Chapter 85
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 85
"Seriously? This guy? You're going to keep him around and live at House Toten for the rest of your life? When are you ever coming home?"
Melek felt a bit touched by Jelly's use of the word "home." He had a place to call home now, not just an orphanage! Even if it meant sleeping in the stables…!
"Pudding. What about that guy? Is he edible, by your standards?"
"Obviously."
However, Pudding had stuffed himself with a mountain of maggots before arriving at House Toten and had no desire to put anything else in his mouth. It was a stroke of immense luck for Dies.
Just as Melek wished, Jelly let Dies go. He didn't just release him, though; he struck him hard on the back of the head. He then lamented that Daisy was much better at this sort of thing, feeling his own strike lacked a certain satisfying snap.
As if disgusted, Pudding scratched at Dies, who had collapsed pathetically on the floor. Perhaps because the target was different, his claws were far sharper than when he usually swiped at Jelly.
"Is Mr. Pudding in a bad mood today?"
"Yeah. He had a rough time."
Jelly began to chatter away, explaining to Melek everything that had happened at the Imperial Palace. Pudding would occasionally lash out with his claws to correct Jelly's story.
Weather was completely excluded from this cozy gathering of three demons. Hearing a cat speak human language made even her, a woman of extraordinary courage, feel dizzy. Did resurrected corpses normally associate with talking cats? Since Weather had never met anyone like the young master before, she had no idea. She desperately wished someone would explain it all to her.
The only saving grace was that, thanks to the experiences she’d had in her hometown, Weather possessed a strong heart and could easily brush off a little fear. More than anything, she wished for her mistress to return.
* * *
"Marchioness Toten, we have arrived safely."
Kinder's carriage pulled up to the Toten estate. She expressed her gratitude to the knights who had escorted her. Since it was late, offering them hospitality was proper, but Kinder was reluctant to let outsiders into the mansion. The knights, too, were eager to return to their commander, Gabriel, so they parted ways after a brief exchange of greetings.
"Madam!"
When Kinder entered the mansion, Weather welcomed her more warmly than anyone else. Considering they had only introduced themselves that day—even if they shared a massive secret—it was an overly enthusiastic welcome. Weather was simply overjoyed to escape the incomprehensible chatter of the demons, but Kinder, unaware of the circumstances, just thought Weather was a naturally affectionate person.
"Good work, Weather. Why are you out here instead of by Ryder's side?"
"Well, you see…"
Weather, about to confess how eventful things had been in her mistress’s absence, gasped when she saw Hena following behind Kinder.
"A-Aren't you Lady Rohanson's maid?" she stammered, using respectful honorifics toward a fellow maid.
Strictly speaking, Weather, who worked for a marquisate and had just been appointed head maid, held a higher status. But Lady Rohanson's maid possessed an extraordinary aura that made the honorifics slip out naturally.
"Is Lady Rohanson here with you as well?"
"No. It's just me."
Hena shook her head, looking utterly exhausted. Kinder, thinking she had much to teach Weather about being a head maid, answered for her.
"She came with me due to certain circumstances."
Before being detained by the Imperial Palace knights, Evangeline had asked Kinder to ensure her maid's safety. When Kinder had hurried to find the maid, she found Hena being targeted by a knight venting his anger. Just as Evangeline had feared, if Kinder hadn't claimed Hena as her own maid, Hena would have been decapitated just like the Rohanson coachman.
Her stomach churned at the memory of the headless corpse. When Kinder had pressed for answers, she was told the coachman had committed suicide—an obvious lie to cover up the truth. It was a relief she had at least saved the maid. To soothe her nausea, Kinder pictured a clear, innocent face in her mind.
"Where is Ryder?"
"He's in his room… but, well, something happened. Lord Dies suddenly burst in and tried to harm the young master."
Before Kinder could even ask, Weather explained everything that had transpired in detail. After hearing the general sequence of events, Kinder pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I strictly instructed them never to help Dies…"
Still, it was a relief that the entity inside Ryder's body was not human. It meant Dies hadn't posed much of a threat.
Kinder first set the mansion in order. She promised medical expenses and bonuses to the servants injured while trying to stop Dies. The servant who had opened the door begged for mercy, claiming he had been tricked, but such excuses were useless. Utterly exhausted, Kinder postponed his punishment and ordered him locked up for now.
Then, she went upstairs to the room to find Dies. At the sound of the door opening, Melek, his cheeks flushed from the fun he’d been having, came pattering over to her.
"Madame Kinder! You're back!"
It was the first time in her life Kinder had ever seen Ryder run. What if he trips and hurts himself? Instinctively, she stopped him and wrapped her arms around him protectively.
"M-Madame Kinder?"
"It's dangerous to run like that."
"Ah, I almost damaged your son's body. I'm sorry…"
"…Please be careful."
Though he wore her son's face, the soul inside was different, resulting in vastly different expressions. Ryder had never smiled as much as Melek, nor had he ever been so talkative or clumsy.
Kinder helped Melek stand straight and stared down at Dies, who was collapsed on the floor.
"Fortunately, he's alive."
Though he lay limp as if dead, his chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. He was still breathing. It was a relief he wasn't dead. She had not yet announced Ryder’s recovery. If Dies died now, the elders would turn on her, accusing her of plotting to swallow House Toten.
Therefore, Dies could only die after Ryder had safely consolidated his position as the successor.
"This guy, Melek, begged and pleaded with me to spare him."
Kinder turned her head at the sudden, intrusive voice. The one speaking in that sly tone was the man who served Lady Rohanson, the one with the bizarre abilities. It was only right to reprimand him for staying in a masterless mansion without notice, but he was Lady Rohanson's vassal. Furthermore, remembering how he had choked her for being too loud, Kinder held her tongue in fear.
"Mr. Jelly."
Instead of Kinder, Hena greeted him.
"I was waiting to take you back," Jelly said. "Let's go. Your sister looked like she was about to lose her mind with worry."
Hena’s gloomy demeanor vanished. She had been unable to meet Canna and was stuck at the Toten estate; she couldn't be happier to have found a way to travel undetected.
"Marchioness Toten, thank you for bringing me here."
Hena expressed her gratitude to Kinder for taking her in, then vanished with Jelly, who was holding Pudding. Kinder breathed a sigh of relief once the two of them and the extraordinary cat were gone. Just being around the people of Rohanson was mentally exhausting.
Now, until a message arrived from Evangeline or Gabriel, it was time to focus on putting her own house in order.
She called in the servants waiting outside and ordered them to take Dies to the basement. Since he had escaped from his room, locking him in the cellar was the only option. Watching Dies being carried away, limp and unconscious, Melek grabbed the hem of Kinder's dress.
"Are you going to kill him too, Madame Kinder?"
"Yes. Once Ryder's position is secure. We can't have any lingering trouble after you return."
At her firm words, Melek hesitated, then asked cautiously, "What if… I don't return? Will you spare him then?"
"Are you planning to live in my son's body for the rest of your life?"
"No, no! That's not what I meant…" As Kinder questioned him sharply, Melek stammered and waved his hands in denial. "Aren't you and that man family? It's so sad to kill family. A friend of mine once harmed people who were like family, and I know how much they suffered afterward. In the end, it will destroy you, Madame Kinder."
Melek hoped his concern would reach her. Hearing his worried tone, Kinder calmed her agitation and apologized.
"I'm sorry for taking my anger out on you, Melek. You're only trying to help me."
After all, she was the one who had offered up Ryder's body.
"But you don't need to worry. Dies and I were never close. You can tell just by how he tried to harm Ryder, can't you? Ryder was my only family. Now that he is dead, I have no one left."
The only things driving Kinder were her son's dying wish and her duty to protect the marquisate.
Melek gently patted the back of her hand. Kinder felt a pang of melancholy, realizing that she truly liked this kind monster. Feeling his cold skin against hers, she thought of Weather's grandmother. Perhaps she, too, had found a doll to replace her son.
* * *
"The Rohanson girl is the one who murdered my son?"
The Emperor's wrath was fierce. Even if he was an estranged son, he was the Emperor's only remaining heir and the Crown Prince of the Empire. The crime of assassinating the Crown Prince could not be paid for lightly.
Those who had attended the banquet expected Evangeline to be executed the very next day. But unexpectedly, even after several nights had passed, Evangeline Rohanson remained merely a suspect.
The Rohanson mansion locked its gates. According to rumors, the Count, terrified of being executed under the law of guilt by association, had abandoned his daughter and was preparing to flee.
But when it came to executing Evangeline Rohanson, a woman seemingly abandoned by her own family, the greatest obstacle was none other than Gabriel, the Commander of the Pararos Knights, who had been blinded by love.