Chapter 27
Gabriel probably needs to meet that kindly old-fogey bishop from earlier too, so I should gracefully bow out here with overflowing consideration.
Did I accomplish everything?
Saved Hena and Kanna from noble harassment nicely, the kids saw the painting too—of course, it burned before I could, but I never planned to look anyway. Recovered the statement, saved one knight, and stacked some favor points with Gabriel.
Sudden out-of-nowhere new character Daisy popped up, but Gabriel still seems to like me, so no issue!
“Shall we head back now?”
“Yes!”
Kanna answered excitedly. Well, they'd been waiting here for hours for me, so of course she wants to go home quick.
As I gathered my things and stood, Gabriel reached out as if to grab me. He couldn't quite bring himself to actually do it, so his hand hovered awkwardly in midair.
“Are you leaving?”
Should I just stay here and live with you? I bit my tongue hard to swallow the sarcastic retort that nearly slipped out. Okay… I'm a rom-fantasy resident now. I can't freak out and get all serious just because the male lead drops a romance line. Gotta seduce the male lead properly to escape the villainess route.
“It's getting late.”
“Then allow me to escort you to your carriage.”
Gabriel stood from his seat. Probably killing two birds with one stone—heading to see the bishop while seeing me off.
We stepped outside again, and the sun had already set.
It was a short walk to the carriage. The coachman, shivering on his perch, gasped sharply at the sight of me. Oh right, I startled him earlier with that sudden teleport. Forgot about that.
I was about to explain to reassure him when the carriage door opened. Jelly poked just its face out without fully disembarking.
“You're back?”
“Good work, Jelly.”
It's whining for attention because it worked hard. As I stroked Jelly's head in praise, Gabriel called to me.
“Lady Rohanson.”
Turning, I saw Gabriel with his hand extended. What? Oh, probably escorting me to make boarding easier.
I placed my hand atop Gabriel's. But his hand rose gradually, bringing his lips to the back of mine. I nearly smacked him from the shock. Not an escort—it's a greeting.
I knew it's the rom-fantasy style of greeting, but experiencing it firsthand feels kinda weird…? Should've worn gloves! Fortunately, Gabriel just pretended.
Still, the ticklish sensation lingered. Instead of moist flesh on bare skin, I felt his breath. The damp, soft exhale over my hand made me inexplicably shy—I wanted to flee right then.
“I eagerly await the day we meet again.”
I boarded the carriage without responding to Gabriel's words. Kanna, boarding last, slammed the door shut with deliberate force and a loud bang.
Listening to Kanna grumble about not liking Gabriel, I briefly debated telling her he's your real match.
Oblivious to others' troubled hearts, the carriage rolled smoothly on.
***
Even long after the Rohanson Count's carriage vanished from sight, Raphaella finally snapped out of her daze.
“Wh-what… what was that?”
She was so flustered her words stuttered.
“A farewell greeting.”
“What on earth were you thinking….”
Gabriel's response was utterly reasonable. But with Evangeline as the recipient, kissing the back of her hand as farewell isn't reasonable, right? Gabriel and even Uriel below him—how are they all so nonchalant? We'll skip Michel since he's crazy.
“That too. Commander, why didn't you tell her everything? Before coming here, the Lady Evangeline met the nun, and your name came up during their talk. The nun seemed to have confessed everything to the Lady….”
When Evangeline Rohanson pressed Gabriel on what she'd heard, Raphaella wished he'd just come clean. The moment her red eyes met his, Raphaella's heart plummeted. Evangeline's gaze then was like the sharp edge of a blade.
She'd signaled frantically with eyes and gestures to just tell her…. But Gabriel spat out a lie.
Raphaella had prepared to bid the world farewell, thinking it was over, when Gabriel went further and handed Evangeline the statement.
It naturally contained everything Daisy had confessed in detail. What's the point of lying with your mouth if your hands are honest? Yet Evangeline just let it slide after seeing it.
“Why did you do that? You must have had your reasons, Commander….”
It was Gabriel's instinct bordering on intuition.
From past experiences, what Evangeline Rohanson valued most was immersion in her role. Her actions and courteous speech so far suggested she behaved to make others see her as Evangeline Rohanson.
She'd shed her ladylike demeanor only when Gabriel failed to grasp his place and offered help. That's why she'd raged so fiercely—because he'd tried to strip away that role.
So Gabriel catered to her this time too. Confessing the lie would anger her, so he handed over the paper and said the opposite to signal he'd pretend not to see. Fortunately, it pleased Evangeline.
And during the deliberate farewell greeting, Gabriel realized one more thing.
He'd extended his hand for the greeting.
Evangeline's height wasn't short, but due to the size difference with Gabriel, her hand was much smaller than his.
Her body temperature was extremely low. He overlapped their hands and checked her pulse at the fingertips.
Even as he pretended to kiss, he'd anticipated she wouldn't pull away. He deliberately slowed, drawing it out to calculate her heart rate. Slow, but her heart beat steadily. Small, but she breathed.
He'd suspected a corpse forcibly animated, but she was undoubtedly alive.
Daisy said Evangeline manipulated a dead body, but that's wrong. Still, the notion that whatever's inside isn't human holds. Evangeline treats humans like mere insects and normalizes treating insects as such.
The moment he first saw Evangeline remained vivid.
The only dead thing amid all that lived and breathed.
Strikingly cold amid all the warmth.
That's why Evangeline Rohanson was special.
Unknowingly, Gabriel licked his lips. It wasn't even a real kiss, yet Evangeline's low temperature lingered like a brand.
***
Uriel, who went to the infirmary, laid Michel on the bed. Now he could leave him there, right? He'd already been doused in Holy Water, so no further treatment needed…. As Uriel thought that and turned to leave, Seraph entered the infirmary.
He must've been sparring earlier—the clash of swords echoed on the way here. There was a shallow cut near his neck. Spotting the thoroughly soaked Michel, Seraph gasped in shock.
“Sir Michel! Wh-what happened? Why is he so wet? Does it hurt? It's not cold sweat, right? Don't die, Sir Micheeel…!”
“Sir Seraph, calm down. It's just Holy Water.”
“What? Was he hurt that badly? Ah, no way he jumped into a fountain, right?”
Seraph was particularly timid and fretful. Uriel explained the situation to prevent needless misunderstandings.
Every time he spoke a sentence, Seraph inserted his own guesses, warping the story and slowing it down.
Their conversation continued until Gabriel and the knights stopped by the infirmary after seeing Evangeline off.
“That's how it happened.”
“I see…. I understand perfectly.”
Raphaella nearly closed the door again watching them talk. The hysterical Seraph and simpleminded, brutish Uriel—what a horrific combo.
Fortunately, besides those two, there was also a knight named Yeremi in the infirmary. He'd come looking for Seraph, who went for a quick treatment mid-spar but hadn't returned after ages, only to get roped in. Yeremi met Raphaella's eyes and flailed his hands pleading for rescue.
“Sir Raphaella! Commander!”
“Commander. Where's Lady Rohanson?”
“She went home.”
“Ah….”
Raphaella wondered if Uriel's 'went home' meant passed away to heaven, seeing how wistful he sounded.
“And Michel?”
“He's still slee—oh, you're awake?”
Seraph exchanged an awkward eye-greeting with Michel, who stared blankly with wide eyes. Raphaella pressed her forehead.
“Ah…. Sorry. You two were chatting so enjoyably, it was hard for me to butt in.”
Michel scratched his cheek and sat up. Fortunately, he moved without issue.
“Michel, is your body alright?”
“Yes. Sorry for worrying you.”
“Do you remember what happened?”
“Yes. Some from memory, and I roughly understand from what Sir Uriel just said.”
Gabriel and Raphaella examined Michel and greatly relaxed seeing no wounds and him looking fine. Thanks to the Holy Water Evangeline poured. He seemed back to his normal mental state too. Still, better to ask just in case.
“Michel, are you okay now? Not your body—the head.”
“Pardon?”
“Do you still think the thing in the painting was an angel?”
“Ah…. Sorry. I have no idea why I thought that then. Looking back now, it was awfully ominous and bizarre.”
“Looks like you're back to your senses.”
Raphaella sighed in huge relief and perched on the bed opposite Michel's. This guy Michel, making everyone worry like that.
“Michel, you really owe us big time. We locked you in your room to snap you out of it, and you escape to hug a burning painting without fear? If not for Lady Rohanson, you'd be seriously hurt.”
Raphaella vented her pent-up frustration at Michel. He listened sheepishly until Evangeline's name came up—then his eyes lit up.
