Chapter 68 ??

“…I heard you were looking for me, so I brought you here. Is that not correct?”

I don’t know. I should just act brazenly too. Since Madam Toten must be frazzled and disoriented from riding through the heavy rain, I’ll pretend I don’t know that Jelly teleported her here.

Madam Toten clutched her head, looking confused.

“Yes… That’s correct. I came looking for the young lady.”

Luckily, it seemed she really had business with me. Could it be that she came to serve as my chaperone?

“Why don’t you come with a carriage? You’re soaking wet.”

“Well… I rushed over because I thought the young lady might have gone to the imperial palace first.”

So, she ran here through the rain because she was afraid I might be late and scold her? How evil must she think I am?

Out of consideration for the soaking wet woman, Daisy added more firewood to the fireplace. Meanwhile, Henna, who had gone outside to fetch towels, handed one to Madam Toten. It seemed she meant for her to dry herself, but Madam Toten only wiped her tears. Hey, you’re going to catch a cold at this rate.

But Madam Toten didn’t look in any condition to attend the banquet. She was so wet from the rain, her hair and face dripping, she also looked like someone who had just cried a lot as her eyes were red too. Could it be that she’s not here to chaperone me but to cancel because she can’t make it?

Maybe she felt guilty for disappearing and came to find me at the last minute.

“Whichever it is, you’re a bit late to make the decision.”

Whether she’s cancelling or accepting, wouldn’t it have been better to tell me earlier? Oops. I hadn’t meant to complain, but the words came out sounding sarcastic.

“Yes, you’re right… I’m too late….”

Madam Toten’s face contorted again as tears welled up in her eyes in response to my remark. She seemed to be deeply regretting and feeling guilty. Oops, I misspoke. After all, people can be a little late.

“I’ve been waiting.”

I snatched the towel from Madam Toten’s hand and wiped the moisture off her myself. Her eyes went wide in surprise at the unexpected physical contact. Though it wasn’t my intention to do this in front of someone who looked like a drowned rat, perhaps because I had just narrowly escaped being chaperoned by Bishop Maric, Madam Toten appeared like a knight on a white horse to me. Although, in reality, the horse she rode on was just a brown one.

“Will you be my chaperone?”

At this point, even if Madam Toten said no, I would have to beg her until she agreed. If she gave her permission, I wouldn’t have to cower and tremble in fear in front of the exorcist.

“I need someone who will care for me wholeheartedly, even after seeing me as I truly am.”

“Alright, I’ll do anything. Anything.”

It seemed my words about her being the only suitable person to take responsibility for me had worked. Madam Toten agreed without hesitation. Yay! It was a good thing I hadn’t gone out with the count and waited at home. Now that Madam Toten had come, I had a legitimate reason to refuse Bishop Maric.

I felt like I was floating at the thought of avoiding the dangerous journey with the exorcist and the exorcism ending. This romance fantasy nearly turned into an exorcism story. I had acted tough with Raphaela, saying I’d just go through with it, but honestly, I was scared. But considering the tortures of the medieval era, isn’t it natural to be scared? Wouldn’t it be strange not to be?

“Did the young lady… expect me to come?”

“No. I’m not a deity, how could I know the future?”

“Of course….”

Honestly, I hadn’t expected her. Raphaela should have been here! Raphaela should have also experienced the thrill of winning a bet against all odds.

“I thought that, you had known I would come to find you in the end.”

Madam Toten seemed disheartened. Whoops. She must be upset because I didn’t believe her. But really, disappearing and then expecting me to believe her—that’s a thief’s mentality, isn’t it?

“Ryder has been sick all this time.”

If it’s because her son was sick and she didn’t have time to contact me, then she’s innocent. Not a thief, but a noble outlaw.

“His fever rose so high… It’s only today that I remembered you. I’m terribly late… but… young lady Rohanson, do you remember what you once said to me?”

“What did I say?”

What did I say? The only thing I remember is praising the Marquis’ butler. Madam Toten hesitated, then lifted her bowed head and met my eyes.

“You told me I could rely on you.”

“I did?”

Did I really say that?

“You certainly did. You said I could rely on you.”

Madam Toten spoke with conviction. The fire in her eyes made it impossible to think she was lying.

I guess I did say that. Maybe I said it while trying to comfort her? I must have said all sorts of things to get on her good side. This is why people should be careful with flattery.

“If those words still hold true, please… I beg you, help me.”

Madam Toten leaned toward me, bringing her face uncomfortably close. I instinctively leaned back, but when I did, it made me look arrogantly defiant. Couldn’t you move back a little?

Well… since you’ve agreed to be my chaperone, I can help, but shouldn’t I hear what you’re asking for first? After all, I have a limit on what resources I can use.

“Is it because of Ryder?”

“Yes. You’re the only one who can save him.”

Ah. Now that I’ve heard her out, I understand the situation. Her son has been terribly ill, and after being preoccupied with that, she realized today was my debutante and rushed here. But Ryder is still very sick, and she came to me desperately, clutching at straws.

“…I beg you. Please bring Ryder back.”

Madam Toten’s eyes filled with tears again. I never imagined she’d come to ask for my help after I previously told her that there was no way to save her son, almost as if the rumours were true. I thought she had just been avoiding me because of that.

“If this continues, the butler will give the Marquisate to Dies, just as he planned.”

“The butler?”

Is she talking about the extremely loyal butler grandfather?

“Just like you said, the butler has been deceiving me. While my son was ill, he brought my husband’s younger brother to take over the Marquisate ….”

Wait. I don’t quite understand the situation. The butler grandfather is a scoundrel? And I’m the one who told her that? All I remember was praising the butler grandfather.

Madam Toten briefly explained the family situation. To summarize, the butler grandfather and her husband’s younger brother teamed up, and planned to take over the marquis’ household after killing Ryder.

This was far more serious than I thought. She wasn’t just asking me to cure her son but to lend her strength in a succession battle tied to the Marquisate. So, when the butler grandfather told me not to reveal the cure, it wasn’t out of concern but for his own gain.

Madam Toten looked troubled, biting her lip and clasping her hands together. She glanced at me nervously, her lips trembling.

“Please… I have no one else to turn to but you, young lady.”

Right now, there was nothing Madam Toten could do, and the only way to resolve this situation was for Ryder to fully recover and secure his position. Madam Toten must have thought I was the only one who could solve both. Evangeline had a notorious reputation, money, and a history of recovering from illness.

But was there anything I could do? Evangeline only seemed to recover because I possessed her. Madam Toten was silently shedding tears and desperately looking at me, so I thought for a moment before reaching a conclusion.

“Henna, how much time do we have?”

“We have enough time to stop by the Marquis’ residence briefly.”

Henna checked the time and encouraged me. You heard that, right? It’s enough time to stop by briefly.

Although I wasn’t omnipotent as Madam Toten wanted, at least I wanted to lighten her load a little by listening to her. I couldn’t completely cure the child, but I could use the villainess’s reputation to save Ryder from the butler grandfather or the marquis’ younger brother, who had taken control of the marquis household.

I couldn’t ignore it. Yes, this is give-and-take. Despite Evangeline’s notoriety, Madam Toten had become my chaperone. She had withdrawn, but it was because her child was sick, and she had come rushing even though it was already the d-day, fearing she’d be late.

“Sir Gabriel said that Madam Toten is renowned as a role model for noblewomen.”

Madam Toten looked perplexed at the sudden line of conversation.

Perhaps because she had ridden through the rain, Madam Toten’s hair was flattened and drooping, her makeup was smeared, and her dress was torn in various places. It was a far cry from the appearance of the perfect noblewoman she was known to be in high society.

“I can’t take my chaperone in such a rain-soaked state. Unfortunately, there are no clothes at the Rohanson mansion that would fit you, so we must go to Marquis Toten’s residence.”

Madam Toten’s eyes widened.

“I can’t send you alone in such heavy rain. I’ll go with you.”

Besides, Madam Toten had ridden a horse to the Rohanson mansion. Since we also had to attend the banquet, we’d have to stop by the Marquis’ residence first and then head to the banquet together.

“Thank you. Thank you, young lady.”

Madam Toten was moved to tears. Earlier, during lunch, the Count had said I had become a decent person, and now Madam Toten was also deeply moved by just a little kindness from me. I wondered how awful the real Evangeline must have been.

“Then let’s hurry to the residence, ah!”

Madam Toten, overwhelmed with joy, took a step but ended up stumbling. It turned out that the heel of her shoe had fallen off. Goodness, nothing is intact. Just how harshly did she rush here?

It didn’t seem like my shoes would fit Madam Toten… Ah, there’s something that looks like it might be the right size.

“Daisy, could you bring Mother’s shoes? The ones Misya repaired.”

“Yes, will do.”

Daisy went out and brought the shoes.

“How’s the size?”

“It’s the perfect size. But… is it okay for me to wear the young lady’s mother’s keepsake?”

The shoes she was wearing now were something I had dug out from the storage room. Most of Evangeline’s mother’s belongings were well-organized downstairs, but one pair of shoes had been tucked away in the storage room next to my room.

Aside from the stains, they were luxurious women’s shoes, and I immediately knew they weren’t Evangeline’s because the size was different. When I found them, they were stained dark red, so I thought they were probably meant to be discarded but were forgotten.

I didn’t feel right throwing away someone else’s belongings, so I left them there. However, Misya mistook them for mine and fixed them up. She said it was hard to remove the stains—but still, the size didn’t fit me, so I left them alone.

“Yes, it’s fine.”

So, wouldn’t it be okay for Madam Toten to wear them?

t/n: damm, rereading this chapter, I didn’t realize the red stain on the shoe bit. I wonder if that’s a foreshadowing because I mean, the summoning circle etc all came from Evangeline’s mother so …. rip.