Chapter 72
Um, can you put my foot down now?
Its a bit embarrassing. The injury was quite serious, but this wasnt the place to show it to someone else.
Also, Carynne was a bit surprised with herselfshe didnt think shed be embarrassed. Now that she thought about it, she had never tried drunkenly walking around the streets, naked. As expected, she still had a long way to go.
Unlike Carynne, who was thinking about all kinds of scenarios while trying to hold back her laughter, Raymond had a pretty serious expression.
Whats got you thinking so hard?
These shoes are too big for you, Carynne.
Thats because they belong to Miss Isella Evans.
Mister Verdic isnt the kind of man who wouldnt pay attention to details.
Now thats something to ponder. Was the Mister Verdic he spoke off the same Mister Verdic who starved Carynne just because she wasted one single needle a while ago?
It must be because hes still in shock about losing his daughter, Raymond added.
Isellas not dead though?
Carynne wanted to say this, but she suppressed the urge to utter the words. If only the girl really was dead. Oh, how comfortable that would be. Right now, even if Carynne had two bodies, it wouldnt be enough.
She was somewhat disappointed by how he worded that, as though the blame was falling upon Carynne.
No matter whats done to me, are you just going to accept it all?
But Carynne kept quiet about this since she knew that whining about that here would just be out of place.
But rather than a minor detail such as this What I mean to say is that he seems to be a bit cruel, Raymond explained.
I know.
You dont know.
No, I really do.
But Carynne didnt want to start an argument. Raymond looked somewhat despondent.
You said youd show me a magic trick.
What kind of magic trick did you think itd be?
I thought youd win in a splendid way in a game.
Really?
Yes. Thats how I thought youd prove your worth.
Well I guess that wouldve sufficed.
Carynne gestured with one finger and pointed towards the champagne in an ice bucket that was next to Raymond. However, whats present was just the bottle.
Do allow me a bit of consolation.
There are no glasses.
Just give it to me.
As Carynne stopped Raymond from calling a servant for a glass, she beckoned for him to open it. If Dullan was here, he would have just told her not to drink.
From the bottle?
Yes. Ive not had any alcohol, so it feels like I cant live.
At your age
Raymond looked a bit helpless, and so he acceded to Carynnes request. Pop! The cork popped out. She took the bottle from him and immediately downed the champagne.
The alcohol burned her throat. It was a pleasant sensation. Its been a while since she last had a drink.
Feeling a little better now, Carynne asked Raymond.
So, if I won against Baron Ein, would that do it?
Who knows. Rather than that, I was just expecting that you would have won. You were very confident about it, jumped right in front of the card table and ignored everyone who tried to stop you.
No way, are you sulking?
Carynne looked at Raymond with widened eyes. At this, Raymond averted his gaze.
Please dont say it like that. Im just a bit taken aback.
Ahaha.
Carynne laughed.
At the same time, laughter broke out in the hall as well. What good timing.
Do I seem incompetent now?
To the extent that Im thinking about canceling our engagement.
Youre all talk.
Carynne and Raymonds engagement would push through anyway. As long as theyd already been connected once, then they wouldnt be pulled apart. As long as they werent split apart from the beginning, then Raymond would never let go of Carynne. Whether it was because of feelings, whether it was because of outside forces.
You seem more normal than I had expected.
Then I wonder just what kind of image you had of me.
Carynne raised a finger off the bottle and tapped it. This was to gauge how much liquor was left inside. Shes a bit dizzy now because she gulped down too much at once.
If I really had won against Baron Ein, what would that make of me?
Beating him would have proved that you have the talent of a good gambler.
And I would have been able to hear a bit of my mothers love affairs.
In the end, its just that. Carynne grinned.
Though Baron Ein had suggested that she meet Crown Prince Gueuze, theres something else thats more urgent. And she was bound to meet the prince somehow or another anyway.
Carynne and Crown Prince Gueuze would meet each other even if it wasnt through Baron Ein. So far though, he hasnt given Carynne any worthwhile answers.
Since she was more determined to do a bit more digging about her mother, Carynne knew theyd meet someday. Even so, he was stillin the enda loser in all this. He was lower on the ladder compared to Fief Lord Hare and Baron Ein.
Even if its a little later, Ill still be able to ask Crown Prince Gueuze about my mother.
A man who was worthless to Catherine was worthless to Carynne. Even though he was this nations crown prince, to Carynne, he was nothing but a minor character.
More importantly, if she wanted to go through more important things like this with better efficiency, then she was going to need a hand. Right now though, she was already taking on the role of Isella, so if she were to be occupied with that as well, then time would pass swiftly, and shed eventually die without getting anything done. Thats the worst outcome in Carynnes opinion.
Sir Raymond, you think I can do magic, right?
A witch who cant guess a single card right is just going to die from starvation though.
Then Ill show you.
Meanwhile, Raymond had yet to let go of Carynne. But even if its come to this, what then? Shed rather show him something else.
You know, youve been accompanying me every night, havent you, Sir Raymond?
Yes.
I work during the day, and Ive always been surrounded by maids at other times. Most of those maids are from Mister Verdics side.
What are you getting at now, Im curious.
Youll be hearing about my magic, thats what.
Carynne looked straight into Raymonds eyes. She wondered what kind of reaction hed show once shes said it.
A prostitute was found by the river earlier this morning, yes? A corpse with her uterus sliced away and her eyes pulled out.
If she were to win in a card game, even by a landslide, shed be regarded just as a good gambler.
She didnt want that kind of outcome. It wouldnt satisfy her. And Carynne was denying her own denial. Thats what Carynne wanted to reject more than anything.
It was this denial: the notion that repeatedly coming back to life was merely a delusion of hers.
Carynne denied that denial thoroughly. It was an insult to her own life. And if she couldnt investigate and verify that first, then she wouldnt start doing anything else.
Still, how would she be able to confirm it? If she won a game, how could she confirm between these two possibilitiesof whether she truly knew the right cards to pick, or whether shes just a good gambler.
Carynne was the only one who knew about the coachmans feelings shifting from Nancy to Donna. But this evidence in itself was worthless.
So, she concluded, the person whod help her confirm it should not be privy to what she knew. Even if he held hostility against Carynne, Raymond would have no choice but to help her, and so he was the right man for the job.
Carynne held up three fingers.
Three more women will die in the next month. The newspapers will quite certainly want to give a nickname to the killer, and itll be Jack of Spades. Theyll say that the shape of the dagger over the victims hearts resembles a spade, or I guess something along those lines?
Carynne was enjoying herself. This expression of his looked new to her. Its really delightful to look at.
Normal, he said? How fun. Lets see what youll think in the future.
And the prostitute that was found this morning isnt the first victim. The first woman to die from a practice run can be found in the birch forest within the Evans land. Wanna go see?
* * *
Carynne had to go back to the carriage alone that night. Raymond went away before she could even admire his reaction more.
Right now, Donna was holding Carynnes hand, though it was the maid whos shaking with anxiety. Donna was terrified because Carynne had lost a large sum of money.
The master is definitely going to get very angry What do we do, Milady.
Carynne glanced at the trembling Donna for a moment, but she soon propped her chin on the back of one hand as she looked up at the evening sky.
Of course Verdic was going to be angry. Honestly, what she had lost wasnt a lot of money for him. But hell get angry anyway.
Raymond said this earlier.
You dont know Mister Verdic.
No. She knew him very well. Carynne knew well enough that Verdic was going to say oh-so-many things tonight. Among the people who had killed Carynne, she remembered Verdic better than anyone elsesimply because he killed her many different times.
Verdic was rather simple. He loved his daughter, Isella Evans, while he hated Carynne, and thats that. Just the fact that he didnt look at Carynne with a lustful gaze made the relationship between the two neat and simple.
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