It hadn’t been long since the weather started feeling chilly, and yet, yesterday, snow had fallen.
Just as the sudden cold had arrived without warning, a shocking event had shaken high society.
“Sasha, I told you not to bring documents to the dining table.”
“Ah, mother, I’m sorry. I have to report this to the Duke by today.”
The event in question was the unexpected closeness between the House of Viscount Roha and the House of Duke Grey.
Ever since Sasha and Armin had resolved the landslide incident in the eastern region a few months ago, the Duke had openly shown his favoritism toward Sasha. Not only that, but this event had also led to various collaborations between the Duke’s family and the Roha Viscounty’s business ventures.
In other words, they had become something like partners in fate.
It wasn’t just my brother—lately, even my father had been meeting with the Duke frequently.
On top of that, the Duchess had been asking about my mother more often. She said she wanted to become close friends with her, but I couldn’t figure out why she had suddenly taken such an interest.
“You’re going to be busy again today, aren’t you?”
I looked at my brother with sympathy as he remained glued to his documents, even while eating.
I had always known that playing while others worked was the greatest pleasure in life, but seeing my twin sibling so buried in work made me appreciate my leisure even more.
“Hmm-hmm~ Playing is the best~ Friends, gather around~”
I hummed one of the most famous songs from my past life. It was a habit that naturally came out whenever I was in a good mood, something my family had long since gotten used to.
However, my song was abruptly interrupted.
“Vivi, you have to come along today too.”
“Huh? Me? Why…?”
I only ever went out when the Duchess called for me, when I was meeting Armin, or when I was heading to the bookstore with Michelle. Others might think I was the ultimate slacker, but for me, that was already three times my usual level of activity, so I considered myself quite busy.
“The Duke has summoned you.”
An unexpected answer.
The spoon in my hand froze mid-air. I stared at my brother in confusion.
I had absolutely no idea why the Duke would want to see me. Sasha, still focused on his documents, didn’t lift his head.
“Why does the Duke want to see me?”
“That’s something even I don’t know.”
With that, Sasha resumed reading his papers, refusing to say anything more.
“I don’t know why the Duke and Duchess have suddenly taken such an interest in our family.”
My father sighed deeply as he looked at my reluctant expression. He seemed worried that I might say something inappropriate in front of the Duke.
“Maybe it’s just because I’ve been spending time with Lord Armin? They’re probably just curious about their son’s friend.”
I casually mentioned it to my mother. What other reason could there be for the Duke to take an interest in me?
“Do you think Lord Armin will be there too?”
“Probably.”
“Hey! Vivi, I told you not to call the young duke by his name so carelessly.”
I pouted at my mother’s scolding. He was the one who suggested we call each other by our names first, so why was I the only one getting reprimanded all the time?
“I told you, if you call his name so freely, people will misunderstand.”
“No one’s going to misunderstand, Mom. You really don’t need to worry.”
“Even so, what’s inappropriate is still inappropriate.”
Her concern was so amusing that I couldn’t help but chuckle. What kind of misunderstanding could there possibly be?
“The lavender seed incident, the time we set the haystack on fire while playing with fireworks in broad daylight… What else?”
“The time you fell from the tree.”
“Right. When I stole Mom’s scarf, tied it around my neck, and shouted ‘I can fly!’ before falling.”
I waved my hand dismissively, as if the very idea was absurd.
Honestly, for the first few weeks after I met Armin, I had thought maybe—just maybe—there was something between us. A strange, pink-tinted atmosphere, like the kind people used to call “something more” in my past life. It wasn’t a word I ever associated with myself, but for a moment, I wondered.
But then, thanks to my dear brother—who seemed to enjoy using my dark history and bizarre antics as entertainment—any hint of romance was completely destroyed.
We were just friends, that was all. Armin Grey and Vivian Roha were nothing more than best friends of the opposite sex.
Grinning, I shot my brother a playful glare.
“If you hadn’t told all those stories, maybe people would have misunderstood.”
“I’m finished. I’ll be going now, Mother, Father.”
“Huh? Wait! I’m not done eating yet!”
Sasha had already finished his meal and stood up, while I hurriedly shoveled the rest of my soup into my mouth.
As I did, my brother muttered something under his breath—so softly that I could barely hear it.
“Do you even understand what it means for someone to want to stay by your side despite knowing all that, my clueless little sister?”
* * *
Even in the carriage on the way to the duke’s estate, my brother was buried in his documents, which I found unbearably dull and uninteresting. I threw a question at him out of boredom.
“Why don’t you nag me about finding a marriage partner anymore?”
“Would you even listen if I did?”
“No, but it’s still weird that you suddenly stopped. You used to complain all the time about how I never left the house, but now you don’t say a word.”
“That’s because you don’t stay home all the time anymore.”
“What are you talking about? I’m always home.”
“You go to the duke’s estate. You meet Armin.”
So was it just that he didn’t like me lazing around at home? At some point, Sasha had completely stopped nagging.
Closing his folder as if he’d read enough, he rubbed his tired eyes and said,
“And besides, there’s no need for that anymore. Actually, it wouldn’t be right.”
“What? You’re being cryptic again. Ah! And stop talking about me behind my back!”
“…It’s for your own good.”
“For my own good? How is this for my own good? Even the duchess knows about the fire incident! Why would my name even come up when you meet with the duke and Armin?”
I suddenly felt indignant and pressed him for answers, but Sasha only responded with something vague.
“Vivi.”
He lightly flicked my forehead with his curled finger. It didn’t hurt, just left me blinking in confusion.
Before I could question him, he flicked me harder this time.
“Ow!”
“This is what I’ve been doing.”
“What does that even mean?! Why are you hitting me? It hurts!”
“I need to see how much can be tolerated.”
Leaning back tiredly against the cushion, Sasha muttered,
“Or whether there was even a need to endure in the first place.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
After a while, we finally reached a familiar path. The small, well-kept flowers lining the road, the marble statues we passed countless times—all of it was a common sight now.
As expected, the estate’s attendants were already waiting in front of the carriage, greeting us with polite bows.
“Welcome, Lady Vivian, Lord Alessandro. The duke is expecting you.”
Whenever I visited, I was usually escorted upstairs to the duchess’s study. But today, our destination was different.
The duke’s first-floor study had a weighty mahogany door. As it swung open, the duke himself stood up from his seat with a broad smile.
“Oh! So you’re the young lady of House Roha. We finally meet.”
I blinked in confusion, not understanding why he was greeting me so warmly. Meanwhile, Sasha handed over his documents.
“Regarding the taxation in the eastern territories, I believe this arrangement would be most effective.”
“Ah, excellent. I knew I couldn’t just let a man like you idle around when you handle things so efficiently.”
Efficiently? Hardly. He even reads documents while eating these days.
Sasha nodded, looking a bit pale, but his eyes burned with determination. It was clear that he was seizing this opportunity and working tirelessly to prove himself.
“Then I will proceed as discussed.”
Standing beside him, I was about to gather my skirts and bow in farewell when the duke stopped me.
“No, you’re not leaving. I called you here because I have business with you, young lady.”
“What?”
“I heard from your brother.”
A foreboding feeling crept up my spine. What on earth had my brother been saying this time?
As I floundered, unsure where to direct my gaze, the duke pulled out an unexpected item.
“I heard you know a bit about card games?”
“C-Cards?”
The duke placed a deck of playing cards on the table with a slightly smug expression.
“Not to brag, but I enjoy playing from time to time. It’s one of my pastimes to occasionally challenge young folks to a game.”
“Ah, I see…”
“But your cheeky brother tells me that while I may be skilled, I might not quite match up to his younger sister.”
“Pardon?!”
I couldn’t hide my shock, my eyes darting around the room. Sure, I had occasionally swindled Sasha into playing when my allowance was running low, channeling my inner card shark. But no one outside my family had ever known about this.
A storm of calculations rushed through my mind. Should I pretend I don’t know how to play? Or would it be better to admit it? If I played, should I let him win?
Oddly, I never once considered the possibility of losing. Because, of course, I wouldn’t.
After all, I had spent a lifetime in a world where poker, go-stop, and various card games were just a click away. With a computer, or even just a smartphone, I could play countless rounds anytime, anywhere. I had even reached the top ranks in online games—what some called “God-tier.”
No matter how much Duke Grey had played, there was no way he had the sheer volume of experience I did. Internet card games allowed for hundreds of matches in a single day.
“Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you.”
Was I hesitating too long? Did I look scared to him? He reassured me with a confident smile, saying he’d take it easy on me.
I sighed internally.
‘Well, it’d be rude to refuse when an elder is inviting me like this.’
This was merely a performance—just a bit of entertainment to humor the duke. Nothing more, nothing less.
At least, that was what I had thought at first.
