My Ruin to You - Chapter 171

“…….”

“Go on. I’d be happy if you stayed, but you’re not going to eat, are you.”

“Yes.”

“Go and rest.”

Roseline bowed and turned away. The corridor, adorned with classical landscape paintings, was silent and devoid of any presence, only the faint light of candles swirling. No servants were in sight, and Merrick was standing tall near the lobby. With a middle-aged man presumed to be the physician.

“I’m sorry, Sir. From now on, I won’t do anything to cause you trouble. I’m truly sorry.”

Roseline, standing before Merrick, bowed her head. Merrick was conflicted. He knew the Young Lady’s confession was insincere, the Young Lady herself knew it, and the Grand Duke knew it. The Young Lady claimed it was love at first sight at the last banquet, but Merrick had entered the banquet hall after the Young Lady had lost consciousness. They had never even met at the banquet. He was merely following orders: to keep the truth from the Young Lady but to interact with her with proper courtesy.

‘But, Your Highness. Might I ask why you gave such an order?’

‘Because I’m impatient.’

‘…….’

‘I trust you will conduct yourself well. So that I never come to regret pulling you from the Ducal house.’

‘I will keep that in mind.’

Only then did he realize the Grand Duke’s feelings for the Young Lady were far greater and deeper than he had anticipated. It was no mere curiosity.

Even when the Duke showed excessive interest in the Academy, he had dismissed it as talent cultivation. When the Duke assembled a research team to develop a magic absorption device to prevent an Awakened’s rampage, he felt no suspicion. A rampage was an unusual event, but preventing an accident couldn’t be bad, so he simply saw it as his lord’s wise judgment. But in hindsight, there had only been one case of rampage recently. The Young Lady of Celodienne.

There had been many such signs, but his failure had been not connecting them to the Grand Duke’s affection. Moreover, today’s dinner was decidedly strange. It was exactly as if they had a past connection.

Just when could it have been? What business could the Grand Duke and a Baron’s daughter possibly have had to form a connection? It was a bewildering question with no answer. He could only guess. The Grand Duke wanted to reclaim that connection, but the Young Lady seemed to have no such intention. As a loyal subject, that point irked him greatly.

“I am quite alright. Please do not concern yourself. However, I must ask you to refrain from words or actions that might disturb His Highness’s peace of mind, Young Lady.”

His tone was polite, but his gaze was cool. Instead of adding anything more, Roseline just said “Yes” with a dejected expression. Having finished his business, Merrick merely nodded his head slightly before brushing past Roseline. The physician with his medical bag quietly followed behind.

Roseline glanced back at the receding footsteps, left a sigh behind, and exited the annex. Night had fallen, and the faint, distant moonlight spilled over the uneven stone path. Roseline, walking listlessly, suddenly stopped and raised her hand. It felt as if the bloodstain had seeped into her very heart, leaving her terribly unsettled.

“……How can this be?”

This doesn’t make sense. Only I was bitten by the snake, so if we regressed, only I should have returned completely. So why has Valen returned as well? Since it wasn’t a problem with a clear answer, like logic or rules, it felt even more hopeless.

Was it not the snake’s gratitude?

That could be. It was an extraordinary snake in many ways, so he had vaguely guessed it might be a messenger of the goddess, but that was merely speculation, not the answer.

She was groaning over thoughts tangled like a knotted ball of yarn when it happened.
“You see? How could you do this to me, Young Lady?”

Near the entrance of the path leading to the mansion, a figure emerged from the darkness. It was Malsen, approaching with heavy, purposeful strides. By now, it wasn’t even surprising.

“You must be so pleased. Getting invited to dine by His Highness.”

It was a complaint about why she hadn’t been taken along.

“Do I look pleased?”

Roseline thrust her face forward as if telling her to take a good look at her expression. Under the moonlight, her complexion looked even paler, and her expression, worn with fatigue, couldn’t possibly look pleased even as a polite lie. Malsen flinched and stepped back. But, as if she still had more to say, she glared at Roseline with intense eyes before suddenly plopping down on the spot.

“What does it matter if only you’re unhappy? His Highness has feelings for you, hwaaaah…!”

Her shoulders trembled slightly, and her voice was thick with tears. Roseline looked down at Malsen with dull eyes. She was truly tired. The words, ‘If you like him so much, why don’t you take him?’ swirled on the tip of her tongue, but she mustered a shred of decorum and barely swallowed them. Oblivious to others’ feelings, the well-bred Malsen whined, crying about why she wouldn’t comfort her. Today, even Malsen’s right and left arms were nowhere to be seen, which felt particularly cruel.

“It’s all your fault, Young Lady. Can’t you be a bit more compliant when you see His Highness? It’s because you act so sulky that he keeps paying attention to you!”