MPBAGS Chapter 97

"Lady Evangeline Rohanson of the House of Count Rohanson and Sir Gabriel, Commander of the Pharalos Knights!"

With the servant's announcement, the gazes of people who filled the enormous ballroom stuck to us like pins. I had thought the temple building was incredibly splendid, but the imperial palace was incomparable.

Even the patterns on the walls were delicately carved with such care that I couldn't fathom how much money had been spent. In one corner, a band was playing, and servants were moving about everywhere serving wine.

People's attire was also dazzlingly splendid. It wasn't my imagination that all the people crowded together were looking at us and whispering. The combination of an upright holy knight and the century's villainess would naturally draw attention.

I felt like I'd become an attention seeker. People seemed to be murmuring and talking behind our backs, but their voices were drowned out by the music and mixed together, so I couldn't make out what they were saying.

"How noisy."

The moment I spoke, the commotion stopped. I think I even heard someone hiccupping.

"My lady."

Gabriel called to me softly, warning me. I had just made a casual observation about the noise, but I didn't expect everyone to shut up... Is this the ripple effect of a villainess destined to dominate high society? I really need to be careful about what I say now.

"My daughter, Evangeline! You've finally arrived!"

A familiar man suddenly popped out from among the people and greeted me. It was the Count who had left me behind and went ahead by himself.

He was gritting his teeth in disgust while pretending to be close, which seemed to be the result of my warning during our meal to act like we were a loving father and daughter. This should quiet the rumors about the Count and me having a bad relationship to some extent. Of course, there will still be criticism that we're just putting on a show for public opinion.

The Count had goosebumps on his arms, aware that his actions were cringeworthy and disgusting.

"Why are you so late?"

"Didn't Father leave too early?"

To interpret: the Count was reproaching me with 'Why didn't you come quickly to make an impression on the Duke!' and I was retorting with 'If you were going to blame me, you should have taken me with you.'

"Don't tell me Grandfather has already left?"

"No. He's still holding his position. From where you're looking, he's at 10 o'clock. You should be able to recognize him since he resembles you."

Looking beyond the Count, I could indeed see a grandfather who looked so much like Evangeline that their blood relation was obvious at a glance. Duke Hosaquin, Evangeline's maternal grandfather, was an elderly man with white hair neatly slicked back, giving him a very imposing and sharp atmosphere. Unlike what the Count had said about him being near death, he looked quite healthy. See, I told you the rumors about his poor health were just unfounded gossip. The Count lowered his voice to get to the point.

"Today is your chance, so make sure to leave a proper impression."

"I'm well aware without you having to remind me. That's the deal, isn't it? So Father should also prepare well for returning to the territory."

"I've already given notice to the territory."

That was all we had to discuss with each other, so after we each said our piece, there was no more topic for conversation. It was truly barren. Now the Count turned his attention to Gabriel.

"So you're Sir Gabriel?"

"Yes. I've visited the Rohanson estate several times, but this is the first time I'm actually meeting you. I'm Gabriel."

"I'm Coleus Rohanson. To think you're attracting this one's interest, you must be quite unfortunate."

The Count deliberately patted Gabriel's shoulder as if asserting his authority. Considering that even the Marquis's son had been servile to Gabriel, the position of Knight Commander shouldn't be lowly enough for a Count to look down upon. It seems he's giving Gabriel a taste of son-in-law life because he's excited about the possibility of Gabriel being his prospective son-in-law.

Gabriel gently took the Count's hand and lowered it while retorting.

"Rather, if my lady were to show interest in me, that would be the true honor."

"Hah, they say a pure knight becomes a fool when he falls in love, and it seems that was true."

The Count sneered disapprovingly. Why are you picking a fight with someone who's already troubled? That fool-making love of the century that you mentioned was rejected by me not too long ago...

I was worried the Count might continue picking fights, so I decided to send him away. This should show that the father-daughter relationship isn't completely dysfunctional.

"If we suddenly stick together like flipping a palm, other people will find it even more suspicious, so shall we part ways now? If Father doesn't intend to stay with me continuously, it would be better for you to go mingle with other people."

I urged the Count to return to the group he had been with before I arrived. Though the Count seemed reluctant to be dismissed by me, he had no justification to continue staying together, so he said a word about making a good impression on the Duke and quietly left. Watching the Count's retreating figure, Gabriel spoke up.

"You don't seem to have a bad relationship with the Count."

"Our interests just align."

No matter how you look at it, we only have a bad relationship, don't we? The Count doesn't even know I've possessed this body and just thinks I'm suffering from memory loss, yet he has this attitude, so he probably wasn't on good terms with the original Evangeline either.

Looking at the Count's wife's paintings that filled the storage room, Evangeline seemed to have loved her mother very much, so she wouldn't have liked the father who tormented her mother. Just reading the diary made me angry enough to lash out at the Count.

"Then is what you said about him returning to the territory also related to those aligned interests?"

"That's purely for my own business."

"Then will you... will you continue to stay in the territory from now on?"

Gabriel asked hesitantly and carefully. Why is he acting so pitiful and melancholy today... Could it be that he's worried I'll leave the capital and stay in the territory forever, making it difficult to see me in the future? He's really being so earnest... Even I felt a bit tingly this time.

"I'm just going for a brief visit. I'll stay for a few days and then return here where you are."

Last time I pushed him away, so today it's my turn to pull him closer. If I'm going to pull, I need to do it properly. Gabriel seemed to secretly like it while trying not to show it when I said these sweet words. To survive, I need to keep playing with Gabriel and maintain this state... My conscience hurts. How am I different from the Count who deceived Evangeline's mother into a marriage of convenience for money?

Meanwhile, Lady Totten, who had briefly separated from us when entering, came back to find me.

"Lady Rohanson."

Lady Totten seemed to have exchanged light greetings with acquaintances she hadn't seen in a while and returned to me immediately. Having found stability through conversation with people, the anxious look she had shown earlier disappeared and she regained her composure like before.

"Shall we go greet His Highness the Crown Prince now?"

"Yes. Let's do that."

I headed straight to the high table with Gabriel, following Lady Totten. Once we reached the platform of the banquet hall, I saw a handsome man of sparkling blonde hair. What? He's handsome? Wasn't the Crown Prince supposed to be a middle-aged man?

"Lord Oratorio is an Imperial Prince."

Gabriel explained in a whisper. Ah. That... the outstanding grandson that the Emperor wants to skip a generation and pass the throne to... I naturally thought he'd be a young child since he was called a grandson, but he was older than I expected and quite tall. So the outstanding thing was his face.

The Imperial Prince was a platinum blonde with a perfectly classic handsome face. Blonde? Right. Given the timing, it's about time for another male lead to appear. Blonde and the next Emperor—perfect.

"The person next to him is His Highness Crown Prince Laudes."

Looking to the side, I saw a man with an excessively weak presence sitting there. I... I didn't even notice he was there. I nearly had a heart attack thinking a ghost had suddenly appeared.

The Crown Prince had such a weak presence that I wondered if a father and son could be so dissimilar. This made me understand why they wanted to skip a generation and pass the throne to the grandson—even I, an outsider, could understand it. Oratorio was blonde while the Crown Prince had black hair, making the contrast even more stark. The Crown Prince was also handsome, but why did he have no presence? What was so different between the two? As I examined them, I felt a sense of déjà vu from the Crown Prince's face.

Black hair, blue eyes, and a slightly cold impression... Wait, Gabriel?

I rolled my eyes to compare Gabriel and the Crown Prince alternately. They look alike, don't they? Could this be a secret of birth? To call it speculation, the Crown Prince and Gabriel resembled each other too much. Moreover, in romance novels, overlapping hair colors usually meant family relations.

Right. The male lead being a Knight Commander was a bit weak! Gabriel was royalty! Is the Crown Prince Gabriel's biological father? Given the age difference doesn't seem that large, perhaps they're brothers... Still, due to the titles, he's most likely a prince.

"And next to them are Princess Jeremia and Tenebrae."

Does Gabriel know he's royalty? Seeing how calmly he's introducing them, he seems unaware.

To the Crown Prince's right sat two women who looked exactly alike, sitting like a painting.

Gabriel explained that the two were twins and Oratorio's younger sisters, Jeremia and Tenebrae. They could also be your younger sisters... or nieces. Speaking of which, I remember hearing about these two. True to romance novel style, twins were considered an ill omen, and there was even some prophecy that said one of them should be killed when they were born. The Emperor caused a ruckus saying that was nonsense and that he would raise both of them.

In cases like this, usually only one gets discriminated against... Oops, did I stare too obviously? I almost made eye contact. Which of Jeremia or Tenebrae was it that I almost made eye contact with?

I quickly memorized their names and offered my greetings.

"Your Highness Laudes, I congratulate you on this glorious day."

"Congratulations, Your Highness."

"You may rise now. Thank you, Marchioness Totten. Knight Commander Gabriel."

The Crown Prince responded to our greetings with a good-natured chuckle. Though I thought he had no presence, perhaps because he was backed by power, there was a subtle authority in his brief manner of speech.

"And the lady beside you seems to be someone I'm seeing for the first time—could you introduce her?"

Fortunately, no incidents like continuously making me greet people to torment me, as in novels, occurred.

I grasped my dress and bent my knees. Every fingertip was at a perfect angle. Miss Dolly, I did it! Similarly, I maintained my posture firmly and stood up again.

When I smiled with my eyes curved, I heard someone gasp "Huh!" from somewhere. It wouldn't be a romance novel without such reactions. Honestly, I had performed such a shockingly perfect greeting that the audience's admiration was deserved. I dedicate this glory once again to Miss Dolly.

"It's an honor to meet you, Your Highness. I'm Evangeline Rohanson."

"Rohanson?"

Oratorio, who was beside him, mulled over my name.

"If it's Rohanson, then the rumored..."

How widely had rumors about Evangeline spread that even the royalty knew? The speed at which rumors spread in romance novel high society was truly too fast.

As Oratorio was about to add something, the Crown Prince cut him off.

"Right. I heard you weren't feeling well. Yet you've attended my banquet—what an honor."

Finally, the greetings ended with me giving the Crown Prince a birthday present.

"A sword?"

The Crown Prince unwrapped the gift I gave him, muttered briefly, then without much reaction, placed it with the pile of other gifts behind him. What? That's the end of his reaction? He didn't even try to draw it?

"Thank you, Lady Rohanson. It'll be perfect for the upcoming hunting season."

The Crown Prince gave a perfunctory thanks. Wait, what are you going to use a bladeless sword for? That's just a relic, you know? He must think it's a practical sword because it's in such good condition.

Using it for hunting season—you'd get hunted yourself if you took that. I wanted to tell him to draw it and check, but I remembered I decided to behave properly and endured. Whatever. He'll figure it out and check later.