RLPE Chapter 13

After Armin left, the atmosphere in the house was chaotic. Once my father returned, a family meeting—or rather, an interrogation—was held.

“Vivian Roha! Why did Young Duke Grey come here? Speak up!”

Sasha seemed very angry that despite his warnings, I had ended up involved with Armin Grey. Behind Sasha, I could see my parents looking stern. This was a moment I couldn’t just brush off with words.

I hesitated, confused myself about Armin Grey’s actions.

Armin Grey, who had saved me from Young Count Jericho.

Armin Grey, who had ridiculed me and accused me of being a devil worshipper.

Armin Grey, who had delivered my shawl and book to Sasha.

Armin Grey, who had sincerely apologized.

His actions were so different in each situation that my mind was a mess. There were too many variables to consider. Moreover, to explain properly, I would have had to mention what the Jericho’s heir had done to me, but I couldn’t do that.

My overprotective parents would make a big deal out of it if they knew. If I mentioned this incident, there was a high chance they would have a full-blown feud with the Jericho family.

I didn’t care what happened to that guy, but I hated drama. Besides, thanks to Armin Grey, the situation had been resolved before it got out of hand.

“Vivi!”

“Huh?”

I was startled by my mom’s sudden shout and quickly looked up. Mom’s face was flushed with anger. Anyone else might think she was embarrassed, but I knew better—she was furious. When Mom gets really angry, her face turns as red as a ripe apple. I was terrified.

I had no choice. My mind was still a mess, but I decided to give a rough account of what happened at the ball.

“So… at the ball.”

“At the ball? What happened?”

Seeing Dad ready to storm the Grey household made me reconsider being completely honest.

Instinctively, I knew this was the moment when a child’s quarrel could escalate into an adult feud.

If I told them exactly what Armin Grey had done, Dad would probably challenge Duke Grey’s family, despite being just a viscount.

I quickly revised the story in my head. It was better to leave out the part about the book.

“I went for a walk in the garden and bumped into him. That’s all.”

“What? You bumped into him while walking in the garden? You didn’t say that before.”

“At the time, Sasha had strictly warned me not to meet him, so I didn’t think I would see him again.”

Thanks to my lifelong training in making excuses, a plausible story started to form in my mind. It was like the final episode of a drama being filmed live—the more I talked, the more the story took shape.

Dad was deep in thought for a moment, then sighed heavily.

“So, Vivi, you’re saying you went for a walk in the garden, saw Young Duke Grey, and ran away in surprise?”

Hmm… the basic outline is correct, right? It was a garden, not a room, but the rest is true. I did run away in surprise and he did tell me not to get close.

I nodded ambiguously. Then, Sasha spoke up, looking frustrated. His handsome face was contorted with anger.

“I knew it!”

“You knew it? Sasha! What do you mean by that?”

Sasha clearly had the wrong idea. He roughly ran his hand through his hair.

“That day at the ball, he brought back Vivi’s shawl. I thought it was a bit strange.”

My heart sank.

“What? The shawl! But it was dark, how did he… I mean, how did Young Duke Grey know it was Vivi’s?”

My heart raced even faster.

“I didn’t understand that either. But… that wasn’t the end of it.”

“What do you mean that wasn’t the end of it?”

“What?”

Sasha looked frustrated, roughly ruffling his hair. My heart pounded wildly. I recognized this feeling—it was the panic of being caught in a lie.

“He asked me to give Vivi a novel with the author’s autograph.”

“What… what did you say?”

Mom’s face paled, and she stammered.

“How would Young Duke Grey know about Vivi’s hobbies in the first place?”

“That’s the question. I asked Vivi about it, but she had no idea either.”

No, Sasha. I have a pretty good idea. I just happen to be good at lying…

Sasha looked at me, seeking agreement. I nodded slightly, pushing the truth down my throat.

Seeing this, Dad slammed his armrest.

“This is strange. The Grey’s heir, who we’ve never met before! That guy… I mean, how did he…”

Dad was making a big deal out of the fact that someone knew about my reading preferences. To our parents, I was still their little girl, fragile and innocent.

I tried to calm them down, but Sasha’s words made the situation even worse.

“In my opinion,” Sasha said.

“Your opinion?”

“It seems to me,”

“Seems to you?”

“Armin Grey must have fallen for Vivi at first sight.”

“That’s ridiculous!”

The last words were mine. I jumped up in disbelief. What nonsense was he talking about? Armin Grey, liking me?

“Vivi, given the circumstances, that’s the most plausible explanation.”

“No! There’s no way that’s true.”

“Why are you so sure?”

Sasha asked, incredulous, which only made me more incredulous.

Among the central nobles, my role was basically that of a background extra. In kinder terms, I was like a small, pretty flower in a bouquet that makes the bigger, more beautiful flowers stand out.

No, to Armin Grey, I wasn’t even a small, pretty flower—I was more like a wilted one. He had seen and heard all my embarrassing moments: singing weird songs, pulling a book out of my bodice, making ridiculous excuses, and getting angry and speaking informally.

But I couldn’t say that, so I had to keep my mouth shut. Seeing this, Sasha became even more convinced that he was right.

Seeing Sasha’s expression, Mom spoke up with a worried look.

“They only met briefly at the ball…”

“That alone would be enough. Because Vivi is cute, kind, and pretty.”

“Of course! Vivi is cute, kind, and pretty.”

Blood is thicker than water. Just a moment ago, Sasha was scolding me, but now he was singing my praises. The problem was, there was no one to put the brakes on Sasha’s fantasies. Our parents were even bigger fools when it came to their daughter.

Even a porcupine loves its young, but the idea that Armin Grey would fall for me at first sight was ridiculous. I had no striking features that would make me stand out.

But Sasha continued, undeterred.

“However, I don’t think Armin Grey is suitable as Vivi’s husband.”

“Oh? Why is that, Sasha?”

“He has a reputation for being a playboy and is hard to read.”

Mom’s expression darkened at Sasha’s words.

“That’s true. The Greys are known for their flashy looks and standing out.”

“I object to that as well!”

Dad acted as if a marriage proposal had already been made. Watching him, I started to get a headache.

“It’s not like that.”

“How do you know?”

“I just do. So stop these crazy ideas. There’s nothing between us.”

“How dare he set his eyes on our daughter! Even if he’s from a ducal family, he doesn’t meet our standards.”

Dad was getting worked up over nothing, and I couldn’t find the words to stop him.

Dad and Sasha were getting carried away with their speculations.

“First, we have to accept tomorrow’s invitation.”

“Yes, we can’t refuse an invitation from the ducal family so easily.”

“So what should we do? How can we make Armin Grey lose interest in Vivi?”

Mom’s worried question was quickly answered by Sasha.

“Vivi committed a great offense against Armin Grey today. Yet, Armin Grey not only forgave her but also invited her for a carriage ride date.”

No! That’s not a date! It’s not!

If anything, it’s more like a debt collection, like an early morning garbage truck.

But Sasha, confident in his theory, continued.

“That means Armin Grey is even more interested in Vivi’s unique personality.”

“Then…!”

“Yes. Vivi is entertaining just to watch. If he sees more of her charm, Armin Grey will be even more drawn to her.”

“That’s right. Our daughter has that kind of charm.”

“So, we need to show Armin Grey the most demure side of Vivi to make him lose interest quickly.”

“That makes sense!”

Sasha’s passionate speech had Mom and Dad nodding in agreement. So, in the end, Sasha’s theory was this: like an old romance cliché, Armin Grey had fallen for me because I was the first to treat him this way.

I sighed deeply.

“So, Vivi, from now on, be as demure as possible when you meet Armin Grey. Don’t give him any foolish ideas.”

But the thing is… it’s already too late to act demure…