“I pay my respects to the Young Duke.”
Armin’s expression was blank as he looked at the slim man with a topknot.
But the man with the topknot—André, that is—was not the kind to be hurt by Armin’s cold attitude. He looked at Armin, then at me, then back to Armin again, a glint of amusement in his eyes.
“Well, well. It hasn’t even been that long since we last met, and already something this interesting…”
“You’re telling me. Haha.”
Announcing our relationship to my childhood friend André was embarrassingly awkward. After all, we’d known each other since we were kids, raising all sorts of trouble together regardless of gender.
André, who had gone off to hotter regions to represent his merchant guild, had returned. Coming straight to our house upon his return had long been a customary gesture between his family and ours.
It was by sheer coincidence that I ran into André just as I was about to head out with Armin.
“What took you so long this time?”
“Well, the location was far, sure, but the negotiations also dragged on a bit.”
“Yeah?”
As far as I knew, André had gone down to the southwestern coast after hearing news about successful pearl cultivation.
“Natural pearls are treasured for how expensive they are, of course. But because they’re natural, they often aren’t perfectly round, depending on the shape of the core irritant.”
That made sense. I nodded, and André pulled a box from inside his coat.
“What’s that?”
“Open it and see.”
The box, made of black satin, was clearly the kind that typically held a ring. While André looked at me proudly, Armin’s expression twisted into one of clear displeasure.
“Well, it’s obviously a pearl ring.”
“I wonder if you’ll still sound that unimpressed after seeing it.”
I giggled and opened the box.
And just like André had implied, I couldn’t help but let out a small gasp of admiration.
“Wow! This is…”
“Gorgeous, right? It’s the highest grade they had at the farm.”
The craftsmanship was exquisite, even knowing it had been made by inserting a spherical irritant into a large oyster.
Without hesitation, I slipped the ring onto my finger.
“Is this for me?”
I was about to ask what had gotten into him to make him do something so sweet—but before I could, Armin’s expression crumpled completely.
Just before Armin, striding toward us with heavy steps, reached close enough, André’s exasperated voice rang out first.
“As if I’d actually give that to her. If you’re done admiring it, please return it.”
“Oh, come on.”
“There’s no way I’d give something like this to a young lady who’s already in a relationship. Besides, it already has an owner.”
“What? It’s already sold?”
“No, not quite.”
“Then?”
“I need a bribe that’s nice to be forgiven for a major screw-up.”
“Seriously? What did you mess up this time? But Armin, why’d you suddenly get up? Was it too hot by the window?”
I asked Armin, who had now come up beside me. His face, flushed red and then pale, was a far cry from his usual calm self.
Looking at Armin, André casually tossed out a comment.
“In any case, I’m relieved, milady.”
“What do you mean?”
“Wasn’t it around this time last year? The reason I tagged along for that deal was because of you.”
“Huh?”
That was news to me. I frowned, trying to recall, but André answered before I could piece it together.
“Don’t you remember? The viscount and your father said that if neither of us found a match in the future, they’d marry us off to each other.”
“That was just a joke, wasn’t it?”
Turns out the conversation had been more serious than I thought, and I was left speechless. No wonder Sasha had dropped hints about it.
André nodded solemnly.
“Yep. So how could I not run away? Think about it. I’ve seen you in your wildest days. How could I possibly develop romantic feelings for you?”
“Hey, that goes both ways, you know!”
“Whew. I’m really relieved.”
His exaggerated sigh of relief made me grit my teeth. I turned to Armin.
“Armin! Say something to him!”
“Young Duke, I’ll be counting on you to continue your care for our young lady.”
Even Armin seemed a little stunned by André’s completely unabashed tone. He probably wasn’t used to any commoner acting this way around him.
“And just in case you were wondering, though I doubt it, my type is pretty far from the young lady. I like sharp, quick-witted people. But the young lady is, well… You know how she is.”
In other words, he was saying I was clueless and kind of slow. Total roast.
“Shall I take this chance to share some stories about the young lady from when she was little? I’ve always thought, ever since way back, that if she ever got a lover, I’d be sure to reveal the truth about her.”
The joy of seeing André again after so long shattered completely under his mischievous tone.
“What should I start with, milady? Have I ever told you about the lavender seed incident?”
“That was…”
Just then, Armin—who had been silent up until now—spoke curtly.
“She’s already told me. I don’t think there’s anything I need to hear from you.”
“Oh! So she told you herself. Then what about the skipping stone incident? Did she mention that one?”
André rubbed his fingers together as he looked up at Armin—his habitual gesture whenever he was about to talk about something entertaining.
Skipping stone incident? The name alone dredged up a flood of chaotic childhood memories I’d rather leave buried. I quickly stepped between André and Armin.
“André? Didn’t you say you were busy? The pearl ring was lovely—right? So, shouldn’t you be getting back to the merchant guild?”
Despite my clear dismissal, André made no move to get up. Instead, Armin—who had looked visibly annoyed earlier—now looked intrigued. He crossed his arms, sitting down in the spot I had just left, and raised an eyebrow.
“If you’re going to talk, then let’s hear it.”
“Hmm, let’s see. That would’ve been about… 8 years ago? No, maybe 9? Milady, when was that again?”
André turned to me with a sly grin, and I clenched my teeth, shooting him a warning look.
“Stahp it nnn gett up alrready.”
[*T/N: Author misspelled it on purpose]
“You’re telling me to stop and get up already?”
Honestly, was there any other commoner in the empire who would act this cheeky in front of the heir to Duke Grey? I was torn between grabbing André by the collar or letting him dig his own grave with Armin. But just as things were about to spiral—
Knock knock. A knock at the door, followed by Michelle’s voice.
“Young lady, the tea is ready. I’ll come in now.”
“Oh—yeah, okay.”
We’d gotten all dressed up for an early outing, but ended up stuck at home longer than expected thanks to André dropping by unannounced. Michelle must’ve prepared tea while waiting. Though she still found Armin a bit intimidating, they’d seen each other often enough that she had grown comfortable around him. But today, she seemed… off. She kept her eyes low, silently setting down the tea and snacks, and turned right around to leave.
The vibe was completely different from her usual self.
“…Why does she seem so mad?”
I murmured to myself, and André flinched—hard.
“She’s… mad?”
“Yeah. Michelle only lowers her eyes like that and stays quiet when she’s really upset.”
“R-Really? Maybe you misunderstood…”
“No, it’s weird. I’ve barely ever seen her like that. Only once maybe—like the day her savings were stolen by that apprentice maid who ran off. It’s that level of scary.”
“Uh, um, milady, and young lord… I just remembered something urgent I need to take care of. I’m so sorry, but I’ll have to excuse myself now.”
Just moments ago, André had been all relaxed and easygoing, but now he scrambled to his feet in a panic.
“Huh? Wait, you’re just leaving like that?”
I blinked, completely baffled by his sudden rush to leave. Without another word, André practically bolted out of the room.
“I have no idea what got into him,” I said, shrugging in exasperation at my friend’s ridiculous behavior. At least I could be thankful that whatever urgent matter had come up, it had stopped him from sharing more of my embarrassing childhood stories with Armin.
“You really don’t know why he ran off like that?”
Armin, now wearing his usual calm and composed expression again, asked me with a faint smirk. I shook my head—I had no clue. Seeing my confusion, Armin let out a soft laugh.
“Armin, what are you thinking about that’s making you laugh like that?”
Instead of answering directly, Armin threw out a completely unrelated question.
“That merchant heir.”
“You mean André?”
“He said his ideal type was a sharp, quick-witted woman, didn’t he?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I just realized—Vivian Roha is the complete opposite of his type.”
“Hey! Are you trying to say I’m the opposite of quick-witted?”
“You sure catch on quick when it’s about yourself.”
With that, Armin reached out and pulled at my cheek. Apparently amused by how squishy it was, he grabbed both sides and started stretching them in and out playfully.
“Ow! What are you doing?!”
“Wearing another guy’s ring in front of me, really?”
“Another guy… You mean André?!”
That was ridiculous.
“André doesn’t count as a ‘guy’.”
“Then what is he? A woman?”
“He’s neither a woman nor a man. André is just… a person. That’s all he is to me.”
“Vivian Roha.”
Whenever Armin called me by my full name, it always made me nervous. It reminded me of the day he confessed.
As I averted my gaze from Armin’s warm, affectionate eyes, he let out a quiet laugh that rang sweetly in the air.
“Keep your ring finger free. That spot’s reserved for me.”
