My Ruin to You - Chapter 166

Merrick, who had been looking down at Roseline indifferently, let out a short laugh as if finding it absurd. The gap between her flustered, clumsy attempt at formal speech and her serious expression was comical. Perhaps aware he shouldn’t laugh, he pursed his lips and turned his head away, but the raised corners of his mouth didn’t easily come down. Meanwhile, Roseline, now the only one looking serious, sifted through the kinds of words that might have come from Valen’s mouth.

Things like ‘play along’ or ‘let’s see how far this goes, just watch quietly’. A few phrases came to mind, but the speaker’s intention remained a complete mystery. Why, just why?

“Anyway, no trouble or awkwardness has befallen me because of the Young Lady, so you need not concern yourself.”

“Are you saying it’s alright for me to continue liking you, Sir?”

“Yes.”

“Why? Do you like me too, Sir?”

Before the words had even fully left her mouth, Merrick’s expression hardened stiffly. Not even a trace of a faint smile could be seen.
“Shall we head in now? The sun has set.”

Though his tone remained polite, his expression and gaze were cool, out of sync with the season. The atmosphere suggested that one more unnecessary word would cause trouble. Roseline, who had been walking a few steps behind Merrick, glanced sideways at him.

“Sir.”

“Yes.”

“I like you.”

Merrick answered with a sigh. Contrary to his words that it was okay for her to like him more, he seemed thoroughly displeased. Roseline was convinced. There must have been some kind of order from Valen.

◇◇◇

There was no way to know what words had passed between them, but one could vaguely guess the intention was precisely to fuel the rumors. If so, it meant there was a desired outcome he wanted to achieve through the inflated rumors. There were two expected directions. The first: Roseline, shrinking from the rumors, declares she doesn’t actually like Merrick and withdraws her confession. The second: conversely, conscious of the rumors, she accepts his proposal to dine ‘with Merrick’ and the three of them spend time together. Either outcome wasn’t bad for Valen.

But this process itself was a contradiction. Even if, conceding a hundred times, he had regressed with memories of his past life like me, he wouldn’t get involved with another man. And if he had no memories, there was no reason for him to show this much interest in me and meddle in someone else’s love life.

Until just a while ago, I had firmly concluded that Valen had ‘no’ memories, but after the one-sided love incident, my mind changed several times a day. Every time I looked back, our eyes met, arousing suspicion, but aside from that, he was just bland. However, if he had simply pretended not to know me at all, it might have been one thing, but he kept approaching and speaking to me occasionally, leaving me so confused I felt like I might go insane.

“Are you refusing the meal again today?”

It was like this. Every time we passed through various estates, he proposed dining together without missing a single day. I refused every time, but today I changed my mind.

“No. If you invite me, I will gladly accept with gratitude.”

Roseline answered politely. He feigned surprise, widening his eyes, then smiled faintly and accepted it casually, saying, “How unusual.” Then, after informing her of the time, he walked away without any lingering hesitation.

Lady Schnitzel and Malsen’s complaints were intense. Lady Schnitzel rolled her eyes, going on about ‘brother this and that,’ and Malsen grumbled about why he was the only one not going. The only one welcoming the dinner was Lina. Lina, excited, helped Roseline get ready. Even suggesting going dressed simply would only earn her a scolding, so Roseline silently changed into a dress. It was a light yellow chiffon dress.

“Sit.”

Valen, seated at the head of the long table that could easily fit twenty, gestured to his right with his eyes. Then, Merrick, who was sitting on the left, approached Roseline and pulled out a chair for her. Contrary to his expressionless face, his gesture was polite, causing Roseline’s solemn determination to uncover Valen’s true intentions today to crumble, and a fleeting laugh escaped her.

“Thank you, Sir.”

“Yes.”

“I like you a lot again today.”

This had become her line every time she encountered Merrick since their short conversation in the garden. She usually whispered it to Merrick, who followed behind Valen after he made his meal proposal and turned to leave. After recoiling the first few times, Merrick had, at some point, started replying indifferently with a simple, “Yes.”

It was the same now. Just as Merrick, with his expressionless face, was about to open his mouth—

Crack.

The sound of something shattering reached them, and Roseline and Merrick’s gazes simultaneously shot toward the head of the table. Valen’s hand, clenched so tightly his knuckles showed white, the bright red blood dripping steadily from it, and the glittering glass fragments on the table.

Taking in each element of the wretched scene, Roseline drew in a sharp breath.

“An accident.”

He shook his hand as if it were nothing. Sharp fragments had dug into his skin, and blood pooled on the glittering glass pieces before streaming down. Valen placed his torn hand on the table and slowly turned to look at Roseline.

“But, Roseline.”

“……”

“Keep to the line. That way, I can make an effort too.”