Chapter 270: A Child’s Alchemy
While Rachel was still busy in her little alchemy room, mixing powders and liquids to create new soul stones and body materials, Evelia knocked on the door, and then pushed it open without waiting for a reply.
“—Ahh!”
Rachel was startled by the sudden entrance and almost dropped the potion she had worked so hard to refine.
Luckily, what she was working on wasn’t anything too important or secret. Even though Evelia had barged in suddenly, it just gave her a scare, she wasn’t too worried about anything being exposed.
Still, when Evelia and “alchemy” appeared together in the same space, Rachel couldn’t help but remember some unpleasant memories. Right now, it felt like the only one missing from the scene was that Second Prince.
Of course, Rachel had no desire to see the Second Prince.
Rather than seeking revenge on him, what she really wanted now was to survive.
After all the effort she made to escape danger, she had no intention of throwing herself back into the lion’s mouth. If she could run, she’d run. Life only lasted a few decades anyway. With her skills in alchemy, she would probably live longer than that prince. By then, spitting on his grave could count as a kind of victory, right? After all, Rachel wasn’t the kind of person who thought it was worth trading her life for something.
But...
As she was thinking that, Rachel glanced again at Evelia, who was curiously looking around the room.
Evelia... was, in a way, Rachel’s “masterpiece.”
Rachel hadn’t exactly created Evelia with the goal of making a “superhuman,” but she had to admit, Evelia was one of her most satisfying works. Her almost perfect appearance was a result of Rachel’s painstaking effort.
And because of that, when Rachel made Evelia’s body, she also added a little something extra.
A normal human lifespan only lasts so long. Aging is a natural part of life. But alchemy, though born from nature, also surpasses it. Because Rachel was just too pleased with Evelia’s beauty...
She secretly made Evelia’s alchemized body more “durable.”
To put it simply, Evelia ages very slowly. Unless she dies from injury, her lifespan is several times longer than a normal human’s.
To Rachel, this didn’t seem like a big deal at the time. Back then, she thought she’d never have to see Evelia again anyway, so what happened to her life after that didn’t matter.
But...
If that’s the case... what about Armand?
That man who always looked like he might suddenly die early, how long could he stay with Evelia?
If the two of them really did overcome all their troubles and ended up together, what would happen in the long years afterward?
Even if the poison in his body could be weakened, and he managed to live a few more years, so what?
When Armand became an old man who could barely walk with a cane, Evelia would still look like a young and beautiful woman.
Even if they survived the chaos and went on to live a happy life, they would still face something they couldn’t change no matter how hard they tried.
Their lifespans would never be equal.
One was an alchemical body created by Rachel, while the other was a genuine human being.
Realizing this, Rachel couldn’t help but picture the future in her mind.
When Armand is lying weak and aged on a sickbed, what kind of expression will the still-young Evelia have? Would she still look as calm and unshaken as she does now?
“......”
Just thinking about that made Rachel feel a little heartache.
Maybe she could help Armand get through his current problems, but as for what came after... who could say?
Would Evelia ever tell Armand the truth about her body and what she really was?
Could Armand accept the fact that she was altered by alchemy?
All of it... unknown.
And besides...
Wasn’t she planning to run away anyway?
If they never meet again after this, she might not be able to help him anymore.
“—Is that rose yours?”
“Huh?”
As Rachel was still sighing over Armand and Evelia’s complicated fate while cleaning up anything on her desk that might seem “suspicious” to the sharp-eyed Evelia, she didn’t expect that, with all the strange things in the room, the first thing Evelia noticed was the blue rose placed on the windowsill.
“Ah—yes, it is. My dad gave it to me—”
Before she could finish her sentence, a sudden chill rushed in, catching Rachel off guard and making her shiver.
Then she remembered something, some “fun facts” she had heard from the old butler before.
Older folks like to share little stories about someone’s parents, and the butler who had been by Armand’s side for years was no exception. He had once talked about a misunderstanding between Armand and Evelia that involved a blue rose, and how important blue roses were to Armand. He even mentioned that before giving one to Rachel, Armand had only ever given a blue rose to Evelia.
When Rachel first heard the story, she thought of it as just a “cute little tale about how mom and dad used to date.” So when she received the blue rose, she didn’t think too much about it. In fact, she had even taken a bunch of them before and planted them in Evelia’s room to replace the green plants Evelia had killed.
It wasn’t until now, when Evelia looked at her with those icy eyes, that she finally realized.
—This was basically their symbol of love...!
Only now, this not-so-sensitive-to-romance old fool finally connected the dots.
To Armand, giving that blue rose wasn’t really about romance. Just a few days ago, he had clearly said he wanted to see if Rachel could use alchemy to make the rose bloom even in winter. For him, it was just a way to support Rachel’s interest in alchemy. He simply thought she was a curious kid who liked experimenting, and the rose was just something he brought over so she could have a little “project.” He didn’t think of it as some kind of love token at all.
But for Evelia... things weren’t that simple.
Even Rachel knew how important that flower was to Evelia.
“Ahem, um—my dad just gave it to me and asked if I could experiment with it to make it bloom in winter. You know how much he likes blue roses. But they don’t survive cold weather, and since I really like alchemy, he brought it over for me to work on…”
In this situation, Rachel could only tell the truth. Because, well, it really was the truth!
“......”
Even though Rachel explained everything clearly, she still felt Evelia giving her a hard stare.
Rachel wanted to complain that Evelia was being a little too possessive, but then she remembered how Evelia had even stolen a kiss from Armand while he was asleep. Compared to that, caring this much about a blue rose actually seemed... normal?
But... is it really normal?
Sure, she was the one who made the “Red Crow” into a woman in the first place. But looking at things now, was it really fair to still call this situation “normal”?
No matter how she looked at it, it felt like the Red Crow had fully accepted the identity of “Evelia” and even started acting like some lovestruck girl toward Armand...
Could it be… that the gender of the physical body actually changes the soul’s feelings?
Or maybe Armand just has that kind of personality, someone who can get along with anyone, man or woman, young or old… everyone around him seems to like him.
But thinking about it, maybe it makes sense… Evelia never had strong beliefs or boundaries to begin with. She was like a blank sheet of paper, and maybe because of that, Armand’s influence pulled her in that direction. After all, Armand is someone who gives people a strong sense of safety.
Thinking about it that way. Armand, you really are a sinful man.
“Is this... alchemy?”
“Ah—yeah, it is.”
Rachel originally thought Evelia might keep picking on her, but surprisingly, the topic about the blue rose just ended like that.
Even though Evelia still glanced longingly at the blue rose, which was starting to wither from the cold, it was clear she didn’t plan to say anything more about it.
If this were the past, Evelia definitely would have kept pressing the issue. But now… it just ended?
Rachel suddenly felt that Evelia’s attitude toward her had really changed ever since they returned from the Grey Dove.
Could it be because Evelia found out her secret and now saw her as an ally?
No… that couldn’t be it. Even if she saw her as an ally, Evelia wouldn’t be this forgiving. That “Grey Dove” was proof of that...
…Then could it be...
Did Evelia… actually think of her as family now?
That would be a huge step forward. She was actually starting to accept the idea of “family.”
Evelia… could she really become someone gentle?
Suddenly, Rachel felt like maybe Armand wasn’t such a “terrible sinner” after all...
“I remember that there’s a type of alchemy that can change the body,” Evelia said.
But in the next second, Rachel’s heart skipped a beat.
Why… was the conversation suddenly heading in this direction?
Of course Evelia knew about that kind of alchemy. She was the one whose body had been changed. And Rachel, standing right in front of her, was the one who changed it.
“Ah… that, uh…”
Rachel started to panic. This was a matter that could cost her life. She didn’t know how to answer.
Maybe she should just pretend not to know. After all, she was still a kid! That trick usually worked!
“I don’t—”
“Then do you know that alchemy that can turn a horse into a human?”
“…Eh?”
Evelia’s words caught Rachel completely off guard, turning her half-finished excuse into a question mark.
“Turn… a horse into a person?”
“Yes. Turning a horse into a human.”
“…?”
Rachel awkwardly blinked in confusion.
…Where was this coming from? Why are we suddenly talking about horses?
What Rachel didn’t realize was that this was actually Evelia’s most serious and sensitive question.
Because Evelia had always believed that her biggest rival wasn’t any dangerous enemy…
…it was Armand’s beloved horse, Luna.
If Luna ever turned into a human, then that horrible scene she kept dreaming about might actually come true, Armand and a now-female Luna entering the bedroom together… The thought made Evelia break out in a cold sweat.
“T-This kind of thing…”
Actually, it was possible.
Rachel had already transformed into small animals before, so doing the opposite, turning an animal into a person, wasn’t impossible. It was basically just transferring a soul.
But different bodies require time to adjust mentally. Rachel’s alchemy could only transfer souls, not change what someone understands or knows.
For example, if a horse really became human, it might not be able to speak or walk properly on two legs. It would need time to learn.
“Wait… can you really do it?”
Seeing Rachel hesitate, Evelia frowned. And just that one frown was enough to make Rachel quickly shake her head.
“N-No way! That kind of advanced alchemy… how could a kid like me possibly do it?!”
“…Phew… good.”
Hearing that, Evelia let out a breath of relief.
“Don’t ever try to learn that kind of alchemy, understand? Rachel.”
“Ah… okay…”
Rachel gave an awkward little smile.
…Who would even want to turn a horse into a person anyway… What is Evelia thinking?!