My Ruin to You - Chapter 128

“Might I have it? I swear it’ll be the most pampered mouse in the Empire!”
“Ah… yes. If you wish to raise it, my lady.”
“Oh, wonderful! Wait right there—I’ll be down in a flash!”

Clapping her hands in delight, she spun away without even closing the window. The wind rattled the panes as Roseline stared blankly. Then her gaze shifted—and locked with Valen’s, still standing at the drawing-room window.

It wasn’t a misunderstanding.

Valen’s head was tilted slightly, as if he had witnessed every moment of the scene in the garden. He shrugged as though it were nothing—just as the Count’s daughter burst through the front door in a flurry of skirts, nearly snatching the squealing mouse from Edan’s hands.

“Thank you so much! Raising a squealing mouse has always been my dream!”

Squeak-squeak!

The previously silent mouse shrieked at full volume, but the young lady didn’t so much as blink. “Poor thing, it must be hungry,” she muttered shamelessly. Then, with sudden solemnity, she straightened as if making a vow.

“I’ll care for it as devotedly as I would a noble lady. You have my word.”
“Ah, there’s no need to go that far—”
“This is a precious gift from you, my lady. Of course I must treat it with the utmost care. Honestly, I’d even adopt it into my family if I could. Hohoho!”

Roseline wasn’t in the mood to laugh, but a disbelieving chuckle escaped her anyway. Even Edan, who never smiled, coughed into his hand and turned away—clearly stifling laughter.

“Roseline.”

The low voice from the doorway snapped her back to reality. The momentarily relaxed atmosphere froze over again, as if struck by a sudden frost. Forcing her stiff lips into a smile, Roseline stepped forward—toward the bringer of ruin, the architect of her suffering and despair.

‘You could turn the Empire to ashes, and it wouldn’t matter. As long as it pleases you.’

It wasn’t a comforting thought. It was a reminder: he could reduce the Empire to cinders just as easily.

The plague might have been an accident. But a meticulous man never wastes an opportunity, and the plague had become his tool. Countless had died for a single purpose. The cruelty of it made her shudder, but letting emotions take the lead wouldn’t solve anything.

“I gave the mouse to the young lady.”

Roseline recited the words flatly as she approached him. Valen glanced briefly at Edan and the Count’s daughter, still standing by the snowman before taking her hands indifferently.

“Your hands are frozen.”
“You didn’t buy me gloves.”
“My mistake.”

Rubbing her icy fingers between his own to share warmth, he suddenly laughed.

“You’re not a child. What were you doing playing in the snow?”

Though scolding, he blew warm breath over her reddened hands as if pitying her. Roseline watched in silence before withdrawing them and burrowing into his arms instead.

“I’m cold, Your Highness.”

For a moment, he stiffened in surprise—then swept her up into his arms and carried her inside. Thud, thud, thud. Feeling the rapid pulse of his heartbeat, Roseline’s eyes glinted coolly.

◇◇◇

It took three more days before they could leave the county, waiting until the roads – turned to mud by melted snow – had dried somewhat.

Until the very moment of departure, the Countess was nowhere to be seen. The Count who came to see them off tearfully called Roseline his family’s benefactor. The young lady, who had placed a squealing mouse tied with a black ribbon on her shoulder, had puffy, swollen eyes.

“When things improve, I’ll invite you to the capital, my lady. Let’s meet again.”
“Sniff, y-yes, travel s-safe, hic, please! P-please be careful…!”
“Enough crying! What kind of behavior is this to discomfort our departing guests!”

The young lady muffled her sobs with a handkerchief before being scolded by the Count. After exchanging farewells, Roseline boarded the carriage. Since they planned to head straight to the capital with only brief rests along the way without stopping at other territories, the carriage was designated for Roseline alone to spare the horses.

“Cast a barrier. Don’t forget to renew it periodically when it fades.”

Though she wondered if something like a barrier was really necessary just for riding in a carriage, Valen’s expression was so grave that she nodded. True to his word, every time they stopped to rest the horses, the first thing he checked was Roseline’s barrier. On the rare occasions she forgot to cast it, he would fix her with an icy stare and reprimand her.

“But why is the barrier necessary? This is a main road – we’re unlikely to encounter even bandits, let alone mountain thieves.”
“The road still isn’t smooth.”

It seemed meant as precaution against accidents, but it felt excessive. Their travel pace was indeed cautious and deliberate. After nearly two days of such journeying, they finally arrived before the capital’s gates.