Chapter 17
“I’ve fallen for you.”
Until that tragic ending, the man had always been overwhelmingly described as proud and aloof.
Which is why the stiff, dazed expression on his face right now felt almost absurd.
“I really have fallen for you…”
There had been nothing left in Arius’s life but revenge.
Hearing me repeat my words so clearly, he couldn’t put me down, but he couldn’t keep walking either—he just stood there, frozen.
“Do you think that sort of thing even makes sense, my lady?”
“Why not? Even if it’s not me, there must be plenty of women who’ve fallen for you at first sight, Your Grace.”
“What on earth…”
“Was it strange, me saying I like you?”
I muttered slyly. Even to me, it sounded like absurd insistence.
Arius must have thought it was drunken rambling because he kept his mouth tightly shut.
“Duke Romero.”
“…Yes.”
“Are you planning to just stand there like that forever?”
He couldn’t even bring himself to look at me—he turned his handsome face away, his ears burning red.
He was visibly flustered, yet a sigh escaped from between his lips.
“It seems you’re already sober enough, my lady.”
“Oh no, not at all. I still feel a little dizzy.”
“Truly?”
“Yes. You can tell, can’t you? My face is still flushed.”
Even as I said that, Arius stared stubbornly ahead, never sparing me a glance.
“Really. I’m dizzy, I mean it.”
I was tipsy, and I was in the arms of a gorgeous man—one who was even blushing from embarrassment.
Feeling a mischievous impulse rise, I added one more line.
“And, I don’t exactly want to waste the chance to be in your arms.”
“You’re clearly far more intoxicated than I thought, my lady.”
Of course he wouldn’t indulge me. His voice was so firm I lost my words for a moment.
Then, slowly, he started walking again.
I waited for his ears to cool down a bit, but gave up and opened my mouth once more.
“May I ask one more thing?”
“Another strange question?”
“Um…”
Arius was a man who had no stories whatsoever about women. He hadn’t even married, fearing it might hinder his revenge, despite his age.
Even so—considering his looks and his status—it was hard to believe no one had ever thrown a light flirtation his way.
That disbelief made me want to ask.
“Just hear me out first. If it’s too hard to answer, I won’t ask again.”
“Go on.”
“I wondered why you were so shocked when I said I liked you… Surely this can’t be the first confession you’ve ever received?”
“Confession?”
He gave a short incredulous laugh and shook his head.
His voice said he found it ridiculous, but for a fleeting moment, the green eyes that met mine weren’t cold.
“My lady is… no. Never mind.”
That was all Arius said before speaking again.
“May I ask you something as well?”
“Questions are a sign of interest. Of course.”
Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was simply being with such a handsome man, but I nodded eagerly.
“It’s less interest than… Why did you run away, back then?”
“…What?”
My body went rigid. He must have felt it too.
I forced a clumsy smile and asked back.
“I’m sorry? When did I ever… run away?”
“Was it because the Puerto juniper was soaked? I can’t imagine you planned it that way.”
A sharp question. The kind I couldn’t answer.
It hadn’t been the sacred Puerto juniper at all, but the Omdu juniper that would paralyze Gabriella’s lungs. I’d switched them. I’d set the fire out of desperation, sought help, and then fled the unmanageable scene…
If I said all that, I’d sound completely insane.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
“Seems it’s a hard question to answer. Well, everyone has their circumstances.”
And that was the end of it.
Arius didn’t press. He simply left it at that, as if respecting my reasons—and that was, precisely, a kindness.
It made me feel both grateful and glad, so I turned my gaze up to the night sky.
A round, bright full moon hung there.
“The moon is so bright tonight, maybe because it’s late.”
“The darker it is, the better the shining things stand out.”
“Tell that to Princess Cecilia, would you?”
“I will.”
Arius answered in a voice that suited the night perfectly.
Arius gently escorted me all the way to my bedroom at the Palacio, set me down, offered a light farewell, and turned to leave.
“Wait, hold on.”
Now that I thought about it, Arius Romero—he’d just slid right past it all. Like he’d heard neither my confession nor anything else.
Inside, Luisa, eyes sparkling with anticipation, helped me change and asked,
“How was your future husband?”
If she meant Pedro—well, what do you think. A disaster.
But I couldn’t say that, so I only shrugged.
“His Grace hasn’t told me exactly who it is yet.”
“Don’t you have anyone you’re interested in?”
Oh, I did. A perfect handsome man exactly my type.
He seemed more innocent than his good looks would suggest, maybe stiff, maybe awkward…
“Luisa.”
“Yes?”
“If a woman likes a man here, how do ordinary women express that?”
A sudden question, but Luisa dutifully reacted as she brushed back my hair.
“Women?”
“Mm.”
“Usually with subtle looks or—oh, for high-born ladies, with a fan.”
“A fan?”
A fan? I blinked. How on earth did one express feelings with that?
“So not just saying directly, ‘I like you, you’re my type,’ or something like that?”
“What? Such an indecent thing…”
Seeing Luisa’s face flush told me it really wasn’t common.
Even in the original story, Gabriella had never openly seduced anyone.
“I’ve never heard of that. From properly raised young ladies to commoners—it’s not really done.”
“Really.”
Damn it, Yoon Gabi. You set up this world like this?
No wonder he was so flustered—today he’d had a woman he’d just met declare, out of nowhere, that she’d fallen for him.
It had been my mistake, my impatience.
I sighed and looked at Luisa.
“Do I have one?”
“One what?”
“A fan.”
“Oh, Lady Maribel hasn’t yet… It was so sudden for you to unveil yourself like this.”
“Then I’d better get one right away.”
“Yes. I’ll tell His Grace’s attendants as soon as possible. They’ll send someone quickly.”
“Please do, Luisa.”
Luisa patted her chest, telling me not to worry, and only then left.
“What a long day.”
I lay on the bed and thought about what was happening to me.
It had been only a few days since I’d fallen into the world Yoon Gabi had created.
By day, Seffardi’s air was scorching and dry; by night, it cooled and settled.
Smooth sheets, a gold-rimmed glass on the nightstand, and a ceiling decorated with exotic, ornate tiles.
All of this, my dead younger sibling had created.
Thinking of that made my stomach churn—whether from the alcohol or not, I wasn’t sure.
When I closed my eyes, my eyelids felt hot. I raised my arm to press lightly on them, and a tear slipped down my cheek.
“Am I actually drunk…”
Why was I crying?
Was it because the situation was absurd? I wiped at the sudden tears, feeling foolish.
Could a “second chance” really exist?
I knew clearly that Gabriella Seffardi was not the same person as Yoon Gabi. Even so, I wanted to be a good older sister to her.
It felt like my mission in this world to create true happiness for that girl.
We couldn’t live together forever. Somehow, I’d escape this world.
But until then… Gabriella felt exactly like my second chance at Yoon Gabi.
I clutched the blanket tightly.
There were so many things I needed to do to gift Gabriella the best possible life.
And to do them, I needed Arius Romero—
the ringleader of the rebellion, burning with hatred for the imperial family.
Pedro’s chess piece.
I had to get engaged to him, no matter what—not Pedro.
