“Announcing the arrival of the Viscount Roha’s son and daughter!”
I entered the ballroom holding my brother’s hand. The brightly lit, lavish ballroom was a spectacle to behold. As soon as we entered, people began to flock towards Sasha.
“It’s been a while, Lord Roha,” said some young ladies, blushing.
“Alessandro! Why are you only arriving now?” asked his friends, acting overly familiar.
Sasha tried to stay by my side, but being popular always comes with its challenges. Before I knew it, he was swept away by the crowd, and the distance between us grew. I waved brightly at him.
‘Great. Now it’s time for me to make my exit.’
Just as I was about to turn around, I bumped into a man standing right behind me.
“Oh! Are you alright, Lady Roha?”
“Yes, I’m fine…”
Inwardly, I cursed him for standing in such an inconvenient spot, but outwardly, I acted like a shy young lady, nodding demurely and lowering my eyes.
The man I had bumped into was the eldest son of Count Jericho. He often tried to bump into me or strike up a conversation, which made me uncomfortable. I didn’t know what he wanted, but his snake-like eyes always seemed to be scanning my body, making me feel dirty every time we met. I glanced at Sasha, but he was too busy with the crowd to notice me.
“Are you looking for your brother? Shall I take you to him?”
As if I were a five-year-old. The Count’s son was so full of himself, and it was truly disgusting to watch.
“No, thank you. I’m fine. Your fiancée must be worried with you being so overly kind.”
I had heard rumors a few days ago about him having a big fight with his fiancée, Lady Core. Mentioning this made the Count’s son blush deeply.
“I cannot agree with the notion that kindness can be excessive. But if you feel uncomfortable, then so be it.”
He tried to act calm, but it was pitiful, considering the rumors that his engagement to the Core family was almost called off.
“Yes, I’ll just take your good intentions. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m busy.”
His gaze blatantly lingered on my chest area, sending shivers down my spine, but I acted nonchalant and turned away. Without evidence, there was nothing I could do to teach that scoundrel a lesson.
My mood soured, but I tried to focus on the book hidden in my dress to improve my spirits.
A moment later, I slipped away into the hallway while Sasha was busy talking with his friends. Skipping out was my specialty. From experience, I knew that the rooms close to the ballroom were often occupied by couples seeking private moments, so they weren’t the best choice. Therefore, I walked down the seemingly endless hallway until I found a suitable room far from the crowd.
Creak.
As I opened the door, I found a cozy-looking sofa and a fire burning in the fireplace, as if someone had been there just moments ago. It was the perfect room for me. The warm air pleasantly thawed my body, which had grown slightly cold.
“Great, great, great,” I hummed, finally getting the alone time I had been waiting for. I removed the brooch from my shawl and sang happily.
Humming while speaking was a habit from my past life. Actually, it was more of a universal habit among Korean adults.
“Ahem. Don’t feel sorry for your brother~ A shut-in* doesn’t need a husband, you see~ Ahem. Shall we take out the book? Shall we read it all at once?”
[*T/N: Instead of the usual word for shut-in, the author uses a play on words that combines “방구석”, which means “corner of a room,” and “여포”, which is the Korean name for Lu Bu, a famous warrior known for his fierceness and formidable combat skills. She uses it as a comparison to show she’s only fierce when she’s in the corner of a room.]
I wrapped my legs in the shawl and lay down sideways on the sofa.
“This is heaven. Indeed.”
Giggling, I pulled the book out from between my breasts, tucked into my off-shoulder dress.
“Ahem. The author’s new work! Isn’t it wonderful? Isn’t it exciting?”
Chuckling, I dusted off the cover of the book.
“Let’s read <The Demon Duke Is Obsessed With Me> now. Hehe!”
Indulging in my habit of humming, which Sasha hates the most, I opened the book cover. And then I dove straight into the book. It was a novel I had bought and left on the bookshelf, saving it specifically for today.
I turned each page preciously. The writing was so good! I was so immersed that I forgot whether I was at home or in the palace. The vivid descriptions made me swallow hard as I turned to the next page.
When I finished reading the last page, I surrendered to the wave of emotion.
I didn’t know how much time had passed, but the firewood in the fireplace had almost burned out, and the heat had diminished. As I stood up to put more firewood in the fireplace, I heard a strange chuckling sound coming from somewhere. The door was closed, though.
Thinking it might be a ghost, a chill ran down my spine, and I screamed.
“What! What is it! Who’s there?”
But all I could hear was the strange laughter, and I couldn’t see anyone.
I quickly wrapped the shawl around my shoulders and pressed myself against the wall. I was ready to bolt out the door if needed.
I cautiously moved towards the door and checked the room again. Only then did I notice the room’s layout, which I had failed to see when I first entered. Unlike my initial assumption that the room was a typical rectangular shape, it had an L-shaped structure with additional space inside.
‘I’m… doomed.’
The laughter was coming from that area. It seemed that the room already had an occupant before I entered.
My face flushed with embarrassment. This was the first time anyone had seen me in such a vulnerable and unguarded state.
The chuckling had stopped. I slowly approached the sofa.
‘Calm down. If I can escape before that person sees me, I’ll be fine.’
There’s an old saying that even if you’re dragged into a tiger’s den, you can survive if you keep your wits about you. I tried to stay calm and planned my escape route.
Step 1: Quickly gather the book and shawl.
Step 2: Quietly but swiftly run to the door.
Step 3: Go to the garden or somewhere to fix my clothes, then return to the ballroom.
The plan was perfect, except for the book that fell with a thud as I pulled the shawl.
In the now-silent room, the noise seemed excessively loud. I revised my plan.
Step 0: Gather my belongings and flee.
The sound of my hurried movements must have reached the inner part of the room. Pursued by the sound, I grabbed the shawl and the book and ran towards the door.
Just as I was about to reach the door, I saw the doorknob turning in slow motion. Standing in front of me was the scoundrel son of Count Jericho.
Unable to slow down, I collided with him. Startled by my sudden appearance, the Count’s son didn’t fall but managed to stay on his feet.
“Lady Roha…?”
“Shh!”
I politely gestured for Jericho to be quiet, not knowing who was in the room. Understanding my signal, his voice calling my name grew softer, likely inaudible to whoever was deeper in the room.
I tried to escape quickly, but Jericho didn’t let me go easily. He looked down at me and started laughing lewdly.
“Well, well. I didn’t know such a bold dress was hiding under that shawl.”
Startled, I quickly covered my shoulders with the shawl. Jericho seemed to think I was fleeing from a secret rendezvous with someone. His words confirmed my previous impressions of him.
“If I had known, I would have taken a number.”
“What are you talking about? Please move aside!”
“An unengaged lady being so bold in her affections.”
Talking too much in this situation was dangerous. I tried to remove his hand with a smile, but Jericho wouldn’t let go of my arm.
“Let go of me. Your fiancée might misunderstand if she sees us.”
“My fiancée is in the ballroom, so you don’t need to worry.”
His creepy gaze made me sick. I avoided his eyes and spoke more firmly.
“Let go of me.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Let go of me!”
Did he think we could both act cheaply together? Did he think he could treat me any way he wanted just because he was from a count’s family and I was from a viscount’s?
I was furious, but mindful of the person in the room, I lowered my voice. However, seeing this, Jericho became even more emboldened. He probably thought I was involved in some scandalous act and wasn’t in a position to be righteous.
“Is there still someone in that room? It seems to be someone you want to keep a secret. Fine. I’ll keep it a secret, so you and I—”
You and I what?
I was so shocked and angry that my head spun. My family treated me like a precious jewel, and I had never been treated so disrespectfully before.
Should I just scream? I hesitated for a moment. If it weren’t for the man in the room, I wouldn’t have held back. No, I definitely wouldn’t have held back.
The saying “If you stay still, you’ll be treated like a doormat” is a timeless truth. I couldn’t let Jericho, who was treating me so disrespectfully, get away with it. I trembled with anger, ready to strike back.
‘Should I do it? Or not?’
Just as I was about to explode with anger, an unexpected figure intervened.
“Let go of her hand.”
The voice came from inside the room.
Jericho, with a smug expression, looked towards the back of the room. Whether he was planning to mock the person he thought I had been involved with, or if he thought they were of a similar kind, I couldn’t tell.
What I knew for sure was that the color drained from Jericho’s face when he saw who was behind me.
