Chapter 320: Something Only You Can Do
"Hm? Me?"
Rachel looked confused. She clearly didn’t understand why she had suddenly been called here.
It had been a long time since she last came to Armand’s office. Usually, they would meet either in her own “little lab” or in Evelia’s dorm.
Rachel always felt a bit nervous when she saw Armand. Not because he treated her badly, but because the places where they met always made her uneasy.
In the little lab, it was obvious. She was always doing things she didn’t want others to see, so she constantly worried someone might suddenly open the door and walk in on her experiments. She couldn’t even lock the door, because that would only make people more suspicious.
As for Evelia’s dorm, even though Rachel was now officially part of the family as Evelia’s “daughter”. She still got nervous under “Red Crow’s” watchful eyes, and when Armand also appeared in the dorm, she had to try even harder not to ruin the mood for the two of them.
You could say Rachel’s life was still full of pressure even now. She no longer had to worry about being killed so easily, but she still had to live carefully, watching every step.
Armand and Evelia had already accepted their own lives and moved forward. But Rachel still seemed stuck where she was. Even though she could take a step forward, she chose to stay in place, or even turn back and move in reverse.
In the past, she used to think that being alone with Evelia was the scariest thing. Being with Armand was a little better, at least he looked like a gentle man.
If she had to sum it up, Rachel would probably say, ‘Armand seems like the kind of guy who’d make a great dad.’
But now, this "dad" seemed to be turning into a strict one.
He called Rachel to his office, even thoughtfully preparing sweet tea and a bunch of colorful desserts that would make any child’s eyes light up.
But with the fake smile on his face, Rachel couldn’t help but feel like this beautiful tea party might be her “last meal.”
“Dad, why did you suddenly call me here?”
Rachel had no choice but to pretend she didn’t know anything. She climbed onto the sofa and sat across from Armand, her feet hanging in the air. To calm her nerves, she picked up a macaron that was as big as her palm.
Armand, trying to seem more friendly, picked up a macaron too. Even though he didn’t really like sweet things, he still took a big bite. And from the way he forced himself to look like he was enjoying it. If you didn’t already know he hated sweets, you’d totally believe he was being real.
“Nothing too serious,” Armand said.
He picked up the tea next to him. On the whole table, this cup of tea was the only thing not sweet. After eating the macaron, he needed the slightly bitter tea to wash away the taste.
“I remember... you’re interested in alchemy, right?”
Because he had lost some of his recent memories, Armand had no choice but to take a fresh look at Rachel now.
From the very beginning, this child had always seemed a bit strange.
Evelia picked her up somewhere, and at first, Armand wondered if Rachel might also be a spy, sent here along with Evelia, who was a spy. After all, the second prince had a habit of training agents from a very young age. If a genius child was already doing missions, it wouldn’t be completely impossible.
But later on, from what Evelia had said, and from the memories Armand still had. Rachel didn’t seem to be sent here to assist Evelia. And from the start until now, she hadn’t done anything that would hurt them…
Back when Armand first met Rachel, he saw her as his own daughter. To him, Rachel was like an adopted daughter for him and Evelia, and he actually enjoyed playing this little family game.
But now, as he thought back on everything again, Armand started to feel like something didn’t quite add up.
—Where did Rachel really come from?
Not even considering what side she might be on, the question was...
Where did this girl actually come from?
She said she was a wandering child. But thinking carefully now, Rachel didn’t have any scars, no serious illness that needed treatment. Even though she claimed to be a homeless child, she wasn’t skinny at all. Her eyes were bright, her hair was soft and healthy.
From the way she spoke, it was obvious that she had been educated. She was completely different from real street children.
Armand remembered asking her before where she came from and what happened to her parents. Rachel had answered, “I don’t remember.”
But… would a child like that really not remember?
A girl that mature… and yet she “doesn’t remember”?
Compared to other kids her age, Rachel seemed far more grown-up, especially when compared to Salana.
Since Salana was Carle’s best friend, Armand had often visited her in the past with gifts. Thanks to those visits, he had a good idea of what kids around that age were usually like.
Salana was also quite mature. Armand could tell that she was trying her best to grow up faster so her parents wouldn’t worry. But even so, she still had the innocence of a child. That kind of feeling, he couldn’t sense it in Rachel at all.
Even now, when Rachel tried to act all innocent like she didn’t understand anything, Armand could still see the fear she was holding back in her eyes.
She was still just a small girl, only a few years old, yet she could already tell when Armand was scrutinizing her.
Just that alone… if she truly were just a regular child, then she must be a genius at reading people’s expressions.
“Ah, um… Alchemy, huh? Yeah, haha… Dad, aren’t you just supporting my hobbies again?” Rachel laughed, but the laugh sounded a little forced.
“Hmm… I suppose I am.”
Armand didn’t remember all the details anymore, but from what Evelia had told him, he really had set up a small room just for Rachel.
Back when he arranged it, he probably hadn’t realized what it meant. But now, after hearing Evelia talk about it again, Armand suddenly saw it clearly, he had basically built Rachel her own alchemy lab. And the girl often stayed there for long periods, far beyond what you’d expect from a child just “enjoying a little hobby.”
“So… what do you want to do, Dad? If it’s about the winter blue rose, I’ve been trying to figure that out…”
“No, not just the blue rose. Rachel, more than the rose, what I’m really curious about is…”
Armand was still smiling politely, but his mind was filled with thoughts.
He also wondered if maybe he was being too strict, but his instincts as a long-time knight captain were telling him, Rachel wasn’t as simple as she looked.
And as for the topic of alchemy, he and Carle had interrogated her about it once before. That time, though, the questioning had ended quickly.
But this time…
Thud…
Maybe because he had been thinking too hard, Armand’s body swayed a bit, and his head buzzed.
…?
The feeling of discomfort started to spread in Armand’s mind. His thoughts were getting slower and dull.
The questions he had just been thinking about suddenly became blurry. His vision kept going light and dark. He shook his head, but the headache was now mixed with dizziness.
At this rate, he probably wouldn’t be able to get anything useful from Rachel...
Get something… get what?
Damn it, what was I about to ask just now?
It was about... about—?
No, I have to ask her… this is about something really important.
He had just been thinking about it… he even had some clues, but suddenly, even just breathing seemed to scatter his thoughts completely.
His mind had finally cleared up, but this strange condition started messing with him again. Some doctors had jokingly called his illness “youth dementia,” and honestly, they weren’t wrong.
His brain could get confused for no reason at any moment, like an old record player that suddenly plays the wrong tape or sings the wrong part, making everything that used to flow smoothly become a complete mess.
...It should be something very important.
And it seemed like she was the only one who could do it.
“—Dad?”
Seeing Armand hold his head in pain, Rachel, who had just been full of fear, now looked worried. She quickly put down the macaron she hadn’t eaten yet and ran to his side.
She used her small, soft hands, which were nothing like those of a real street child, to hold Armand’s cold fingers. When she saw the tired black circles under his eyes, she couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him.
Armand looked at her and held her hands tightly in return.
“Rachel... tell me, you—”
…………………………………………
“—Who’s there? Come out.”
On the other side, Evelia was walking in the backyard behind the empty building.
It was quite cold there, so at this time of day, almost no one came by. Once the patrolling knights skipped this area, it became the perfect hiding spot.
Right now, Evelia was acting in place of the patrols. After leaving Armand’s office, she came to this area. Because just earlier, both she and Armand had felt something strange coming from here.
“—Ah, Lord Red Crow...! You came to find me yourself!”
There were no footsteps, just a voice muffled under a cloak, specially altered to hide the speaker’s tone.
“...It’s you.”
Evelia looked straight ahead and saw a figure in a grey cloak step out from the shadows of the attic.
“Mm~ yes, it’s me, Lord Red Crow. I’m surprised you still remember me.”
The person pulled back her hood, revealing short reddish-brown hair and a gray coat.
It looked like she hadn’t taken care of her hair in a while, so the original blue color was starting to show again, making it look like a mix of reddish-brown and bluish streaks.
“It’s been a long time... my Lord Red Crow. How’s your mission going? I think you’ll be able to return home soon, right?”
Facing the “Red Crow,” the one called “Grey Dove” showed a happy, hopeful smile, her cheeks warming red as she stepped closer and closer to the one she admired, the one she called her goddess.