Chapter : 57
While Lady Rohan-son went to try on clothes for a moment, Gabriel was able to have a brief conversation with Daisy. It seemed as though Evangelin had deliberately stepped away to give them space to talk.
“I have received your message regarding Mr. Phonor. It seems the young lady intends to keep him by her side.”
“Yes. It seems Her Ladyship liked the way you said that Mr. Phonor appears to be deeply reflecting on himself.”
Even though he was a spy sent by Bishop Zavanier, the fact that she kept him close meant she must have taken a strong liking to him. Fortunately, Evangelin’s information had not been leaked.
Since no report from Dolline Phonor had arrived, Bishop Zavanier seemed to be extremely anxious. It was to the point that he had subtly asked Gabriel about the tutors Lady Rohan-son had recruited.
“I gave Bishop Zavanier a suitably vague explanation.”
“I see?”
Daisy整理ed what she needed to relay to the butler. Then she looked at Gabriel with a strange expression.
Why was this knight—who should rightly follow the Sun God—taking Lady’s side? Unlike Daisy, he hadn’t received any help from her.
From what she had heard from Canna, Gabriel had expressed a favorable stance toward the young lady from the very beginning. Hearing that made Daisy realize that, back when she had been a nun, the target she had chosen to denounce Lady Rohan-son’s wrongdoing had been mistaken. Thanks to that now, however, she was able to help keep the young lady’s secret.
“Sir Gabriel, why do you remain by the young lady’s side?”
Gabriel seemed inclined to avoid answering Daisy’s sudden question. Before he could deflect it, Daisy asked again.
“Is there something you want from the young lady?”
Or… had he truly been enchanted, as Sir Raphaela had said? Daisy pressed him sharply. Gabriel noticed her intent—she clearly intended to extract an answer no matter what.
Something he wanted.
“Yes. There is.”
Strangely enough, that was the truth. Gabriel was not someone who acted without purpose, and he did have something he desired from Lady Rohan-son. Publicly, it was to resolve the effects of the curse formation. Privately, however…
The image of that day when flames surged, and her white hair was tinted by the firelight into a deep vermilion, remained vividly in his mind. If Gabriel’s feelings had frozen at that first moment he met Evangelin, he would have reported her identity to the Temple long ago instead of protecting her.
At first, it had been mere curiosity. Like a barren tree suddenly sprouting a flower without leaves, it was fascinating to see a corpse moving while disregarding divine authority. Then came fear. He was afraid of what Evangelin Rohan-son might do once she removed her “mask.” So he tried to appease her, to avoid provoking her.
Change happens unexpectedly. A tidal wave had swept over Gabriel in an instant.
When he heard that Lady Rohan-son had gone out of her way to save orphanage children, a faint sense of expectation arose. When he felt her slow heartbeat, he realized Evangelin was alive.
So when he said there was no way to save the sub-count, he felt a forbidden disappointment. Unknowingly, he had been projecting his own past onto Sub-Count Toten.
Because he had imagined Evangelin Rohan-son promising salvation to his younger self, he had selfishly felt let down when she said there was no method.
He had expected that a being beyond human logic, one who transcended reason, would perform miracles beyond human capability. He had arbitrarily thought of her as human in one moment, and then as something non-human in another.
He had assumed Evangelin Rohan-son would be different from everything in the past.
Contradictorily, through that very disappointment—which he himself had no right to feel—Gabriel realized he was slowly opening his heart to Evangelin.
“Sir Gabriel?”
That was why he did not want to let go of the hand she had extended first. Even without realizing it, he clung to it like a child. It embarrassed him to think he could not even properly understand his own emotions.
Before Gabriel could gather his thoughts, Evangelin returned after finishing the fitting.
“Sir Gabriel, what do you think of the young lady?”
Gabriel looked at Evangelin.
“It suits you very well.”
The dress that Artemisia had painstakingly crafted over several days seemed to understand exactly who it had been made for—it suited its wearer perfectly.
Gabriel tried not to let his gaze linger on her exposed white neck. It felt improper to stare, since he and Lady Rohan-son were not in any kind of intimate relationship.
Unaware of Gabriel’s thoughts, Artemisia continued urging him to look at Evangelin. When he failed to give a proper evaluation, she began listing a series of extravagant praises as examples. It almost seemed as though she simply wanted to praise her herself.
Schmittiana, flushed with excitement, hovered around Evangelin without fear. Her behavior closely resembled Michelle that morning, who had teared up and begged to meet Lady Rohan-son. Seeing that, Raphaela clicked her tongue, remarking that bloodlines could not be denied.
Unlike Michelle, Artemisia had not seemed particularly fond of Evangelin at first—had something happened while staying at the Rohan-son estate?
“She looks like an angel!”
“Yes! Mary, well done!”
“Like a fairy!”
“Exactly!”
Artemisia and the child chimed in together, showering praise. Watching their chatter, Evangelin observed them with an unusually softened expression, as though watching birds chirping.
Though still as aloof and indifferent as ever, Gabriel sensed a faint warmth from her. Perhaps it was merely his imagination.
Seeing her adjust her dress like an ordinary noble lady and respond to a child’s noisy chatter made it feel as though he was seeing the true Evangelin Rohan-son.
She seemed to be growing more accustomed to wearing the “mask” of a human. More precisely, she was becoming closer to “Evangelin Rohan-son.” Or perhaps Gabriel himself was being influenced, and that was why he felt this way.
Noticing Gabriel’s distraction, Schmittiana insisted on a retest.
“Now then, sir! You know what you’re supposed to say, right?”
His impression? Everything the two had used as examples so far had been the most beautiful nouns in the world—fairies, angels…
Gabriel thought of something that did not overlap with those, then recalled a familiar phrase. It was something that had come to mind from what Mary had said about angels.
Among the words written on the white note found in the ashes of Donau’s remains, the most memorable had been “angel of light.” There was no better way to describe Evangelin Rohan-son than that phrase. Since “angel” had already been mentioned, only one remained.
“Lady Rohan-son is like the brightest star.”
Literally, she was light itself. Though he called her the brightest star, that description needed further qualification.
Evangelin Rohan-son was a star that shone with an unnatural brilliance. Among all that rose to avoid the sun, could anything shine brighter than her?
“We’ll be heading out now! Please enjoy your time.”
At that moment, Schmittiana—smiling mischievously as if entertaining some strange thought—led the others out of the room.
The door, briefly opened, closed again, cutting them off from the outside world. Only Gabriel and Evangelin remained.
“May I have this dance?”
This time, Gabriel extended his hand first. Though he did not know why Evangelin had asked him to dance, the fact that he could continue holding her hand was a welcome opportunity for him. His body temperature was fairly high—perhaps if he held her hand long enough, her coldness would fade.
“One dance might not be enough.”
She had asked him to practice because she was afraid of making mistakes, since she had never danced before. But it was unlikely Evangelin could forget a dance. She had an exceptional memory for anything that interested her or that she needed to learn.
Of course, it was difficult to even enter that category. As Michelle had once cried, lamenting that Lady Rohan-son could not even recognize her.
“I will gladly accompany you.”
Thus, Evangelin likely requested the dance to immerse herself in the role of “Evangelin Rohan-son.”
Why did she, as a being of light, choose to wear the guise of a human? He could not imagine the patience required for a being that looked down on humanity to pretend to be one.
Gabriel placed his hand on Evangelin’s waist and assumed the proper posture. He felt pleased that she leaned into him.
There was no accompaniment. But if there had been music playing now, it would undoubtedly be a requiem for Gabriel.
While Evangelin was trying on dresses, the sun had set. Beyond the closed curtains, darkness spread. Daisy, noting the time, had drawn the curtains shut.
With the curtains drawn, the room felt even dimmer. In the darkened world, only Evangelin shone alone. Having absorbed all surrounding light, she made everything else sink further into shadow while herself stood out even more.
Gabriel thought of himself as a dark ring surrounding a star. Even though all his light had been taken, his gaze remained fixed on Evangelin, unable to look away.
“When I look at you, that seems to happen.”
It wasn’t just him. Those who had once trembled in fear also refused to leave the garden cultivated by Evangelin. Her maids, the children she had saved, Michelle, Schmittiana—all of them had turned away from the sun they once followed and now gazed upon the same light.
“My beliefs.”
Philosophy.
“Ideals.”
Everything he had built since birth now felt meaningless.
“It feels as though you are reshaping the world from the beginning.”
That was Evangelin’s influence. It felt as though a new landmark had been erected.
If not for Evangelin, Gabriel would never have taken interest in a being beyond reason. Daisy would not have returned to the Rohan-son estate. Schmittiana would not have abandoned her long-held beliefs to make clothes for maids outside her preferences.
“That sounds almost like a confession.”
Evangelin said this with a somewhat displeased expression.
A confession… It did not feel like something warm or affectionate enough to be called that. Even Gabriel could not name what he felt. Was it fear, or something closer to dread? Being near Evangelin made him feel a chilling sense of encountering something inhuman. His heart trembled as though witnessing something ominous.
When Evangelin discarded her noble persona and revealed her true, arrogant, and languid nature, Gabriel found himself unable to look away despite his fear. If he had to name it, it was closest to curiosity. It was like peering through a slightly open door.
This was likely why he had continued to protect Evangelin, even deceiving the Temple.
“You like me?”
So Gabriel chose not to correct his words, instead observing her reaction. He reasoned that “affection” would be a more favorable term for her to hear than mere “interest.”
However, this seemed to have been a mistake.
Her faint smile froze, and her expression disappeared entirely. It felt as though she had returned to the moment he first met her. The faintly budding emotion vanished, leaving only a cold fragment behind.
Evangelin Rohan-son was like a star suspended in the sky. If it fell to the ground and collided with the world, its brilliance would destroy everything.
But Gabriel now realized that a fallen star would also become distorted in shape. It was a tragedy born from his own baser desire to pull the star down.
“You don’t even know who I am.”
Evangelin looked at him. Her eyes seemed as though blood flowed within them.
At that moment, something strange occurred.
The candle flickered. His vision dimmed as though his eyes had been covered, then suddenly lit up again. Was the room always this large? Something felt distorted. Wax dripped from the ceiling.
The illuminated world now looked entirely different from before.
The walls and furniture were covered in fibrous tissue. Flesh pulsed as though alive. Eyes dangled from the ceiling and sprouted from every gap, blinking at different rhythms.
With each turn, something soft beneath his feet burst. Suppressing nausea, Gabriel bit his lower lip.
In this world of red and gore, only Evangelin Rohan-son remained pure white. She was the only place his gaze could rest, yet even her eyes were red, preventing him from meeting them directly. It felt as though her eyes were the heart of this place itself, whispering directly into his ears.
“Sir Gabriel, you only need to accompany me appropriately.”
Her voice was sweet, unlike a reprimand. Its gentle resonance felt like either the temptation of a demon or the guidance toward the right path.
Was this punishment for overstepping his bounds? Noticing Gabriel’s tension, Evangelin lightly brushed his shoulder.
The past repeated itself. Just as when she had warned him after he crossed the line in the Rohan-son estate.
Was she wearing that same indifferent expression now? Afraid to face her directly, Gabriel looked instead at a mirror.
In the mirror, the grotesque world did not exist. The clean room brought him a sense of relief. That must be reality, he believed, continuing to stare. Then, the moment he saw himself dancing in the reflection, he clenched his lips tightly. A metallic taste of blood spread in his mouth.
Evangelin Rohan-son was not in the mirror. If the mirror represented reality, then she did not exist in the world.
The scene flickered again. As though that was all it intended to show, the room returned to its original state, quiet and still.
“Shall we stop here?”
Her expression was one of pity, like someone watching ants drown in sweet syrup.
As if that were a signal, Gabriel’s breath was released. He inhaled deeply. A faint, dry floral scent lingered from Evangelin. As she stepped away, the scent faded from his nose.
Evangelin distanced herself, then elegantly lifted her dress and bowed. When she straightened, she appeared completely composed.
“I quite like you.”
She smiled gently, her eyes curving. It was the kind of smile an artist would have sold their soul to capture.
Evangelin then looked at the mirror again, as though checking whether her “mask” was properly in place. Gabriel followed her gaze.
In the mirror stood an expressionless Evangelin Rohan-son.
