I should have just played along. That way, he would have actively protected me.
And now that I think about it, was it even a real confession? I was the one who jumped to conclusions and asked if he was confessing. When I asked, "Do you like me?" Gabriel couldn't even say a word.
Is this what they call a zero-confession, one-rejection situation? Did I just get ahead of myself and reject him out of nowhere? Sure, Gabriel likes me, but it's not like he asked me to be his girlfriend.
Ugh! Why did I do that? I regret it so much…
I thought I'd been doing a good job of keeping my emotions in check since I got here, but I completely flew off the handle in front of Gabriel. It wasn't even late, yet I got swept up in some kind of late-night sentimentality and took it out on the male lead, who was just doing his job. This is what happens when you wake up mid-sleep. This is why people need to get proper rest.
Kicking myself internally, I took Pudding from Canna's arms. Even though he was nocturnal and it wasn't his bedtime, his eyes were closed. When I scratched his chin, he purred contentedly. Ah, this is true healing. Animal therapy really was the best. All the fatigue of the day melted away. It was just a shame that Pudding was a beastkin, otherwise I would have buried my face in his belly.
"Canna, thank you for taking Pudding on a walk for me."
"It was nothing, my lady. You were busy today."
Since I had plans with Gabriel, Canna had walked him instead. These minor chores usually fell to her.
Because Canna had the least seniority, Hena and Daisy were always the ones attending to me in public. Lately, I had been taking the experienced Daisy with me quite often, and I felt like I had been neglecting Canna a bit. I need to do better.
"Are you going to see Lady Schmitiana?"
"Yes. Come with me."
Daisy and Hena had probably already gotten their measurements taken, so only Canna was left. It would be perfect to go together; I could return the dress while she got measured.
"Me too?"
"Yes. We need to get one made for you, too."
"For me?"
"I already ordered dresses for Hena and Daisy. You had to endure some harsh words because of me at the temple last time, didn't you?"
Canna nodded, as if recalling the incident at the Grand Temple, then suddenly threw her arms around me. Annoyed that his personal space had been invaded, Pudding flailed his paws. Come on, Pudding. Canna took care of you all day. You can share at least one side of my chest.
"My lady…"
A sniffle came from below. Wait, is she crying? Is she seriously crying just because I'm getting her a dress?
This is the same Canna who just gave me a thumbs-up and went, "Wow, our lady is the best!" when I showered her with gold coins. The same tough-as-nails Canna who calmly remarked, "It must be quite a chore choosing what to wear," when I bought her enough ready-made clothes to fill an entire carriage?
So custom-made clothes were the answer all along? Great. I'm hiring Misha permanently.
"I am yours until the day I die, my lady. You can use me however you wish," Canna sniffled.
No… I'm not going to 'use' you. And saying something like that with a stuffed-up nose doesn't sound nearly as cool as you think it does, okay? Still, the grateful female lead's devotion is truly on another level.
"You like me, don't you, my lady?" Still clinging to me, Canna tilted her head up, her eyes brimming with tears.
Honestly, the real answer was a bit more complicated, but considering what had just happened with Gabriel and the fact that I couldn't bring myself to be cold to someone who was crying, I simply nodded.
Come to think of it, whenever I read novels, the female lead was always my favorite character. So I guess that meant I liked Canna, too.