Chapter 76
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 76
A stunned silence fell over the crowd filling the banquet hall of the Lion Palace.
As her silver-threaded hair swayed, it seemed to gather every ray of light in the room. With every step she took, her dress fluttered, its gold threads and embellishments catching the light in brilliant flashes.
The woman in pure white possessed a presence so dazzlingly vivid it arrested every gaze, making even the vibrant colors of the lavish banquet hall seem dull by comparison.
“...Evangeline Rohanson? Just as the rumors say. A monster in human form.”
If a monster was defined as something that defied common sense and human comprehension, then Evangeline Rohanson was the pinnacle of that definition.
Her beauty was so conceptual, so absolute, it was hard to believe she was a creation of God. It lacked the warmth of a being made with divine love. Instead, she resembled a sculpture painstakingly crafted over a thousand years by some sacrilegious entity aping divine authority, meticulously rendering even the finest details of her skin. And because this sculpture breathed, moved, and spoke, her very existence felt like blasphemy—an act of insolence, the very symbol of arrogance.
Her lips curved into a soft, gentle arc. Her smile was equally perfect and fluid, as if she were displaying an ideal expression practiced hundreds of times. This perfection only made it harder to see her as a fellow human being.
Her arrogant red eyes swept across the interior of the Lion Palace.
Those who met her gaze instinctively held their breath, like prey staring down a predator. Some, starved for air, let out quiet, choked gasps. They felt as if fangs were about to sink into their throats, and the desperate urge to flee was overwhelming.
Accompanied by a knight in pure white, whose appearance was a stark contrast to her own, Evangeline Rohanson greeted her father, Count Rohanson. Though she evoked a subtle unease—as if she were forcibly mimicking a human, squeezing herself into an ill-fitting mold—on the surface, she was the picture of a perfect noble lady.
Even the polite greeting she offered the Crown Prince was textbook-perfect, without a single wasted movement. Every gesture made her seem like a wind-up doll moving precisely according to a pre-programmed plan.
“But why is Madame Toten acting as a chaperone for someone like her…?”
“Isn’t it because of her son? You know, with the rumors that have been circulating…”
Standing by Evangeline’s side, her chaperone Kinder Toten ignored the stinging stares and whispers, enduring them in silence.
It was no exaggeration to say that every eye in the hall was fixed on them. When something entirely foreign is mixed into a crowd of humans, people are instinctively drawn to it.
Even the imperial family was not immune to the dread Lady Rohanson inspired. The Crown Prince, in particular, was visibly stiff, desperately struggling not to be overwhelmed as he barely maintained a facade of composure. Upon receiving a sword as a gift, he was too terrified to even consider drawing it. Compared to him, the imperial grandchildren seemed relatively unfazed.
“Please, enjoy the banquet.”
With the Crown Prince’s final words, Evangeline stepped down from the dais.
While this was technically her first appearance in society, it wasn’t a formal debut. She was here via a loophole in the Crown Prince’s invitation, so there was no formal presentation to speak of.
Evangeline was not alone in using such a loophole; quite a few others had done the same. Several of the young noble ladies mingling in the hall wore flowers that marked them as debutantes.
Kinder unconsciously toyed with her crystal flower as she explained the general flow of the banquet to Evangeline.
“The banquet will officially begin after His Highness the Crown Prince performs the first dance. Until then, we should mingle and exchange greetings with the other guests.”
This was the kind of protocol a chaperone should have explained beforehand, but Kinder had been so consumed with nursing Ryder over the last five days that she hadn’t found the time.
At the sudden thought of her tragically departed son, tears threatened to spill. Kinder desperately forced the image from her mind. To honor Ryder’s final wish, she could not let anyone know he had died. She had to maintain her composure and act as if everything were perfectly normal.
Having finished her explanation, Kinder glanced at Sir Gabriel.
“Shall we take this opportunity to greet the people on the list you compiled, Sir Gabriel? Will a simple introduction suffice?”
“Yes. That will be more than enough.”
When Sir Gabriel had asked Kinder to act as chaperone, he had also handed her a list of nobles and influential figures, requesting that she introduce Evangeline to them. Coincidentally, every single person on his list was a frequent visitor to the temple, meaning Kinder was already acquainted with them.
Just as they were about to head toward the largest gathering of those individuals, a knight glanced around furtively before quickly approaching Sir Gabriel.
“Commander! Dame Musetta has discovered a strange trace. She says you must come and inspect it personally.”
“I must inspect it?”
“She was very insistent on your presence, Sir Gabriel.”
Sir Gabriel looked at Evangeline with a troubled expression. Under normal circumstances, he would never have dreamt of leaving her side, but the one summoning him was Dame Musetta, the Crown Prince’s personal guard.
“Lady Rohanson, may I be excused for a moment?” Sir Gabriel asked with the utmost care. To Kinder, he looked like a servant waiting with bated breath for his master’s permission.
“Yes. You may go.”
“I shall return before the first dance begins.”
Once Evangeline granted her permission, Sir Gabriel pressed a reverent kiss to the tip of her white glove, treating her like something incredibly precious. With his vow of return made not to God but to this sacrilegious being, the knight hurried off to meet the Crown Prince’s guard. Evangeline watched his retreating figure before turning her gaze to Kinder, speaking the moment he had vanished from sight.
“Madame Toten. May I ask one more favor of you?”
“Yes, of course. Anything at all.”
At Kinder’s unconditional compliance, the ferocious edge of Evangeline’s aura softened slightly. Seeing the gentle response that immediately followed her submission, Kinder fully understood why the esteemed paladin was acting as Lady Rohanson’s servant. The privilege of earning her favor, however conditional, was incredibly gratifying.
“Do you remember what I told you before?”
“Which words do you mean?”
Which conversation was she referring to? The day Lady Rohanson had first visited the marquis’s estate? Perhaps because it had been such a shocking encounter, the words she spoke that day remained etched in Kinder’s mind. As Kinder nodded, Evangeline continued.
“I truly wish to speak with my maternal grandfather… Will you help me, Madame?”
Evangeline had indeed mentioned Duke Hosaquin before, but Kinder had assumed it was merely a lie to establish a pretext.
“Duke Hosaquin?”
“Yes. It is such a shame to remain so distant when we share a bloodline.”
The casual, nonchalant tone sent a chill down Kinder’s spine, and she rubbed her arms. Even though she owed Evangeline a debt of gratitude, she couldn’t help but feel goosebumps.
Kinder had witnessed with her own eyes how Ryder had been resurrected, and she knew that Evangeline—who was supposed to be dead—was walking around perfectly fine. Realizing that the entity inside this dead shell was something else entirely, just like with Ryder, made Evangeline’s act of playing the noble lady feel incredibly sinister. Yet, despite the terror, Kinder could not bring herself to refuse.
“There are widespread rumors that Duke Hosaquin severed ties with the Countess… so he may refuse to speak with you. Still, if that is what you wish, I will do my best.”
“That is more than enough.”
Keeping a watchful eye on Duke Hosaquin while pondering the best moment to approach him, Kinder decided to first handle the task Sir Gabriel had requested. Scanning the room, she looked for where the largest concentration of names from the list was gathered.
Once she decided on a group, she began walking toward them. The nobles grew tense and wary at their approach, but as soon as Kinder made it clear she intended to introduce them, their expressions quickly shifted to anticipation.
“Madame Toten, what is the meaning of this? You, acting as a chaperone? Did you already know Lady Rohanson? You never mentioned a word of this to us!”
“Please, introduce us as well!”
“I apologize for not telling you sooner, but I only received an urgent request from Sir Gabriel quite recently. Everyone, allow me to introduce Lady Rohanson.”
Amidst the mixture of envious stares, uncontrollable curiosity, and the wary hesitation of those who had heard the rumors, the individuals whose names were on the paladin’s list reacted in a distinctly different manner.
“It is an honor to meet you all. I am Evangeline Rohanson.”
Her voice washed over them with a dreamy, hypnotic quality. Viscount and Viscountess Uvala, Lady Taponi, and the merchant Glacia Lake—the four individuals on the list—stared blankly at Evangeline as if caught in a trance.
“Staring so intently makes me feel a bit self-conscious.”
Evangeline offered a warning by narrowing her eyes, though there was not a shred of warmth in her expression. Startled, the nobles quickly stammered apologies and began showering her with flattery. Whatever venom they might spew behind her back, very few in this room possessed the courage to offend Evangeline to her face.
Despite the lack of any real substance, the conversation flowed seamlessly. With several nobles desperately racking their brains to conjure up topics solely to keep her entertained, the interaction felt more like a rehearsed play. Just as the conversation was beginning to dry up, Evangeline spoke.
“Madame. While it is lovely to stay and chat, didn’t you mention earlier that there was someone else you wished for me to meet?”
It was a polite cue to move on. Catching on instantly, Kinder chimed in and excused them.
“Ah, indeed. The conversation was so delightful that I lost track of time. I apologize for cutting our chat short, but the young lady and I must excuse ourselves. I hope you all enjoy the rest of the evening.”
Left behind, the group let out a collective sigh as they watched the hem of her white dress fade into the distance.
“Was I dreaming?”
The individuals from the list suddenly seemed brimming with life, as if their recent weeks of walking around in a vacant, half-dead stupor had been nothing but a lie.
“Lady Taponi, you’ve been so out of it lately, but you finally seem like yourself again.”
“I was out of it? Surely not.”
“Just the other day, you spilled scalding hot tea all over yourself and didn’t even flinch. It was boiling…”
“...I did?”
Lady Taponi gasped, covering her mouth in genuine shock as if she had absolutely no memory of the event. Yet, a faint burn scar was clearly visible on the back of her hand.
With Evangeline in tow, Kinder made several more rounds, introducing her to various groups. After their fifth such introduction, Evangeline suggested they take a break.
“Shall we rest for a moment? You are incredibly popular, Madame Toten. If I have to greet everyone you know, I fear I’ll have no energy left for the dance.”