If the Indoor Lady’s Act Is Exposed
Episode 6
Jericho Young Lord’s change was frightening enough to scare even me, who couldn’t see what was happening behind.
“I’ll count to three. Disappear from my sight before that.”
From the arrogant tone and the mocking laugh, I could picture his haughty expression without even looking.
Jericho quickly released the hand that had been gripping my arm tightly and scrambled to his feet.
“I–I apologize!”
Just who on earth was that? Seeing him tuck his tail and run only made it harder for me to breathe.
Footsteps approached. I could tell from the presence alone that the man had walked right up behind me. Thump, thump. It felt as if my heart would burst out the moment I opened my mouth. I kept chanting inwardly.
Calm down. Calm down. Even if you’re dragged into a tiger’s den, as long as you keep your wits about you…
Keep my wits and then what! I’ll just become a calm dinner entrée!
“How long do you plan to sit there?”
A voice behind me, as if suppressing laughter. I squeezed my eyes shut.
No matter what, he had helped me when Jericho grabbed me. He couldn’t be completely insane—at least that’s what I desperately tried to convince myself of.
I steadied my trembling body and slowly stood up. A shawl was draped over my shoulders. It was the one that had fallen during the scuffle with Jericho. The once-bare shoulders felt slightly warmer.
“Th–thank…!”
I turned to thank the man behind me. Whatever the case, better to stay on good terms. Maybe I could just explain everything nicely?
But I couldn’t finish my words.
The man’s appearance made it impossible for me to continue speaking.
Silver hair and violet eyes. A beauty you could recognize from 10 kilometers away.
It wasn’t silver but platinum blond—yet I recognized him instantly.
That man was Armin Gray.
Sasha’s voice echoed in my head: Never run into him.
Perhaps my dumbfounded, open-mouthed expression amused him; his face shifted slightly.
“Do you need help closing your mouth as well, Lady Roha?”
I couldn’t check a mirror, but I was sure all the color had drained from my face. The fact that he knew who I was shocked me even more.
“You… know me? Ah, no… that’s not what I meant.”
This was a disaster. In my panic, I had practically admitted my identity.
I frowned. Armin Gray’s smile deepened.
“Were you planning to deceive me?”
“N–No! I was just surprised that Young Lord Gray knows me…”
His violet eyes lowered slightly beneath his lids. He let out a faint laugh. My mind began racing. At least he didn’t seem displeased.
“Most central nobles know. Especially when someone has rather uncommon features.”
“Un… uncommon features?”
“The brown hair of the Roha viscount family is quite distinctive.”
That was true. Among commoners, brown hair was ordinary, but among central nobles, such a plain color was rare.
But no matter how rare it was, brown hair was just brown hair. In other words, never protagonist material—at best, a supporting character.
I remained tense, still suspicious that he knew me, and carefully observed Armin Gray.
I was relatively calm—until he bent down and picked up the book I had dropped on the stone floor.
“Is this the book you were so excited about reading?”
“E–EEK!!!”
In sheer desperation at having my secret hobby exposed, I snatched the book right out of Armin Gray’s hand.
I was quick—but he had already seen the title.
“<The Devil Duke Is Obsessed With Me>. So there really are people who buy and read books like this.”
Smiling brightly, Armin shut the door.
Bang.
The sound felt like a death sentence.
“Well then, Lady. Shall we have a little conversation?”
Inside the closed room.
I glanced at the man sitting across from me. Armin Gray had been casually flipping through my book for several dozen minutes now.
Watching him felt like having my deepest shame exposed; my face burned.
There was nothing wrong with reading—but the problem was that the male lead of <The Devil Duke Is Obsessed With Me> looked almost exactly like Armin Gray.
His expression as he read was subtle. My fingers twitched nervously.
I had experienced a similar atmosphere in my previous life—very much like the day I brought a comic book to school and got scolded by the disciplinary committee.
“This.”
“Yes?”
“Was this really so entertaining that you kept singing about it?”
I choked.
As expected, he had heard everything I said.
“What was it you called yourself? An indoor… something?”
These people in this romance-fantasy world didn’t even know the Three Kingdoms, let alone Lü Bu, the infamous warrior with three fathers. I shook my head, forcing a servile smile.
“Just talking to myself! Talking to myself! Haha. By the way, Young Lord Gray?”
He looked as if to say, Go on.
I swallowed nervously and glanced at the door.
“I think my brother may be looking for me, so I’d like to head back now…”
Even to my own ears, it sounded like a flimsy excuse. But I stubbornly used my brother as a shield.
“Lady Roha.”
“Yes?”
“A few days ago, I heard something interesting.”
If I could, I would rather not hear it. I was sure it wouldn’t be interesting at all.
“What interesting story? Hohoho. How curious. Then once I hear it, I’ll—”
“Have you ever heard of devil worshippers?”
What?
The unexpected question made me tilt my head in confusion.
“Devils? Like in fairy tales?”
“No. Those who worship devils truly exist.”
As if devils actually existed. Even if people worshipped them, it certainly wasn’t me. But judging by appearances, Armin Gray might believe in supernatural things.
So I nodded indulgently, like humoring a child who believed in Santa Claus. I didn’t want to irritate someone who didn’t look particularly kind.
“I see. Wow! Devils! How fascinating. What an interesting story! Well then, I’ll be going—”
“I’ve heard,” he continued with a smile, “that devil worshippers speak with devils. That they mutter strange words others cannot understand.”
“Ah, really? They talk to themselves? How… interesting. Wait—what?!”
“Not only that, but they chant bizarre songs as spells.”
His radiant smile turned toward me.
That’s when I realized.
Armin Gray was no Santa-believing child.
“If one discovers a heretic, reporting them to the Inquisition would be a central noble’s duty, wouldn’t it?”
“W–Wait! A heretic? A heretic?!”
I frantically waved my hands.
“The singing is just a habit! And I thought no one was around—I just got too excited! I’m sorry!”
The Inquisition?! That existed in this world too? The word sounded straight out of a history textbook. I panicked and began rambling.
“Just because I read a novel and sang a little doesn’t make me a devil worshipper! That’s ridiculous!”
Yet anxiety crept in.
If the accuser were the Gray ducal family, wouldn’t a mere viscount’s daughter like me be branded a devil worshipper without a trace?
Seeming amused by my frantic display, Armin Gray rested his chin on the table and stared at me.
“Is that so?”
“Yes!”
I nodded vigorously.
But he tapped the book lightly.
“Still, that doesn’t explain everything. That word you used earlier. The one about being an indoor… something. I’d never heard it before. Can you explain that too?”
If I couldn’t, I might as well be declared a heretic.
My body trembled.
What kind of lunatic is this? Sasha had been right—never go near him.
But I forced a bright smile and nodded. I was only twenty-one. A comfortable life ahead of me. I hadn’t done half the things I wanted yet. I couldn’t die branded a heretic.
“Th–that was…”
“That was?”
“Lü Bu is, um… a word I made up! Definitely not a devil’s chant!”
“Oh? And what does it mean?”
My brain spun at full speed.
“Well! It means… here in this little corner, I’m like a popori!”
Popori—a squirrel-like creature in this world. Small and adorable, very popular.
Armin’s eyes narrowed. He seemed to be holding back laughter.
“So you’re comparing yourself to a popori?”
“Yes! That’s it. In this little corner, I’m the popori… something like that.”
A strange sound escaped him.
When I looked up, Armin Gray was laughing like a madman, unable to contain himself any longer.
