Chapter 405: New Life
Although Evelia had already accepted Rachel as family, and their past interactions had been fairly harmonious, when Armand directly revealed the truth, Rachel still felt a jolt in her heart.
No matter what, Evelia had once literally “killed” her, so when Evelia’s eyes landed on her, Rachel awkwardly swallowed.
“…Ha… ha…”
She let out a weak, awkward laugh.
“You’re an alchemist?”
Evelia’s voice wasn’t loud, but every word rang clearly in Rachel’s ears, each one pounding against her fragile heart.
“Uh… well—how should I put it… ha ha…”
Her eyes darted around, avoiding Evelia’s gaze. As if seeking help, she shot a pleading look at Armand, the one who had spilled the truth, hoping he had a way to stop any “violent scene” that might follow.
“She’s amazing, isn’t she?”
Armand, of course, caught Rachel’s silent call for help. He moved closer to Evelia and gently wiped some tomato sauce from the corner of her mouth with a napkin.
“If it weren’t for Rachel, I’d be dead. Thanks to her, we were able to meet again, right?”
“Ha ha—oh, it was nothing, just lending a hand!”
Seeing Armand giving her a way out, Rachel quickly followed along, going with his words.
Still, she couldn’t completely relax. Evelia could be unpredictable, who knew what she was really thinking? She was once a top-class assassin, and now, someone she had killed was sitting right in front of her. Surely, that must feel like a stain on her pride, right?
If this became a permanent blemish in Evelia’s life, wouldn’t this stubborn assassin—
“Yes, she’s really amazing.”
—Huh?
There was no sharp, hostile glare like Rachel had feared. Instead, Evelia surprisingly followed Armand’s gentle tone.
“Rachel is truly skilled. Your alchemy is impressive… and you saved Mr. Armand. Thank you.”
Evelia’s attitude was much more polite than expected. Lowering her head slightly, she gave Rachel a small bow of thanks.
Rachel hadn’t expected such a courteous response. In disbelief, she glanced at Armand, who simply smiled at her as if to say, You earned it.
After all, she really had saved them.
Not only Armand, she had also saved Evelia.
She had given Armand a new life, and in a way, she had also given Evelia a new life.
People often said it was Armand who pulled Evelia out of her dark past, but in truth, if Rachel hadn’t given her this body in the first place, Evelia might never have started walking down her “new path.”
By coincidence, Rachel had also saved the old Evelia.
If Rachel were to ask her whether failing to kill someone left a “stain” on her assassin’s career, Evelia would probably shrug and say her life as an assassin had ended long ago.
After becoming Armand’s wife, she was no longer the “Red Crow.”
She had never truly wanted to kill Rachel anyway. Back then, she was only worried that Rachel’s existence might expose her identity. But now that everything had come to light, she no longer had to worry.
Besides, she had only tried to kill her in the past because it was the Second Prince’s order. Now that she would never take his orders again, there was no reason to bear any hostility toward her.
After all, now they were family.
For most people, “having a family” might sound like a cliche, but for Evelia, it was exactly what she wanted.
A home that might not be big, but where everyone could always be together.
“Uh… ah.” Rachel scratched her head awkwardly, turning her gaze away.
This over-a-century-old woman was actually blushing from a simple thank-you.
“You’re welcome, it’s nothing.”
No one dislikes being thanked, and Rachel was no exception.
She had always been a solitary person, so when someone showed her kindness, she was more easily embarrassed than most.
She had thought that after all these years, her skin would have grown thicker. But somehow, Evelia’s words carried more impact than Armand’s thanks, enough to make her not only shy, but even a little moved.
After all, she had watched Evelia slowly change into the person she was now. It was like watching a “child finally grow up,” and Rachel genuinely felt happy for her.
“Alright, you two keep talking. Give me your plates, I’ll go clean them up. Once you’ve rested enough, we’ll head back to the base.”
Seeing that the tense mood between Evelia and Rachel had faded, Armand felt relieved.
He took the dishes they handed him and went over to a nearby water source to wash them.
Once he left, Evelia shifted her attention back to Rachel.
“But… since you’re an alchemist…”
Her tone suddenly changed, and Evelia’s expression became serious.
“…What is it?”
From Evelia’s serious look, Rachel had no idea what she was about to say. And with Armand no longer nearby, she felt a bit nervous, gripping the hem of her clothes tightly.
“Can you turn a horse into a human?”
“?”
Even now, Evelia was still worried about Luna.
In Evelia’s mind, Luna was her number one romantic rival.
And now that Armand knew Rachel could make human-shaped bodies through alchemy, Evelia couldn’t help but think about the thing she had feared most back then—
That Luna might actually be able to become a human… or a horse-girl!
“I mean turning a horse into a human, or a human shape.”
“Oh, that…”
Although Evelia’s sudden question made Rachel’s mind spin several times in confusion, since it was an alchemy-related question, Rachel still gave it some serious thought.
“In theory, it’s possible.”
“—What?!”
Evelia’s shock was plain to see.
“I’ve put my own mind and soul into an animal’s body before, so doing it the other way around should also be possible. Putting a horse’s soul into a human body isn’t— mmph?!”
Before Rachel could finish, Evelia grabbed her by the shoulders, her face tense and dark.
“You are not allowed to do that.”
“Eh?”
Seeing Evelia’s uncharacteristic reaction, Rachel froze in surprise.
“N-o-t a-l-l-o-w-e-d.”
Just moments ago, Rachel had been proud that Evelia had matured, but now, under her word-by-word warning, Rachel could once again feel her killing intent.
“D-Do what exactly?”
“Turn a horse into a horse-girl.”
“Turn a horse into a horse-girl?!”
Rachel had no idea why Evelia was so fixated on horses. She was full of confusion but didn’t dare ask more, simply repeating Evelia’s words in shock.
“Don’t you dare do it!”
“Ahhh—okay!”
Rachel stiffened in fear and nodded frantically.
“I-I won’t turn any horse into a horse-girl!”
—What in the world did I do to deserve this?!
“Good. Remember what you said today. Understood?”
“Uh, yes… yes, I will…”
“And don’t you dare tell Mr. Armand about this.”
“Okay… okay…”
Hearing Rachel agree, Evelia finally relaxed. She let go of Rachel’s shoulders and sighed in relief.
Evelia’s grip was no joke. It left Rachel’s arms aching, and the tense, oppressive feeling made her feel like she had narrowly escaped danger. She quickly wiped the cold sweat off her forehead.
Even so, she still couldn’t understand it. Why was Evelia suddenly so concerned about this “horse-girl” thing?
As far as Rachel knew, the only horse connected to Armand was Luna…
Could she seriously be worried about Armand’s relationship with Luna?
That was just… way too strange.
…But then again, this was Evelia, after all.