The excited jury foreman concluded the presentation of evidence with a final dramatic reading—my love poem inspired by the “number song.”
“If I get anxious after not seeing you for just one second… how can I wait for three seconds? I love you. I love you.”
Please, just stop already… Just kill me instead.
“Do you feel my heart pounding like crazy when I see you? Please, save me—save my heart.”
With a wistful tone, the jury foreman folded the letter back to its original state and finished the reading.
“Even after ten years, I will love you forever—just like I do at this moment.”
Insane. Absolutely insane.
I was insane to write that. The judge was insane for letting it be read aloud. And the jury foreman was a once-in-a-century dramatic genius—also completely insane—for reading it with such deep emotion.
But the most insane person of all was that handsome man staring straight at me and smiling. Armin Grey!
The courtroom was silent. The reading of the number song* must’ve had too strong an impact.
[T/N: A “number song” in Korean pop culture typically refers to a playful or poetic composition that incorporates numbers into phrases or sentences. Each number often corresponds phonetically to part of a Korean word or phrase, especially romantic phrases. It’s often used to encode love confessions or emotional expressions in a clever, rhythmic way.”]
Like the rest of the stunned audience, the judge finally regained composure and struck the gavel.
“Now… we move on to the second issue. The defense argued that emotions, being intangible, cannot be used to determine the defendant’s chastity. Meanwhile, the plaintiff presented measurable evidence of such emotion to the jury.”
The judge turned to the foreman of the jury.
“I will allow a moment of deliberation. Jury, please reach a verdict regarding the chastity of the defendant, Vivian Roha.”
The jurors huddled together, whispering in hushed tones. Moments later, they returned to their seats with resolute expressions.
“Has your deliberation concluded?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“Then please share the jury’s verdict.”
It sounded like something straight out of a reality show finale. The foreman stood and addressed the room.
“Ah, only today have I realized how heavy this role truly is. This was indeed a difficult choice. However, the jury has reached a unanimous decision.”
He nodded solemnly.
“Regarding the chastity of the defendant, Vivian Roha, the jury unanimously finds a flaw.”
“Understood.”
“Thank you, Your Honor.”
“With that, we conclude today’s trial.”
Before the judge could even finish, Crown Prince Zeta, seated in the front row, stormed out of the courtroom. His furious stride made me anxious all over again, as if he might do something drastic at any moment.
Perhaps relieved by the Prince’s exit, the judge’s voice took on a lighter tone.
“This has been one of the most difficult trials I’ve ever presided over, but the jury’s unanimous verdict lifts some of the burden from my shoulders.”
He then turned to me.
“Vivian Roha, though you were honored with the selection as Crown Princess, you have now become the first in history to be publicly accused of lacking chastity during the official purity ceremony. As the defense rightly said, who among us hasn’t had a first love? However, the position of Crown Princess is a divine appointment. It seems that the highest title for a woman in the Empire was never meant for the defendant.”
And finally, the verdict was delivered.
“Therefore, this court hereby revokes Vivian Roha’s candidacy for Crown Princess.”
Bang bang.
The sound of the gavel echoed crisply through the courtroom.
* * *
As soon as the trial ended, I had to slip out through the back door of the courtroom. It wasn’t just the outcome of the trial—people were bombarding me with questions about the brutally honest love letter that had been submitted as evidence.
I barely managed to escape the crowd and rush home. As soon as I got there, I ran straight to Sasha.
“Sasha!”
“It’s over already?”
Of course. I should’ve known the moment he said he wouldn’t be attending a trial that could determine the course of my life.
I grabbed him by the collar and shook him hard.
“You knew it would turn out like this, didn’t you? Huh?”
“Obviously.”
Looking at me with that laid-back face, Sasha gave a mischievous smile.
“How does it feel to be the most famous woman in the Empire?”
“Fantastic! Just fantastic! How am I supposed to show my face in public now?!”
“Oh, don’t be so angry.”
Still smirking while being held by the collar, Sasha’s gaze shifted to something behind me.
“Isn’t that right, Lord Armin?”
I turned to follow Sasha’s gaze—and there he was: Armin.
In slow motion, I saw Armin spread his arms wide, like someone who already knew I would run into them. And without a moment’s hesitation, I rushed into his embrace.
“Armin!”
“There were too many people, so I was a little late.”
His neatly pressed clothes were completely wrinkled, likely from all the people grabbing at him.
“The reporters had a mountain of questions I had to answer.”
The way he asked if I’d waited long made it clear he’d been waiting far longer—and it brought tears to my eyes.
“Ugh, you two are too much. I’m getting goosebumps. If possible, I’d like you both to leave my room, thank you very much.”
Sasha said this as he gathered his books and darted out of the room.
“Don’t cry. I rushed here because I wanted to see you smiling.”
“I’m not crying… hiic…”
Turns out, I had a whole bundle of cuteness pre-installed in me that only came out in front of Armin. I was grateful Sasha had left the room—because even I was shocked at the nasally whimper that escaped me.
“Vivi, I never let go of what’s mine. Even if you’d be happier becoming Crown Princess—I wouldn’t let that happen.”
His soft whisper tickled my ear and sent shivers down my spine.
“Now that your heart-wrenching love letter has been read in front of everyone, there’s no turning back. In this life, you’re going to become the Duchess Grey.”
With a low chuckle, Armin tightened his arms around me—and I hugged him back even harder.
“Vivian Roha.”
“Hrk… What?”
Calling me by my full name, Armin released me from his embrace and dropped to one knee.
“Will you marry me?”
“Huh… huhuh…”
The sobs welled up in my throat, and I couldn’t get a word out.
I just nodded—again and again—until I felt dizzy.
* * *
The next day.
The front page of every newspaper was filled with reports of my trial. Some outlets even went so far as to print full replicas of my embarrassingly intimate love letter as a special feature.
Given what Armin had said about being late because of press interviews, I realized he hadn’t been lying. Most people were focused on the Grey family, who had defied the royal family to prove their love. But there were still a few who described my situation as having “fallen from grace.”
“Oh my goodness! Look at this,”
Michelle exclaimed as she read an article aloud in disbelief.
“The wings of House Roha, which once seemed ready to soar to the heavens thanks to Vivian Roha, have now been broken and can no longer take flight…” she read. “This is just ridiculous.”
“You’re telling me.”
“But forget that—look at this, my lady. These lines are absolutely priceless. I’m getting goosebumps just reading them!”
Michelle continued reading with interest.
“Did you hear? Apparently every copy of today’s paper sold out.”
“Ugh.”
“Honestly, you’re probably the most famous noblewoman in the entire country right now.”
After Armin left, Sasha came clean and explained everything to me.
“You were only ever considered as the Crown Princess candidate because no accessory matched the Imperial Family as well as you did.”
They always want the best of everything. And to escape the greed of such people, one needs a fatal counterblow.
“Think about it—an ill-fated Crown Prince, and a Crown Princess who received a divine revelation that helped him. It’s the perfect picture, isn’t it?”
Sasha formed a square frame with his fingers and held it up, as if he were trapping me in a painting.
“With this much attention, not even the Empress or the Crown Prince can force their way through anymore.”
And the Emperor would never permit it now anyway. The entire empire had witnessed a distant royal relative and the Duke’s heir competing over one woman. On top of that, the jury had openly acknowledged the relationship between Armin and me.
Sasha shrugged.
“Besides, tomorrow’s headlines will probably say that the House of Grey won love even if it meant defying the throne.”
Would the Imperial family really risk turning their backs on House Grey just to appoint a disgraced Lady Roha as Crown Princess? Or would they rather appear gracious by blessing two lovers who had defied the odds?
The answer was obvious without needing to see the papers.
“For my own ambitions, having my twin sister become Crown Princess would’ve been better. But can Prince Zeta really continue to obsess over you so blindly once he knows the real you?”
Maybe it was a rhetorical question, because Sasha shook his head right after.
“Better to bet on someone who already knows your entire act and fell for you anyway. That half-blind heir of the Grey family was the safer choice.”
Even though he spoke that way, I knew—without needing him to say it—that my brother had always wanted nothing more than for me to be happy.
I hugged Sasha tightly. He flinched slightly, but soon patted me gently on the back.
“You’ve been through a lot. Becoming a public figure doesn’t suit you.”
“Yeah… it’s been so exhausting.”
“It’s time to go back to being a homebody noble lady, dear sister.”
“Calling the future Duchess Grey a homebody noble lady? Isn’t that a bit harsh?”
“You’re not the duchess yet.”
Pfft.
We both burst out laughing.
For the first time in a long while, everything felt like it was finally falling back into place.
