Chapter 68
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 68
“…I heard you were looking for me, so I had someone bring you in. Is that not the case?”
I have no idea what’s going on. I’ll just have to play dumb. Madame Toten looked completely dazed and confused after her mad dash through the torrential rain, so I decided to pretend I had no clue how she’d suddenly appeared.
Clutching her head, Madame Toten looked utterly bewildered.
“That’s… right. I came to find you, Lady Evangeline.”
Fortunately, she really did have business with me. Could it be… that she came to act as my chaperone after all?
“You should have taken a carriage. You’re completely soaked.”
“Well… I was worried you might have already left for the Imperial Palace, so I had no choice but to ride a horse in my haste.”
So she rode through a downpour because she was afraid I’d scold her for being late? Just how wicked does she think I am?
Out of consideration for the drenched Marchioness, Daisy tossed more firewood into the fireplace. Meanwhile, Hena returned with towels and handed one to Madame Toten. It was for her to dry off, but Madame Toten only used it to dab at her tears. Seriously, you’re going to catch a cold like that.
In her current state, Madame Toten was in no condition to attend a banquet. Rainwater dripped from her hair down her face, making her look as if she had been sobbing hysterically. Her eyes were red, too. Don’t tell me she didn’t come to be my chaperone, but to cancel?
Maybe she felt a prick of conscience after ghosting me all this time and finally showed up to break the news.
“Either way, it’s a bit late to be making a decision now.”
Whether she planned to cancel or agree, it would have been much better if she had contacted me earlier. Ah. I hadn’t meant to complain, but the words slipped out with a sarcastic edge.
“You’re right. I was far too late…”
At my remark, Madame Toten’s face crumpled, her eyes brimming with tears. She looked incredibly regretful and apologetic. Oops, I misspoke. People can be a little late sometimes.
“I was waiting for you.”
I took the towel from her hands and began drying her off myself. Startled by the sudden contact, her eyes widened. It felt a bit inappropriate to think this while looking at someone who resembled a drowned rat, but having just barely escaped the nightmare of Bishop Marik being my chaperone, Madame Toten seemed like a knight in shining armor. Of course, the horse she rode in on was just a plain brown one.
“You’re still going to be my chaperone, right?”
At this point, even if she said no, I was prepared to grovel and beg. As long as she agreed, I wouldn’t have to tremble before an exorcist anymore.
“I need someone who will sincerely look after me, even after seeing me for who I truly am.”
“Yes, I’ll do anything. Anything.”
My appeal—that she was the only one fit to take responsibility for me—must have worked. Madame Toten agreed without a moment’s hesitation. Yahoo! I was so glad I hadn’t left with the Count and had waited at home instead. Now that she was here, I had the perfect excuse to reject Bishop Marik.
I felt like I was walking on air, thrilled to have avoided a dangerous escort and a potential exorcism. This RoFan almost turned into an actual exorcism story. I had acted all brave in front of Raphaella, saying I’d just deal with it, but I was actually terrified. Considering the reality of medieval torture, wasn’t it only natural to be scared? It would be weirder to stay calm!
“My lady… did you know I would come?”
“No. I’m not a god. I can’t see the future.”
“I suppose so…”
Honestly, I hadn’t expected it at all. Raphaella should have been here to see this! It was a shame he couldn’t experience the thrill of winning such a long-shot bet.
“I thought that, being you, you would have known I’d end up coming to you anyway.”
Madame Toten looked dejected. Whoa. She seemed hurt that I hadn’t believed in her. But honestly, isn’t it a bit shameless to ghost someone and still expect them to have faith in you?
“Ryder has been very ill lately.”
Well, if her son was so sick that she hadn’t even had time to get in touch, then she was innocent. Not a flake, but a saint.
“His fever ran so high that I only thought of you today. I know I’ve come far too late… but Lady Rohanson, do you remember what you told me before?”
“What did I say?”
What did I say? All I could remember was praising the old butler of the Marquis’s estate. Madame Toten hesitated, then lifted her bowed head to meet my eyes.
“You told me to lean on you.”
“I did?”
Did I really say something like that?
“You definitely did. You said it was alright to lean on you.”
Madame Toten spoke with absolute conviction. The burning intensity in her eyes made it impossible to believe she was lying.
I… guess I did. I must have said it while trying to comfort her. I really laid it on thick to get on her good side back then, didn't I? This is why you should always watch what you say, even when you’re just spouting flattery.
“If those words still hold true, please. I beg of you, help me.”
She leaned in so close that her face was suddenly right in front of mine. Overwhelmed, I instinctively leaned back, tilting my head up in a way that probably looked like I was arrogantly raising my chin at her. Could you please step back just a little?
Well… since she agreed to be my chaperone, I could certainly do her a favor. But shouldn’t I hear the request first? I do have a limit on my available funds, after all.
“Is this about Ryder?”
“Yes. You are the only one who can bring him back.”
Ah. Hearing her words, the whole picture clicked into place. She had been so distracted by her severely ill son that she’d only realized today was the debutante ball and had rushed over. But since Ryder was still sick, she had come to find me, clutching at straws.
“…I dare to beg of you. Please, save Ryder.”
Her eyes welled up again. I had previously told her there was no way to save her son, playing along with the rumors, so I hadn't expected her to come to me for help. That was why I’d assumed she was just avoiding me.
“If things go on like this, the Marquis’s estate will be stolen by Dies, just as the butler wants.”
“The butler?”
Did she mean that incredibly loyal old butler?
“Just as you said, my lady, the butler was deceiving me. Taking advantage of my child’s illness, he even brought in my husband’s younger brother to succeed the title…”
Wait. I wasn’t following. The old butler was trash? And I was the one who told her that? I had only praised him, hadn’t I?
Madame Toten briefly explained the family situation. To sum it up, the old butler and her husband’s younger brother, Dies, had teamed up to kill Ryder and seize the marquisate.
This was far more serious than I thought. She wasn’t just asking me to cure her sick child; she was asking me to throw my weight into a succession battle for a marquisate. So, when the old butler told me not to share the cure, it wasn't out of consideration for me, but to serve his own agenda.
Madame Toten bit her lip, her hands clasped tightly as if in agony. She watched my reaction, her mouth twitching.
“Please help me. You are the only one I can turn to, my lady.”
There was nothing she could do on her own. The only way to break the deadlock was for Ryder to fully recover and secure his position as heir. She must have thought I was the only one who could solve both problems. After all, Evangeline had notoriety, funds, and a track record of miraculously recovering from a frail state herself.
But was there really anything I could do? Evangeline’s “recovery” was only because I had possessed her body. I pondered for a moment, looking at Madame Toten, who was staring at me with silent, pleading tears, before finally making a decision.
“Hena, how much time do we have?”
“We have more than enough time to make a quick stop at the Marquis’s estate.”
Hena checked the time and immediately chimed in to support me. Did you hear that? She says we have plenty of time for a quick visit.
Although I wasn't as omnipotent as Madame Toten hoped, I wanted to at least hear her out and share some of her burden. Even if I couldn't cure her child, I could use my reputation as a villainess to protect Ryder from the old butler and the Marquis’s brother, who had seized control of the estate.
It weighed too heavily on my conscience to just turn her away. Besides, this was a give-and-take. Despite Evangeline’s terrible reputation, Madame Toten was the one who had agreed to be my chaperone. She might have ghosted me, but she had a valid reason—her child was sick—and she had still rushed over today, terrified of being late.
“Sir Gabriel once told me that you are renowned as the very model of a noble lady.”
Madame Toten looked puzzled by my sudden remark.
Perhaps because she had ridden through the rain, her hair was plastered to her head, her makeup was smudged, and her dress was torn in several places. Compared to her reputation as the perfect model of high society, she looked incredibly disheveled.
“I can’t very well take my chaperone to the banquet looking like a drowned rat. Unfortunately, we don’t have any clothes that would fit you here at the Rohanson mansion, so we’ll have to go to the Toten estate first.”
Madame Toten’s eyes widened.
“I can’t let you go back alone in this heavy rain. I’ll accompany you.”
Besides, she had ridden a horse all the way here. Since we both had to attend the banquet, our only option was to stop by the Toten estate first and then head to the Imperial Palace together.
“Thank you. Thank you so much, my lady.”
Tears of gratitude welled in Madame Toten’s eyes. First, it was the Count at lunch saying I’d finally become human, and now it was Madame Toten—everyone seemed so deeply moved whenever I showed even a shred of kindness. Just how trashy was the real Evangeline’s personality?
“Then let us hurry to the estate—ah!”
Overjoyed, Madame Toten took a step forward, only to stumble. I glanced down and saw that the heel of her shoe had broken off. Honestly, she was a total wreck. Just how recklessly did she ride over here?
I didn't think my shoes would fit her… Ah, wait. There was one pair that looked like it might be a similar size.
“Daisy. Could you bring my mother’s shoes? The ones Misha repaired.”
“Yes, my lady. Right away.”
Daisy left and returned with the shoes.
“How do they fit?”
“They fit perfectly. But… is it really alright for me to wear your late mother’s keepsake?”
The shoes she was putting on were a pair I had unearthed from a storage room. While most of Evangeline’s mother’s belongings were neatly organized downstairs, this single pair had been tucked away in the storeroom right next to my bedroom.
Aside from a few stains, they were high-quality women’s shoes, but because the size was different from mine, I had known immediately they weren’t Evangeline’s. When I first found them, they were stained a dark, reddish-black, so they had probably been forgotten and left there to be thrown away.
It felt awkward to throw out someone else’s things, so I had just left them. But Misha, assuming they were my shoes, had gone ahead and restored them beautifully. She had mentioned how hard it was to get the stains out, but since they didn’t fit me, they had just been sitting there collecting dust.
“Yes, it’s perfectly fine.”
So, it should be fine for Madame Toten to wear them, right?