Chapter 65 ??

If she could just stand next to Evangeline Rohanson, she wouldn’t care whether she dressed up glamorously or looked like a beggar. 

Kinder, who quickly finished preparing, hurried down the stairs. At the entrance, the butler had prepared the carriage. 

“Madam.” 

Kinder gazed intently at the butler who had faithfully worked for the Marquis Toten family all his life. Even after her husband’s death, the butler had always treated Kinder with respect. Therefore, she was grateful to him and trusted him deeply. 

It was regrettable to belatedly realize that the butler’s loyalty did not extend to Kinder’s child. If young lady Rohanson had not pointed it out, and if she had not been cautioned by his son, Kinder would have gone her whole life without noticing. 

In Kinder’s head, the words spoken by Evangeline kept echoing. The words that the demon had revived her. It felt like a ray of hope. The hope that even if Ryder were to die, there was a chance to come back to life. 

“When did Dies said he would arrive?” 

“I heard he’ll come tonight, but he might come earlier.” 

The butler who said that somehow seemed to be somewhat happy. 

Sure, it must be quite pleasant. Kinder gritted her teeth. What impeccable timing for someone who never bothered to visit before to come now? The butler must have secretly given him a heads-up. Did he think Rider would surely die this time, given how ill he had been? He had assessed the situation far quicker than Kinder. Or perhaps he simply had a good sense for these things.

If it becomes known that the Ryder is dead, the title of the next marquis will undoubtedly inherited by Dies, who is her husband’s blood relative. Although she carries the Toten family name, Kinder, who had no blood relation, has no justification to succeed the position of marquis. If that happens, it would mean failing to uphold even Ryder’s last will. Absolutely, absolutely, she cannot let that happen. 

“You will go straight to the royal palace, won’t you, madam? I will let the coachman know.” 

Kinder, who had been staring intently at the carriage, said to bring a horse instead of the carriage. 

“I’ll be going to the Rohanson mansion, so just prepare a single horse for me.” 

“Madam, why aren’t you taking a carriage when it’s raining like this?” 

“Butler, since when did you start meddling in my affairs? I’ll stop by the Rohanson mansion and borrow a carriage, so it’s fine.”

Knowing all the truth now, her words came out harshly. Without bothering to apologize, Kinder mounted the horse the servant had hurriedly brought over.

She needed a chance to speak with Evangeline. At the palace, there would be too many ears listening. The Rohanson family’s carriage would be the most appropriate place. Of course, they might have already departed for the palace, or Kinder could be refused the ride inside the carriage.

“Such a thing.”

The butler sighed. He had no time to stop her. Kinder pulled up her hood and nudged the horse into a gallop.

[ “Can you abandon your beloved Rahel and rely on the demon? Even if, instead of the Marquisate, the price was a human’s life?” ]

Young lady Rohanson’s voice still rang vividly in her ears. A demon, demon…. Kinder could now give young lady Rohanson her answer.

The days of hesitation felt like a waste. Kinder urged the horse onward. The rain made the horse slip, nearly causing a serious accident, but she didn’t care. Her cheeks grew wet, not from tears but from the rain. She pushed the horse even faster. Hurry, hurry, to where the demon is.

After Kinder had ridden off, the servants left behind murmured to each other about the Marchioness’s unusual behaviour.

“Why did madam leave in such a rush?”

“She said she would serve as young lady Rohanson’s chaperone.”

“So, even though young master Ryder is ill, she left to be a chaperone? And she even rode a horse, which she rarely does?”

“Is young lady Rohanson really that terrifying?”

Instead of warning his subordinates, the butler pondered what words to deliver to the important guest who would soon arrive. It was a more profitable choice.

Not long after, another carriage arrived at the Marquis’s estate.

“Ha, my beloved home. It’s been a while! I really love it!”

The man who stepped out of the carriage stretched his chest and inhaled deeply. It was Dies, the younger brother of the deceased marquis. Was it because of the rain? Even the damp, rotten stench of Toten’s estate felt refreshing today.

“What’s this? Were you all waiting for me? Oh, no need for all this fuss.”

In truth, they had been outside to see off the Marchioness, but the butler didn’t correct him or offer an explanation. Instead, he bowed deeply.

“Welcome, young master. You’re early.”

“Well, I wanted to see my sister-in-law’s face a little sooner. Is she in that carriage over there? Then why hasn’t she come out to greet me?”

Dies glanced at the carriage in front of the estate, puzzled.

“No, she left on horseback.”

“What? How confusing!”

As Dies kicked the carriage, one of its loosely fitted wheels clattered.

“What is this? Why is it so shabby?”

“I’m not sure.”

Dies, looking embarrassed, clears his throat and changes the subject.

“I hope she enjoys herself. It could be her last party, after all. Once I become Marquis of Toten, she won’t have any reason to attend such gatherings. Surely, she’s not planning to marry me just for the title, is she? Yuck.”

Watching Dies already act as if he owned the place, Lark reconsidered his own choices. But the dice had already been cast. Now, all he could do was pray the numbers rolled in his favour.

“As it’s raining, you should come inside quickly. Sion must have prepared a room for you to stay.”

“It’s been a long time since I saw nanny.”

Lark escorted Dies inside. Dies, who swaggered like he owned the place, suddenly stopped.

“Wait. What about him? Did my sister-in-law take him with her too?”

Dies was referring to Ryder.

“No, young master Ryder is in his room, resting as he is ill. Judging by the fact that Madam attended the party, it seems his condition has greatly improved after being sick for several days.”

The butler, unaware of Ryder’s death, made a logical guess. Since Ryder’s condition had improved, the loving Marchioness must have felt it was safe to leave his side. Having no idea that she had lied about Ryder sleeping, the butler’s assumption was completely reasonable.

“Tsk, if he’s going to die, he should just hurry up and die already. He’s so annoyingly tenacious.”

Dies clicked his tongue and sneered. Lark, too, agreed. Ryder wasn’t expected to live past five, but he had far outlived that, surviving until now. His life, hanging by a thread, seemed stubbornly unbreakable.

On top of that, there had even been a precedent of someone breaking free from the curse out of the blue. Normally, they would have waited leisurely for the boy to die, but things had changed. What made Lark anxious was the sudden appearance of Evangeline. He was afraid she might truly improve Ryder’s condition. That couldn’t happen. The cursed boy could not be allowed to inherit the Marquis title.

It was an unfamiliar person who helped Lark reach this conclusion. Obviously, that wasn’t this stupid Dies.

“So? His uncle is here, and he won’t even come to greet me? Well, I’ll be generous since he’s sick. Let’s go see his face after so long.”

With a twisted grin, Dies climbed the stairs. He looked utterly delighted. To the butler, he seemed like a child about to throw stones at a frog.

***

“……”

“……”

Wow … to think that while the father and the daughter are eating, they could share such an extraordinary silence. The only sound is the clattering of silverware.

Right now, we’re having a meal together because the count said he had something important to discuss before heading to the banquet. So I took some time off from preparing for my debutante, and what is this? I feel like I’m about to choke.

Even to someone like me, who just started learning etiquette, the count had impeccable table manners. That’s probably why Evangeline’s mother fell for him so easily. Ugh. But people aren’t just what they seem.

Without realizing it, I started feeling irritated and ignored all the etiquette Doline taught me, stabbing my steak aggressively. The blood from the cooked rare steak oozed out and spread across the white plate. Gross, lost my appetite. I prefer well-done. I didn’t eat it, just kept cutting the meat.

Noticing how clearly I was showing my displeasure, the count finally put down his utensils. What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable because your daughter’s table manners is shit? What, did you think I was not uncomfortable with this too?

Of course, the most affected were the kitchen staff, who were in a panic at the sudden announcement of dinner. One of the servers, whose hands were trembling, almost spilt the wine when making eye contact with me. Today, I had been watching closely for any accidents caused by the frightened servants, so I quickly grabbed the tipping glass and set it upright. Phew, not a single drop spilt.

“Be careful.”

“Yes, yes. I’m so, so sorry.”

After that, all my dishes were served by Yulma, who had been pushed into the task. I heard she used to handle cooking back at Daisy’s orphanage, and now she was working in the kitchen here. I wondered why they were making a kitchen assistant serve as well, but I heard people saying that Yulma was the safest bet.

“Yulma, you’re the only one who won’t tremble in front of the young lady.”

“The hope of the kitchen! Go!”

“We’re so happy you’ve come to work in the kitchen.”

“She won’t kill you for making a mistake, so why is everyone so scared?”

“Wow, how’s your heart made?”

If they’re going to talk behind my back, they should at least be quieter. It was tough pretending not to hear when they were so loud. I glanced at the count, who was also pretending not to hear anything and calmly eating his meal. Well, acting like you don’t see or hear things is one of the virtues of a noble, I suppose.

After finishing the serving, Yulma bowed her head. It’s been a while since I last saw her. Then again, I hadn’t had any reason to come to the dining hall, so it had been a while. Still, since I saved her, I wanted to at least ask how she was doing.

“You seem to be doing well.”

“Yes, thanks to you, young lady.”