MPBAGS Chapter 69

Jabanya searched his memory. Though they had only exchanged brief words, the impression was deeply etched in his mind.

"If I may dare to say so, she resembles a goddess."

"God Rahel? She resembles Divine Rahel... So that's why the Knight Commander has fallen so deeply for her."

Marik did not rebuke the irreverent words. Instead, she gave Jabanya an order.

"However, first impressions and true nature may differ. Since His Lordship the Bishop thinks of the Knight Commander like a son, I'm worried too. With a parental heart, shouldn't we take a look at Lady Rohanson's character?"

"I will definitely investigate."

Marik patted Jabanya's shoulder as if trusting his resolve. Surely Jabanya would do his best not to disappoint Marik.

After Marik and Jabanya had vanished from the underground, and only after the presence of people had disappeared, did Gabriel enter Merai's cell.

A haggard woman who seemed drained of life looked up at the sound of the door opening.

She looked deathly pale. Though she claimed to have stayed together with the children locked underground, being confined alone in the underground seemed quite trying for her.

Merai's suffering was because childhood trauma had resurfaced. Before catching the director's eye, Merai too had been nothing more than one of the means to please the demons, just like the other children.

"Have you eaten?"

The question was too mundane for a greeting in a prison, making Merai let out a hollow laugh.

"For a meal at the Grand Temple, it was truly pitiful."

A chunk of bread and a bowl of soup. Though she knew that even this much was more than enough for someone scheduled to die soon, the sarcastic words came out automatically.

"You'll be able to eat your fill of whatever you want for at least one meal."

At those words, Merai realized what that one meal meant. It was about the special meal that death row inmates eat before execution. Merai calmly accepted her treatment.

"Execution, then."

"Yes. You'll be transferred to the guard as soon as dawn breaks."

There was less emotional turmoil than expected. Merai felt herself becoming calmer now that her death date had been set.

"The children you sold will be brought back by Lady Rohanson."

"Is she buying them back? She's no different from me."

"She's completely different."

Word of Merai and the priest's arrest had spread so quickly that dozens of contacts had come in during that short time. Some contacted them asking not to report to the imperial court, and others said they would return the money and give back the children.

Though buying people wasn't pleasant, Evangeline readily paid the money and took back the children.

Of course, far more people pretended not to know. They would make excuses that they hadn't bought children but had hired them in the form of employment, and had only paid introduction fees.

Those who had dealt with Merai long ago or those notorious for their cruel hands remained silent as expected. They had either already died or were in such poor condition that they couldn't be shown to the outside world.

When Gabriel delivered this news, Daisy burst into tears.

"Stop crying. You haven't forgotten what you asked me, have you?"

"Yes. I asked you to find the children."

"Right. I promised to find them all instead of taking you."

Evangeline Rohanson acted unlike herself. How much comfort those blunt words gave Daisy was obvious.

Daisy knelt and begged in gratitude. She didn't care at all that Gabriel was watching in front of her.

The person who had been terrified when they first met and had denounced Evangeline as a demon was nowhere to be found - Daisy was now genuinely submissive. That sight reminded him of believers praying before Rahel's statue.

The difference was that unlike Rahel, Evangeline Rohanson was a being who could respond to her believers.

A white hand was placed on Daisy's head. Perhaps because she was someone who had never comforted anyone or needed to, the stroking gesture was extremely awkward.

Gabriel couldn't take his eyes off the awkward gesture. Were those hands that comforted Daisy still cold?

Gabriel dismissed his thoughts and focused on Merai.

Evangeline had promised to bring back all the children. Merai's ledger had been helpful in identifying the list of children.

"The ledger you left behind will be helpful."

And the severity of punishment would increase as well. They hadn't committed murder, and couldn't impose severe punishment on nobles just for buying a commoner orphan. At least thanks to the ledger that detailed dates, amounts, transaction locations, methods, and intermediaries, there was evidence to prove their crimes.

One of the traders, a priest, also ended up being dispatched to a foreign country at war instead of just being dismissed, thanks to the ledger that served as solid evidence. It meant he should go there and die serving, never to return.

"Why did you leave the ledger?"

Like someone with lingering attachments.

"I thought it might come in handy later. When I present the ledger and make requests, everyone listens."

Yet the traders seemed to have no idea the ledger existed until they learned about it for the first time during this incident.

"I see."

However, Gabriel didn't press for the truth. Since she said so herself, there was no particular reason to deny it. Even if Merai had left the ledger out of weak guilt, it wouldn't erase her crimes or overturn her sentence.

"There will be an investigator's interrogation tomorrow."

Instead, Gabriel revealed his purpose for visiting Merai.

"During the interrogation, the investigator will ask about Lady Rohanson."

Gabriel told Merai what she should answer. If asked about Evangeline Rohanson, she should say she was someone who occasionally came to volunteer at the orphanage. He also told her to avoid mentioning Daisy as much as possible since she shouldn't be connected to this incident.

Hearing this, Merai let out a hollow laugh. Not only did she have to defend the angel who had driven her to the brink, but she was also supposed to say she had received support from a noble?

All the nobles who came to the orphanage were only there to buy children. If there had really been someone who supported them with good intentions, Merai wouldn't have needed to sell the children.

"Are you threatening me to give false testimony? A knight is, damn it, truly honest and magnificent."

Even at Merai's sarcastic words, Gabriel didn't flinch. Unlike his reputation for being devout and righteous, Gabriel himself didn't consider himself that innocent, so the sharp words didn't wound him.

"Do you think I'll do as you say?"

"Yes. If you remember what Miss Daisy said."

At those words, Merai's body stiffened. When was it? Right. Gabriel had considerately allowed time for a brief conversation, asking Daisy if she had any last words for Merai.

The Daisy in his memory was saying something.

"Director. I could never even think of you as a mother."

Of course. Merai wasn't Daisy's mother.

Daisy hadn't been a particularly important child to Merai either. She seemed to have received some criticism from her son and other children besides Daisy. But what particularly remained in memory were Daisy's words.

"I loved you sincerely, at least for a time."

Daisy couldn't completely abandon her attachment and hugged Merai. And holding Merai tightly, she whispered in her ear.

"Lady Evangeline has agreed to take us in. So please never talk about the lady and demons. If you feel even a little guilt toward us, if you ever cared for us even a little, please never speak of it."

Since Merai felt no guilt at all, Daisy's words were completely useless.

"You heard that?"

"I have good hearing."

After that, Merai kept her mouth shut. Though she didn't say she would testify as Gabriel instructed, Gabriel left the prison as if his business was done.

The next day, as Gabriel had said, Merai was transported to the execution ground.

Death row inmates whose execution date had been set would stay here until that day. As she had heard beforehand, there was also an interrogation. After finishing the interrogation, the investigator shuffled through papers and asked.

"Is there anything you want to eat before you die?"

A last meal.

"I don't know why we're providing food for people we're going to kill. It would be better to give me that money as a bonus... Just say something quickly."

When Merai didn't answer promptly, the investigator urged her to respond.

"I want soup. Soup made with mashed potatoes."

"Potato soup? How modest... Well, fine."

The investigator scribbled with ink carelessly. Though the content wasn't visible, it was obvious it said "Merai - potato soup."

And before execution, while other prisoners chewed wine and meat, Merai alone ate potato soup.

Potato soup was the food most frequently served at the orphanage. Once, a child who was about to be adopted said they would miss Merai's cooking and asked for soup. After that, Merai always made soup before selling the children. She didn't know why she did that.

"Did you enjoy your last meal?"

After finishing her meal, Merai was led away by the guard. A cloth was placed over her head and she was seated. From somewhere came the sound of a blade being sharpened.

Merai closed her eyes.

It was a terribly, disgustingly tasteless meal.

"The weather is nice."

"It really is. The breeze is so cool, it feels like flower fragrances are carried in on the wind."

At Evangeline's words, Kanna opened the door. Unlike Kanna, Daisy caught a fishy scent mixed in with the floral fragrance that blew in through the window.

"Perfect weather to die."

Evangeline combed through her hair that had been tousled and scattered by the clinging wind with her hand.

Daisy knew well whose death this meant. Today was the day Merai would die.

By now her head might already have been cut off. The falling flowers looked like severed heads, so Daisy turned her eyes away from the window. From now on, whenever Daisy smelled flowers, she would think of Merai.

"How are they? Do the children seem to be adapting well?"

"Yes. It seems that way."

Contrary to what Daisy had worried about, the children easily blended into the mansion. Among the employees at the Rohanson mansion, Evangeline was the most difficult to deal with, but perhaps because the children had been brought by Evangeline herself, they adapted unusually quickly.

Yulma had good hand skills and entered the kitchen. However, she said she got scolded every time because her portions were too large, perhaps due to her habit of making meals for many at the orphanage.

Ranon went under the butler. She had always known he was a child skilled at calculations and clever, but she hadn't known he would catch the butler's eye to this extent. The brief period of neglect because he had been brought by Young Lady Evangeline was short-lived; now the butler practically kept him by his side.

'Mary...'

Mary was doing very well, as if she were Mary Rohanson rather than Mary Gold.

Since there was no work to give to a young child, they just let her roam around the mansion, and Mary particularly stuck close to Melech, who had been imprisoned in the basement with her.

Melech volunteered to be a stable keeper, saying he wanted to earn his keep, and when the violent horses saw Melech, they tucked their tails and behaved well, earning him a warm welcome. Mary was given the task of feeding carrots to the horses beside him.

As Young Lady Evangeline had promised, when they got back the children sold by the director, there would be one or two more people.

"Are you satisfied?"

At Evangeline's question, Daisy nodded.

When she had left the mansion in terror, she had thought she would never return.

"Very much so."

She never would have thought she'd feel such peaceful sentiments while looking at the fibrous material spread like nets across all the walls and the protruding eyes.