RLPE Chapter 6

The change in Jericho was so drastic that it even made me, who couldn’t see behind me, frightened.

“I’ll count to three. Disappear from my sight before then.”

The arrogant tone and mocking laughter painted a vivid image of a haughty expression, even without seeing it. Jericho quickly released his tight grip on my arm and hurriedly stood up.

“I-I apologize!”

Who on earth could make him act like that? Seeing him scamper away only made my breath catch even more.

I heard footsteps approaching. The man walked right up behind me, his presence palpable. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it would leap out of my chest. I kept repeating to myself:

‘Calm down. Calm down. Even if you’re dragged into a tiger’s den, if you keep your wits about you…’

But what good is keeping your wits about you if you end up as dinner!

“How long are you going to sit there like that?”

A voice behind me struggled to suppress laughter. I squeezed my eyes shut.

Regardless, he had helped me out of Jericho’s grasp. I desperately tried to convince myself that he couldn’t be completely terrible.

With trembling limbs, I carefully stood up. A shawl was draped over my shoulders—the same one that had fallen during my struggle with Jericho. The warmth on my previously bare shoulders was comforting.

“Th-thank y—”

I turned to thank the man behind me. After all, things had turned out well, so maybe I could explain the situation properly.

However, I couldn’t finish my sentence. The appearance of the man in front of me left me speechless.

‘Silver hair and purple eyes. A handsome man recognizable from 10km away.’

The man had platinum blond hair, not silver, but I recognized him instantly. He was Armin Grey.

Sasha’s voice echoed in my head, warning me never to cross paths with him. My mouth must have been hanging open in shock because the man’s expression was peculiar.

“Do you need help closing your mouth, Lady Roha?”

I couldn’t see my reflection, but I was sure my face had turned pale. I was even more shocked that he knew my identity.

“You… know me? I, I mean… this isn’t right.”

In my panic, I had admitted my identity. I frowned, and Armin Grey’s smile deepened.

“Did you think you could deceive me?”

“No! It’s just that I’m surprised that you know me, Lord Grey…”

Armin Grey’s purple eyes narrowed slightly, and he chuckled. My mind raced. He didn’t seem angry.

“Most central nobles know each other. Especially those with unique features like yours.”

“M-me?”

“The brown hair of the Roha family is quite distinctive.”

That’s true. Among commoners, brown hair is ordinary, but among central nobles, it’s rare.

But no matter how unique my hair color was, it was just brown hair. In other words, I could never be the main character, at best a supporting role.

I remained tense, finding it suspicious that he knew me. I observed Armin Grey closely, maintaining my composure until he picked up my book from the floor.

“Is this the book you were so excited about?”

“Uh… Ahh!!!”

In a panic over my secret hobby being exposed, I snatched the book from Armin Grey’s hand. I acted quickly, but he had already seen the title.

“<The Demon Duke Is Obsessed With Me>, huh. So, there really are people who buy and read such books.”

With a bright smile, Armin closed the door.

The sound of the door closing felt like a death sentence, sending a chill down my spine.

“Now, my Lady, shall we have a little chat?”

* * *

In the closed room, I stole a glance at the man sitting across from me. Armin Grey had been reading my book for what felt like hours. Watching him made me feel exposed, my face flushing with embarrassment. I wanted to be nonchalant about my reading habits, but the problem was that the male lead in <The Demon Duke is Obsessed with Me> looked strikingly similar to Armin Grey.

His expression as he read was inscrutable. I couldn’t help but fidget, reminded of a similar situation from my past life—getting scolded by the student council for reading manga.

“This book,” he said.

“Yes?”

“Was it really so enjoyable that you had to sing about it?”

Armin Grey’s words made me choke. As expected, he had heard everything I did from start to finish.

“What was it you said? Something about a shut-in?”

No one in this world would know about the <Romance of the Three Kingdoms>* or the name of the reckless warrior Lu Bu. I shook my head, trying to put on the most servile smile I could muster.

[*T/N: Real story set near the end of the Han Dynasty]

“It was just a monologue. A monologue! Ahaha. By the way, Lord Grey?”

His expression seemed to invite me to speak. I swallowed hard and awkwardly looked at the door.

“My brother might be looking for me, so I should go back now…”

Even to my ears, it sounded like a flimsy excuse, but I stuck to it.

“Lady Roha.”

“Yes?”

“A few days ago, I heard an interesting story.”

I really didn’t want to hear it. It was bound to be anything but amusing. However, I couldn’t honestly express my feelings, so I just nodded.

“What interesting story?” I asked, trying to sound curious. “Ohoho. I’m so curious. So, if I listen to that, can I…?”

“Have you ever heard of demon worshippers?”

Suddenly, demon worshippers?

The unexpected question caught me off guard. What was he talking about?

“Demons? Like in fairy tales?”

“No. Demon-worshipping heretics actually exist.”

As if there were real demons in the world. Even if there were people who worshipped demons, I certainly wasn’t one of them. But perhaps Armin Grey, despite his appearance, believed in spiritual entities.

I nodded along, treating him like a child who believed in Santa Claus. I didn’t want to offend Armin Grey, who didn’t seem to have a pleasant personality.

“I see. Wow! Demons, huh. That’s really interesting. Fascinating story! So, can I go now…?”

“From what I’ve heard,” he continued, his smile indicating that the story wasn’t over. His face was so captivating it was almost otherworldly. For a moment, I was nearly entranced.

Having grown accustomed to Sasha’s good looks, I now saw most handsome men as merely ordinary. But even to me, Armin Grey’s appearance was exceptionally striking.

However, the way his eyes curved into a crescent moon as he looked at me was terrifying. I clutched my pounding heart and watched his every move.

“From what I’ve heard, demon worshippers converse with demons. So, they often mutter incomprehensible things to others,” he said.

“Oh, really? They mutter to themselves? That’s… Wait, what?!”

“Moreover, they chant strange spells like songs.”

His smiling face stared intently at me. Only then did I realize that Armin Grey was not some naive believer in demons or Santa Claus.

“It is the duty of a central noble to report heretics to the inquisitors.”

“W-wait a minute! Heretics? What do you mean, heretics?!”

I desperately waved my hands and began to defend myself vigorously.

“The singing is just a habit of mine. The muttering was because I thought no one was around and I was excited…! I-I’m sorry!”

Inquisitors?! Such things existed in this world too? Shocked by the term I’d only seen in world history textbooks, I hurriedly began to explain myself.

“Just because I read a novel and sang a bit, you think I’m a demon worshipper? That’s ridiculous!”

Even as I said this, I felt a bit uneasy. No matter how ridiculous the accusation, if the accuser was the Duke of Grey, the daughter of Viscount Roha could be quietly labeled a demon worshipper without anyone knowing.

Seemingly pleased with my eager defense, Armin Grey rested his chin on the table and stared at me.

“Is that so?”

“Yes!”

I nodded vigorously. But Armin Grey annoyingly tapped the book and said,

“But not everything is explained. That word you used, ‘shut-in’ something. I’ve never heard that term before. Can you explain that?”

His eyes seemed to say, ‘If you can’t, you’re a heretic.’

I shivered. What kind of person was he? Sasha was right; I should never have gotten close to him.

‘This guy is really weird!’

But I smiled and nodded eagerly. I was only twenty-one, a comfortable carefree life ahead of me, with so much left to do. I couldn’t die like this, not after being unfilial to my parents all the time.

“That thing is…”

“Yes?”

“‘Shut-in’ is… um… a word I made up! It’s definitely not some demonic spell or anything!”

“What does it mean?”

My mind raced. If I didn’t answer quickly, he would surely suspect something. So, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Uh, ‘Shut-in’ means… it’s like, ‘There’s a popori here’, Something like that.”

Popori. It was an animal similar to a squirrel living in this world. A little animal that is popular because it looks cute.

Armin Grey’s eyes narrowed, his expression strange and amused. But I nodded vigorously, asserting my innocence.

He asked in a strange voice, “So, you’re comparing yourself to a popori?”

“Yes! That’s it. In the corner, I’m a popori… or something like that.”

Suddenly, a noise made me look at Armin Grey. He could no longer hold back his laughter and was laughing like a madman.