My Ruin to You - Chapter 257

Valen had definitely become more sensitive.

After the Academy Manifestors arrived at the Grand Duchy, it got worse. When Roseline, who had finally left the bedroom, volunteered to go greet them, he asked with a smile, “Who are you so eager to see?”

Unlike the corners of his mouth, which were curled up, his eyes weren’t smiling at all. He watched from behind as Roseline reunited with her Academy classmates—Schnitzel, Malsen, Ruav, and others.

“Have you been well?”

“Yes, and you, young ladies?”

“Thanks to your concern, we’ve all been well.”

“Is that so? That’s fortunate.”

“Yes, it is fortunate.”

“Yes……”

“……”

The reunion, held in the presence of a high-ranking figure, ended in an awkward atmosphere. It was incredibly difficult to ignore the presence of the Grand Duke, who stood coolly behind Roseline as if daring them to chatter away. Therefore, Schnitzel and Malsen didn’t say a word. Schnitzel was the type to discreetly swallow her words, and Malsen seemed uncomfortable facing him, likely embarrassed by past emotions.

Given the situation, Roseline hurriedly excused herself, promising to meet another time. As Schnitzel headed towards the annex where she would stay for two days, she occasionally looked back, moving her lips silently. Roseline caught just one word: Later.

Just as Roseline nodded, Valen took a step closer.

“How intimate.”

His voice was as dry as his indifferent gaze. It might have sounded sarcastic at a glance, but Roseline, who still found Valen pitiable and felt sorry for him, merely smiled wryly.

“I think I’ve said something similar before, but Lady Schnitzel is very kind to me.”

She wisely omitted mentioning that she, too, liked Schnitzel. It was perfectly clear that saying so would only upset him. However, even her carefully chosen words were not particularly welcome to him.

“If you could only save one—me or Schnitzel—who would you choose?”

The question was so childish it left her speechless. On the other hand, it pained her to think how insecure he must be to ask such an absurd question.

“Of course, I would save Your Highness.”

“Of course?”

“Yes, of course.”

Though such a situation seems unlikely to ever occur. Since it didn’t cost money or incur punishment to give the answer the questioner wanted, Roseline smiled brightly and nodded.

“Good. Be sure to save me. I’ll be expecting it.”

Fortunately, Valen seemed pleased with the answer.
“Your hand.”

As he chuckled and held out his hand, Roseline promptly placed hers on it. Valen turned the small, soft hand over and examined the palm. The nail marks that had troubled him a few days ago had completely vanished. He rubbed her palm with his thumb, then interlaced his fingers with hers and began walking. As they neared the entrance, Roseline gave his hand a slight tug.

“Would you like to see the lavender before we go in?”

“Why, do you think I’m an animal?”

“Yes.”

“I suppose I did go a bit overboard.”

A laugh tinged his added words. However, his gaze as it swept over Roseline’s neck held a thick residue of regret. It was because Roseline had used her mana to erase all his marks.

Strictly speaking, not all traces were gone. More precisely, a new mark had been made. Under the pretense of adjusting her dress strap, Valen had clung to her and inevitably left a bite mark on her shoulder blade. It was a remarkable tenacity, but remembering how he had kissed her dead body in her past life made her heart ache again.

“But, you know. Are you sure you don’t need to go see it?”

Roseline forcibly pushed down her inexplicably sinking mood and changed the subject. She had spotted a carriage transporting prisoners among the long procession entering the estate.

“What will you do after sending me off?”

As expected, Valen was sensitive. His gaze looking down at her held a sharp glint, as if suspecting she was planning some mischief while avoiding his eyes. He seemed to still be wary of Schnitzel.

“If you have important official business, I was thinking of going with you, Your Highness. But you know Lady Schnitzel is a woman, right?”

“That’s right. Unfortunately.”

It sounded like he meant that if Schnitzel were a man, he would have used that as a pretext to take action. No, would he go that far?

Roseline stopped walking and turned to look at Valen with a stunned expression. Valen, who had also stopped, wrapped his arms around Roseline’s shoulders. Then, he turned her body toward the garden, saying, “Look your fill, it’s the lavender.” Roseline glanced at the lavender before her and turned back to look at him again. An unidentifiable turmoil spread like a wave through her coral-colored eyes, which held only Valen. A fine line formed on her pretty brow. Valen, with a faint curl of his lips, raised his hand and gently rubbed Roseline’s furrowed brow.