Chapter 4
‘Come to think of it, in the original story, Jeffrey was the very first person to fall for Julieta.’
The other obsessive male leads only met her a year later at Julieta’s debutante ball, but not Jeffrey.
That was because Jeffrey was Ariadne’s fiancé.
Since Jeffrey came to the Duke of Veloa’s residence to visit his fiancée, it was only natural that he also came to know Julieta, Ariadne’s close friend and companion.
‘Hmm. Well, since the subject came up, why don’t I start rehabilitating Jeffrey first?’
With that thought, I quickly finished my meal.
And that night, I received a bouquet said to be sent by Jeffrey through Julieta.
“Here, a bouquet. Oh, and this is the letter that came with it. Don’t worry, I didn’t open it.”
Julieta smiled as she handed me the letter.
“Thank you, Julieta. It’s late—have sweet dreams.”
“Mm. You too, Aria.”
After saying goodbye to Julieta, I closed the door and looked down at the large bouquet in my hands.
“A hundred yellow roses…”
The fresh fragrance of the fully bloomed yellow roses filled the air.
The pale yellow roses reminded me more of Julieta’s platinum blonde hair than of Ariadne’s golden hair.
‘Phew… well then, shall I read the letter?’
Calmly, I opened the envelope. Inside, a short line was written in elegant handwriting:
[Julieta, this flower resembles you.]
…Ugh. What was with that cheesy line?
My fingers suddenly curled up like dried squid.
Shuddering, I quickly tossed the letter into the fireplace.
In my third life, I was a bit of an idiot.
That’s why I believed I could rehabilitate the insufferably obsessive male leads of the original novel through conversation.
‘Young Lord Douglas, please listen carefully to what I’m about to say.’
The first person I approached in my third life was Ariadne’s fiancé, Jeffrey Douglas. Even though he had a twisted side, I thought that if I handled him gently, he could quickly be reformed.
‘I know you dislike me, Young Lord Douglas. And I also know you were forced into this engagement with me because of our parents.’
‘…What did you just say?’
‘If you ever find someone you truly love, I’ll release you from our engagement. But there’s a condition.’
‘…’
I expected him to raise his hands in joy at the mention of breaking off our engagement, but his reaction was strange.
I glanced at Jeffrey’s face. His handsome features were twisted in displeasure, his thick brows twitching as if deeply irritated.
‘What’s with him…?’
Sensing the atmosphere, I quietly closed my mouth.
Something told me a storm was about to hit.
‘…Hey. Do you have another man?’
At last, Jeffrey’s chilling voice broke the silence.
His eyes glared at me with a sharp, icy hostility.
‘Seriously, what is wrong with this guy…?’
Isn’t there a saying that the one who farts is the one who gets mad?
He was the one sneaking around, and yet he was angry at me for supposedly having another man. It was absurd.
Although I couldn’t understand Jeffrey’s behavior, I opened my mouth again to smooth things over.
‘It’s nothing like that. I only wanted to suggest something for your own future, Young Lord Douglas.’
‘Really? Then why bring up breaking the engagement? Do you want to break it off with me?’
‘No… That’s not the point. What I meant was—’
‘No. That is the point, Aria.’
Jeffrey cocked an eyebrow and leaned toward me, a wicked smile playing on his lips.
‘Breaking off the engagement? Are you kidding? No matter how much I dislike you, you still have to marry me.’
‘…’
‘No matter what happens, I won’t let you break this off. So don’t even think about it, Ariadne. You must marry me.’
…Excuse me? Wasn’t it always you begging to break off the engagement in the original story?
Maybe because this was before the novel’s official beginning, but Jeffrey seemed to have no intention of parting ways with me.
‘Why? We both dislike each other… Isn’t breaking it off a good thing?’
I couldn’t figure him out. What on earth was he thinking?
Still, I had to proceed. Whether I understood him or not, rehabilitation was the priority.
So, gently but persistently, I brainwashed him with lessons on “How to transform from an obsessive man into a reliable one.”
Eventually…
‘Young Lord Douglas, what did I tell you to do if the person you liked didn’t return your feelings?’
‘Don’t hurt them with harsh words, just wait calmly. Don’t treat them badly, and don’t try to confine them.’
I had succeeded. I was so moved that such sane words actually came out of Jeffrey’s mouth.
Clapping with joy, I beamed at him. But Jeffrey, frowning, raised a brow.
‘What, do you take me for a child? You think I wouldn’t know something so obvious?’
You didn’t know. That’s why Julieta got so pissed at you that she destroyed the empire, you jerk.
Still, I forced a smile. If I picked a fight with Jeffrey now, all my work would go up in smoke.
‘Strange.’
Jeffrey was definitely different from lives one and two. And oddly enough, he seemed to seek me out more often than Julieta.
‘…Could that be a good thing?’
I wasn’t sure, but I chose to take it positively. After all, the point was to keep him from obsessing over Julieta.
But then, on the day of Julieta’s debutante ball—the official beginning of the original story—the Jeffrey I had worked so hard to rehabilitate suddenly fell head over heels for her again.
And just like in the novel, he clung to Julieta obsessively, until her breakdown led to the destruction of the empire.
‘Damn it. What a complete waste of time.’
The memory made me grind my teeth in fury.
Calling for Sophia, Ariadne’s loyal maid, I steeled myself.
Sophia was one of the few in House Veloa who was friendly toward Ariadne.
“Oh my, young lady, how come you’re up so early today?” Sophia asked curiously.
The original Ariadne was notorious for sleeping in, but how could anyone properly obsess over male leads while lazing around?
Obsession requires diligence and consistency. With a determined heart, I replied:
“I’m going to start waking up early from now on. I can’t live lazily anymore.”
“My goodness! You’ve matured, young lady.”
Sophia covered her mouth with a chuckle.
I smiled back and handed her some paper and a pen.
“Now, Sophia, I have a list of things for you to do right away. Quite a lot, so write them down.”
“Yes, of course. Please tell me.”
Once she had the paper and pen ready, I spoke calmly.
“First, find me some florists. Maybe three or so. They need to be available to work this afternoon.”
“Yes, yes. And then?”
“I need yellow roses. But not the pale ones. They must be as close to my hair color as possible. About ten thousand of them.”
“…Ten thousand? What in the world are you planning to do with that many?”
Sophia gaped in disbelief.
Well, yes, maybe ten thousand roses was a bit much. But obsession has to be grand in scale.
Really, what obsessive male lead ever gifts only ten roses? That would just look pathetic.
At least ten thousand roses would be enough to call it madness. Yes, that was the right scale.
“I’m planning a surprise event for Young Lord Douglas. So send word to House Douglas that I’ll be visiting today. Let them know I’ll only decorate his room a little and won’t need any formal reception.”
“Wow… A surprise event? Young Lord Douglas will be so happy!”
Sophia clasped her hands together in delight, clearly imagining a rosy romance between her mistress and her fiancé.
Her eyes sparkled with determination.
“Young lady, leave it to me. I’ll make sure your surprise event is a complete success!”
“Mm. Thank you.”
Of course, it wasn’t romance—it was just obsession meant to block further obsession. But there was no need to explain that to her.
About three hours later, Sophia returned to report that everything was ready.
“Lady Ariadne, I’ve prepared everything you asked for.”
“Oh my, already?”
“Yes! I promised I would fully support you, didn’t I?”
Sophia beamed with pride, looking more reliable than ever.
“Thank you, Sophia. I’ve finished preparing too.”
That day, I wore a red dress I didn’t usually choose. Around my neck hung a deep violet amethyst necklace, and large violet sapphire earrings glittered on my ears.
The reason I dressed this way was simple: Jeffrey had a fixation with red hair.
‘Even clothes can be used to express how obsessed I am with someone.’
That’s how obsessive male leads always worked. At first, they hated the heroine’s hair color, but later, it became their favorite. Eventually, they couldn’t live without seeing it.
‘Yes. I’ll need to order more red and purple dresses. The more Jeffrey sees me like this, the more disgusted he’ll become. That would be perfect.’
With that thought, I called Sophia.
“Sophia, let’s go. The carriage is ready, right?”
Sophia nodded eagerly.
“Yes! Of course! You can depart right away!”
