“The carriage from the Grey household arrived, but there was no mention of Armin Grey coming himself!”
I hurried to the entrance, feeling annoyed. Standing there were Sasha, looking displeased, and Armin Grey, seemingly unfazed by Sasha’s glare.
The bright morning sunlight streamed through the large windows, creating a picturesque scene with the two handsome men. Just their presence made it feel like a painting.
Sasha turned his head towards me as he heard my footsteps coming down the stairs.
“Vivi!”
His gaze was as if he had seen the most beautiful woman in the world. I clicked my tongue softly. Here we go again. The overprotective brotherly love.
But strangely, Armin Grey’s face was flushed, as if he was angry. Why was he angry?
I pondered this as I finished descending the stairs. By the time I reached the entrance, I had figured it out.
‘Oh, was today supposed to be a day of hard labor?’
Various scenarios flashed through my mind. Maybe I was supposed to work on a farm, or perhaps in a stable, feeding hay to the horses.
My attire was clearly not suitable for such tasks. From the employer’s perspective, it would be like seeing a laborer show up in an extravagant dress.
Should I change? What should I do? But if I changed now, Michelle and Sasha would be furious.
No, no. This is good. This is what we wanted, right?
I nodded slightly, feeling satisfied. Good job, clever me.
“Young Duke.”
“Lady… Roha.”
His voice was tense with anger. Seeing this, Sasha glared at him again, but Armin Grey seemed oblivious.
“Shall we go then?”
“Where to?”
He seemed to struggle to speak, and I stared at him intently, urging him to continue. Was it a farm? Or maybe… an actual stable? Horses were a bit scary. How heavy was hay?
As I was lost in thought, Armin Grey’s voice reached my ears.
“…to the Duke Grey’s household.”
“What?!”
I jumped in surprise. The Duke’s house? Why would I go there? Now? Why?
There was no mirror, but my face must have been a mix of shock and confusion. Armin Grey gave an unexpected answer. An unbelievable response.
“Mother wants to meet you….”
“Wait a minute! The Duchess?”
Meet the author in person?
Without waiting for my response, Armin Grey nodded slowly.
“It might be burdensome, but….”
I could barely hear what Armin Grey was saying. I was already in a state of shock.
A meeting with the author and me. A one-on-one meeting. This was too good to be true. A dream come true for any fan.
“Wait a minute. Just wait a moment, please.”
Despite the discomfort, I rushed back up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. Even in my awkward heels, I practically flew. Michelle stumbled, shocked by my reckless behavior, but that didn’t matter.
“Lady!”
I rushed back to my room, panting, with Michelle following close behind.
“Michelle! There’s no time. Quickly gather the books.”
“Books? What books?”
“All the ones on the second shelf of my bookcase. Hurry!”
“All of them on the second shelf?”
Sasha also rushed into the room, looking bewildered by my sudden actions.
“Vivi!”
“Sasha! Don’t stop me. I’m going to get them all signed.”
“Calm down.”
“Do I look calm to you?!”
I was on the verge of losing my mind. A direct meeting with the author? In person?
“You! Did you forget today’s plan?”
“I know! I know, okay? Really!”
“No, you can’t.”
“Please! Just today. Please?”
I was already frantically grabbing things, muttering, “Oh my god, This can’t be happening!” Sasha sighed deeply.
“Vivi, you’re never going to listen to me, are you?”
“Just today. Just today. Please!”
I can’t go to a fan meeting empty-handed! This is my fan meeting!
Sasha held up two fingers.
“Just two books. You can’t take them all.”
“Two books?”
“So, what are you going to take? Huh?”
“Two books. Okay. What… what should I take? Huh?”
Sasha gently pushed a book towards me. It was a book he liked.
“Take this one.”
He didn’t say it, but as someone who loves romance novels, Sasha understood why I was so excited.
Of course, the other book was a no-brainer. The perfect book to express my fandom was obvious.
With two books in hand, I rushed back downstairs. Armin Grey looked at me, puzzled.
“Let’s go!”
“If it’s inconvenient… you can refuse.”
“No! It’s fine! Let’s go quickly.”
“If you’re forcing yourself…”
“I’m not! Really! Let’s go. Hurry!”
I practically shoved Armin Grey forward. The realization that I was touching an unfamiliar man didn’t register. My mind was filled with the thought of meeting the author and talking about the novels.
The carriage ride was surprisingly smooth. Our family’s carriage was nice, but this one had almost no bumps.
“Um.”
Unable to stand the silence, I spoke first. Armin Grey’s expression was so complex that it made me feel suffocated just sitting next to him.
“I’m sorry.”
“What for?”
“For making you attend such an uncomfortable gathering.”
Armin Grey genuinely looked apologetic. I tilted my head, not understanding his words.
“Uncomfortable? Honestly, I’m really grateful to the Duchess.”
“Grateful?”
“Yes. If the Duchess hadn’t called for me, today I would have ended up working on a farm or…”
“Wait.”
Armin Grey looked at me incredulously. I quickly explained.
“I said I’d do anything, right? I thought you were going to make me work on a farm or in a stable, feeding hay. But meeting the author? This is a reward, not a punishment.”
“You… thought I was giving you a punishment?”
“Was that not it?”
“You… thought you would have to do hard labor on a farm…?”
He seemed genuinely shocked, repeating the words to himself.
“Was it something else?”
Like a thief without a knife, he was planning something even worse? I felt a newfound fear of Armin Grey. But there was no escape.
“But your attire is quite extravagant for someone who thought they were going to work on a farm.”
He had a point. My outfit was the most extravagant I had ever worn, not exactly farm-appropriate. But I had to act arrogant to make him lose interest faster.
“I’m sorry, but I’m a noble too, so I can’t compromise on my attire.”
Whenever I acted arrogant, Sasha would look disgusted. I thought Armin Grey would react the same way. But contrary to my expectations, Armin Grey nodded calmly.
“I see.”
I was the one taken aback.
“What?”
“No need to compromise. You finally look like you’re wearing the right clothes.”
His expression had returned to its usual calm.
“But that necklace is too simple. Something more extravagant would be better.”
Simple? It was one of the most expensive pieces I owned. Just how rich was his family? I felt ridiculed and muttered to myself, ‘He really thinks I’m a beggar.’
The carriage fell silent again, the only sound coming from the rhythmic clopping of the horses’ hooves.
After some time, the carriage finally arrived at the Grey estate.
“Wow.”
The estate was enormous. The antique, light grey-toned mansion exuded a significant style as much as the family’s history.
As the carriage came to a stop, the family’s maids and butler were waiting for us. It was an unexpected welcome. I was flustered as I got out of the carriage, but the butler approached me and greeted me.
“Welcome to the Grey estate, Lady Roha.”
“Oh.”
“The mistress is waiting for you. Right this way.”
I nodded. Clutching the books tightly to my chest, I refused the maid’s offer to carry them. I felt breathless with excitement.
This was the biggest event of Vivian Roha’s life. The fan meeting was all I could think about, and Armin Grey was now out of my mind.
Following the butler, we entered the mansion. The interior was as grand and well-maintained as the exterior.
We walked down the quiet hallway for a while until the butler stopped in front of a large door.
“Please go in.”
Thud. The door opened, and the scent of ink wafted out, indicating that this was a study. And then,
“Come in! Lady Roha.”
A stunning beauty approached me with a smile. I instinctively knew that this person was Duchess Grey.
