My Ruin to You - Chapter 158

After holding out for exactly a week, Roseline grumbled as she packed her bags. It was just a matter of adding a few things to the trunk that was always ready. As she closed the trunk, she gritted her teeth. If she couldn’t avoid it, she would use this opportunity to thoroughly kill that esteemed person’s interest.

She even wondered if Valen might also remember her past life. His interest was too intense to conclude he had no memory, yet too detached to be consistent with having one. He was a difficult and strange man. Are all madmen like that?

Roseline’s feelings were also strange. The desire to confirm and the desire to not know either way were in fierce opposition. For now, the latter was stronger. If possible, she wanted to remain ignorant until the very end.

She didn’t just spend her time lost in pointless thoughts. Remembering how transformation magic had worked on that young boy, whether his name was Toma or Tomato, she practiced in her spare time—on herself.

Thinking a winged beast would be convenient in many ways, she chose a bird for the first few attempts. However, having wings didn’t mean she could immediately fly like any other bird. Flying itself was difficult, and once she crashed into a wall so hard she thought her skull would split.

She learned two lessons: a small, inconspicuous animal was more suitable in many ways than a bird, and that strong impacts would break the magic.

A few days later, carriages bearing the flags of various families quietly formed a procession and left the capital. Roseline ended up riding in Schnitzel’s carriage. Lina also traveled with Schnitzel’s maids, and from what she heard during breaks, the atmosphere seemed quite pleasant.

Anyway, Roseline cast a protective shield on Schnitzel every hour. Just in case the terrible accident from her past life happened again.

Even when dozing off, she would startle awake and immediately cast the shield first, which often made Schnitzel click her tongue as if to say, “You’re something else.”

“You must never forget to cast the shield, even when you’re riding alone. Understood?”

“No matter how much you imitate my way of speaking, we can’t become friends.”

“Why not? I want to be your friend.”

“Unbelievable, really.”

Schnitzel unfolded her fan. Her ears, visible over the fluttering fan, were slightly red. It meant she was pleased.

“Friends might be difficult, but family, well…”

Roseline immediately closed her eyes, pretended to be asleep, and took a deep breath. The quick-witted Schnitzel promptly raised her eyebrows and shook Roseline. She grumbled, asking where she thought she was pretending to sleep and why she was breathing so loudly without any manners. It was a rare moment of peace.

As the long summer day began to wane, the carriage procession arrived at Elgran, a territory directly under the imperial family. This was only the first stop. The distance that would take three days if riding without rest meant a full week by carriage, which also meant seven stops in total.

Since it was the first day of travel, the atmosphere was still oddly excited. Most everyone felt that way, except for exactly two people: Malsen and Roseline.

“Sigh.”

“Ugh.”

Coincidentally seated opposite each other at the dinner table, they let out sighs almost simultaneously. Their eyes met naturally. Roseline expected a round of unpleasant remarks, but surprisingly, Malsen only lightly swirled her wine glass.

“Try it. It’s very sweet.”

Roseline also silently picked up her wine glass. The sweet and tangy plum wine was quite delicious. No sooner had her glass been emptied than a maid refilled it. As they drank, emptied, and refilled repeatedly, their moods gradually improved. Since they only drank wine without touching the food, they quickly became intoxicated.

“Waaah, what did I tell you! I said you should get engaged to Sir Schnitzel. Sniff, it’s all ruined.”

Malsen, who got drunk faster than Roseline, slumped over the table, sobbing. The two young ladies who always stuck together like one body tried to support her, but they weren’t strong enough to lift her limp form.

“She’s really being a nuisance.”

Eventually, even Schnitzel stepped in. Roseline also staggered to help, but Schnitzel looked horrified and stopped her.

“Wait here without moving until I come back after taking care of this young lady. Understood?”

“Yes, understood.”

Schnitzel glanced at Roseline doubtfully for a moment, but when Malsen struggled and demanded to be let go, her attention shifted. Despite her attitude, Schnitzel scolded Malsen incessantly while dutifully supporting her.

Not long after they left, Roseline also stepped out of the dining hall. The intoxication had made her feel feverish. She thought some fresh air might help. It was an illusion brought on by her dulled, drunken senses, but Roseline, unaware of this, staggered forward.

Finally making it out to the entrance, Roseline sat on a garden bench. For some reason, the ground seemed to be heaving, so she rubbed her eyes and peered closely—just then.

“Huh?”

Over the swaying ground, a pair of polished military boots slowly walked into view. Step by step, as they drew closer, a cold, heavy fragrance reminiscent of a winter forest swallowed the night air. Just as the chirping of insects filled the shallow silence, the neat footsteps soundlessly stopped. Tap—touching the tip of Roseline’s shoe.

“Are you drunk?”