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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: You like this, don't you?
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“Let’s dance.”
“With me?”
Roje offered an awkward smile to the Grand Duke who had taken hold of her. The Grand Duke knew Roje was uncomfortable, but he had no intention of letting her go.
“Yes.”
“...I had planned to dance the first song with my husband.”
It wasn't true, but shouldn't she use her husband as an excuse even now? At Roje’s words, the Grand Duke glanced at the center of the ballroom and spoke.
“Your husband is already dancing with another woman.”
Roje turned her head in the direction of the Grand Duke’s gaze, and indeed, her husband was dancing with another woman.
‘You’re truly useless, you really are.’
With no more excuses, Roje awkwardly took hold of the Grand Duke. She decided it was best to simply dance quietly and disappear, without needlessly upsetting him.
“Clumsy.”
She couldn’t help it. It was her first time encountering a waltz.
‘I’ve never done anything like this in Korea.’
Having hastily learned the waltz in the short time after receiving the Grand Duke’s invitation, her posture was quite awkward. Roje stumbled through the steps. Stepping on the Grand Duke’s feet was a given, and she had bumped her head into his chest more than three times. Each time, Roje held her breath, watching the Grand Duke’s expression. It was out of fear that the mad Grand Duke might throw her aside. She wanted to say she wanted to stop immediately, but standing before the Grand Duke, whose reputation alone could make a bird fall from the sky, Roje found it difficult to speak. Roje offered an awkward smile and looked at Grand Duke Arteum before her. His naturally golden hair, which looked untouched, swayed above his eyebrows.
‘I only thought he was scary, but…’
Though he had a fierce impression, he was quite handsome. The beautiful melody faded. Contrary to her worries, the first song ended uneventfully.
‘Thank goodness. I didn’t make any major mistakes, did I?’
Roje breathed a sigh of relief and politely curtsied to Grand Duke Arteum. Then she quickly slipped away. As Roje scurried to a corner of the ballroom, a dark shadow fell over her.
“To dance with the Grand Duke with such skill.”
The owner of the sharp voice was none other than Eric.
“You have no shame, do you?”
He seemed to have seen Roje stumbling through the dance, as he was looking at her with an extremely displeased expression. More accurately, it was an expression of anger.
“Heh, you saw?”
She could also hear whispers from the people around.
“How pathetic. Perhaps because she never had a proper debutante ball, her waltz is terribly lacking.”
“I wouldn’t dare step out with such skill.”
Looks of ridicule were directed at Roje. Eric probably thought Roje’s actions were a blow to his reputation. Even if their relationship was merely titular, it didn't change the fact that Roje was a member of the Wens Count’s family.
‘I shouldn’t have brought a woman like that.’
Eric regretted having attended the Grand Duke’s banquet and dragged Roje out of the ballroom. ***
“That’s enough.”
In the dark, Eric’s gaze, as he glared at Roje, was quite sharp.
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you suddenly doing things you don’t normally do? And what was that hideous waltz?”
Eric frowned in annoyance and looked at Roje.
“It seems you saw me waltzing with another woman and then deliberately asked the Grand Duke to dance, but stop with these foolish acts. No matter how hard you try, I have no interest in you.”
At Eric’s last words, Roje felt as if her breath had caught in her throat.
‘Let’s stop. No matter how hard you try, I have no interest in you.’
Dohyeon’s words from her previous life, which had pierced her heart like a dagger, resurfaced.
Roje just stared blankly at Eric, unable to say anything. Looking at him with trembling lips and unfocused eyes, Roje appeared utterly hollow. Eric flinched as he met Roje’s wavering gaze. Seeing Roje’s shocked reaction to his words, he wondered if he had pushed her too hard. He figured he should try to appease her a little before she did something else foolish for attention. Eric softened his sharp tone and looked at Roje.
“However, I have been rather neglectful of you lately.”
He toyed with Roje’s neatly braided hair, then untied the ribbon holding it. Roje suddenly snapped back to reality and clutched her hair, which had come undone weakly.
“What are you doing?”
“Haven’t I told you repeatedly that it’s better to let your hair down at night?”
Eric’s hand, which had been caressing Roje’s face, slowly moved down. He slowly, gently stroked her hair. But that was only for a moment before Eric grabbed a handful of Roje’s hair.
“Let go.”
“You like this too, don’t you?”
What was he talking about...? Roje, who had been staring at him blankly, suddenly came to her senses. She realized what the Count was trying to do. Roje was startled by Eric, who was looking at her with half-lidded eyes.
‘No way… here?’
It was late evening and dark, but the garden where Roje and Eric were was a place where people could pass by at any moment. This crazy man’s face was already flushed, what was he thinking?
“It’s understandable for you to act that way. It’s been three weeks since we last did anything.”
Eric’s eyes were already clouded with lust. He tried to grab Roje with his large hands.
“Come here. I’ll make up for all the times I couldn’t hold you…”
Goosebumps erupted all over Roje’s body at Eric’s words.
‘…I need to escape.’
Roje thought as she watched Eric approach her. How could she escape this predicament? Since Eric usually resorted to brute force, Roje quickly started racking her brain.
“Wait a moment.”
Roje stopped the approaching Eric.
“I can’t today.”
“Why?”
“I’m on my period.”
At Roje’s words, Eric paused, then irritably ran a hand through his hair.
“You should have said that sooner.”
To get him all worked up and then back out now. Roje watched Eric hesitate and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Then I’ll go in first.”
Roje left Eric behind and fled the garden as if escaping. Eric was left alone in the garden, sighing deeply.
“This is driving me crazy.”
His aroused state did not easily calm down. He wanted to whisper sweet nothings with someone right away. Eric lingered near the mansion, his eyes half-closed like a hyena searching for prey. It wasn’t difficult for him to entice women with his looks. Now that he was married, it was harder to lure high-nosed ladies, but maids were different. For them, Eric’s attention was practically a chance for them to rise in status. Just then, a maid with a cute impression, her hair braided on both sides, caught Eric’s eye. Eric approached the maid without hesitation.
“Can you spare a moment?”
His tone was gentlemanly. It usually worked well on women he first met. The maid blushed upon seeing Eric’s face and quietly nodded. Eric smiled as if he had expected it and led her by the hand. Eric untied the maid’s hair ribbon, just as he had done with Roje, and led her deeper into the garden. ***
“I’m tired.”
Roje didn't go straight into the ballroom but wandered around. She felt that entering the ballroom in this mood would yield no results. Roje settled down by the flowerbed. Unlike the noisy ballroom, she could hear the chirping of insects.
“Let’s rest a bit before going in. I need to approach other nobles first.”
That was the goal of this banquet, after all. Roje, who had been muttering to herself blankly, composed herself and stood up. As she turned to return to the ballroom, she heard a faint human voice.
“Ugh. H-help me.”
It was a voice filled with extreme pain.
‘What is that sound?’
The sound came from not far away, and Roje strained her ears. And then,
“Aargh!”
A man’s scream, as if tearing her ears, froze Roje in place. Thud! Thud! The sounds of a struggle, even a knife, were vividly audible. And soon after, the surroundings became eerily silent, as if it were a lie. The painful groans of the man were no longer heard.
‘Did he… die?’
To scream for help and then fall silent like this.
‘I’m scared.’
The sound of insects, breaking the silence, echoed ominously. No other sound could be heard. Only the chirping accompanied by a chilling breeze.
‘He must be dead.’
Roje, terrified, froze on the spot. Someone had died right next to her. A chilling dread she had never experienced before consumed Roje’s body. Thump-thump. Before she could fully recover from the shock, the sound of mysterious footsteps approached. One step, then another. The slow footsteps, fortunately, grew increasingly distant. She couldn’t let her guard down. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead. Roje waited until the mysterious footsteps could no longer be heard. Petrified like a stone, she covered her mouth to prevent even her own breath from escaping.
‘Did he leave?’
I have to escape! She couldn’t meet a miserable end at the hands of a murderer. Roje summoned every ounce of strength she had and managed to take one step. Rustle!
‘…!’
The sound that echoed as she took a step was quite loud.
‘Please… please, I hope he didn’t hear it…’
In the silence, Roje clasped her hands together and prayed. Hoping that the person hadn't heard her sound. But, *Thud-thud-thud!* Roje despaired. She heard footsteps approaching at a terrifying speed. She might die. No… she would die. Thinking that, Roje’s body trembled like an aspen leaf. Roje’s legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground. She squeezed her eyes shut and curled up tightly.
‘To end my second life so futilely…’
Roje gave up everything and waited for death. Hoping to die without pain the moment the murderer’s blade pierced her body.
“…”
Why? After a long time, there was no pain, not even any sensation. Roje finally felt something was amiss and slowly opened her eyes. She had squeezed them so tightly that her vision was blurry. In her dark vision, she faintly saw a human form. Roje was horrified to see the person looking down at her, right in front of her.
“What… were you doing here?”
It was Grand Duke Arteum.
“Grand… Duke?”
Roje’s face, as she looked at the Grand Duke, was filled with terror. Of course, she would be scared and terrified. Grand Duke Arteum was approaching her, completely covered in blood.
