All the information about her being cold and arrogant were wrong. Such a person would never personally invite someone like this.
“Ah… Hello!”
I could barely manage to say this much. I never imagined that the author would be so beautiful.
She had lustrous golden hair, charming eyes, a lively aura, and a slim figure. Among these, the most striking feature was her eyes, which were a shade of purple similar to mine but slightly different. They were more of a ripe plum color, unlike my reddish hue. She resembled Armin Grey, confirming that they were family.
“Here… this!”
I handed the book I had been clutching to the Duchess. Seeing the book, she burst into laughter.
“Indeed. I heard from Armin that you like my books, but you also have this one?”
“Yes! It was the first book of yours that I read. I have all your books.”
All thoughts of being a snob or anything else had vanished from my mind.
“Armin, thank you for escorting Vivian Roha.”
The Duchess casually addressed her son, who had followed me. I turned around, only then noticing that Armin was behind me.
‘Look at this!’
The Duchess chuckled silently. It was an unexpectedly delightful sight. Her usually stoic and arrogant son looked flustered, which was a rare and amusing sight.
She wasn’t just a romance novelist; she was a romance expert. She could see right through people, and she enjoyed the spectacle unfolding before her.
Her son had clearly taken an interest in Vivian, and Vivian was oblivious to his feelings.
‘She treats him like wallpaper. Oh, how amusing.’
The Duchess found it hilarious that someone other than herself could treat her son like wallpaper. She smiled brightly at Vivian, who blushed deeply, looking as cute as a small animal from the mountains.
‘Lady Roha must be delighted. She has such a cute daughter.’
The Duchess had always wanted a daughter, but fate had only given her a son. Though he was entertaining, he had become boring once he grew up.
Seeing Vivian’s flustered expression, the Duchess knew that Vivian had a favorable impression of her. She decided to make the situation even more enjoyable.
“Armin, since Vivian is our guest, why don’t the three of us have tea together?”
“Yes, what?”
Armin’s face paled at her words, but Vivian reacted even faster.
She startled, her shoulders trembling slightly, and covered her mouth with her hand, laughing politely. The Duchess found this incredibly amusing.
“May I have a moment to speak with the Young Duke?”
“Of course.”
The Duchess waved her hand gracefully.
Vivian pushed Armin’s back with her small, delicate hand. Though she was tiny, she seemed to have enough strength to push Armin out. Or perhaps Armin was letting himself be pushed.
However, neither of them realized the dynamics of their situation. Only the Duchess saw it clearly.
* * *
I stepped out into the hallway from the Duchess’s study with Armin Grey. After ensuring no one was around, I quickly whispered to him.
“Um, Young Duke.”
“…”
His face was flushed with anger, as if he was extremely annoyed every time he talked to me. I wondered why he was so angry and then realized that my hand was pressed against his back. Remembering yesterday’s incident, I quickly withdrew my hand and made an excuse.
“Oh! That wasn’t intentional; the situation was just so urgent! You understand, right?”
“You… easily touch other people’s bodies.”
Not a very good habit. His murmuring voice was clear, piercing my ears. Oh, you did well. Yes, you did very well.
But the person who feels wronged is me. I pleaded with him, looking pathetic.
“Please, could you give us some space?”
“Give you some space…?”
“Yes! How should I say this? I want to have a deep conversation about the work with the author…”
In short, I wanted him to leave us alone, but I phrased it carefully to avoid provoking him.
“No.”
“What?”
“I said no.”
However, he flatly refused my request. I stamped my foot in frustration. Armin Grey asked me, sounding annoyed.
“In the first place, wasn’t today’s meeting because you had a weakness?”
“But… the suggestion to meet the Duchess was yours.”
That’s right. I thought we were going to a farm, but it was his idea to meet the Duchess.
At my protest, Armin Grey nodded. Then he spoke.
“Since you’ve seen my mother’s face, let’s go to the farm.”
“What?”
I was speechless and stared at him in disbelief.
“Your story was quite interesting. Feeding hay to the horses and moving straw bales…”
I closed my eyes tightly, cutting off Armin Grey’s words. Oh, I must be crazy!
“Two times!”
“What?”
“Instead of leaving today, let’s increase the number of meetings to two. Okay?”
I remembered my brother’s advice to cut off contact with him, but I quickly added a condition. I’m sorry, brother. Even if I have to work on a farm for two days, I can’t miss this fan meeting.
But Armin Grey’s response did not come easily. I had to think for a moment. Was two times not enough? Should I offer a few more? Looking around, there seemed to be plenty of servants in the ducal household. Did he really need to make me do hard labor?
As I pondered how many more times I should offer, Armin Grey spoke.
“You …”
“Yes?”
“You find me uncomfortable, don’t you? So why…”
“Me? I find you uncomfortable?”
Oh, please! I waved my hand, acting as if I was greatly wronged. Then, I remembered the plan to act like a typical noblewoman who was interested in his status.
“Actually, I also want to meet you more often.”
“More often…?”
Bingo! It seemed to work. As soon as he heard that, Armin Grey’s face turned so red it looked like blood would burst from it.
I quickly nodded. I thought he must have hated it just by hearing it, so I sang a delightful song to myself.
People should always have a goal. Seeing the situation unfold as I wanted, I felt a sense of accomplishment. The lines from the romantic novel heroines flowed naturally from my mouth.
“Yes! That’s right. Actually, I’ve always been interested in you, Armin Grey.”
“Really?”
Though his tone was softer, it still had a hint of discomfort. I, acting like a woman eager to captivate him, continued my performance.
“Really. You have no idea how much I’ve been interested in you. Honestly, I was so excited when you came to pick me up today. My heart was pounding so hard in the carriage that I was worried you might hear it. Did you, by any chance?”
I was nervous, of course, but it was because I was going to meet the author.
Honestly, I didn’t expect someone as sharp as Armin Grey to fall for such a ridiculous lie. We had only met twice, and I had shown him some very strange behaviors. My acting skills, the epitome of feminine virtues, were at their peak.
“…I didn’t hear it, but… okay.”
Only after he was thoroughly annoyed did Armin Grey finally give his consent.
‘Indeed, he must be popular with the ladies. It’s incredibly annoying to be pursued like this.’
However, the sense of accomplishment from achieving my goal overshadowed any feelings of annoyance.
“Really? Thank you!”
I clapped my hands in joy. Seeing my delighted expression, Armin Grey looked somewhat taken aback, but I waved my hands cheerfully, feeling victorious.
“Then, see you next time, Young Duke.”
“Armin.”
“Huh?”
“Call me Armin, not Young Duke.”
“Huh?”
“Do you dislike it?”
Seeing his eyes narrow again, I quickly nodded. I couldn’t let the castle I had built crumble now.
“Of course not! This is an opportunity for me to call the name of the person I’ve been interested in all this time. Armin! How wonderful!”
“Me too.”
“Huh?”
“Can I call you by your name too?”
Wow, he really talks a lot. I felt anxious. Call me whatever you want!
But since the magical recording ring was still in his possession, I nodded as graciously as possible.
“Yes, of course.”
“Then.”
As I turned to leave, Armin spoke.
“Then, Vi…vian. See you next time.”
“Yes, Armin. See you next time! Goodbye!”
I waved cheerfully. Now that the unnecessary distraction was gone, all that remained for me was the exclusive fan meeting with the author, the Duchess herself!
