Chapter 136: Of Course I’m Only Bringing Rachel
“Mr. Armand… why are you taking Rachel with you?”
Early in the morning, just as Armand was about to get into the carriage heading to the knights' headquarters, Evelia stood in front of him, asking with a faintly resentful tone. Though she was facing Armand, her eyes were locked on Rachel, who was already sitting inside the carriage.
Under Evelia’s intense gaze, Rachel shivered. Out of pure survival instinct, she squeezed herself further into the corner of the carriage. She looked like she was about to slip out through the window to escape.
“Ah, Rachel? I have something to take care of, so I need to bring her to the knights' headquarters with me. What’s wrong, Eve? Do you want to come too?”
Compared to Evelia’s gloomy mood, Armand was practically shining with cheer. He smiled so brightly that Rachel started to feel something was definitely wrong again.
“Hm?”
As soon as she heard Armand mention taking her along, the dark clouds around Evelia seemed to lift a little. She pursed her lips and asked:
“Mr. Armand, are you taking me to the knights' headquarters?”
“Of course not.”
With a bright smile, Armand shut that down immediately.
Taking you to the knight order would be a disaster.
Armand understood Evelia’s position very well. If she ever changed sides one day, maybe he’d consider bringing her along. But right now, she still served the second prince. There was no way he could bring her into the knight’s headquarters, which was basically a military stronghold. No matter how much he indulged Evelia, this was a clear line he wouldn't cross.
And of course, his earlier words were said on purpose, just like when he once told Rachel he liked her in front of Evelia.
If she refuses to express emotion, then let’s try giving her a little push.
But this kind of emotional push had to be controlled carefully. Armand didn’t want to push Evelia too far and trigger something serious.
He was even honestly worried about Rachel’s safety.
“So, Mr. Armand, you're saying… you're only taking Rachel with you.”
Evelia said the word “only” through clenched teeth.
“Yeah, for now, that’s the plan. Ah—look at the time, I need to get going. Rachel and I have some things to do.”
“……”
Evelia didn’t respond right away. Her face was gloomy, and she stared at Rachel with a blank but cold expression. If you listened closely, you could even hear her grinding her teeth.
Standing in front of her, Armand looked at Evelia’s sullen face, which almost looked like she was about to bare her teeth and bite someone. It reminded him of a little cat crouching into an attack stance. He had wanted to provoke her. But now, seeing her like this, he felt a bit guilty. Her face looked so dark, it was like storm clouds were about to pour.
So he reached out and pinched her cheek.
“Eve, don’t frown so much. Smile a little, like me.”
After all, Armand still wanted to see Evelia smile more than he wanted to make her angry.
It was easy to anger someone. But what he really wanted was for Evelia to slowly learn about emotions through happiness.
As soon as his hand touched her cheek, it was like a switch flipped, Evelia’s murderous aura disappeared instantly. She became calm and quiet, like a fierce kitten turning into a cute and obedient one.
“…I understand, Mr. Armand.”
Evelia replied softly. Then, just like before, she gave that same awkward, rectangle-shaped grin. Armand couldn’t help but laugh at it.
“Alright, alright, I’m leaving now. See you, Eve.”
“Okay, Mr. Armand. Goodbye.”
Compared to just a moment ago, all of Evelia’s anger had vanished. She even looked like a gentle lady of the house, bowing slightly to Armand and waving goodbye with a reluctant expression. The only thing missing was a goodbye kiss at the door.
Click.
Armand got into the carriage and closed the door. He glanced over at Rachel, who was curled up in the corner. Her tightly pressed lips made it clear she’d been scared stiff just moments ago, and now that the danger had passed, she was so frustrated it was like steam was coming out of her ears.
“Are you mad?”
Armand treated Rachel like a real child. Seeing her curled up by the window and trembling a little, he reached out his big hands and started rubbing her head. Thankfully, Rachel hadn’t braided her hair today. Otherwise, like Evelia at the ballroom, Rachel’s hair would’ve been a total mess. If Armand had to do her hair, it really would’ve been a visual disaster.
“—No, I’m not.”
Rachel turned her head away, refusing to look at him. But her reaction clearly said otherwise.
What she just said was exactly like what Evelia had said earlier. Both of them claimed they weren’t angry, but their expressions told a different story.
This kind of normal emotional response… Armand also hoped to one day see it on Evelia’s quiet, expressionless face.
Even if it was like Rachel’s, stubborn and awkward, that would still be good enough.
“Alright, alright, what are you angry about, little one?”
As he said this, Armand rubbed Rachel’s little head even harder. He only stopped when she shook her head wildly and shouted, “My hair—!”
Armand had a playful smile on his face as he watched Rachel pout and mumble under her breath while using her fingers to smooth down her messy hair. He could clearly tell she was complaining, but when she snuck a glance at him and their eyes met, she quickly looked away like she got scared.
“Are you afraid of me?”
Armand reached out to help fix her hair. Since it had been cut short, it wasn’t too hard to tidy up. In just a few strokes, it looked neat again.
“…No, I’m not.”
—That was a lie.
Sure, Armand could be a bit unreliable sometimes, but compared to Evelia, who had such intense killing intent and had even killed her once, Rachel definitely preferred being around Armand, who, other than being tall, didn’t seem very threatening.
But that didn’t mean she wasn’t afraid of him at all.
After all, he was the Captain of the Royal Knights. He had the power to decide who lived and who died with just a word. How could she not be afraid?
“So, you chased after me calling me ‘Dad’ just to stay alive, and now you’re scared of me instead?”
…Totally busted.
Rachel hadn’t expected Armand to see through her so easily.
It was exactly as he said, she had called him “Dad” to calm Evelia down and to please Armand. In short, she had done it all just to survive.
But now that she had actually become their “daughter,” she no longer had that bold, desperate courage she started with. Now, she was afraid of these two powerful people, especially because they didn’t even seem to be on the same side.
She wanted to bring them closer, not just because they looked good together or for the sake of her own research, but more selfishly, because if they teamed up, even if her identity was exposed, she might still have a chance to live.
“Looks like I guessed right.”
Seeing how Rachel avoided eye contact and didn’t answer, Armand raised an eyebrow slightly.
He knew it probably wasn’t appropriate to say something like that to a child who looked only three or four years old. But his instincts, trained from years of interrogating people, kicked in, and the words just came out.
And he was right.
“Alright, alright, don’t be nervous, Rachel.”
Armand leaned toward her a little, letting his arm gently brush against her shoulder. Rachel suddenly felt a wave of alchemy energy ripple across her skin, and then noticed Armand had placed a milk candy in her palm, still glowing faintly with magical particles.
To Armand, Rachel was still just a normal little kid. Well, maybe a smart one. He saw her maturity as a result of growing up too fast because of hardship, not as something suspicious.
“As long as you’re with me, you don’t have to be scared. Here, have a milk candy, it’ll help you relax. We’ll be at the knights' headquarters soon, and once we’re there, I’ll help find you a teacher.”
“……”
Rachel quietly looked down at the candy in her hand. As she listened to Armand’s gentle voice, the girl who always called herself a “genius alchemist” but was secretly labeled a “weird alchemy kid” by others… felt something warm in her heart.
She was being accepted, not because of business, not because someone needed something from her, and not because she was a useful alchemist.
But simply for who she was.
“…Ah.”
Rachel let out a small, surprised sound. She hadn’t meant to, but it slipped out along with a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
She slowly unwrapped the candy and popped it into her mouth. Then she tossed the wrapper back at Armand and turned to look out the carriage window, saying nothing. The only sound was the soft crunch of her teeth against the candy.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Armand said with a smile as he smoothed out the candy wrapper and folded it neatly before tucking it into his pocket.
Maybe it was the effect of being around a young child, but Armand felt a little younger himself. Seeing that candy wrapper reminded him of the old days when he used to use them as bookmarks. And this candy in particular was a special, commemorative one. They didn’t even make it anymore.
Which suddenly reminded him... wait, if it’s not made anymore…
Armand pulled the wrapper back out and tried to find a production date or anything similar.
Whew—forget it.
In the end, he couldn’t find a date. He glanced over at Rachel and gave a small shrug and sigh.
Well, at least it probably won’t kill her.