MPBAGS Chapter 89

"Could you abandon Rahel, whom you love so much, and turn to a demon? Even if instead of the marquis's estate, you were asked to offer a human life in exchange?"

Lady Rohanson's voice was still vivid. A demon. A demon... Now Kinder could finally give Lady Rohanson an answer.

She regretted the days she had spent worrying. Kinder urged her horse forward. The horse nearly slipped on the raindrops and caused a major accident, but she didn't care. Her cheeks were getting wet not from tears but from the rain. Kinder increased her speed even more. Hurry, hurry to where the demon is.

After Kinder left on horseback, the servants left behind whispered among themselves about the marchioness's unusually strange behavior.

"Why did our lady leave in such a hurry?"

"I heard she agreed to chaperone Lady Rohanson."

"So she went to chaperone even though Ryder is sick? Even riding a horse that our lady rarely ever rode?"

"Is Lady Rohanson such a frightening person?"

Instead of warning the servants, the butler decided to choose his words for the distinguished guest who would arrive soon. That would be more profitable.

A short while later, another carriage arrived at the marquis's estate.

"Ah, our dear home. It's been so long! So wonderful!"

The man who stepped out of the carriage stretched his chest and breathed in the scent. It was Diess, the brother of the deceased marquis. Was it because of the rain? Even the damp, rotten fishy smell emanating from the Totten marquis's house seemed particularly refreshing.

"What? Were you all waiting outside for me? Oh my, why did you prepare all this?"

They had actually come out to see off the marchioness, but the butler corrected himself without revealing the truth. The butler bowed deeply in greeting.

"Welcome, young master. You've arrived early."

"Yeah, well. I wanted to see my sister-in-law's face early. Is she riding in that carriage over there? Then why doesn't she come out to greet me?"

Diess tilted his head while looking at the carriage in front of the mansion.

"No. She left on horseback."

"What! How confusing!"

When Diess kicked the carriage, the loosely fitted wheel rattled.

"What's this? Why is it so old?"

"Well..."

Diess cleared his throat awkwardly and changed the subject.

"My sister-in-law should have a good time. This might be her last ball, you know? Once I become the Totten marquis, she won't have any reason to attend such places. She's not going to try to remarry me for the sake of appearances, is she? Ugh."

Watching Diess already acting like the master of the marquis's house, Lark reconsidered his choice. But the dice had already been cast. For now, he could only hope for a high number.

"Since it's raining, let's go inside. Sion should have prepared a room for the young master."

"It's been a while since I've seen my nanny too."

Lark led Diess into the house. Diess, who had been triumphant as if returning to his own home, suddenly stopped.

"Right. What about him? Did my sister-in-law take him too?"

The person Diess was referring to was Ryder.

"No. Ryder is sick and lying in his room. Seeing that our lady attended the ball, he must have been ill for a few days and his condition has improved considerably."

The butler, who didn't know about the child's death, offered his speculation. Since his condition had improved considerably, the marchioness, full of love for her child, would have left the child behind. For the butler, who didn't know that the marchioness had pretended the dead child was sleeping, this was a very reasonable inference.

"Tsk, if he's going to die, he should die quickly. His lifeline is tough."

Diess clicked his tongue and sneered. Lark agreed as well. Ryder was supposed to not live past five, but he had far exceeded five years old and survived until now. The lifeline that barely continued like a thin thread showed no signs of breaking.

There was even a precedent of someone suddenly escaping from a curse. Originally, he would have waited leisurely until the child died, but circumstances had changed. Lark's impatience was because of Evangeline, who had suddenly appeared. Lark was afraid that Evangeline might really improve Ryder's condition. That couldn't happen. A cursed child couldn't be placed on the marquis's seat.

What helped the troubled Lark was a strange figure. Of course, that figure wasn't the foolish Diess.

"Really? His uncle came and he doesn't even greet me. Well, since he's sick, I should understand. Should I go see his face after such a long time?"

Diess climbed the stairs with a crooked smile. He looked very pleased. To the butler, he looked exactly like a child about to throw stones at frogs.