If so, then Donau had clearly chosen the wrong victim.
*Innocent* people should be sacrificed. And Kanna bore so many sins—the fool. Even if he killed her, his wish would never be fulfilled.
The man slashed the blade across Kanna's throat. She heard him humming under his breath, some tuneless melody of triumph. Kanna began composing her own words to his song, wishing him the most painful death imaginable.
*If that's too cruel, then at least let my death be useless to him. Let whatever he summons refuse to grant a single one of his wishes.*
And once again, salvation came to Kanna.
With a deafening crash, the door shattered into splinters. Moonlight flooded into the room—pale, silver, *beautiful*. The door was open. And while it wasn't the window her sister had always spoken of, it was certainly hope.
Enveloped in that ethereal glow, a girl in white appeared, like the very angel the man had been trying to summon.
"Sister!"
And when Hena emerged behind the white-haired figure, Kanna's heart nearly stopped. Her sister's mere presence brought such overwhelming relief that all the strength drained from Kanna's body at once.
---
The girl was the same Evangeline Rohanson who had given them the holy elixir.
Realizing this, Kanna was struck dumb. *Had she really envied this woman? Was Evangeline even human?*
Donau hadn't doubted for a second that he had successfully summoned Evangeline Rohanson. And watching what unfolded next, Kanna found herself ready to believe it too.
"You said your name is Kanna. What should we do with Donau?"
Evangeline's gaze settled on Kanna—and at that same moment, *dozens* of other eyes turned to look at her as well.
Dozens of eyes *bloomed* around Evangeline like grotesque flowers. A spherical mass of flesh, composed entirely of watching eyes, hovered in the air and blinked. The simultaneous flutter of so many lids gave the impression of a single, breathing organism. Eyelids? No—they *pulsated*, making them look more like quivering lumps of meat than anything human.
And it seemed that only Kanna and the man could see them.
Behind Evangeline, an invisible force lifted Donau into the air and squeezed his throat. He gasped, clawing at nothing, desperate for breath. Hena appeared to see only him—the floating, choking man. If she had been able to perceive the pulsating mass of eyes, she would never have remained so calm.
"Lock him up forever?"
Evangeline—*summoned* by this man—was asking Kanna about his fate. She shook her head.
"How is your neck?"
"Fine!"
Kanna's gaze fixed on the man's throat. Receiving her answer, Evangeline nodded, her crimson eyes widening with something that looked almost like delight.
Donau's body twitched violently, struggling against the invisible force that controlled his movements. When he had held the knife to *someone else's* neck, he had looked so cheerful. But now that the blade's tip was aimed at him, he seemed ready to burst into tears.
His arms strained to straighten, fighting desperately—but the unseen power twisted them, *bending* the bones. When his resistance weakened, the knife began to move.
The man stabbed himself in the throat.
It may not have been his own doing, but that was exactly what it looked like. And countless spectators watched—all those eyes, unblinking—while Evangeline alone seemed oblivious.
"More, *more*!"
At Kanna's insistence, as if demanding an encore, the act repeated itself.
"Did you see that?"
"Yes. He stabbed himself."
This continued until the man finally broke.
"I'm sorry. He died."
Evangeline seemed to reproach him for failing to satisfy Kanna properly. Kanna decided to be modest.
"That's enough for me."
*More* than enough.
Kanna understood perfectly well why Evangeline had forced the man to commit suicide. Suicide was a grave sin. There was no forgiveness for those who took their own God-given life.
Rejected by Evangeline, the man would be rejected by God as well. And only one place would claim his soul.
Fire flared up behind him. *Hellfire* had come for Donau. Heat scorched Kanna's face—and yet it felt as warm as her sister's embrace, as warm as the midday sun streaming through a window.
---
## — Donau's Final Dream —
Donau found himself bathed in blinding light.
*It's not this bright at home.*
There had been only one candle in that wretched room. It couldn't have cast such radiance. Although... at the Rohanson estate, the chandeliers had blazed just as brilliantly. Countless candles burned in glittering candelabras, filling the halls with golden warmth.
*Exactly. It's the light from the chandelier.*
Evangeline Rohanson. The demon he had summoned—she had granted his wish! His dream had come true, and now he stood beneath the magnificent chandelier of a grand estate. Not a bad bargain at all—wealth and fame in exchange for one worthless girl's life.
Donau pondered his next move. He had so many dreams he wanted to fulfill now that he was an aristocrat. But he decided to do one thing first.
He would find Count Rohanson—whose title he had stolen—and strike him, just as he himself had once been struck. He would look down at the old man with the same disdain the nobility had always shown him.
Humming his cheerful tune, Donau walked toward the chandelier's beckoning light.
The hovering mass of flesh blinked, watching his retreating figure with its countless eyes. Had Donau turned around, he would have seen them still watching him—patient, eternal, hungry.
But he didn't turn.
He never would.
---
As Evangeline watched with morbid fascination while Donau's house burned merrily, a commotion erupted around her. The neighbors had apparently noticed the smoke and rushed outside. Or had they? Judging by the calm way they stood staring at the flames, they seemed content simply to watch the spectacle.
Someone—driven by conscience or perhaps mere civic duty—had nevertheless reported the fire. Or perhaps the knights themselves had noticed the smoke during their patrol. Either way, they soon arrived at the scene and began restoring order.
As befitting the world of a romance novel, instead of practical armor, they wore pristine white uniforms with snow-white cloaks that billowed impressively in the firelight. The most resplendent among them approached Evangeline. Hena moved to block his path, but Evangeline patted her shoulder reassuringly.
"I apologize for the intrusion."
The man bowed, his black hair falling smoothly over his shoulders like a curtain of silk. When he raised his head, he revealed piercing blue eyes that seemed to see straight through her.
*Handsome!*
_Wow! What a handsome man!_ Despite his emotionless voice and cold gaze, he was so striking that he could make you remember romantic encounters that had never actually happened.
_Wait a moment... Something's bothering me..._
A handsome, cold, black-haired knight? In this world, the Crown Prince was a middle-aged man, and there was no Northern Duke to speak of. So next on the list of potential protagonists would be the knight commander...
_No, let's not jump to conclusions just yet. We don't even know if he's a commander._
"I am Gabriel, Commander of the Knightly Order of Paralos."
_Damn. He **is** the commander. He must be the main character!_
"What brings you here, my lady? I wouldn't think this location particularly suitable for an evening stroll."
*My lady?* Did they know each other? Evangeline trembled with sudden fear—but then remembered that he had just introduced himself. If they'd met before, he wouldn't have bothered.
_Phew... We haven't met._ He had probably assumed she was an aristocrat based on her appearance: walking about with a maid in attendance, dressed like a noblewoman.
Besides, if he'd actually known Evangeline, he wouldn't have been so polite. Main characters usually couldn't stand villains. After all, villains in reincarnation stories often ended up with their heads separated from their bodies.
Only villains who transformed themselves and walked the path of redemption could be liked by protagonists.
_Wait—don't I fit that description?_
She *had* transformed herself. She *was* setting out on the path of correction. All that remained was the inevitable scene where she'd cry: "Why do you love me and not the heroine?!"
Finally, Evangeline began to feel like a true protagonist of a romance novel. Looking at Gabriel, she suddenly perceived a hidden sadness lurking behind his cold gaze—tragic backstory, no doubt.
But no matter how handsome he was, she—as someone who understood how these stories worked—felt no romantic stirrings whatsoever.
_Does that disqualify me as a heroine?_
The protagonist frowned, clearly waiting. _Ah, yes—I need to answer._ What had he asked? Why was she here?
This was a first impression, so she had to answer as honestly as possible. Her future could depend on it.
_Onward! Escape the villain's fate!_
"I didn't come here for a walk, but to find a person."
"A person?"
"The owner of this burning house is—*was*—my servant."
"I see. And did you find your servant?"
"Yes." Evangeline nodded toward the inferno. "He's in there. Inside."
She felt awkward; it had been so long since she'd used formal speech. Pretending nothing was amiss, she pointed at the blazing structure.
_He's not going to throw himself into the fire to save Donau, is he? How terrifying!_
Evangeline quickly added: "He's already dead, so there's no need to worry."
These words made the protagonist's handsome face grow even more grim.
_Perhaps I spoke too calmly about a man's death?_ But Donau had *deserved* to die!
"My lady, you will need to explain how you came by this knowledge."
*Explain?* Of course—he would need to write a report for his superiors. To do that, he'd need to know who had died and what had caused the fire. But where to even begin?
If she told him that Donau had committed suicide and, before dying, had summoned a fire spirit that had set the house ablaze—would he believe her?
_What if, because of Evangeline's notorious reputation, I'm accused of murder and arson to cover up the crime?_
It was entirely possible.
_Goodbye, dream of escaping the villain's fate._
While Evangeline stood frozen in contemplation, Kanna stepped forward.
"Lord Knight! I will explain everything!"
The little girl defended her like a brave knight facing down a dragon. Evangeline nearly burst into tears of emotion.
_Does she want to repay me for saving her?_ Kindness truly did come back around.
Gabriel nodded, inviting her to speak.
"This lady's servant—the one named Donau—he kidnapped me."
"Kidnapped?" The knight's cold expression flickered with concern. "Were you harmed?"
"I'm all right now. This lady saved me. My sister called for her help. When Donau heard that someone had summoned the knights, he panicked and set the house on fire trying to escape."
"And how did you know he was dead?"
"No one could have survived a fire like that." Kanna's voice remained steady, her young face earnest and convincing. "My sister, my mistress, and I were too busy trying to save ourselves to think about rescuing him."
This version sounded *infinitely* more plausible than any story about suicide and fire spirits.
Gabriel accepted Kanna's account without question. He even inquired solicitously about her health after hearing about the kidnapping. He was far friendlier with her than he had been with Evangeline.
_Wait... really?_
Evangeline's mind flashed with the covers of countless romance novels she'd read in her previous life. A red-haired heroine and a black-haired protagonist?
**_Oh my god. Kanna is the main character!_**
---