The Morning of Mutual Thoughts
The morning incident where we thought of each other began like this. While preparing for the episode that would soon begin, my father—who had come running in a fluster—suddenly asked me a question.
“Are you, by any chance, dating the marquis’s daughter?”
“...Have you been drinking?”
What on earth was he talking about all of a sudden? Around here, the only marquis was the Klein family, and the only daughter that could refer to was Lucia. I was about to snap back in disbelief when my father thrust two or three newspapers at me.
“Newspapers? Why are you showing me these all of a sudden?”
“...Just read them.”
I let out a hollow laugh at the absurd chain of events that had started from the crack of dawn and took the paper. Soon the smile on my face slowly died as I read the headlines.
The Shocking Truth! Passionate Romance Confirmed Between the Heirs of the Klein Marquisate and Orlannte Viscountate
Love Between Two Powerhouse Families Sweeps the Middle Academy—Lavish ‘Gift Barrage’ Continues…
Exclusive Undercover Report on the Romantic Trysts Between the Viscount and Marquis Families. The Touching Story That Brought Tears of Emotion?
The articles were pure garbage. The first words out of my mouth were—
“Ah, fuck. This is real life.”
It was a curse dragged up from the deepest part of my core. Could the viscount’s son swear in front of the family head? Of course not. But the situation unfolding right now left me no choice.
“W-why are you acting like that?”
My father must have sensed the aura rolling off me; he actually took a step back. These damn trash journalists—turning a single meeting into fake news? Sure, the area wasn’t large and the only noble families around were Orlannte, Agnes, and Klein, so it was bound to become gossip. I could admit that much.
‘But at least make it believable…’
We had zero contact before, and they were running a full-blown romance story just because we met once? Unless someone had gone around bragging that we were dating, there was no way this—
‘…Ah.’
One scene flashed through my mind. Lucia’s loud, ringing confession right in front of me. I had cursed at her, but I’d muttered it under my breath; the other students probably hadn’t heard. To them it must have looked like Lucia was confessing at full volume and then the two of us were sharing a private moment on the rooftop.
Damn it.
“What? Weren’t you dating the marquis’s daughter?”
“Of course not!”
He had to be joking. I’d rather die than share love with a person like that. Unfortunately, my father didn’t seem to share my opinion. When the subject of the rumor looked disgusted, he pressed again.
“With all the rumors and eyewitness accounts, it certainly sounds like… Son, you’re all grown up now. There’s no need to hide something like this—”
“I said no. Absolutely not.”
Just thinking about going to the academy and running into all those lunatics made my head throb. I was already busy trying to survive—how was I supposed to fit romance into that? I wasn’t stupid enough to throw away every future day for a moment of fleeting pleasure.
“If it really isn’t true, we might have a problem. It’s been printed in several other papers as well…”
“Wait. Several other papers? This isn’t the only one?”
A terrible sense of unease stabbed into my skull. Come to think of it, it was strange. No matter how loudly Lucia had confessed, for a story like this to spread in a single day…
‘Ha, damn…’
It didn’t take long to reach a conclusion.
Lucia. She had acted all pure and dumb, but—
‘She’s definitely the one maliciously spreading these rumors.’
Her original goal had been to annoy Heidi, which was why she’d tried to seduce me, her childhood friend. Even if I didn’t accept the confession, a romance between a viscount and a marquis was huge news. So she had simply shifted her target to the press. Those people could turn a tiny spark into an inferno all by themselves.
‘I didn’t expect her to be this reckless…’
Spreading rumors like this would harm her too; I’d assumed she would hold back. I never imagined she would broadcast such a massive story without hesitation. This was going to be a headache.
‘Did she calculate this far ahead?’
If I rejected her confession, was this a prepared move to make me suffer as well? Just how much did she hate Heidi? Did they have some grudge from a past life?
‘I took this too lightly.’
The villainess of a novel wasn’t a position you could obtain so easily, yet I had jumped to conclusions. At least my opponent was Lucia, so it had ended at a simple war of public opinion. If I had made this mistake against the crown prince or the saint…
‘I’d be dead.’
No room for rebuttal. Instant death flag.
‘Still… let’s look on the bright side.’
Wasn’t it fortunate they hadn’t heard me swearing at her? The fact that the viscount’s son was dating the marquis’s daughter was—at least by a tiny, ant-sized margin—better than the fact that the viscount’s son had cursed at the marquis’s daughter, right?
“By the way, son, the marquis’s daughter seems very refined. If you were to meet her—”
“I have zero intention of doing so.”
My father’s deliberate, teasing smile only piled more stress on me. What the hell was happening? The Klein household was probably in chaos right now too. I hoped Lucia was suffering even more than I was.
“More importantly, you have a guest. I got sidetracked talking to you.”
A guest for me? I didn’t recall having any. I looked at my father with suspicion. He was wearing a smile like he was barely holding back laughter. Why did that make me so uneasy?
“Sorry to have kept you waiting. Please come in.”
At my father’s words, a man in a neat suit entered and gave me a polite bow. Then he pulled out a notebook and pen, offering a light greeting.
“Nice to meet you! Thank you so much for allowing this interview today!”
Wait—allowing what? While I stood there stunned, the suited man straightened his tie neatly.
“I heard there’s been a suspicious current flowing between the young heirs of the Klein Marquisate and the Orlannte Viscountate. I also heard you’ve been exchanging personal gifts. Is that true?”
Bullshit.
In that instant, my mind changed. Lucia shouldn’t just be inconvenienced. Someday, without fail, I would plant a missile right in the middle of her mansion. I swore it.
I lay in bed turning over all sorts of thoughts, and somehow that man’s face floated up again.
Jack Orlannte…
The man who had looked at my confession without the slightest interest, openly showing disgust and coldly rejecting me. Honestly, I hadn’t had any particular reason for confessing to him. It was just an impulsive act to annoy that unpleasant Heidi a little. And that was when I received my very first curse. A double one, at that.
“So annoying…”
At the time I had been so flustered I could only sob like an idiot, but thinking back on it now left a bad taste in my mouth. How dare he spout such vulgar words to the daughter of the Klein Marquis family—someone no one in this region would dare touch? Even forcing him to his knees wouldn’t be enough, yet…
“The fact that I don’t hate him makes it even more annoying…”
Strangely, even though he had pushed me away with excessive coldness, I didn’t find him detestable. No—it would be more accurate to say it sparked my curiosity. He had openly shown repulsion, built an iron wall, and ruthlessly bounced me away. I had never met anyone like that before.
“Until now, they all fell the moment I showed even the slightest interest…”
It had been the same when I tried to seduce Heidi’s man. A little kindness and they would melt, grinning like fools. Since I believed my face and figure would never lose to anyone, the shock had been even greater. I had even seriously wondered if I lacked charm.
After thinking it over, I reached one conclusion.
“…As expected, he’s interesting.”
No matter what, he was a very intriguing person. And separately, a small spark of competitiveness had bloomed inside my heart. If the rejection had been mild I might have given up, but being thrown away so heartlessly had ignited my stubbornness.
‘If I can somehow seduce a guy like that and tease him right in front of Heidi, the satisfaction would be the best, wouldn’t it?’
Just imagining messing with that irritating boy made me feel refreshed already. Moreover, the thought of Jack turning obedient and becoming someone who couldn’t live without me…
“Hehe… ehehe…”
The sense of conquest overflowed from the mere fantasy, engraving itself into my body. Thanks to that, what left my lips was not the refined voice befitting the marquis’s daughter but a silly giggle.
“All right. Let’s use my head a little first.”
I didn’t consider myself stupid. My grades were always at the top, and I was confident in both problem-solving and coping ability. I sometimes overheard gossip that I lacked social skills or common sense, but—
‘That’s just nonsense from people jealous of me.’
I saw it as the death throes of those who could never obtain what I had. Humans were creatures that envied and tried to destroy what they themselves lacked.
“First… let’s blow up everything I can touch.”
The only advantage I currently held in my relationship with Jack was the difference in title and power. I would use that alone to slowly close the distance and tighten my grip until he couldn’t live without me. The opponent might be formidable, but I had already bewitched countless men. This time shouldn’t be too difficult either.
“I already spread everything to the press yesterday… Besides that, there are the train seats and… also…”
A refreshing day filled with vicious schemes and vows of revenge. Thus, it was a morning that flowed unintentionally with both of us thinking of each other.