Chapter 166: Like Mother, Like Daughter
Rachel really wanted to know what exactly happened last night.
As someone who loved to gossip and catch juicy stories, she couldn’t help but be curious. Armand and Evelia had spent the night alone together in the same room, and now Evelia’s clothes were missing. Anyone would be curious about what went down.
Maybe the butler thought that since Rachel was technically Armand and Evelia’s “daughter,” and still a child who shouldn’t understand such “messy” adult things, she was the right one to deliver clothes. But clearly, this little girl, who was actually a hundred-year-old in disguise, knew a lot more than people gave her credit for.
She even instinctively looked down at the pale bedsheets, checking for any bloodstains. After all, when she designed this body, she made sure it was 100% like a real young girl’s, complete with everything that would be “needed” biologically.
Because who knows? When the Second Prince asked “Red Crow” to turn into a woman, maybe it was because the mission target really cared about whether Evelia was “fresh out of the factory.” Better to be prepared.
Rachel placed the clothes meant for Evelia on Armand’s desk. Then she curiously leaned on the side of the bed, her small body just the right size to sit on the new carpet and rest her chin on the bed.
Even though she still thought of herself as an old granny inside, she had taken full advantage of this cute little body during her time in the mansion.
She naturally gave off the image of a sweet, well-behaved child. And now, whenever she put on that poor, adorable look, people couldn’t help but give in to her wishes. After all, what could a little kid possibly ask for? Just snacks and sweets. Using her cute face, Rachel had been eating like a queen every day.
Of course, it was a bit embarrassing for a genius alchemist like her to spend each day thinking about what to eat next.
But what could she do? She couldn’t even hold a pen properly right now. She had to relearn how to draw and write from scratch. Even basic hand-control training made her back ache like an old woman. So, food was the only way she could reward herself. And she figured, eating well gave her the energy to study better anyway!
If Armand had been awake and seen Rachel blinking up at him with that poor, pitiful look, he probably would’ve wondered if she and Evelia were actually mother and daughter, because their expressions were so similar.
Whenever Evelia was with Armand, she’d put on that same kind of face. She didn’t even do it on purpose, she had no idea how normal people showed emotion, but somehow she managed to make a face that made Armand freeze, one that made him feel like saying something harsh would be a terrible sin.
Armand had always been the kind of guy women liked. Plenty of women had clung to him in the past, acting sweet and helpless. But none of them ever caught his interest. Even when young ladies prettier than Evelia tried to get closer to him, he shut them down, directly and without mercy. He’d left quite a few proper young ladies embarrassed and speechless.
But this same man, who seemed like he’d deleted the “romance” part of his life, couldn’t resist Evelia’s charm. Even though Rachel and Evelia had similar expressions, if Armand had to pick between them, Evelia would definitely win first place without question.
Maybe what Armand liked wasn’t just Evelia’s face?
Everyone likes pretty girls. Everyone likes smart and cute kids. But Evelia was different.
She divided everything in the world into just two types, “living things” and “dead things.” Someone like her would never be moved by a child’s act. Even though Rachel had used all her lifetime’s knowledge to put on the perfect expression, it had no effect on Evelia.
That kind of cold and emotionless person couldn’t possibly understand what it meant for a child to act cute and spoiled.
“......”
Rachel had already realized that her efforts weren’t working at all.
For most people, they probably would’ve already picked her up and rubbed her cheeks by now. But in Evelia’s eyes, Rachel didn’t see even the slightest hint of affection, only coldness, and something else that made her instinctively feel a chill, a killing intent.
After all, Evelia really had been thinking about how to get rid of Rachel this whole time.
The only reason she brought Rachel back with her was to learn how to take care of a child. There were plenty of kids in the world, it didn’t have to be this one. She had thought about finding some excuse and waiting for the right moment to make Rachel quietly disappear. But now… things had gotten a bit complicated.
Lately, Evelia had been putting all her focus on Armand, which meant she hadn’t found a good chance to deal with Rachel.
And Rachel, on the other hand, had been doing everything she could to survive. She made sure everyone in the manor knew her, remembered her, and liked her. In a very short time, she had become familiar with almost everyone in the manor and even gained quite a bit of popularity. If Evelia made her disappear now, it would definitely raise suspicions, and cause unnecessary trouble.
At this point, for Evelia, "getting rid of Rachel" was the hardest task in the whole manor.
Even though Evelia’s face stayed calm and expressionless, Rachel could still feel the heavy pressure from her. It was like Evelia could pull out a knife at any moment and end her life. Rachel was already starting to regret agreeing to deliver clothes in the first place.
Why did she have to walk into Armand’s room? Why was Evelia, the Red Crow, in here, looking like this?
Rachel was more than just curious about what had happened between Armand and Evelia the night before. She was even more curious about how Evelia could spend the night like that with Armand. Because even though Evelia had a woman’s body now, her soul was still that of a man.
As a scientist at heart and a true alchemist, Rachel really wanted to know, are emotions controlled by the body or by the soul?
“……”
But clearly, now was not the time to explore that question.
Evelia was staring at her with eyes so intense that Rachel actually shivered. It was the middle of summer, but she felt like someone had thrown her into an icy cave.
Before figuring out things like love and feelings… first she had to stay alive.
“…Hmph…”
Just then, while both Rachel and Evelia were stuck in awkward silence, a quiet grunt came from Armand, who was still sleeping.
They both immediately turned their attention to him. He had just shifted a little while lying on Evelia’s lap, which probably meant his neck was getting sore.
As he moved around, he eventually slid off her lap entirely.
But even so, Armand didn’t wake up. He just curled into himself a bit and made another sleepy sound, still deep in rest.
He lay there on his side, his body forming a loose shape like he was about to hug something.
Evelia glanced at Rachel. Rachel glanced back at Evelia. And in that moment, both of them seemed to understand what was about to happen.
Just as Rachel was about to climb onto the bed, Evelia moved faster. Like a flash, she slipped right into Armand’s arms. And without waking, Armand instinctively pulled her into a tight embrace.
Rachel was a step too late. There was no way a little kid could move faster than a professional assassin.
…Ugh. She actually beat me to it.
Rachel pouted as she stared at Evelia looking so proud, like she had just won a competition.
Seriously, Rachel thought, this body is so inconvenient sometimes.
But then, a second later, she suddenly came to her senses.
…Wait, what am I even doing?
Why am I trying to fight her over this?
It’s not like I’m really a little kid who needs her “daddy” to hold her!
And you, Red Crow, why are you taking this kind of thing so seriously?!