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Chapter 10
“Why are you here?”
Flinch. Eric’s sharp, irritable voice stabbed into Rose’s ears. Cold sweat streamed down her back. Leaving her pounding heart behind, Rose turned her head toward him.
“Ah, you’re here?”
Hiding her panic, Rose forced herself to appear calm.
“What on earth were you doing in here?”
Eric’s voice grew sharper than before. With a thud, Rose shut the window and smiled at him.
“It was really windy. I thought I should close it.”
She had almost been found out. The moment she heard the doorknob turn, Rose had swept all the documents on the desk onto the floor and grabbed the window—so that no matter who came in, it would look like she was simply closing the window while papers lay scattered. She hadn’t known she could be so quick on her feet. Suppressing her racing heartbeat, Rose looked at Eric with an innocent expression. Seeing him frown as he stared at her, her lips went dry.
It’ll work, right?
Her fingertips trembled. To hide it, she clasped her hands together and gave him a bright smile. Her legs felt like they might give out, but she knew that showing panic now would only arouse Eric’s suspicion. Bracing herself, she spoke softly.
“All the documents fell. I’ll help you.”
As Rose reached toward the papers scattered on the floor, Eric strode over in one step and sharply knocked her hand away.
Smack.
He shoved her hand aside forcefully.
“Ah, I’m sorry. They must be important documents.”
Rose covered the back of her right hand and spoke in surprise. A stinging pain rose from it, and soon it began to redden and swell. Eric gathered the fallen papers and then looked at Rose. He’d only brushed her hand aside—yet it had swollen like that.
“Did you see them?”
But instead of asking if she was all right, that was all he asked.
“The documents?”
“Yes.”
“No. As soon as I came in, everything fell, so I tried to close the window first.”
“Why did you enter the study without permission? What business do you have being in here at all?”
It was a situation ripe for suspicion, but to Eric, Rose was nothing more—and nothing less—than a foolish woman. Dropping his doubts, he reprimanded her for entering the study.
“I didn’t know I needed permission. The butler said he’d already told you, and that I could come in and use it whenever I wanted.”
“He told me?”
“Yes.”
Eric frowned and pressed her.
“The butler said that? I don’t know why he let you come and go here as you please—without properly asking my permission. Absurd.”
“Ah, I have my private lessons here. Did you not know?”
At Rose’s words, Eric’s eyebrow twitched. Private lessons? Since when…? As he searched his memory, a faint recollection of a conversation with the butler surfaced.
‘The Countess wishes to receive private instruction.’
‘Let her do as she wishes.’
‘Then which tutor shall I call? I’ve narrowed it down some—’
‘Handle it yourself. Don’t ask me about every little thing.’
After that, the butler had come several more times, and each time Eric had raised his voice.
‘Do you not understand what “handle it yourself” means?’
‘I apologize.’
‘Whatever Rose does is fine. You decide and take care of it.’
Recalling the exchange, Eric sighed as if he had a headache. He’d assumed no one but himself would ever enter this room, so he’d left the documents here and stepped out briefly. He shuddered at the thought that Rose might have seen them. They contained matters related not only to the former emperor and empress, and the Grand Duke, but also to Rose’s own family—the Serviat family.
No matter how foolish she is, I can’t let her see these.
“From now on, don’t even set foot in the study.”
He spoke coldly. Anxiety tightened in Rose’s chest. If she lost her chance to come here, wouldn’t she also lose her chance to secretly look at those documents? With large eyes welling up, she spoke.
“Th-then… Count. Where am I supposed to have my lessons from now on?”
Eric frowned at Rose’s affected tears. He was particularly weak when it came to crying. Even if he treated her harshly, once she burst into tears, he would eventually surrender completely and listen to her—though the effect was always temporary. Rose forced the tears out. According to the novel, Eric would react to them.
Ah… why aren’t the tears coming?
Letting tears drip down like a tragic heroine was harder than she’d thought.
“You…”
Had the plan worked? As Rose squeezed out tears bit by bit, Eric slowly approached. He took her face in his hands and stared straight at her.
“Did you eat something strange? What’s with the ‘Count’ all of a sudden? Call me Eric, like usual.”
At his unexpected words, Rose flinched. Come to think of it, the female lead always called that hateful count “Eric” with fond familiarity. But Rose, who had read the book, had always cursed him as “that damned count,” so calling him “Eric” felt extremely unnatural.
“E-Eric…”
So flustered that even her tears dried up, Rose awkwardly called his name. The count looked at her blinking eyes with suspicion.
“…You feel strangely unfamiliar today. Well, I’ll see you later. You should rest until dinner.”
“Ah, then the study—!”
“Didn’t you hear me? Don’t even think about coming in.”
Bang.
Eric shoved Rose out as if pushing her away and slammed the door shut. Left alone in the hallway, Rose let out a deep sigh and muttered,
“Then what about Grand Duke Arteum…”
She was seized by the worry that she might not be able to do anything before the fate that would soon befall him.
Before long, evening came. Rose and Eric sat across from each other at a long dining table. Eric was irritated by how Rose picked at her food. She usually ate well, yet now she looked dispirited and could barely eat. Eric quietly set down his fork and spoke irritably.
“What exactly are you dissatisfied with?”
“Yes?”
Lost in thoughts of Grand Duke Arteum, Rose blinked at Eric as he shot her an annoyed look.
“I’m asking why you’re picking at your food like that.”
“I just don’t have much of an appetite.”
Rose found it unpleasant that the count was suddenly talking to her. Why couldn’t he just eat as usual and leave?
Because of you, an innocent man is about to die. It’d be strange if food went down easily…
Not wanting to talk much with him, Rose lowered her head and moved her fork quickly. Eric’s eyes caught sight of the back of Rose’s hand, red and swollen—the one he had knocked aside earlier. Seeing how badly it had swollen, he suddenly felt guilty. But instead of apologizing outright, he spoke indirectly.
“Let’s take a trip together in a week.”
At Eric’s words, Rose doubted her ears.
Did he… just say that to me?
She stared at him in disbelief.
“With me?”
“Yes. That place you went to for your honeymoon. You said you wanted to go again.”
Then why… with me? Go with your mistress.
Blinking, Rose said,
“I don’t think that’ll be possible. I already have plans.”
“Plans?”
Eric frowned, clearly not expecting her to refuse. He’d thought suggesting a trip would instantly lift her spirits.
“What plans? You don’t mean you don’t even know what day that is?”
Rose tilted her head at his words, wondering if there was some important event.
“What day is it?”
“….”
Caught off guard, Eric fell silent and stared at her. It was his birthday. She’d always made a big fuss over it before—so why was she pretending not to know now? Unable to grasp her intention, his thoughts grew tangled. Rose glanced at the silent Eric and continued quietly.
“I was invited by Grand Duke Arteum. There’s a banquet in ten days.”
“Grand Duke Arteum invited you?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve never met him before, have you? How do you even know him?”
“I met him at the auction house while buying a gift for you.”
She claimed not to know the day, yet said she’d gone to buy a birthday gift. Only then did Eric catch on to her intention.
Pretending to be uninterested to draw my attention, huh.
There were plenty of women like Rose—clingy, begging for love, then suddenly going quiet one day. Eric thought they’d broken up, but they hadn’t. They wanted him to chase them, to whisper sweet words. He assumed Rose was no different.
How annoying.
He hated coaxing romances. Eric decided to pretend he hadn’t noticed her ploy. After all, Rose would cling to him on her own even without his reassurance.
But the Grand Duke Arteum…
Inviting the wife of the family that had driven him out.
What is he thinking?
Eric couldn’t read Arteum’s intentions, but he didn’t dwell on it. No matter what the man was thinking, he’d soon be executed anyway.
“Fine. Then we’ll travel another time. I’d like to attend the Grand Duke’s banquet as well.”
A party to splendidly decorate the Grand Duke’s final moments.
I had no intention of going together.
Unable to hide her displeasure, Rose looked at Eric with an unhappy expression.
That same time, in the early evening before sunset, the voices of a man and woman drifted from a bed in one room.
“Spending every night with the Count, yet you still want me?”
Unlike the black-haired count, the red-haired man licked his lips as he looked down at Doana. He gazed at her with satisfaction as her face flushed toward him. When she’d said she’d become intimately involved with the count, he’d spent many nights drowning his bitter feelings in alcohol. The woman who had never yielded no matter how many times he tempted her was suddenly this eager. As if he couldn’t believe the moment, he caressed Doana’s face.
They said old habits die hard. Even after being possessed, she hadn’t broken her habit of seeing multiple men, continuing to indulge in a debauched life.
