MPBAGS Chapter 82

While Lady Rohanson was away briefly trying on clothes, Gabriel was able to have a short conversation with Daisy. It seemed as though Evangeline had deliberately stepped away to let them talk.

"I received the message about Mrs. Phonor well. It appears the Lady intends to keep Mrs. Phonor by her side."

"Yes. She said that Mrs. Phonor seems to be reflecting deeply on her actions, which appears to have pleased the Lady."

Even though she was a spy sent by Bishop Jabanya, the fact that she would keep her by her side surely meant she was quite pleased with her. Fortunately, Evangeline's information hadn't leaked out.

Since Dolly Phonor's letter hadn't arrived, Bishop Jabanya seemed quite anxious. He had even subtly asked Gabriel about the tutors that Lady Rohanson had hired.

"I gave Bishop Jabanya an appropriate deflection."

"Is that so?"

Daisy organized the message she needed to convey to the butler. Then she looked at Gabriel with a peculiar expression.

She wondered why that knight, who should rightfully follow the Sun God, was taking the Lady's side. It wasn't as if he had received help like Daisy had.

According to Kanna, Gabriel had expressed a favorable position toward the Lady from the very beginning. Upon hearing this, she realized that when she was a nun, she had targeted the wrong person to report Lady Rohanson's corruption to. Now, thanks to that, she was able to protect the Lady's secrets.

"Why does Sir Gabriel remain by the Lady's side?"

At Daisy's sudden question, Gabriel seemed ready to avoid answering. Before he could deflect, Daisy pressed once more.

"Do you want something from the Lady?"

Or perhaps Sir Raphaela was right and she had truly bewitched him. Daisy pursued the matter sharply. Gabriel noticed Daisy's determination to extract an answer no matter what. Something he wanted.

"Yes. There is."

Ironically, that was exactly right. Gabriel wasn't someone who acted without purpose, and there was something he wanted from Lady Rohanson. Publicly, it was to handle the aftermath of the magic circle's influence. Privately...

That day when flames flickered, the sight of white hair tinged with firelight, spreading into crimson, was vivid. Had Gabriel's heart stopped at the moment he first encountered Evangeline and never evolved beyond that initial moment, he would have handed her personal information over to the temple instead of protecting her.

Certainly, at first it was curiosity. Like a leafless flower blooming from a withered tree, it was fascinating that a corpse could move while ignoring divine authority. Next came fear. He was afraid of what she might do once she shed the mask of Evangeline Rohanson. So he tried to please her to avoid offending her.

Change happens unexpectedly. The tsunami struck Gabriel in an instant.

When he heard the story of how Lady Rohanson had uncharacteristically saved the orphanage children, a faint hope arose. When he felt the slow heartbeat, he realized Evangeline was alive.

So when she said there was no way to save the young marquis, he dared to feel disappointed. Without knowing it, he had been overlapping Gabriel's own past with Young Marquis Totten.

Because he had imagined Evangeline Rohanson promising salvation to his younger self, he was arbitrarily disappointed when she said there was no way.

He thought that an omnipotent being beyond reason would perform miracles that humans couldn't. He had arbitrarily thought of her as human-like, yet in situations like this, he considered her non-human.

He had arbitrarily expected that Evangeline Rohanson was different from things of the past.

Paradoxically, through that presumptuous disappointment, Gabriel realized he was slowly opening his heart to Evangeline.

"Sir Gabriel?"

So he didn't want to let go of the hand Evangeline had extended first. Without even realizing it himself, he had held on like a child refusing to let go, which made him ashamed for being such a fool who didn't even understand his own emotions.

Before Gabriel could collect himself, Evangeline returned from her fitting.

"Sir Gabriel, how does the Lady look?"

Gabriel looked at Evangeline.

"It suits you very well."

The dress that Artemisia had labored over for days seemed to clearly recognize who it was made for, suiting its owner remarkably well.

Gabriel tried not to let his gaze linger on the exposed white neck. Since he and Lady Rohanson weren't in any significant relationship, stealing glances felt sinful.

Unaware of Gabriel's feelings, Artemisia continued to insist he look at Evangeline. When he couldn't provide a proper critique, she gave examples and poured out all sorts of praise. It made one wonder if she just wanted to compliment her, herself.

Schmitiana fearlessly circled around Evangeline with flushed cheeks. Her appearance was exactly like Michel, who had been tearfully whining this morning about wanting to serve Lady Rohanson. Seeing this, Raphaela clicked his tongue, saying blood couldn't be denied.

Unlike Michel, Artemisia didn't seem to have any particularly likable qualities, so what had happened during her stay at the Rohanson estate?

"You look like an angel!"

"That's right! Miss Mary did so well!"

"Like a fairy!"

"Exactly!"

Artemisia and the young child praised in harmony. Evangeline watched this chattering scene with an unusually softened expression, as if watching birds singing.

It was her usual arrogantly unmatched indifference, but Gabriel sensed a small warmth from Evangeline. Perhaps it was just his imagination.

The sight of her fitting into a dress like an ordinary noble lady and keeping company with a small child's noisy chatter made it seem as if he was truly seeing the real Evangeline Rohanson.

Lady Rohanson seemed to be growing increasingly accustomed to human disguise. To be more precise, she was becoming closer to being 'Evangeline Rohanson.' Or perhaps Gabriel was gradually being influenced and felt that way.

Noticing that Gabriel had fallen into contemplation, Schmitaina demanded a retest.

"Now, Sir! You know what you should say now, don't you?"

His thoughts? What the two had been giving as examples were all the beautiful nouns in the world. Fairy, angel? Gabriel tried to think of something that wouldn't overlap with those, and recalled a familiar phrase. It was a word that came to mind because of the angel Mary had mentioned.

Among the words written on the white slip of paper that emerged from Donau's ashes, the most memorable was "angel of light." There would be no better words to describe Evangeline Rohanson than that. Since angel had already been mentioned, only one thing remained.

"Lady Rohanson is like the brightest star."

Literally, light. He had said the brightest star, but in fact, more modifiers should have been added.

Evangeline Rohanson was a star that shone strangely bright. Among those that rise avoiding the sun, could there be anything brighter than her?

"We'll be going now! Have a good time."

In the midst of this, Schmitaina, who had been smiling wickedly wondering what foolish thoughts he was having, left the room with the other two.

The door that had briefly opened closed again, and cut off from the outside world, only Gabriel and Evangeline remained in the world.

"Would you dance a song with me?"

This time Gabriel extended his hand first. He didn't know why Evangeline had asked for a dance, but from Gabriel's perspective, being able to continue holding Evangeline's hand was fortunate. Gabriel's body temperature was quite high, so if he held her hand for a long time, perhaps the coldness would fade.

"One song won't be enough."

She had asked him to be her practice partner because she was afraid of making mistakes, having never danced before. But there was no way Evangeline hadn't memorized the dance. Evangeline was quite good at remembering things that interested her or that she needed to memorize.

Of course, he had no idea how difficult it was to get into that circle. Last time, Michel had soaked his pillow with tears, saying that Lady Rohanson didn't recognize him.

"I'll gladly keep you company for as long as you wish."

So the reason Evangeline had specifically asked for a dance was probably to immerse herself in the role of 'Evangeline Rohanson.'

Why was this being of light wearing the appearance of Evangeline Rohanson? He couldn't even imagine how much patience it required for a being that looked down on humans to pretend to be human.

Gabriel placed his hand on Evangeline's waist and took position. He was immensely pleased that Evangeline was leaning on him.

There was no accompaniment. However, if there was a song playing now, it would surely be a funeral march for Gabriel.

While Evangeline was fitting her dress, the sun had set and darkness rippled beyond the drawn curtains. After the sun set, Daisy, who had been checking the time, drew the window curtains.

With the curtains drawn, the interior was even more dim. In the dark world, only Evangeline sparkled purely. Having monopolized all the surrounding light, the surroundings sank deeper into darkness while the star stood out more prominently.

Gabriel thought of himself as the dark ring around the star. Having had all his light stolen, yet unable to break away from Evangeline's side, he kept circling around her with his gaze fixed on her.

"It seems that's what happens when I take you into my sight."

It wasn't just Gabriel. Even those who had trembled with fear and terror had no thought of leaving after entering the garden that Evangeline tended. The maids Evangeline cherished, the children and Michel that Evangeline had rescued, even Schmitaina. They would all be looking at the same light, turning their backs on the sun they had originally been heading toward.

"My beliefs too."

My philosophy too.

"My ideals too."

Everything he had built up since birth felt futile.

"It's as if you're rebuilding the world from scratch according to your whims."

That was the influence Evangeline possessed. It felt as if new signposts had been erected.

If not for Evangeline, Gabriel wouldn't have taken interest in beings beyond reason. If not for Evangeline, Daisy wouldn't have returned to the Rohanson mansion either. Schmitaina wouldn't have abandoned her long-held beliefs and made clothes for maids that went against her tastes.

"That sounds like some kind of confession."

Evangeline said with a very displeased expression.

A confession... It wasn't such a warm feeling that would bring gentle breezes. Even Gabriel himself couldn't put a name to it. Was this fear, or perhaps terror? Being with Evangeline made him feel unsettled, as if looking at something alien. His heart trembled as if witnessing something eerie.

When Evangeline shed the mask of an ordinary noble lady and revealed her arrogant and jaded nature within, he was frightened yet couldn't take his eyes off her. If he had to name it, it would be closest to curiosity right now. It was no different from secretly peering through a slightly open doorway. Gabriel's protection of Evangeline even while deceiving the temple was probably for this reason too.

"Do you like me?"

So instead of correcting his words, Gabriel watched Evangeline's reaction. He judged that saying he had favorable feelings would sound better than saying he felt curious.

However, Gabriel's choice seemed wrong. Gabriel had touched a nerve.

The face that had been smiling slightly froze as it was, and the expression disappeared. It felt like returning to the moment he first saw Evangeline. The small emotion that had been budding disappeared, leaving only cold sculpture.

Evangeline Rohanson was a star floating in the sky. If she crashed and touched the ground, the world would break, unable to bear that light.

But Gabriel only now realized that even a fallen star would be distorted in shape. It was carnage created by the base desire to drag down a star.

"Without even knowing who I am?"

Evangeline looked at Gabriel. Her eyes seemed to be bleeding.

At that moment, something strange happened.

The candle flickered. As if his pupils had disappeared, his vision was trapped in darkness like a curtain, then suddenly light came on and opened wide. Had the interior always been this spacious? Something seemed twisted. Candle wax dripped from the ceiling.

The brightened world was completely different from what he had seen before.

The walls and furniture were covered with fibrous material. The flesh pulsed as if proving it was alive. Eyes hung in clusters from the ceiling and sprouted from every crevice. They blinked at different speeds from one another.

With each spin, something squishy burst underfoot. Nausea rose and Gabriel bit his lower lip.

In this world stained with red filth, only Evangeline Rohanson was purely white. There was nowhere to look but Evangeline, yet because even her pupils were red, he couldn't actually meet her eyes. Evangeline's eyes felt exactly like the heart of this place. The heart whispered right by his ear.

"Sir Gabriel, you just need to keep me company appropriately."

It was a sweet voice that didn't sound like a reprimand. The gentle resonance seemed like both the temptation of a devil with a forked tongue and a voice guiding Gabriel down the right path.

Was she punishing him for overstepping? Evangeline seemed to notice that Gabriel was particularly tense and lightly brushed his shoulder.

The past repeated. It was the same as when he had conversed with Evangeline at the Rohanson mansion, when she had warned Gabriel for crossing the line.

Was she making the same heartless expression as then? Afraid to face it, Gabriel looked at the mirror as an alternative.

The world reflected in the mirror had no filth. He felt relief at the clean room scene. That was probably real. Gabriel believed so and kept looking at the mirror. And the moment he saw himself dancing reflected, he bit his lips tightly. The metallic taste of blood spread.

Evangeline Rohanson was not in the mirror. If what was in that mirror was real, then likewise, she too did not exist in the world.

His vision flickered again. As if that was all it wanted to show, the room that had regained its original colors was terribly quiet.

"Shall we stop here?"

It was the expression of someone feeling very sorry for an ant drowning in sugar water.

As if that was a signal, his blocked airways suddenly opened wide. Gabriel drew in breath. Evangeline smelled of withered, sweet flower fragrance. As Evangeline pulled away, the scent faded from his nostrils.

After creating distance, Evangeline held the hem of her dress in a painted posture and slightly bowed in greeting. When she straightened up again, she looked very peaceful.

"I quite like you, Sir."

Evangeline smiled softly with sparkling eyes. It was a smile that Jim Nofedi would have wanted to paint even if he had to sell his soul, if he were alive.

Evangeline looked at the mirror as if checking whether she had properly put on her mask. Gabriel also turned his gaze in the same direction. The mirror reflected an expressionless Evangeline Rohanson.