The guard, clearly embarrassed, tried to help Daisy to her feet.
"Please tell me where she went. I need to see her."
"How should I know? The carriage left a long time ago."
Daisy felt all her remaining strength draining away. She had believed—truly believed—that they would help her at the Lohanson estate.
_Why did I ever think that?_
"Don't stand here blocking the entrance. Come back when my lady returns."
The guard's tone made it abundantly clear: her presence was unwelcome.
"Should I call you a carriage?"
"N-no, thank you."
She didn't have money for a carriage. Daisy rose unsteadily to her feet, her legs trembling beneath her. She should have gone to the Temple first, not here. She needed to find those knights she had seen last time.
_First, I need to return to the hotel. Get the money. Change into my monastic robe._ That would make it easier to gain entrance to the Temple.
Daisy turned her back on the Lohanson estate and began walking toward the inn. Her legs ached from running, each step sending dull pain shooting up through her calves.
Suddenly, all her anxiety vanished—replaced by an empty, hollow numbness.
At that moment, raindrops began pattering against the cobblestones. Daisy raised her head and looked at the sky. When had the clouds gathered? The rain intensified rapidly. Fat drops fell upon her face, mingling indistinguishably with her tears.
"It's raining! Let's run!"
"Oh!"
"Sorry!"
Children fleeing the downpour collided with Daisy. It was only a small child, but exhausted as she was, the impact sent her tumbling to the ground. The child apologized hastily and scurried away, afraid she would scold him.
Daisy didn't have the strength to feel angry. She didn't even have the strength to stand.
She remained sitting on the muddy cobblestones, rain soaking through her clothes. She remembered the carriage that had nearly struck her earlier.
_I wish it had run me over then..._
Daisy sat with her head bowed as a shadow fell over her.
_That's right—this is a shopping street. I'm blocking the path for passersby._
"Sorry, I'll move now."
"Daisy."
Her head snapped up at the sound of a familiar voice.
The shadow's owner was the complete opposite of the darkness she had cast—blindingly, impossibly white. White hair. White dress. A pale face like carved marble.
This was the very person she had been so desperately searching for.
"Lady... Lady Evangeline."
After the first time, she no longer had any difficulty speaking that name. Despite her fear and lingering resentment, relief flooded through her chest. It was almost funny.
The rain seemed to have stopped falling on her. _No—it's just the umbrella._ The parasol was tilted entirely toward Daisy, and Evangeline's back was already soaked through by the downpour.
"How... How are you here...?"
"I was looking for you."
_Did she really find me? Like magic?_
The being disguised as Lady Evangeline smiled—a gentle, sympathetic expression. It was unsettlingly similar to the smile of the *real* Evangeline, the one Daisy had once cared for when she was merely a sickly girl confined to her bed.
"I have a favor to ask of you. You said you would fulfill my wish."
Daisy's hands shot out and gripped the hem of Evangeline's dress, clutching the fabric as though it were her only lifeline in a drowning sea.
"Yes. But you have to pay for everything."
"Do you know what I want?"
_The price..._
Daisy understood perfectly well what that meant. When she had summoned the demon, it had declared that Priest Berg was merely a sacrifice. And that next time, it would claim the *real* price.
"I... I will give myself."
She might not be as pure as the demon would prefer—she had already killed a man, after all—but she had nothing else left to offer.
"Please help me."
"All right. I'll help you."
Evangeline extended her hand.
Daisy knew she shouldn't take it. Every instinct screamed warning. But she reached out anyway.
A cold, serpentine sensation gripped her fingers and crept upward, coiling around her wrist, slithering up her arm, constricting around her throat. Daisy lifted her face toward the snake's mouth, offering herself willingly.
Oddly enough, the serpent felt warm inside.
---
## — Evangeline —
I was riding in the carriage when I suddenly remembered something important.
_Wait a moment. We're going to the shelter, right? Our goal is to find Daisy, but we're still visiting an orphanage. Can I really show up empty-handed?_
Everyone who visited shelters for charity brought mountains of food and gifts. Could I truly arrive with nothing?
Both from an ethical standpoint and to maintain my image as a "reformed villain," I needed to purchase something.
"Let's stop at a shop."
"Very well."
I hadn't even finished telling the coachman before the carriage halted in front of a bakery. How had he known?
"I'll go," Kanna offered.
"Buy plenty of bread for the children."
I handed her a gold coin.
She stared at it. "Do you want to buy *all* the bread in the store?"
_That's right—the prices here are quite low._ But I only had gold coins with me!
"Buy as much as you think is appropriate. The rest is your tip."
"Thank you!"
Kanna, beaming with joy, leaped from the carriage. She was humming to herself, clearly pleased with the unexpected bonus. Perhaps I should give her more small errands and pay her for each one?
"Jelly, go help her."
"Fine."
Jelly thrust Pudding into my arms with a disgruntled expression and stepped out of the carriage. Was he offended that I wasn't paying *him* for his work? He lived off my household, received pocket money, and now he didn't even want to assist with simple tasks?
Pudding seemed to share my opinion and meowed contemptuously.
Soon, Kanna and Jelly returned laden with mountains of bread. It appeared they had truly purchased everything the bakery possessed. The warm, yeasty aroma of freshly baked loaves filled the carriage.
My mouth watered. I took one loaf from Jelly and broke off a piece. _Hmm, ordinary bread._ The smell was divine—probably because it was still warm from the oven. Perfectly edible, really. It was simply that the cooks at the Lohanson estate had spoiled me.
"Now let's stop at a clothing shop."
"More shopping? Why?"
Jelly clearly didn't understand. To win someone's favor, you must start with their loved ones. Of course, I wasn't trying to *seduce* Daisy—I simply needed to convince her to tell me what she had said to Hena and Gabriel.
This time, I exited the carriage with Kanna. I had never purchased clothes for myself, Kanna, or Hena before, and here I was suddenly buying garments for children I had never met.
_Won't the servants be offended?_
I stole a glance at Kanna. She was gazing at the tiny infant clothes with undisguised tenderness.
不愧是女主—*Worthy of being the main character.*
"Do you enjoy choosing clothes?"
"Yes..." She responded shyly. "I've never been shopping before..."
_What a troubled past the heroine of this genre must have..._ If a proper male lead were present, he would have immediately seized Kanna's hand, led her through the store, and declared dramatically, "Wrap up everything from here to here!"
But I was merely the villain. I couldn't abandon my mission to go shopping for Kanna.
"We'll go together another time. You, Hena, and me."
"My lady, *really*?!"
Kanna was delighted, not realizing it was merely a consolation prize. _Perhaps I should buy her an entire shop?_ I would love to see Kanna and Pudding in matching outfits. I smiled dreamily at the image—and suddenly noticed Jelly watching me.
"What?"
Jelly muttered something unintelligible under his breath and continued selecting clothes. _How much deliberation does this require?_
The enormous pile of clothing Jelly had accumulated barely fit into the carriage trunk. The shop owner eyed us with obvious suspicion, seeing how many children's garments we had purchased.
I decided to seize the opportunity. With my entire demeanor, I made it clear that *Evangeline Lohanson* was purchasing all these clothes for charity. The shop wasn't popular with the aristocracy, so the impact would be limited—but word should spread eventually.
"M-my lady, please take this umbrella. The weather is turning inclement..."
Perhaps thanks to my performance, the shopkeeper kindly offered me his parasol. However, he was trembling and stammering so badly that it might have appeared I was *extorting* it from him.
The umbrella looked worn and faded. _If it's raining, why is he giving me his own umbrella? How will he get home?_
I wanted to refuse, but reconsidered.
If I declined, rumors would spread that Evangeline Lohanson did not accept gifts from commoners.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome!"
_Why is he thanking **me** when he was the one who gave the gift?_
After I accepted the umbrella, the shopkeeper's face brightened considerably. However, five seconds later, his expression darkened again.
As soon as we stepped outside, the rain began in earnest.
Kanna opened her umbrella with a small smile. It was quite small—only the two of us could fit beneath it.
I expected Jelly to be offended again, but he seemed utterly oblivious to the downpour and calmly climbed into the carriage.
_Do the male leads in romance novels not use umbrellas?_
The mystery was solved once we were inside. Jelly was completely dry.
_Right—he's a werewolf shaman._ He probably possessed some kind of water-repelling spell. I had worried for nothing.
"Do you need to purchase anything else?"
"No. Now let's go to Daisy."
Food and clothing in various sizes—that should be sufficient. I didn't know what toys were popular in this world anyway.
The rain intensified, drumming steadily against the carriage windows. I stroked Pudding's fur, leaning against the seat cushions, and drowsiness crept over me. I didn't notice when I fell asleep—only waking when Jelly nudged my shoulder.
_Are we there already?_
I peered out the rain-streaked window. We hadn't traveled far; cramped houses still crowded together on either side of the narrow street. There were no large buildings in sight.
_Aren't orphanages supposed to be substantial structures?_ Perhaps in this world, where the class system was so rigid, even orphanages were divided into wealthy and poor?
"Is this Ainoa's Shelter?"
"No..."
Kanna shook her head.
_Then why did we stop?_
Jelly pointed toward a figure sitting on the ground, barely visible through the sheets of rain.
"...Daisy?"