ITCYLITCOTRGC CH 12

Armin Gray’s smile was truly magnificent. And yet, for some reason, beads of sweat began forming along my back.

“Vivian Roha.”

“Yes… Yes?”

Without realizing it, I had reverted to speaking politely again, and Armin Gray’s smile deepened.

‘Oh, goodness. Is he angry? I don’t know.’

I’d thought I’d managed to smooth things over somehow, but I couldn’t stop remembering the bewildered look on Armin Gray’s face.

Well, how many young ladies had ever called the heir of a ducal family “Hey!”?

It must have been quite the shock.

As I desperately tried to figure out how to handle the situation, Armin Gray’s pleasant, low voice reached me.

“I hear you’re looking for a husband these days?”

“Yes…?”

The sudden change of topic left me completely lost, and I answered stupidly.

“I heard there are quite a few families who think highly of you as a marriage prospect.”

“Yes, yes?”

“They say you’re a virtuous and respectable young lady.”

Why was he suddenly bringing this up?

I didn’t know the reason, but something about it felt ominous.

Especially when I saw those eyes curving into crescent moons as he smiled.

Good heavens.

Who could have imagined that I would someday be sitting face-to-face with Armin Gray in my own drawing room, drinking tea and smiling together?

The fantasy of having tea and pleasant conversation with a handsome man wasn’t bad.

Unfortunately, reality was bad.

Very, very bad.

“Um… But you see? It may sound strange for me to say this myself, but that’s what everyone seems to think. That I’m virtuous and respectable.”

I decided to play innocent.

“Do you think of yourself that way too? Just as you thought you resembled Popori?”

It was a subtle jab, but I pretended not to notice and nodded.

“I don’t know why the Young Duke would say that. Did I perhaps… do something impolite? Sob.”

I turned my head pitifully and pretended to dab away tears with my handkerchief.

Pretending to cry, pretending to sleep—these were skills I’d perfected over the years whenever I was about to get scolded by my parents.

“You don’t know why?”

“Yes. I was already startled when you suddenly came to visit, but then you keep telling me such frightening things. Why are you doing this?”

From his perspective, I must have been incredibly infuriating.

But so what?

He was a man I would probably never meet again after today. There was no reason for me to sit there and endure his threatening remarks.

“In what noble family would a young lady who calls a guest ‘Hey’ be considered virtuous?”

“Me? When did I ever do that?”

Where’s the evidence? Do you have any?!

If you don’t, then prove it!

I widened my eyes and argued back, but Armin Gray didn’t look particularly flustered.

“Lady Roha.”

There was amusement in his relaxed voice as he called me.

He held up the ring on his right hand and showed it to me.

“Do you know what this is?”

“I’m not sure… A ring?”

“Unfortunately for you, it’s not just a ring.”

“Pardon?”

“I didn’t intend for it to happen, though.”

“Pardon?”

“You’ve certainly been saying ‘Pardon?’ quite a lot today.”

The ring on Armin Gray’s finger had a red gemstone set in its center.

He grasped the gemstone and gently twisted it.

It was as if he were rewinding something.

Just when I began to sense that something was wrong, a voice came from the ring.

“Hey!”

“Hey?”

“Yeah! Damn it.”

There was no mirror in the room, but I’m sure my expression must have been hilarious.

I simply stared blankly at the ring, completely dumbfounded.

As though mocking me, Armin Gray twisted the gemstone again.

“Hey!”

“Hey?”

“Yeah! Damn it.”

The same voices continued playing over and over.

I was completely stunned.

This world had recording devices too?

I felt as though I’d just been hit from behind.

“I’m sorry, but the people of the Gray Ducal Family tend to be rather cautious.”

After he’d played the recording about ten times, I finally couldn’t take it anymore and shouted,

“I-I’ll apologize, okay?!”

Both Shasha’s voice and mine must have been recorded in that ring.

I nervously tapped my fingernails together.

It didn’t matter whether my prospects for marriage were ruined, as Armin Gray claimed.

I’d never intended to marry in the first place.

‘Though I might not be able to face my parents…’

The moment I thought about Mom and Dad, my vision suddenly became blurry.

They had raised me with nothing but love, even though I was such a troublesome daughter.

And now, because of me, they might end up hearing that they’d completely failed at raising their child.

Shasha’s face also flashed through my mind.

Had I ruined my promising brother’s future too?

My reputation falling was practically the same as Shasha’s reputation falling.

After all, a man with an unmarried younger sister wasn’t exactly popular in the marriage market.

Come to think of it, was threatening people something this man did every time he met them?

Anger surged inside me, but I desperately hid it behind my expression.

I put on my public mask—the pleasant smile I’d perfected for dealing with other people.

“Apologize?”

“Yes. I’m sorry. There. Are you satisfied?”

“That’s not it. You wanted an apology from me, so I merely apologized. But I don’t want your apology.”

“Then what do you want?!”

How infuriatingly smug he looked!

I shouted desperately,

“If you tell me what you want, can I give it to you?”

His slippery tone nearly cracked my mask, but I nodded.

“Th-then yes. Just tell me what you want. I’ll do anything.”

“Really?”

“I said I would.”

“You really mean it.”

“Yes! I do!”

I don’t even know how many times we’d repeated the same thing, but I patiently answered him.

“I don’t want anything.”

“What?”

“I don’t want anything from you. That’s rather unfortunate, isn’t it?”

With a smile on his face, Armin Gray stood up.

Huh?

Was he really leaving just like that?

I stared at Armin Gray in disbelief, but he simply walked away with an unusually carefree stride.

Without thinking, I jumped to my feet and grabbed Armin Gray’s arm.

This wasn’t the time to worry about appearances.

Just imagining him taking that ring somewhere and spreading rumors was enough to make me forget all about propriety.

The moment he realized I was clinging to his arm, the amused smile disappeared from Armin Gray’s face.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

I squeezed my eyes shut.

This was absolutely not something a young lady of a viscount’s family should be doing.

But I didn’t have many options.

“I’ll do anything! So… you can’t just leave like this!”

“Let… go.”

“No! I can’t! If I let go, you’re going to leave!”

If Armin Gray had genuinely wanted to pull me away, he could probably have done it with one finger, considering how little exercise I got.

Fortunately, he wasn’t quite that unreasonable.

I squeezed my eyes shut and said, as humiliating as it was,

“…Just let go first.”

“If I let go, you’ll leave!”

“I won’t leave, so let go first.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Only then did I release Armin Gray’s arm, which I’d been clinging to for dear life.

Wondering if I’d made him even angrier, I cautiously opened my eyes a little.

Armin Gray’s entire face was flushed bright red.

‘What do I do? He really is angry.’

I quickly returned to the sofa and sat down demurely.

Then I glanced up at Armin Gray.

I tried to look as pitiful as possible—pitiful enough that even if he was angry, he might take pity on me and let it go.

I heard Armin Gray sigh.

It felt as though the fine hairs all over my body were standing on end, but I pretended not to notice.

A brief silence followed.

Then I heard Armin Gray’s footsteps approaching the sofa again.

“Normally…”

“Yes?”

“Do you normally cling to other men’s arms so casually? The rumors about you being a virtuous young lady were completely false.”

Armin Gray asked with a bright-red face.

I hurriedly shook my head.

“Never! Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely not!”

“Then why… No. Never mind.”

“Yes, sir.”

I answered quickly, afraid of irritating him again, and carefully watched only his face.

Silence fell once more.

“Um…”

“I’ll send a carriage tomorrow.”

“A carriage?”

It was an unexpected statement, but I immediately nodded.

As long as this wasn’t about revealing my true nature to other people, I was fine with anything.

“But where are we going in the carriage…?”

“Why? Are you planning to hear where we’re going before deciding?”

By now, Armin Gray’s face had returned to its normal color.

Thank goodness.

That meant he’d calmed down.

“No. I was just curious.”

“You’ll find out tomorrow.”

“Then… what about that ring?”

At my cautious question, Armin Gray let out a quiet chuckle.

He crossed his legs arrogantly and looked at me.

He looked exactly like the male lead from The Demon Duke Is Obsessed with Me.

“You don’t seem to trust me, Lady Roha.”

Would I?

“Of course I trust you!”

And what do you call it when the outside and inside of a person are completely different?

Apparently, you call it Vivian Roha.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Armin Gray stood up again.

The muscles around his face trembled ever so slightly.

Seeing his expression stiffen, I decided that no matter how desperate I was, I probably couldn’t cling to his arm again like before.

‘Was it really that unpleasant for him? But I even took a shower… I’m quite clean, you know.’

I felt a little offended, but since I’d already decided to humor my guest, I got up as well to see him off.

When I opened the door, Shasha was waiting in the hallway with a troubled expression.

He must have been shocked.

Not only had Armin Gray, a man I’d never met before, given me a book as a gift, he’d actually come all the way to our house to see me.

I pressed my lips tightly together.

My regret over not listening to my brother came far too late.

It felt just like the regret of someone who had gambled away their entire fortune.

I shouldn’t have done it.

I should have listened to Shasha.

Those thoughts kept repeating in my head like a parrot.

When Shasha tried to follow us, I silently gestured for him to stay behind and escorted Armin Gray all the way to the entrance by myself.

“Then, please have a safe journey home.”

Twenty-one years of experience living as Vivian Roha, plus all the life experience I’d accumulated from my previous life—that had to count for something.

I kept smiling professionally at Armin Gray all the way until he mounted his horse and rode away.

I smiled until the muscles in my face started to ache.