Chapter 12
“Do you think I’m an idiot?”
“Huh?”
Unlike Aveline, who was flustered by the unexpected response, Ares’s face was full of composure.
“Aren’t you underestimating me? Well, anyway, you want to read a newly released novel, right?”
“Mmm.”
“I’ll help you.”
Aveline quickly raised her head at her brother’s words.
“Really?”
“I was planning to go out anyway, so let’s go together. I’ll drop you off in front of the rental shop.”
“You’re an angel.”
“I know.”
After boarding the carriage, Aveline put on a robe she had brought from the mansion before reaching the rental shop.
Ares frowned at the worn and shabby robe, unsuitable for a noble lady.
“Ugh. It’s dusty. What is that?”
“Camouflage.”
“What?”
“There shouldn’t be rumors about me visiting the rental shop. Moreover, my hair color is exactly like yours, so if rumors spread, they’d immediately know it’s me.”
Ares shook his head at Aveline’s grave response.
“Absolutely, absolutely don’t get caught.”
“Okay. Just trust your sister.”
As they conversed, the carriage arrived in front of the rental shop.
Ares left, saying he’d come back to pick her up later.
“Welcome.”
As she entered, she heard the bored voice of an employee.
“Ahem. I’m looking for a book.”
“Yes, what kind of book?”
The employee asked without even looking at Aveline. His eyes were sunken as if extremely tired.
“A novel with va-vampires…”
At Aveline’s words, the employee finally raised his head. Then he smiled mischievously with a knowing expression.
“There’s one left on the second shelf at the end over there. It has a black velvet cover, so it should be easy to find.”
“I’ll read it here.”
The employee nodded as Aveline held out money.
Finally holding the book, Aveline found a suitable corner and settled down.
As she read the book with an excited heart, her eyes began to waver more and more.
“Gasp.”
She understood why the employee had looked at her that way earlier. She thought it was just a new romance novel, but the content was quite explicit!
Aveline clutched her robe tightly with one hand, afraid that the sound of her pounding heart might leak out.
Even without looking in a mirror, she could imagine her face had turned the same color as her hair.
It was fortunate that she was covering her face deeply with the robe.
While Aveline was completely absorbed in the unexpected feast of words, unable to come to her senses, a shadow appeared from somewhere and covered the book.
“Ah.”
It was an important scene!
Thinking it was Ares coming to pick her up, Aveline frowned and looked up.
“…!”
“Fancy meeting you here.”
“Duke, how did you…”
Surprised by Theron’s sudden appearance, Aveline hurriedly closed the book she was reading and hid it behind her back.
“Did you follow me?”
Instead of answering, Theron simply shrugged.
“I was wearing my robe so I thought you wouldn’t recognize me…”
“As I’ve said before, I can immediately tell where my jewel is.”
Theron smiled kindly and showed interest in the book Aveline had hidden behind her back.
“You seemed to be reading very intently.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Your breathing seemed to have become quite rough.”
“That can’t be!”
Flustered, Aveline’s voice cracked.
At the loud noise, the gazes of people reading in various corners all turned towards them at once.
Feeling doubly embarrassed, Aveline hastily shoved the book back onto a shelf behind her and pushed Theron’s back.
“L-let’s talk outside first.”
Leading Theron, who had obediently allowed himself to be pulled out, she entered a nearby alley.
“Has anything unusual happened recently?”
Theron asked about her well-being to the back of Aveline’s head as she checked if there were people in the alley.
It sounded like a greeting from someone who had been apart for days.
“We saw each other yesterday.”
“But I couldn’t see you at night.”
Oh, really!
She still wasn’t used to Theron’s direct way of speaking.
“Please tell me if there’s anything different from usual, even if it’s trivial.”
Different from usual, huh.
Aveline fell into deep thought. If there was anything different in her daily life, it was undoubtedly getting entangled with the self-proclaimed and publicly acknowledged handsome madman, Duke Ribes.
But aside from that, if there was anything different…
“…Dreams.”
It was having dreams of entering the books she was reading for two consecutive days.
“What did you say?”
Before answering again, Aveline hesitated for a moment. She recalled the expression Theron had made when Ares revealed her hobby last time.
‘No. But he did ask me to tell him even if it’s trivial, so I should just say it. It’s not like I need to look good in front of the Duke anyway.’
After brief contemplation, Aveline made up her mind and opened her mouth.
“Recently, I’ve been having dreams of entering books…”
“Oh my, could it be Duke Ribes?”
At that moment, someone wearing a shabby robe like Aveline’s entered the alley from outside.
As the person who approached the two of them removed their robe, Aveline’s eyes widened.
‘…Servell?’
Brilliant blonde hair and golden eyes. The woman boasting a glamorous feline-like beauty was undoubtedly Servell, the only daughter of Viscount Mirra and Aveline’s childhood friend.
Although it had been quite some time since Aveline had lost contact with Servell after her seclusion, she could recognize her at a glance.
Aveline observed her old friend approaching from the corner of her eye.
‘But was Servell acquainted with Duke Ribes?’
After pondering for a moment, Aveline finally remembered that Servell’s father, Viscount Mirra, was part of the noble faction.
There was a high chance he had met Theron, who was also part of the noble faction, on some chance occasion.
Aveline pulled her robe down deeper to hide her hair color from Servell and glanced at Theron’s face.
She wanted to see how he would react to Servell.
‘…Why is he looking at me?’
But Theron had his gaze fixed on her, not Servell.
“My, to be so close together in such a narrow alley… Were you in the middle of a secret rendezvous?”
Servell, who had been unable to bear situations where someone wasn’t paying attention to her since childhood, reacted immediately.
“My father has been worried lately that he couldn’t get in touch with you, Duke. It seems you’ve been busy with such important matters.”
There it was. The sarcastic way of speaking that instantly sours the mood of others.
It was Servell’s unique way of speaking that Aveline had often heard since childhood.
Aveline anxiously watched Theron’s reaction.
Even for someone whose thoughts were hard to read, it would be natural to feel upset when hearing such sarcastic remarks.
‘What’s this?’
There was no change in Theron’s expression.
Just as Aveline was about to secretly admire his patience in easily brushing off Servell’s provocation, Theron calmly opened his mouth.
“You caught us.”
What on earth is this person saying?
Aveline turned to Theron in shock, but the culprit remained perfectly calm.
“…Were you really having a secret meeting here?”
As Servell tried to confirm again, seemingly in disbelief, a commotion was heard from outside the alley.
“Argh! Let go, won’t you? Do you know who I am?”
“We caught him loitering near the carriage.”
Aveline’s face turned pale as she recognized the faces of the two people approaching closer.
The pink-haired person struggling in the grip of an unfamiliar man was none other than her twin brother, Ares.
‘What has he done now?’
Aveline felt embarrassed and pulled her robe down even deeper.
“Oh my, Ares?”
Servell immediately recognized Ares, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Then the recent rumor… Oh my goodness!”
Servell looked back and forth between Ares and Theron, seeming to realize something.
“Ah, so… Could it be that today’s rendezvous partner is…?”
It seemed Servell had heard the rumors too.
The rumor that Ares was afraid would spread.
The one about Duke Ribes visiting the mansion to see the Herolds young master.
It seemed he had thoroughly kept his promise to change the content of the rumor.
“Ah, then I’ll be going now!”
With her face turning as red as a tomato, Servell quickly left the alley, pulling her robe over her head before anyone could explain.
“Where do you think you’re going! Come back! What rumor are you talking about! Hey!”
Ares shouted with all his might at Servell’s retreating back.
It was a harsh way to call an old friend, but Servell had already disappeared.
There was a reason Ares, who cared about his reputation, had called out to Servell, setting aside his social status.
As childhood friends, the twins knew Servell’s tastes well.
That was also why Servell had appeared here wearing a robe like Aveline.
Servell was a BL maniac.
* * *
After Servell left, Theron told his companion to release Ares.
“He’s a suspicious character.”
The companion added dubiously but let go of Ares’ nape.
“You were circling my carriage, I hear.”
Theron smiled at Ares as if demanding an explanation.
It was an expression like a mask, far from kindness or gentleness.
“I was looking for my sister who wasn’t in the rental shop, and happened to spot the Duke’s carriage.”
In short, he was saying he had searched it in case Aveline had been kidnapped.
At those words, the companion standing beside them showed his displeasure.
“No matter how strange his personality is, how can you view Ther like that! He may be a bit odd, but he’s not that bad of a person.”
