Chapter 10
A letter? I thought Evangeline was so frail she had no friends. Who could have sent it?
“It seems to be from that knight commander we saw before.”
Knight commander? What! A letter from our male lead? I hurriedly tore open the envelope. The content, written in handwriting as flashy as his face, was roughly as follows.
There had been issues with Donau's case, so he needed to come and hear the details in person. When I explained the letter's contents, Kanna frowned.
“I already gave my statement back then. Why now?”
About a week had passed since Donau's kidnapping incident.
Kanna seemed displeased with Gabriel's belated visit, but I could understand. With the villainess and heroine living together in Rohanson Mansion, the male lead couldn't ignore it even if he wanted to! This world must have some original plot force, so despite not wanting to come, he'd have no choice but to visit out of worry that the heroine might suffer under the villainess like me.
And my diligently organized paper had foreseen this situation too. He'd come assuming I had ordered Donau to kidnap Kanna! He must have been investigating evidence and Evangeline's notoriety in the meantime.
So all I had to do here was show the male lead how close Kanna and I were. And hammer home the message that I supported their romance.
“Lady, Sir Gabriel has arrived.”
The male lead showed up the next day after I sent a reply welcoming him anytime.
‘Impressive initiative.’
Good thing I'd told the butler beforehand to guide guests to the parlor. Worried the male lead might wait too long, I just quickly brushed my hair and went down. If a villainess dolled up to be polite, he'd probably sneer, ‘Ha! Trying to impress me?’
Entering the parlor, the male lead was leisurely sipping tea. This was my first time here too, so it felt awkward. He looked more at home than I did. Talk about reversed roles….
I gave a light nod and sat across from him. Hena poured tea for me as well.
“Pleased to see you again.”
“It's been a while, Sir Gabriel.”
Wow. Seeing him in bright light, he looked even more handsome. Part of me wanted to fawn, ‘I'm glad to see you too. Still as handsome as ever, male lead,’ but I held back diligently. No chit-chat. Can't look too eager.
“So. Did something come up?”
I sipped my tea, making it clear I had no personal interest in him.
“As for the incident's circumstances, what we said then was everything, and nothing seemed off.”
I know you're here for Kanna! I shouted inwardly.
Of course, Kanna was waiting in her room right now. She'd wanted to come down with me, but Pudding seemed eager to play with her, so I told her to come when called. Male lead, you should've timed it better for Pudding's walk!
“If you're worried about Kanna's condition, I can call her.”
Smoothly laid the groundwork. Wow, where in the world is there someone so considerate?
“Ah. The one kidnapped then? She didn't seem badly hurt.”
Hey! Are you really the male lead? Not badly hurt? Hena and I were so depressed every time we saw the wound on Kanna's neck.
I'd planned to get Holy Water to heal it, but Kanna wanted to keep the throat scar, so we left it be while crying.
“The reason I came is to hear Lady Rohanson's perspective.”
Me? Right, it's all my fault. I stole the male lead and heroine's first meeting. If he'd seen Kanna all tied up back then, he wouldn't be so insensitive now.
But I didn't know she was the heroine at the time! How could I leave a tied-up kid right in front of me? I'm not inhuman!
“We haven't disposed of Donau Blue's body yet.”
“Still?”
Kanna had told me before that criminals' bodies were usually not accepted even by temples, so they were burned and buried without funerals. Cremation was especially taboo under the Sun God's reign, so most criminals were cremated.
Kanna had made a black joke that Donau was already burned, so easy to handle. I remembered it well.
But then, with no relatives and being a criminal, shouldn't Donau be easy to process?
“Yes. Two days ago, opinions started circulating that Donau Blue's body should be laid in the cathedral.”
Hena trembled while refilling my teacup. She bit her lip to hide it, but the idea of laying a criminal in the cathedral must have infuriated her. Kanna would have been hurt too if she heard. Good thing I left her in the room.
“Why would such opinions arise?”
“Because her death was bizarre.”
“Bizarre how?”
“Lady Rohanson, you saw the house burning only by itself without spreading.”
Wasn't that just isekai passive architecture? I was amazed it didn't spread and thought to import it…. Apparently, it was anomalous here too. Not knowing the original work shows in my common sense gaps.
“Shortly after you left, the fire went out on its own before we could suppress it. Then we found Donau's body….”
The male lead pulled out a paper from his pocket and showed it. No cameras, so probably a drawing instead, but the skill was abysmal—whoever drew it.
“I drew it to explain, so please understand despite its poor quality.”
Speechless. His handwriting was so good—why was his drawing this bad? A kindergartener's would look better.
Couldn't mock the male lead by saying your drawing's at my toe level, so I smoothed it over with a smile.
“This is the head, and here’s the body.”
Stickman would be better. Boldly omitted limbs. With just head and body, I almost mistook it for a keyhole.
“And there were scorch marks like wings and a halo behind.”
Those were wings? I thought they were ears, but looking again, they kinda looked like curled angel wings.
“Doesn't it look just like an angel?”
No…. Your drawing looks like a moth.
“That's why… those who saw the body started spreading rumors that Donau Blue received God's blessing.”
Lies! No way. Why would Donau get blessed? She kidnapped our Kanna and escaped proper punishment by suicide.
And what? An angel? First time in my life seeing a kidnapper treated like an angel instead of the heroine in a romance-fantasy. Why call this moth an angel just because it has wings?
Oh right. They said it from seeing the body, not this drawing. The drawing's impact made me forget.
But those who saw it were just knights, right? Then the knight commander male lead should control them easily. Puzzled, I asked.
“Anyway, only Pararos Knights saw it, right?”
“Spectators apparently sneaked in during lax guarding. It was just rumors at first, but a painter drew the scene and donated it to the temple, so now it's circulating there too.”
His subordinates slacked off…. The male lead isn't as imposing as I thought.
There were many gawkers at the fire, though.
But why bother viewing a charred corpse and even draw it? Completed and donated in just days. Whoever the painter, impressive drive.
And unlike the male lead, they had good drawing skills. If the temple only saw his drawing, they'd call it a moth, not an angel.
“That's drawn higher attention. Just as it was wrapping up, orders came to reinvestigate so Donau Blue's death isn't wrongful.”
Pararos Knights were holy knights, so higher-ups meant the temple side. Who could order the knight commander? No saintess or holy son, so high priest? Definitely a high-ranking priest.
Even in a romance-fantasy world, case manipulation persists. Reinvestigate means script it so Donau's the victim.
“The problem is, if Donau Blue received God's blessing, then Lady Rohanson is seen as having dishonorably fabricated her death.”
Exactly. We stated Donau kidnapped Kanna and fled, starting the fire. If she's treated as an angel, I'm the one who harmed her and lied.
Is this the original plot force too? As I befriend the heroine Kanna to escape villainess fate, they want to make me the bad guy using Donau?
“Lady, I ask you. Was everything you told me true?”
“True….”
The male lead seemed to view me suspiciously too. No, he definitely thinks I'm suspicious. He's probing because he thinks I know something. But with Kanna's excuse already given, I can't change the story now.
“Let me ask in reverse. Do you think I lied, Sir?”
From asking Hena and Kanna, people in this world don't know spirits exist. They do, but awareness is rock bottom. If I said Donau summoned a spirit now, who'd believe it!
But is this the last chance? Should I just say it? Argh! Damn! If it were a world where spirits are active, I would!
The male lead didn't answer immediately, staying silent before slowly speaking.
“I don't think Donau Blue received God's blessing. But I know her death was strange.”
So he's saying Donau's a bad guy who deserves death, making me the better option? He's asking me to be honest since he'll side with me.
What if I tell and get backstabbed into prison? No, they might call me a witch for driving an ‘angel’ Donau to death. Then beheading or burning. Why escalate! I thought I'd avoid death flags by befriending the heroine!
Hesitating to confess honestly, the male lead stared intently at me.
“I want to help you.”
