My Ruin to You - Chapter 152

There was no explanation or excuse. Roseline simply looked straight up at him and offered nothing but a polite smile.

Valen tilted his head slightly, running his tongue over the inside of his cheek before letting out a hollow laugh.

“Go on. You’re practically stamping your feet, wanting to leave.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Again, there was no explanation. Roseline hurriedly left the VIP room. The persistent gaze that followed her felt like shackles binding her feet, but she didn’t look back even once. Slam. The sound of the door closing was rather harsh. Even though she left the room in a disheveled state of mind, his lingering presence wouldn’t fade. She rubbed her nose roughly and walked on, messing up the ribbon Valen had neatly tied into a tangled mess.

With each step, Roseline cursed Valen under her breath, and with the next, she reaffirmed her resolve to drop out of the academy. Just as she turned a corner, a sudden presence blocked her path. At the edge of her downcast vision, three pairs of polished shoes came into view.

“Wait a moment.”

It was Lady Malsen and her clique. Standing with their arms crossed, their expressions were unfriendly. And familiar. It seemed they had heard from somewhere that the Grand Duke had appeared.

“Are you on your way back from seeing His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke?”
Roseline nodded breezily.
“Yes. You’re curious about why His Highness summoned me, correct?”
“That’s right. I would appreciate it if you told me.”
“He asked if I had any intention of becoming a Tara.”
“A Tara?”

Malsen’s aggressive tone softened slightly. Adding an explanation about war preparations would have eased her suspicions more easily, but that wasn’t information to be shared carelessly. So Roseline just shrugged her shoulders. Malsen, who had been narrowing her eyes and moving her lips as if thinking something over, finally spoke.

“And your answer was?”
“I told him I couldn’t accept.”
“My, what a pity. It seemed like a good opportunity.”

Her words were insincere. Clearly pleased by the answer of refusal, Malsen’s expression brightened considerably. Seeing a genuinely happy expression she had never shown before made Roseline feel strangely bitter.

“Surely you didn’t refuse because you have other feelings for His Highness? Like wanting to become the Grand Duchess instead of a Tara from the Duchy?”

Malsen’s right-hand man, Ruav, interjected. Roseline slowly turned to look at him, her expression cold and hardened.

“I believe I’ve said, until my mouth is sore, that I absolutely, completely, not even a little bit, have such feelings. Did it not get through to you?”

She enunciated each word clearly, as if chewing and spitting them out, putting force into her eyes as she stared. Ruav flinched and subtly hid behind Malsen. However, sensing Roseline’s unusual intensity, Malsen uncrossed her arms and stepped aside. Ruav looked back at her with a resentful expression, but Malsen steadfastly ignored him. After looking back and forth between Malsen and Roseline, Ruav finally spoke.

“S-sorry, Young Lady. I just thought, since you refused a good opportunity, perhaps… just in case…”
“From now on, please. be. more. careful. I want to get along well with you all. Harmoniously.”

She didn’t need to be on good terms, but she wanted to maintain the fragile peace where they didn’t unnecessarily antagonize each other. One lifetime of ill fate was enough.

While she held a degree of resentment and would prefer if Malsen wasn’t involved with Valen, if the person in question was so keen, it wasn’t her business to interfere.

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”
“Wait a moment.”

Malsen, who had been standing to the side, stepped forward to block Roseline’s path once more.

“Can you swear on your honor?”
“Swear what?”
“That you hold not even a shred of personal feeling for His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke.”

Why on earth should I have to swear on my honor for this? Does Malsen think every woman in the Empire drools at the sight of the Grand Duke? Well, it’s true, but Roseline wasn’t one of them.

As the bickering dragged on, her patience began to wear thin, and even her resolve to get along amicably started to waver. Irritated, she swept her hair back and turned her head, her gaze catching on something at the edge of her vision. A pair of impeccably polished military boots, standing not far away. They belonged to Valen.

Good heavens. It seems there’s always a reason when something trivial holds you back. Roseline wasn’t sure what Malsen stood to gain by making her swear an oath within Valen’s earshot, but she decided to play along willingly.

“Fine. If I swear, you must also promise on your honor. That you will never ask such uncomfortable questions again.”
“By all means.”
“I have someone in my heart. It is not His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke. And of course, there will never be such a thing in the future. Absolutely never.”