RLPE Chapter 48

They say life is unpredictable.

Who would have thought that my life, once dedicated to living like a background character, would change so drastically?

“Miss, here are your letters.”

Michelle brought a silver tray filled with over twenty letters.

As soon as I woke up today, I was greeted with a pile of them again. Most were invitations to various banquets and tea parties hosted by noble ladies.

“Haa…”

A deep sigh escaped me. Michelle, finding my reaction amusing, couldn’t hide her smile.

“Don’t sigh, Miss. You’ll get wrinkles on your face.”

“I’m only twenty-two. What wrinkles are you talking about? How many are there this time?”

“There’s a bit more over there.”

Feeling overwhelmed by the mountain of letters, I grumbled to Michelle.

“I feel like I should just get a stamp that says ‘I decline the invitation’ and be done with it.”

“Miss, this is the price of fame. Consider it a tax for all your achievements.”

Hearing Michelle’s words, I sighed again.

If this were truly a tax, I’d be the most exemplary taxpayer in the kingdom.

I skimmed through the letters with lifeless eyes, but none of the invitations tempted me. I was ready to send rejection letters to all of them, just like usual.

“Miss, you’re not planning to reject all of them, are you?”

“That’s exactly what I’m planning.”

“Shouldn’t you at least attend one event?”

“Why?”

“Because admiration and envy are only a thin line apart.”

Michelle shared the latest gossip from town.

“Rumors are already spreading about you, Miss.”

“Rumors?”

Her words snapped me out of my drowsiness.

“People are saying that ever since you became close to the heir of the Grey Duchy, you’ve become arrogant.”

I choked on the water I was drinking.

Arrogant? Me?

I looked at Michelle with eyes full of disbelief, and she nodded as if she completely understood.

“Of course, I defended you, Miss. But it seems the noble ladies who keep getting rejected are spreading all sorts of nonsense.”

“But I’ve always been like this. I avoided social gatherings even before… Why are they only complaining now?”

“Because, Miss,” Michelle said with a knowing smile, “fame comes with its price.”

Back then, I was invisible, so no one cared. But now, even the same actions are interpreted differently by others.

Another heavy sigh slipped out.

“So, Miss, why not attend at least one event?”

She winked, saying that even young master Sasha suggested the same thing.

It seems my family enjoys watching me engage in social activities, even if it’s against my will.

“I still don’t understand why they’re all trying to get close to me.”

“Miss, how can you not know?”

Michelle looked at me as if I were the densest person in the world.

“You’re the only noble lady who’s close to the young heir of the Grey Duchy. Not to mention, you’re the first lady in history to receive a medal of honor.”

She began listing off my achievements one by one on her fingers.

“On top of that, thanks to your business using newspapers, literacy among commoners has significantly improved. You know how much that changed society.”

“But I didn’t do it alone.”

“Even so, Miss. Who would’ve come up with that idea if not for you?”

Michelle’s eyes sparkled with pride as she spoke.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

I quickly skimmed through the pile of letters once more. Invitations from various noblewomen and tea party invitations from young ladies filled the stack. Amidst the countless familiar names, I finally picked out one letter.

“This one should be enough to handle everything at once.”

“Marchioness Rose’s tea party? An excellent choice, Miss.”

Michelle nodded approvingly.

Marchioness Rose was currently the most prominent figure in high society. Not only was she breathtakingly beautiful, but her lineage was also extraordinary. There were no noble ladies in the ducal families, nor in the royal family. So, the Marchioness was practically the lone shining star of the social world.

If it was her tea party, nearly everyone who held influence in high society would be present. Attending just this one event could silence the rumors and handle all the unnecessary social obligations at once.

“Alright, send my acceptance to the Marchioness.”

“Yes, Miss.”

After writing a polite acceptance letter and handing it to Michelle, I spent the next hour writing rejection letters to the rest of the invitations.

It felt like writing those old “chain letters” that claimed you’d be cursed if you didn’t pass them on.

* * *

Despite all the attention I was receiving, my daily life hadn’t changed much. I would visit the Duke and Duchess at the ducal estate, occasionally have tea and chat with Armin, and stop by the Poster Newspaper once a week for meetings. That was about it.

On this day, I visited the ducal estate again—not for any particular business, but simply to chat with the Duchess.

When I told her about the “fame tax” that Michelle had mentioned, the Duchess laughed heartily as if she’d heard the funniest thing in the world.

“That maid of yours is quite clever. She’s right. The tax of fame is expensive and something you must pay for a long time.”

The Duchess also confessed that she didn’t want to reveal her identity as the famous author “R.G.” just yet. Perhaps one day, but not now when all eyes were on her.

In the past, I wouldn’t have understood what she meant, but now I did. After all, she had lived her whole life as the Duke’s wife, the cousin of the Empress, and the center of high society.

Once the current serialized novel ended, the next work by “R.G.” would be published. Naturally, managing the collaboration between her and the Poster Newspaper had become my responsibility.

The Duchess looked at me fondly as I sighed about the endless flood of letters I received every morning.

“If you’re already tired from this much, you won’t survive what’s to come.”

“What do you mean?” I asked curiously.

“You’ll be receiving even more letters from now on.”

She then shared stories of the overwhelming number of letters she received during her early days of marriage to the Duke—nearly two to three times what I was getting now.

“On top of that, invitations from the Imperial Family can’t be refused, which makes things even more troublesome.”

I nodded sympathetically and said, “The woman who marries Armin will really have a hard time.”

At that moment, the Duchess froze as she reached for her teacup and stared at me.

“The woman who marries Armin?!”

Her intense reaction made me wonder if I’d said something wrong. I tilted my head in confusion.

“Well… I just thought he’d eventually get married, wouldn’t he?”

The Duchess furrowed her beautiful brow, as if something was troubling her.

“…Vivi, did you say you weren’t interested in marriage?”

The conversation suddenly shifted to me.

Marriage…

I thought for a moment before answering.

“Honestly, I never really had any strong opinions about it before.”

“But now?”

“After seeing my parents and watching how the Duke and, um… you, live, I think marriage might not be so bad.”

Both the Duke and my father were head-over-heels for their wives, after all.

Besides, discovering that the legendary Duchess Grey was actually my favorite author made me think that marriage could be quite wonderful if I found someone who truly understood me.

In the past, I thought marriage would feel suffocating, but… maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I met the right person.

The Duchess’s eyes sparkled at my words.

“Then, how about looking for someone nearby?”

“Nearby?”

“Yes. Your match might be closer than you think.”

I pondered her words for a moment before bursting into laughter. It was such a ridiculous thought.

“Lady Vivi?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was just thinking… The only ones nearby are Sasha and Armin.”

Tears welled up in my eyes from laughing too hard.

“Sasha is my twin brother, and Armin…”

“And Armin?”

The Duchess’s voice grew urgent. She seemed quite eager to hear my answer.

“Armin is out of the question.”

“Why not?!”

Goodness, that startled me. The Duchess suddenly raised her voice, causing me to widen my eyes in surprise. But she seemed just as flustered by her own outburst.

I explained, still feeling bewildered.

“Well… Isn’t it obvious? Armin is the heir to Duke Grey.”

“What does that have to do with anything? You’ve gotten along so well all this time!”

“That’s because we’re friends.”

I gave her a simple, clear answer.

“If I were to marry Armin, I’d have to become Duchess Grey. And honestly, I don’t want to become any more famous than I already am.”

There was a time when my heart fluttered a bit after I first met Armin. Even after realizing what a kind and sincere person he was, those feelings eventually faded.

Now, Armin was simply my closest friend. The shy and reserved heir of Duke Grey, who only felt comfortable around me. If I mistook his kindness for something more, I’d be the only fool in the end.

I know my place.

The fact that I have even gotten this close to the people of the ducal family was already beyond my status.

The Duchess looked utterly heartbroken. Feeling guilty for hurting her, I quickly tried to comfort her.

“Armin is handsome and popular. He’ll surely find a wonderful wife. Hopefully, someone who understands our friendship.”

“Friendship… Friendship, you say…”

“Once Armin is married, I probably won’t be able to visit the Duke’s estate as often. Oh! But if I become friends with Armin’s wife, I can still come by! I’ll get to see you, the Duke, Armin, and his wife. Perfect!”

Despite my brilliant solution, the Duchess’s expression remained heavy.

“…Sigh.”

“Is something wrong, Mother?”

“…No, nothing.”

‘How could this be your fault?’ The Duchess responded with a defeated sigh, her face filled with sorrow.

“It’s all because I raised such a useless son.”

“Useless? What are you saying? There are so many young ladies who adore Armin.”

“…Sigh…”

The Duchess let out an even deeper sigh.