My Ruin to You - Chapter 16

“Wait in the lobby. You have something to say to me, don’t you?”

A dismissal, wrapped in the guise of kindness. Roseline nodded in lieu of an answer and rose from her seat. She wavered—Is it really okay to leave like this?—but since Valen had made it clear he wouldn’t involve himself in her disciplinary matters, there was no reason to stay.

“…I’ll take my leave, then.”

After a slight bow to the headmaster and professor, Roseline turned to go—only for her eyes to lock with Vermouth’s. The young master, who had been on death’s doorstep moments ago, had already regained his smugness, one corner of his mouth quirking up. His thoughts were transparent.

“See? You really thought the Grand Duke would keep protecting you?”

“What he thinks doesn’t matter.”

But the bitter aftertaste of last time’s humiliation lingered—too much to ignore. As she brushed past Vermouth, she accidentally stomped hard on the back of his hand.

“Agh! You damn—!”

“Oh, there you were. You were so small, I didn’t see you.”

“…No need to worry, my lady. No harm done today.”

Vermouth forced a tight smile. Though his eyes burned with fury, he kept them thinly veiled, sneering at Roseline while still stealing glances at the Grand Duke’s reaction. Pathetic. How someone this spineless had ever worked up the nerve to harass her was beyond her—but then again, that wasn’t her problem either.

Once out of the headmaster’s office, she spotted clusters of students scattered along the long hallway leading to the lobby. Some leaned against the walls, others perched by the windows, all shooting her sidelong glances. Familiar faces—but not welcome ones.

“Must be nice for some. Breaking school rules doesn’t matter when you’ve got a lover to clean up your mess. How ridiculous this Academy must look.”

The words were deliberately loud. The moment the Count’s daughter finished her jab, the surrounding noble girls burst into tittering laughter. How amusing. Roseline, as always, ignored them and walked past. The Count’s daughter, incensed at being dismissed, followed. Pretending not to hear the footsteps, Roseline kept walking—until the girl stepped directly in her path, right as she turned the corner toward the lobby.

“My, my.”

The girl looked Roseline up and down before letting out a disbelieving scoff.

“Dark stag leather, is it? How novel to see such rare hide in person—I’ve only ever read about it in books.”

Arms crossed, the girl blocked Roseline’s way, and the eyes of her entourage all dropped to the shoes. Roseline blinked, then glanced down at her own feet. The light-absorbing leather gleamed blue—and the fact that the girl had identified it just by color meant she wasn’t ordinary.

So you can tell the leather just by looking at the shoes. Impressive skill. Smiling faintly, Roseline tilted her head.

“My lady, do you perhaps… like me?”

The girl’s face twisted as if she’d just heard nonsense.

“You seem very interested in me. You’re always the first to notice even the smallest changes about me, so I wondered if it might be affection.”

“Hah?!”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m a bit busy right now. Unless it’s urgent, could we postpone this conversation?”

The wider Roseline’s smile grew, the more the girl and her group’s expressions contorted. They flushed red and sputtered as if personally insulted.

“Well then, excuse me.”

Roseline swept past them, her expression smoothing back to neutrality as if she’d never smiled at all. She needed to organize her thoughts while waiting for Valen in the lobby. The situation was unfolding differently than expected, and she had to reassess.

This was the outcome I wanted. Valen’s response was perfectly reasonable.

But then again—Valen was the kind of man who bent reason to his will.

So why?

“No, that can’t be right.”

Looking back, none of what had happened so far had actually involved Valen. It was just the headmaster and faculty, as they had today, jumping to conclusions and offering unasked-for favors out of sheer caution.

To be completely honest, until now, Roseline had assumed Valen had somehow influenced their decisions. There must have been some hint, some reason they tiptoed around her so carefully—

But today, his attitude had shattered those vague assumptions, leaving her thoughts in disarray. Even the way he’d brought her to the headmaster’s office only to send her away shortly after felt deliberate—as if he was making a point.

What the hell is going on?

“You should be ashamed of yourself!”

And now this. Roseline’s steps faltered as the voice echoed through the lobby. She exhaled slowly, then turned. The Count’s daughter and her entourage were glaring at her, faces twisted in outrage.

“Yes, I suppose I should.”

“My, how shameless. Did House Valoise not teach you any manners or decency?”

Valoise—her homeland, the barony of the Celodienne family. The insult was a jab at her upbringing. Considering she’d learned little under her stepmother’s care, Roseline nodded. “Perhaps not.” The Count’s daughter’s clenched fists trembled.

“But you see, my lady—”

Roseline’s gaze flickered past the group. At the far end of the hallway, Valen stood watching the commotion unfold in the lobby.