RLPE Chapter 9

A prank is one thing, but this? Over the past week, I had endured relentless anxiety, to the point of vivid, technicolor nightmares every single night. And all of that torment amounted to nothing more than a prank?

Not knowing why he chose to reveal the author’s identity didn’t matter anymore. It was clear his intent was about as kind-hearted as a cat toying with a mouse. He must have simply grown bored of teasing me. That insufferable jerk.

I wanted to throw the book in a fit of anger! But then again, this was no ordinary book—it was a limited edition, complete with a handwritten note and the author’s seal. I couldn’t bring myself to treat it so carelessly.

Instead, I carefully closed the book and set it on the table as gently as if it were a priceless relic. Only then did I unleash my frustration like a child throwing a tantrum at the supermarket. I stomped and fumed so ferociously that even Sasha flinched.

“Are you… mad?” he asked cautiously.

“Mad? He toyed with me! I won’t let him get away with it!”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Armin Grey! That vile, insufferable excuse for a human being!”

I pounded a fist into my pillow to vent my anger. Sasha, visibly unsettled, began shifting uncomfortably. He knew better than anyone what I was like when I lost my temper—logical reasoning flew out the window.

“Calm down, Vivi. What are you planning to do? Don’t do anything rash…”

“Rash? What rash thing could I possibly do, huh? Is reading a book some kind of crime?”

“Books? What are you talking about now?”

“You don’t need to know!” I snapped. “I just need to figure out how to make sure the whole town knows he’s been thoroughly humiliated!”

My legs were trembling with fury.

“Hu—Humiliate him? Vivi, who are you planning to humiliate? It’s not… it’s not Armin Grey, is it? Please tell me that’s not what you’re thinking!”

Sasha grabbed my shoulders, shaking me as if that would snap me out of it.

“Sasha!”

“Why are you yelling at me now?!”

“Do you have any idea how many people these days are accused of being devil worshippers and end up dragged off to inquisitors?”

This shift in topic—books, humiliation, and now devil worshippers—was too much for Sasha to follow. He furrowed his brow in confusion but, knowing from experience that ignoring my questions would only escalate my tantrum, he quickly answered.

“None, obviously.”

“None?”

“Yeah, none. The inquisition was disbanded centuries ago.”

“What?!”

“The inquisition hasn’t existed for over a thousand years, Vivi. Honestly, were you asleep in history class?”

I had no idea. Why would I? Theology was never my thing, and I couldn’t care less about that kind of history.

To a 21st-century soul like me, any era involving fancy dresses all blurred together anyway. Add to that Armin Grey’s incredibly serious demeanor when he lied, and it was no wonder I believed him.

“Oh! Argh!! AAAARGH!!!”

Devil worship? Really? I had thought it odd, sure. Who even talks about devil worshippers in this day and age? But somehow, I let him convince me.

“Even Mom and Dad would think their parenting was a failure if they saw this…”

This wasn’t just a minor lapse in character. This was full-blown sociopathy, right? Threatening someone he barely knew with nonsense like that? Whatever education the Grey family provided to their heirs clearly resulted in a generation of psychopathic maniacs.

“Then… what was the point? Why did he put on that whole act about devil worship?”

“Wait. Armin Grey said something about devil worshippers to you?” Sasha looked shocked, but his question didn’t even register with me. My mind was a tangled mess of thoughts, racing and looping back on themselves.

What had he gained from lying?

He hadn’t even come to check on me or revel in my misery over the past week. So, he wasn’t just trying to scare me for his own amusement.

Then… what?

‘This book is mine now.’

Suddenly, an image of Armin Grey’s smug smile as he took the book flashed in my mind.

‘No way…’

I couldn’t believe it. Did he really do all that just to get his hands on that book? His own mother’s book?

No, that wasn’t it. If he really wanted his mother’s book, he wouldn’t have returned it like this, complete with a dedication and a letter.

The conclusion was clear.

“He’s just a jerk!”

Finally, my anger exploded. It’s one thing to be proud that your mom is an author. But his methods were all wrong! It’s like robbing a child of their pocket money at gunpoint.

Seeing me so irritated, Sasha forgot his original intent and started trying to calm me down. He looked worried that I might collapse from stress.

“Okay, okay, just calm down, alright?”

“Brother.”

“Yes, yes, Vivian. Talk to me. Yes? Tell me anything.”

“Go bring that guy here. I want to see his smug face and have a word with him.”

“Vivian… Vivian, that’s a bit…”

No matter how capable Sasha was, he couldn’t just summon the heir of Duke Grey at will.

“Aaah! I’m going to kill him! I’m seriously not going to let this go!”

I punched my favorite pillow repeatedly.

What? A face that shines from 10km away? The most handsome man in the empire? Tell them all to be quiet. He’s just an immature jerk with a terrible personality!

Finally, the pillow burst, and feathers flew everywhere like snowflakes.

That’s when it happened. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. The timing couldn’t have been worse.

Sasha quickly went to the door on my behalf.

“What is it?”

“Excuse me. A guest has come to see the young lady.”

Sasha asked the maid, “A guest? Who is it? There shouldn’t be anyone coming to see Vivian…”

The maid hesitantly replied, “It’s… Armin Grey.”

Sasha’s face paled. He looked back and forth between the maid and me, his expression filled with confusion.

That jerk came to see me at my house? He dared to invade my territory? My competitive spirit flared up.

“Tell him the young lady is not feeling well and cannot receive guests today,” Sasha quickly told the maid, but who asked him?

I loudly told the maid, “Tell him to wait a moment. I’ll get ready and come down.”

“Wh-what should I say?”

Confused by the conflicting orders from her two masters, the maid looked like she was about to cry. Sasha turned to me and said,

“Vivian! Just say you’re sick.”

“No. I’m not sick, so why should I say I am? I haven’t done anything wrong, so why should I hide? No. You go down and greet the guest. I’ll wash up and come down.”

I gritted my teeth. I didn’t know why I suddenly decided to face the truth, but the memory of him laughing at me in the room during the ball kept coming back to me.

Sasha sighed and left the room.

I quickly ran to the bathroom. There was no time to call the maids. They rushed in later, shocked, and helped me get ready, but it was already too late.

About an hour must have passed. As I was getting ready to receive the guest, Michelle spoke to me with a worried voice.

“Aren’t you making the guest wait too long, my lady?”

“He’s an uninvited guest. He’s the one being rude.”

“But still. The Grey family is a ducal house…”

“So what are you trying to say?”

Uncharacteristically sharp, my voice made Michelle put her hand on my shoulder and say,

“What I mean is, if you had the habit of washing regularly, the guest wouldn’t have to wait.”

“That just makes me even angrier. I had to wash up because of that jerk?”

“No, what I mean is…”

Michelle sighed deeply.

“Yes, indeed. He is truly a terrible guest.”

After all this effort, I wondered if Armin Grey had grown tired of waiting and left. I quickly asked one of the maids,

“Go downstairs and check if the guest is still there.”

“Yes, my lady.”

A moment later, the maid returned and nodded.

“The young master Grey is still waiting for you, my lady.”

“Is he?”

“Yes. Young Master Alessandro is keeping him company. He said to take your time preparing.”

Hmph! I scoffed. Who does he think he is, telling me to take my time?

Besides, I was in a hurry. I needed to get downstairs and give him a piece of my mind to feel better. What should I say? How should I make him pay to feel satisfied?

The fact that he was the heir to a dukedom no longer mattered to me. He had bothered someone who was minding their own business, so he needed to apologize to make me feel better.

The maids scolded me a few times as I tapped my fingernails and swung my legs, but I didn’t hear them.

As soon as my hair was finished, I rushed downstairs. It was rare for someone as lazy as me to run like this.

The startled maids tried to follow, but they couldn’t keep up with me as I dashed down the stairs.

Bang!

I practically kicked open the door to the drawing room. Before me were Sasha, looking exhausted, and Armin Grey, gracefully setting down his teacup.