My Ruin to You - Chapter 145

“Oh my, isn’t he coming for the Young Lady?”

Ruav, who served ably as Malsen’s right-hand man, made a fuss. Malsen also didn’t hide her subtle anticipation, the corners of her mouth twitching.

Please, let it be so.

Coincidentally standing near them, Roseline desperately wished for that crazy man to choose Malsen and burrowed behind the well-built Awakener standing in front of her as if trying to hide. Valen’s gaze landed exactly there.

The Awakener who met his gaze had no idea Roseline was hiding behind him and widened his eyes in surprise. When Valen lightly wiggled a finger as if telling him to move aside, the Awakener, looking around confusedly, took a step to the side. Instantly, with her cover gone, Roseline’s heart hammered wildly as if trying to leap out of her chest.

“Well, well.”

The Emperor, leaning back languidly on his ornate throne, looked down at Roseline with a deeply amused gaze. Roseline felt utterly mortified. She disliked it so much that even her magical power rippled. Lady Schnitzel, standing next to her, even asked if something was wrong. Thump-thump. The sound of her fierce pulse throbbed in her ears, and cold sweat seeped out.

It can’t be, it won’t be.

Telling herself this firmly, she raised her head very slowly, only to immediately meet his eyes, as if he had been waiting. How to describe it. His posture and expression were infinitely relaxed, yet the gaze pouring down was exactly like a predator that had spotted its prey.

“Young Lady!”

And at that moment, unable to withstand the overwhelming pressure, Roseline fainted.

◇◇◇

Around the time the dim light of dawn tinged the bedroom purple, Roseline woke up. Her eyes snapping open, Roseline scrambled up as if being chased by something and frantically looked around.

“…This can’t be.”

The overly ornate furniture and structure of the room were familiar. Whether it should be called her past life or simply the past, this was precisely the room she had woken up in the day after first meeting Valen.

Which meant this was the Imperial Palace. Although the course of events last night was clearly different from the past, the situation of losing consciousness and waking up in the Imperial Palace the next day was the same, making her feel like she could go insane and jump around.

Wait a minute. What if this is actually the dream, and I was just moved here from the prison?

Gripped by an ominous suspicion, Roseline threw off the covers and first examined her own clothes. Her jacket and ribbon were nowhere to be seen, but the blouse and skirt were her Academy uniform.

“Whew, thank goodness.”

But her sigh of relief was short-lived. Roseline hurriedly slipped her feet into the shoes placed neatly by the bed. Then, she looked around for her jacket, which must be somewhere in the room, when the door opened carefully and a palace maid entered.

“Ah.”

The maid, who spotted Roseline pacing near the sofa, flinched in surprise but soon gave a gentle smile.

“You’re awake. Is there anywhere you feel unwell?”

Roseline gave an awkward smile and merely nodded. Everything here was uncomfortable, but it wasn’t something to say to the kind maid.

“The court physician and an Awakener from the Magical Affairs Office have already been by. They said you likely lost consciousness due to extreme tension.”

The perceptive maid, as if she knew exactly what Roseline was looking for, picked up the jacket hanging in front of the mirror and gracefully approached. She even insisted on helping a reluctant Roseline into her jacket and offered to fetch water for washing and something to eat. Roseline jumped up and grabbed the maid’s arm. Making the excuse that she had Academy classes and needed to go right away, the maid reluctantly agreed.

“But, by any chance, haven’t you seen my ribbon?”

“The ribbon… His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke took it.”

The maid’s eyes sparkled brightly, her cheeks flushing as if shy.

“…Huh?”

“He specifically said to tell you, ‘Your Ladyship,’ when you woke up. He said if you want the ribbon back, you should come find him…”

The maid trailed off, watching Roseline’s expression, which had turned grim. A wave of dizziness, strong enough to make her faint again, washed over Roseline. She had desperately hoped that wasn’t the case. Circumstantially, it seemed Valen had brought Roseline to this room.

I’m going crazy. Why does it keep turning out like this?

The situation unfolding similarly to the past was absurd enough, but not knowing the other party’s intentions was utterly frustrating.

I know. It will become clear if I meet Valen directly. But Roseline wasn’t mentally prepared yet. Just accepting the drastically changed situation overnight was overwhelming enough; facing Valen without any time to collect her thoughts felt like a disaster.

“Shall I go and discreetly find out if His Highness is receiving visitors?”

“No!”

The louder-than-intended reply made the maid flinch and roll her eyes nervously. Roseline forced a smile, mustering every ounce of her composure.

“It’s fine. Could you just show me the way out?”

“You’re planning to leave like this?”

After a moment’s thought, Roseline nodded. This was a chance to gauge his intentions. If Valen had his memories, then avoiding a meeting now wouldn’t be the end of it. He would undoubtedly orchestrate some meticulous scheme until Roseline came to him of her own accord.

But then again, there was a loophole in his message, “if you want the ribbon back, come find me.” Couldn’t she just abandon the ribbon and run away? Like right now.

“It’s just too early right now.”