Three
"My apologies, Miss McDowell," I started to speak, hoping to defuse the situation and correct my mistake, "I am Arika Springfield, and I was assigned as your housemate." As I speak, I brought up her key in the view.
Her glare softened, but only a little. Her look was still hostile, and I was confused. Why is she reacting with such hostility? We have never even met before, and I doubted that my offense was grave enough to warrant such anger.
"Yes, I heard about you from that old geezer," More confusion. Is she talking about the headmaster? How can she be so openly and brazenly disrespectful like that? "Told me that I need someone living with me, to take care of me." She spat out, clearly finding the idea to be distasteful. In turn, I was starting to get irritated by the rudeness of my housemate.
"I do believe you need someone helping you," I replied, and that was the truth, considering the untended first floor.
"I certainly don't need you in my life, Arika
Springfield." Bitterness and outright hatred bled from that last word to the point of almost making me wince. But I did not, for I felt my own anger rising at such undue disrespects and hostilities.
How dare she.
"Watch your tongue,
young lady." I snapped back. I did not know then, but I made the mistake of touching Evangeline's most sensitive issue.
Immediately, at the edge of my awareness, I saw the
danger.
A sound, something primal, something unintelligible, something enraged, comes out from Evangeline.
The
Extrasensory Perception magic, or ESP, is not one spell. Rather, it is a system of several different kinds of magic and spells, predominantly sensory and precognition, but also empathic and telepathic, in addition to the enhancement for physical senses, woven together to provide the mage with expanded and heightened perceptions of the surrounding world, limited pre-and-retrocognition, and revealing the details unseeable with eyes, all of which would be impossible with just the five senses.
And right now, I don't like what I am perceiving.
My eyes catch a small glass vial in her right hand, a typical container for magic catalyst and potion, I recognize, and I feel magical energies and elemental chill coming from them.
Almost simultaneously, I raise my left arm in defense, and she throws a vial at me. My magic-sharpened sight sees that it's open and spilling contents.
And –
「Wind Shield!」
「Magic Arrows, Six Ice Arrows!」
Our spells clash, her arrows against my shield. I feel phantom sensations across my hand. My defense hold, the magic of my blood adds to the potency of my shield, her icy projectiles dissipating before my extended arm.
Before she could open more catalyst vials, I close the distance. Being much taller, I have a greater reach, and my hand moves in to restrain her, to force her to stand down.
It misses. Evangeline has evaded me at the last second, and her seemingly dainty hand grabs on my forearm. In the next moment, I was thrown over the wooden railing, flying and falling toward the ground floor.
She turned my strength and momentum against me, I thought in amazement and embarrassed rage.
On the air, I regain my balance and land on two feet, any impacts being absorbed by my barriers. Something was crushed beneath me on landing, but that was far from my priority right now. Instead, feeling the stab of an incoming threat, I whirl back, focusing my attention toward the opponent. As I do, I see Evangeline landing on the floor, having followed me down.
In that brief moment, I
think. I was trying to restrain her until now, and certainly, I can easily defeat and slay her if I don't hold back, but killing one of my son's students was not something I wanted to do unless demanded by necessity.
I consider Evangeline's strengths and weaknesses. She is clearly a skilled martial artist, possibly even better than me, one that appears to be specialized in fighting someone bigger and stronger than her. Her magic, however, was extremely weak, forcing her to rely on catalysts, and likely no magical senses and warnings, either.
Just as Evangeline's fist was about to make a contact with me, I made up a plan.
I feel an impact in my abdomen, and my body was hurled backward. It stung, and I involuntarily let out a gasp despite the layer of protective barrier around me. At that same moment, I point my finger at the girl and unleash the magic.
It was not a spell, not in the sense that it is a codified and formulized technique, complete with the incantation. Rather, it was a pure manifestation of elemental light, given form by my will alone.
I manage to close my eyes before the burst of intense light fills the cottage. No destructive property, just a short and blinding illumination, exactly as I intended. Like the flash grenade of the Old World, except without the sound.
I feel Evangeline's focus break, and hear her crying out in pain and surprise. At the same time, my own pain forces my eyes open, as I crash into the wall with enough force to shook the entire house. I hear an audible crack behind me, and without magical protection, something within me would have certainly broken as well.
Biting down the pain, I start making an incantation, feeling the element and its spirits responding to my command.
「Eleven spirits of wind, make shackles and capture my enemy. Magic Arrows, Capturing Wind!」
The energy coil around me and eleven arrows of wind are loosed forward. Evangeline had just regained focus and had seen the incoming magical projectiles. As I suspected, she had no spell-enhanced senses, and my Magic Arrows were coming too fast for her to evade. Her eyes widened, and she had pulled out several more vials when my spell made struck her.
The summoned winds encircle her, and even as she tries to move, the long projectiles tighten around her body and limbs, forming strong bindings of magic, restraining her from charging toward me or using the catalysts.
Despite this advantageous turn, I sense that I am still in serious peril. I see the ways she can still escape within the next several seconds, and as Magic Arrows wear out, her chance will only increase. I must end this fight, now.
「Air and Water, Become a Fog and Grant a Short Rest to This One! Hypnotic Fog!」
My elemental affinity lies with air and light, but my skill as a mage allows me to draw from other elements as well. This spell, like its name describes, shapes air and water into a thick mist. Less useful against nimble opponents in open space, especially if they have protective spells or magical resistance, or if they can simply scatter and dissipate the fog away.
Within the enclosed space, against a restrained opponent without any kind of active and passive magical protection, the spell is highly effective.
Her movement becomes frantic for a moment, then dies down. Her bindings disappear, and she falls to the floor, face first, although not hard enough to hurt her.
The fight was over.
「Dispel.」
With that simple command, Evangeline started to regain her consciousness. I had cuffed her to the chair and placed her in the middle of a ruined room. No rope was found in time, so I used extension cords instead. I stood in front of her, with a spell at the tip of my tongue and my sword hand at the hilt. I hoped that I would not have to draw it today.
"Nagi…?" That was the first word she whispered, the name of my husband, still half-asleep from the effect of the spell. It was soft, longing, and melancholic in tone, taking me aback by surprise. Her expression rapidly turned sour, however, as her visions became clear and she recognized the person in front of her.
"Oh, it's you." Her tone was bitter. "Looking to gloat?"
"No, I want answers," I replied with a stony face.
"Well, my answer is that I don't like you, and I don't care about you."
"Yes, the former is obvious," I noted dryly, still calm. "But you cared about me enough to hate."
I continued. "And I am certain that we have never met before," Which was true, but I did hear her name and reputation in the past. Looking back, it is embarrassing how I was not able to recall that, even when I heard Evangeline's name from the headmaster. "So, I want to know who you are, and why you have treated me with such loathing at first sight." I did not count out the possibility that she was someone indirectly hurt by my actions, my failures.
"Because you are
that man's wife." Evangeline spat out, anger marring her fair, doll-like face.
Someone who has a history with Nagi, I thought,
how typical. Yet, it felt like her venom was directed more toward me than Nagi.
"My husband has many enemies,"
Almost as many as myself, I mentally noted.
A Thousand Foes for the Thousand Master, and we shared a lot of them. "And you have not told me who you are," than a bait, "Young lady."
At those last words, Evangeline's facial features reverted back to those I saw during our fight. But being cuffed to the chair, she could only snarl at me while struggling fruitlessly.
"Stop belittling me! Stop calling me a child! I am Evangeline Athanasia Katherine McDowell, the Dark Evangel!"
That, that was not what I had expected. My eyes widened, and my hand reflexively clenched the sword tighter.
"You are
the Dark Evangel? The Doll Master?" I muttered in bewilderment and alarm.
Dark Evangel was a name that carried infamy, even in the Magic World, and had inspired terror for centuries. From what I remembered, Dark Evangel was reportedly an immortal, day-walking vampire, ruthless and bloody-handed with numerous records of killings and other criminal activities, both in the Old and Magic Worlds, although it was also said she never killed women and children.
There was no credible account of her origin, but her deeds alone made her a feared villain, even among other criminal and dark mages. She had carried six million bounties with her, but remained undefeated and uncapturable, a dread master of elemental ice and darkness and other myriad spells, until fifteen years ago when she simply vanished into obscurity, her bounty cleared.
My mind was full of questions. Why is someone like that in Mahora, as a student? Why is Headmaster Konoemon letting her roam freely, does he know her identity? Why is her magic in such a weak state? And why does she look like a child, when she is described as a seductress? However, after a closer examination, I realized that she did resemble the look of Dark Evangel I know, albeit in a much smaller, and if I dare, more adorable forms: icy blue eyes, hair of gold, straight and ankle-length, with blunt bangs (something that, in a curious coincidence of fate, resembled my own).
It also did explain the presence of so many dolls. Someone with a reputation as a puppeteer would have a natural affinity with them. I remembered the strange and unsettling puppet upstairs; one I had found a trace of magic within it.
It must have been a familiar, a focus, or something similar, I concluded.
"Scared, now that you know who I am?" Evangeline's mocking words brought me back to reality. She was smirking, and I felt the urge to wipe that out of her face, along with the possible threat she might pose to Negi, the 3-A, and others.
"Should I?" I retorted back. "After all, I defeated you just now," The smirk disappeared from Evangeline. "The power you wield as Dark Evangel is gone. You cannot cast even the simplest spell without catalyst," Then I added, grudgingly, "Your hand-to-hand fighting skill is certainly impressive, but do you honestly believe you can stand a chance now if I don't hold back?" To emphasize my point, I raised my sword up, so that Evangeline could see it clearly. "Even if there are still some remnants of vampiric might within you, you are no longer the feared Undying Mage, and the world is moving on without you, away from you." I finished, expecting another outburst.
Her reaction was not what I had expected. Her shoulders sagged, and she looked at me with bewildered, yet tumultuous eyes. My words, I believe, actually hurt her.
"Do you think I want to be like this?" Her voice was quieter now. "It's all the fault of the Thousand Master. He promised, and I waited, and now I can never leave this prison."
I was thrown into confusion. Her behavior did not match the wicked reputation of Dark Evangel. It was then, hearing the epithet given to my husband again, that I, at last, remembered a certain crucial detail. It was true that I had never met Evangeline personally, but Nagi did, alongside Albireo, and Rakan. And Nagi did tell me about her once.
It was in 1988, Old World calendar, after one of Nagi's excursions to Japan. We were together at the fireside, just after finishing the dinner meal. I sat on one side of the crackling fire, cleaning the tableware, Nagi was on the other, unfolding the bedrolls, when he asked me a question.
"Honey, do you remember Evangeline? That girl I told you about last year?"
"The child mage with a doll? What about her?" I asked back, still focused on dishes and utensils.
"Well, it turns out she is Evangeline A.K. McDowell, also known as Dark Evangel. She followed me to Japan, and we fought."
The manner of his speech was so casual, like if he was talking about a trivial matter like weather and a cloud with an amusing shape that he saw during the day, that my mind did not comprehend his speech for a moment.
"Sounds like you had quite a trip." And then, a heartbeat and two, "Wait, what?" I cried out, sprang up, and ran toward Nagi.
"What do you mean, that the girl was Dark Evangel? What did that black-hearted villain want from you?"
Nagi, in his typically cheerful, careless manner, which was both charming and infuriating, simply grinned back. "It's okay! She's not a bad person, just someone who had a rough life. Pretty cute, too. We met and had a fight, that's it."
I gave him an exasperated, but not unlovely look. Nagi was many things, and the word
idiot was one of them, but he was an excellent judge of character and he was
my idiot, so I decided not to question his view of Evangeline. "How did you defeat her?"
"Garlic and leeks!"
"What?"
"I said, garlic and leeks. I dug a pit, filled it with my anti-vampire soup, and she fell into it!"
I must have been looked rather foolish myself, with my mouth open in an unbelieving gape. Still, you must understand me. Evangeline was, as I noted before, one of the most infamous and powerful villains known in both of our worlds. To defeat her in that way, with such unorthodox and comical way was… well, exactly like Nagi, but still too ridiculous to hear.
But then, I had learned that almost everything, no matter how unlikely, is possible with Nagi and Ala Rubra, so I recovered my composure fast.
"That is… unorthodox. But clever. Yet, I doubt your 'soup' could have been more than an obstacle to her."
"Sure, that's why I used the
Infernal School curse to seal her power away. She is harmless now."
"Infernal School? That spell requires a school nearby," My eyes widened at the realization. "You sealed her, a wanted criminal with six million bounties on her head, with students?"
"Yup!" Stupid Nagi, with his stupid and lovely smile. "Don't worry, the place is manned by mages, and the headmaster is a powerful mage as well." Well, that is a relief at least. Then he dropped another bombshell. "She has been enrolled as a student. I made a promise to come back and lift the curse from her once she graduates."
This time, I did not even bother to be surprised. I simply asked, with a flat voice. "Why?"
My husband was still smiling, but it turned into something more serious and softer at my question. "Because I think she deserves a chance to live out a normal life, in the world of light, without being hated and hunted. Despite her reputation, and whatever crimes she committed until now, I saw that she is not truly an evil person at her heart."
I shook my head, but with affection, not disapproval. "I swear, once we have a child, I'll have to raise you together with them." Then I smiled, too. "But perhaps she does deserve a chance. It will be a nice period of rest for her, at least."
Nagi, however, never returned to Evangeline. He never got a chance. We became too busy with traveling, fighting, and hiding. There was always something to be done, new threats to defeat, and more clues about our true enemy to uncover.
And five years later, he was gone. Being busy with raising Negi and grieving over Nagi's fate, I forgot about that conversation, too.
And Evangeline, my mind realized with a tinge of horror,
had been left here for fifteen years. For that, I felt a pang of sympathy for her.
However, I reminded myself of our short clash. While I may bear some responsibility, by entering her home without prior introduction and going through her belongings without permission, Evangeline showed antagonism toward me even after I explained myself, and then, she did not hesitate to use a potentially lethal spell against me.
Is it possible that, after a broken promise, after fifteen years of imprisonment which is certainly enough time for resentment to fester into outright hatred, she now simply wanted to escape the Infernal School curse by any means necessary? Or perhaps, a vengeance? Nagi is out of her reach, but me, his wife, and possibly even Negi, his son, are not, and conveniently for her, our life has brought us all to Mahora, and I have even been made her housemate.
At that point, I was tempted to simply end her existence right there. It would be easy, simply slitting her throat with the blade, cutting open the jugular veins, letting her bleed out. She will not be able to escape or resist, at all, in her current state.
Are you surprised? Do not mistake me for a pacifist. I do not revel in bloodlust like some, but when demanded by the necessity, the deed needs to be committed.
I held my blade back, however. Regardless of who and what she is, Evangeline is listed as a student of Mahora, meaning she is under the headmaster's authority, not me. Not to mention that she is also part of Negi's class. I may be able to eventually convince Negi of the necessity of the deed, but I had my doubt about the headmaster, especially since I was convinced that he intentionally made me her housemate, as Evangeline had told me before we clashed:
"Told me that I need someone living with me, to take care of me." Everything I had seen since entering this cottage, from the sorry state of her residence to her emotional instability, told me that she truly needs that someone, although I had no idea why the headmaster thought me, of all people, was suitable for that task.
Then, I was reminded of Evangeline's curious sense of honour. Even as she was inscribing her part in the history with the blood of her victims, she had never killed women or children.
I wonder, I mused,
is it because you are both of those? Especially the latter? Regardless, perhaps I could appeal to that, assuming she still ascribes to it.
I also remembered Nagi's words.
"She's not a bad person, just had a rough life." "Because I think she deserves a chance to live out a normal life, in the world of light, without being hated and hunted." "Despite her reputation, and whatever crimes she committed until now, I saw that she is not truly an evil person at her heart." His voice echoed through my mind.
And I believe in you.
But I was still cautious.
A conversation, perhaps, to ascertain her character and desire.
"So, is it the vengeance you want?" I made my best effort, to keep my voice cold and emotionless, like an executioner's sword. "For the Thousand Master, who left you here, deprived of your power?"
"No." I had not expected such a straightforward, immediate answer. "I admit that I hate being trapped here, eternally repeating the middle school. But I… never mind." I sensed that there was something more, in those unsaid words, but there were too few contexts for me to guess what it was. "The point is, I am not going to seek vengeance against your husband. Besides, he is dead."
"What about me, his wife, and Negi Springfield, his son and your new teacher?"
Evangeline's face darkened at that, but against my expectation, she did not burst into anger again. "Truthfully, I don't like you, and what you are, at all." As if that was not obvious already. "But I have no ill-will for your brat, and I don't believe in the concept of the Sins of the Father. And," She paused, then continued, as if she is ashamed of what she was about to speak out. "Despite the little brawl just now, I don't kill a woman, nor a child." Looking down, she uttered the most unexpected words: "I am sorry."
I was surprised, honestly. Shocked, even, by that admission. 'Sorry' was something I was not expecting to hear from Dark Evangel. It did, however, felt genuine and gave me hope that this whole thing may be resolved smoother than I thought. Trying my best to keep my cold, unmovable facade up, I continued with a question.
"Even if, hypothetically, killing us may allow you to escape from you?" At that, Evangeline looked up. "Surely, you must have looked into ways to break the curse you are held under? And someone of your history would be familiar with darker, bloody ways of magic."
For several moments, Evangeline did not speak, and I could not read anything on her blank face. Finally, her lips parted.
"I admit that it is a tempting idea. But like I said, I don't kill a woman or a child."
That, I did not like. It means she is open to schemes that are still inimical toward our wellbeing, if non-lethal. But, perhaps, I can use the matter of the Infernal School to restrain her?
"I may be able to free you from the binding curse." That perked up her interest, yet her gaze was skeptical, even cynical.
"I doubt you can, or that you even want to. You are not the Thousand Master."
"The former, not right now, but I can find a way. The latter? It would depend on how you act. I want you to fulfill your end of the Infernal School's conditions. Start by returning to the class, treat my son with respect, and do not even dare to think about harming either of us or any of students."
Evangeline scoffed. "So, you are just trying to bargain with me."
"I am afraid that you are gravely mistaken," I answered. "Bargaining is done from the position of weakness. I am
negotiating, from a position of strength, with your life held in my hand, my will. I could slay you here and now if I want. And I could have slain you during our clash
if I didn't hold back!" As an emphasis, with a sudden motion, my sword was held right under her chin, its edge barely touching the neck, close enough for the faint sensation of Evangeline's startled tremble to reach my hand. It would be easy from now, to simply push the blade further forward, and let the biology take care of the rest.
But, as suddenly as I brought the blade up at her throat, I withdraw it. "But I trust my husband. He was an excellent judge of the character, and if he believed in you, so will I. He is not with us today, but I am, and I will carry out his promise to you in his stead"
"By the way, I am certain that the class is going to throw a welcoming party for your son."
Evangeline said while massaging her limbs, still sore from the bindings. After my little theatrics, she did, reluctantly, accepted my arrangement, and swore an oath by Nagi to carry them out faithfully. In turn, I swore to lift the curse of Infernal School off, by the time of her graduation and freed her from the chair.
"Truly? If so, you'll join us there." I replied while looking at the mess we made at the cottage in dismay. I had no idea where to start the cleaning from. Already in the state of disarray by the time I entered, our battle had made the mess even worse, although few furniture had been outright destroyed, so that was a small relief.
"Why should I? It's boring."
"Consider it as your make-up class for today's absence." Of course, I did not doubt that Negi will later assign her actual make-up as well.
After making sure to hide the more visible signs of struggle, I headed back to the school building, with Evangeline at my side.
The welcoming party was already going on by the time we reached the classroom. The students were gathered in several groups, chatting among themselves in a festive mood. The largest group was, of course, surrounding Negi, making noises of appreciation and offering local foods and drinks.
He, alongside other students, turned toward us at the sound of the door opening.
"Ah, mother! Miss Evangeline!" "Eva-chan!"
Negi introduced himself to Evangeline, asking if everything is okay with her, saying how worried he was. The students also talked about how worried they were for her. I think Evangeline was startled, and there was an odd look on her face, perhaps noting Negi's resemblance to his father.
I noticed that Takamichi and Shizuna were also present. Takamichi gave me a knowing look, I replied with my own, deadpan, 'What were you expecting?' look. He did not make any follow-up conversation, so I assume he was relieved that nothing too serious had happened between me and Evangeline.
As Evangeline joined in with Negi and students, albeit unenthusiastically, a voice caught my attention.
"Excuse me, Miss Springfield!"
The owner of the voice was a student, a girl with a pineapple-shaped haircut, with smooth, spiny 'leaves' of coppery red colour. With a pen and notebook in her hands, and a camera hanging from her neck, she came up to face me, with the eyes glimmering with signs of intelligence and inquisitiveness.
"Greetings, my name is Kazumi Asakura, seat number three, and I am class 3-A's resident reporter!" Oh no. "If you are okay, I would like to briefly interview you."
She's one of THOSE types of persons, that exist in every group. The gossip, the snooper, and at worst, a blackmailer.
However, I could not see a way to politely reject the interview, and my intuition told me that the little miss reporter will never give up on questioning me. And I suspected that her questions will only become more difficult to answer in the future, as she gets to know more about me and Negi. Best to answer her right now.
"Ask them, Miss Asakura."
"Okay! Let's take seats."
We sat on the classroom chairs, with the students gathering around us, not hiding their interest and excitement in what I am going to say, which only increased my unwillingness.
Just try to humor them, answer truthfully but don't reveal important information. I told myself.
"By the way, some of my questions are gathered from the class." Guess that explains why they are so interested in this. "First, may I ask for your full name and age, please?"
"Arika Springfield, I am thirty-seven."
"Where did you live with Negi-sensei?"
"Wales, United Kingdom." So far, mundane enough. Maybe this won't be too bad.
"Who is Mr. Springfield?"
"His name is Nagi Springfield."
"Are you from a European royal family?" What? How? My mind plunged into a brief panic, wondering if they somehow managed to find out who I was, before regaining my composure.
"What makes you think that?"
"Well, you are beautiful and elegant, and you do look and act like a princess or queen."
Oh, I see. Just an active imagination, nothing serious. If anything, this was my fault, I admit. Even after nearly two decades since the fall of Ostia, I still conducted myself in a regal manner. Upbringing, especially the one as strictly disciplined as mine, don't fade away easily.
"I was." The squee of delight from the surrounding was so loud, that I almost winced, and I had to wait until they died down. "I said I
was. I am not anymore." I made a hasty addendum.
If anything, it made them squee even louder, and I heard them shouting
Forbidden Romance! and
Elopement of love! which, while not technically wrong, made me blush hard.
Kazumi, after others quieted down, continued: "Thank you for your truthful answer. Next, which sports do you like?"
"Nothing in particular. Fencing, I guess?" Which was not sport fencing or
Kendo they would be familiar with, but close enough.
I noticed one of the students behind Kazumi perking up.
Setsuna Sakurazaki, I remembered her from the class roster,
Konoka's protector.
"What kind of book do you like?"
"Natural and social sciences, dialectic, history, and speculative fictions." The first included arcane sciences as well. I bet that the last was unexpected, but I do enjoy seeing the other side's imagination about us.
"Looks like Yuecchi has a new sparring partner." Said one of the girls. "Bookshop, too." Another chimed in.
"What kind of relationship do you have with Takahata-sensei?" Too obvious, Asuna, try to be more subtle.
"An old friend that I had not seen for many years."
"Would you like to spar with me, aru?"
"Sure, but who are you?"
"Which among us you prefer to have as a daughter-in-law?"
"Ask that after both Negi and all of you turn adult." I deadpanned, letting out a hint of displeasure, and that was enough to quash that talk, for just a few days.
"Mrs. Springfield, are you related to Asuna?"
The volume of the voices died down. I felt everyone's eyes and ears upon me. Asuna has become very quiet, startled by the question.
I remained silent for several moments. At first, my mind reeled at that question, then I debated whether I should answer or not. This was a sensitive, and potentially dangerous, topic, one that may lead to premature exposure of Asuna and myself. But, I have realized that at least one of the students has already connected the clues, and all of them would now certainly notice my heterochromia and realize their similarity to Asuna's own. I doubted avoiding an answer, or even lying, would satisfy their curiosity.
Besides, I have already committed myself to restore Asuna's memory. This could be a starting act.
So I decided to answer truthfully.
"Yes." I hear their voices rising again in surprise, "We are distantly related." Which was true. I just conveniently bothered not to mention the fact that there is a gap of hundreds of generations between us.
I looked at Asuna. She looked at me, eyes widened with realization, and then at Negi, who was also surprised by this revelation. I decided to give her time to think, she needed that.
I wondered, however, about the identity of the student who submitted that question.
After the interview was, thankfully, finished, and the party was wrapping up, I approached Evangeline.
"From tomorrow, we clean up our cottage,
together." I put great emphasis on the last word.
Irritated, she looked up into my eyes. "Why should I?"
"Because we are going to live together from now, and to be honest, the cottage is a complete mess right now."
"Fine, I'll help, you
housewife." If she intended that as an insult, it was completely ineffective. Instead of a verbal riposte, I simply replied in a completely normal tone.
"And, if you need any help with personal matters, like sickness, for example, don't worry. I'll be there for you."
Seeing Evangeline's perturbed reaction, it was more effective than any counter-insult I can throw at her.
There was no spare bed in the cottage, but Evangeline had several sets of spare beddings. So I made my sleeping place downstairs in the kitchen, which was relatively undisturbed by Evangeline's neglect and our brawl during the day.
That night, I would encounter another piece of my past, an unwelcome guest.
