NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8
It was unmistakably Arahan. The one who danced the first dance with me yesterday! It was definitely him. I should have recognized his voice as soon as I heard it. Fearing that Arahan might recognize me, I quickly pulled my hat down lower.
“…Huh?”
However, whether he had already recognized me or not, Arahan let out a sigh full of doubt as he looked at me. At times like this, if I acted as though I didn’t know anything, Arahan might think, “Did I see wrong?” So, I quickly tried to change the subject.
“Oh, right! The lady asked me to go get the clothes… I should head to the tailor shop!”
“….”
“….”
An awkward silence lingered for a few minutes. Unable to bear the long silence, I spoke up first.
“Um… I’ve already been caught, haven’t I?”
“Of course.”
“….”
“Sigh. What is that look?”
“Pardon?”
“Did you really think I wouldn’t recognize your face? Lady Arelcia.”
“….”
Hearing it so plainly stung a little. I thought I had disguised myself pretty well, but to be caught so easily… Maya, I’m sorry. It was discovered right away.
“You’re looking at me as if you’re wondering how I knew… There’s no way I wouldn’t know the only person in the Empire with silver eyes. And besides, we danced the first dance together.”
“…Ha. Haha, you really are impressive.”
“So why are you out in town dressed like that, with no escort? And getting slapped for a child, no less.”
“….”
“By your silence, I take it there’s some reason for it.”
He looked me over from head to toe, then shook his head and clicked his tongue. As I wondered if my outfit looked that strange, I caught a change in his expression and looked at him. Now that I think about it…
“…I didn’t smell citrus.”
“…”
Did he hear my muttering? Arahan cleared his throat and turned his head, looking into the air. Could it be that he deliberately didn’t spray it?
“I was planning to visit the lady’s mansion anyway. That’s why I didn’t spray it, so don’t misunderstand.”
“…I didn’t misunderstand, but since you’ve said that, I’ll let it be.”
“Anyway, that aside, do you have anything you want to say to me?”
“Like what?”
“…The contents of the newspaper. You didn’t read it, did you…?”
“Oh, the story of the notorious villain, Elizabet Arelcia, that was splashed all over the front page? It was quite something. Starting with the fact that you seduced the Duke and danced with him, and then threatening the Duchess while eyeing the Duke’s position—you really used him to your advantage.”
“…”
I bluntly stated the content of the newspaper, and Arahan, either embarrassed or flustered, turned red in the face. He put his hand on my shoulder and said, “You can stop now.”
“…I think it’s enough now.”
“Oh, really? I was debating whether or not to tell you the smaller details at the bottom, but it worked out well.”
“…I’m sorry. I didn’t expect things to escalate like this…”
“Well, it’s a common occurrence, so it’s fine.”
Perhaps my indifferent response made Arahan feel even more sorry, as he removed his hand from my shoulder and bowed his head, apologizing again.
“No, I’m truly sorry. I’m ashamed to face Marquis Vincent.”
Hmm, I admit that. Vincent Marquis. Anais Vincent is a notorious granddaughter spoiled by her grandfather. Therefore, whenever Elizabet committed wrongdoings, it was the Vincent family’s responsibility to take care of and clean up after them. What would Anais, whose love for her granddaughter is so great, think about the headline from the newspaper today?
“Actually, he stopped by this morning.”
“…Grandfather?”
“Yes. I can still vividly remember what he said.”
“What did he say?”
Arahan, recalling the incident, repeated Anais’s words exactly as she had spoken them.
“‘Is it you? The one who touched my granddaughter?’”
“……”
Ah, as expected from a grandfather who dotes on his granddaughter. Ugh, such words are so embarrassing.
“Ha… hahaha, my grandfather loves me so much… hahaha…”
‘Still, calling me “the one” in front of the only Duke in the Empire. Oh, Lord, why did you make me possess this kind of character?’
In truth, I had never really received proper love from a family, so Anais and Horn’s excessive affection felt awkward to me. If I had grown up receiving the love of a family, I would’ve been desperate to return to my original world as quickly as possible. Of course, whether I could return quickly is questionable, but there were moments when I might’ve ended up dead without realizing it due to the misdeeds I committed.
I hadn’t come out with any particular purpose, but since I was already out, I thought I might as well check out where Ozburn often visits to find out about the location of the tailor’s shop. However, since things had already gone wrong, I was planning to head back home, so I asked Arahan.
“…Hahaha, are you going back to the mansion now, Duke?”
“My schedule is finished, so I plan to make other arrangements.”
“…?? Other arrangements?”
“Yes, I’m thinking of taking a walk around the city with you.”
“Huh? Suddenly…?”
What do you mean by suddenly? How close are we for you to say that? My goal is to safely become the villainess and return to my original world as quickly as possible. I don’t want to get involved with you!! If I were to get involved, it should be with the Emperor!
“Oh my, I wonder if your eardrums were damaged from the slap earlier and you can’t hear well—let me say it again…”
“Oh, I just remembered I have other things to do!!”
“Are you rejecting me now?”
“…Well, since you’ve made full use of me, I ask for your understanding.”
“Hm, I see. If you’re fine with it, I was planning to visit the most famous dessert shop in the city.”
“……”
Elizabet loved desserts. And it was the same for me, even though I had possessed her body. The problem was I didn’t have money, so I couldn’t eat desserts!! Why are you trying to tempt me with desserts of all things!! I was initially planning to check out the tailor’s shop Ozburn frequents and explore the town more to familiarize myself with the area… but now…
“What a shame.”
And my body, which hadn’t eaten breakfast, couldn’t reject Arahan’s suggestion. It wasn’t because I was hungry, not at all. I was just using it as an excuse because my original purpose was to gather information about the dessert shop. Probably.
“…Next time, I won’t fall for desserts, I swear.”
“…Pfft, understood. I’ll make sure to remember. Now, let’s go.”
Arahan, extending his hand as if to escort me, was met with my refusal. Seeing his surprise, I gestured at my outfit, as if to say, “Look at what I’m wearing.” Understanding, he nodded and didn’t walk ahead of me but instead matched my pace.
“By the way, what brings you to the town?”
“I had something to do at the salon, and I happened to witness that scene earlier.”
I asked the question I had been wondering about since earlier. The answer was obvious. He was definitely there to buy a gift to send to Ozburn.
Although I had left the ball midway, I remembered. After finishing our first dance, Ozburn had headed toward the Emperor, who was now dancing with him.
Among the many people, the Emperor, Arahan, and Ozburn, the main character of this novel, shone brighter than anyone else. It wasn’t me, dressed in the most extravagant clothes and having the most eye-catching hair color. They shone the brightest, and that said it all.
As for me, I had to annoy Ozburn while sending unwanted advances to the Emperor to win his love, but Arahan was clearly supposed to protect Ozburn and fall in love with him. So, the reason he went to the salon was surely because of Ozburn.
“More importantly, is your cheek okay?”
“Ah, well…”
I almost blurted out, “I’m used to it,” but fortunately, I managed to keep it in. It probably wasn’t something Elizabet, who had been showered with love from her grandfather and father, was used to—being slapped.
“Then, Duke, who were you planning to give a gift to, going all the way to the salon?”
“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
“Pardon?”
No, if I already knew, I wouldn’t ask. Obviously, I’m asking because I don’t know.
“I clearly mentioned that I was planning to visit the Young Lady’s mansion.”
“Ah…? Didn’t you just need to see your father for something?”
When I asked innocently, Arahan sighed deeply, shook his head slightly, and then said something shocking.
“It’s for the Young Lady’s clothes. So, I was on my way to inform her.”
“…What? I think I heard that wrong.”
“Please don’t ask me to say it again. I’m embarrassed.”
Seeing Arahan turn his face slightly red to hide his embarrassment, I realized. Oh, this is a big mess. This is a huge mess. Mom, my one little sneeze has destroyed the original plot. What should I do?
Right, this must be a gesture of apology for the story that was heavily featured in the newspaper. In that case, it wouldn’t be so strange to receive clothes of that level, right?
“Still, I must ask, when you go to pick up the clothes, please come in that current outfit…”
“Are you worried about rumors?”
“…That too, but I also think it might make the headlines again.”
How considerate he is. It’s as if he’s determined not to cause any trouble behind us. If we get featured in the news this time, the paparazzi of this era will probably start investigating our relationship, getting all worked up trying to find a scoop, and rumors and fabricated scandals about me or Arahan would flood out like a waterfall.
As for me, I’m used to being called a villain, but Arahan isn’t. So, to avoid leaving even a single problem behind, it seems like he’s trying to keep everything clean for his own sake. It seems like his advice is to disguise myself and pick up the clothes in this state. As much as I want to get back at him for using me, I can’t afford to make things worse, so I decided to go along with his suggestion.