~Chapter 29~
Finally, the signing event began.
“Damien, did you bring the book?”
“Yes, I brought it.”
According to the flyer Alice gave us, if we bought a regular copy of The Other Side of the Mirror by Horrible, we could stand in line and have the author sign the book.
Additionally, we could receive a randomly selected signed special edition of either the “Mirror Version” or the “Other Side Version.”
“It would be nice if we could each get a different version.”
“I agree.”
Damien quietly gazed at the books stacked beside Horrible’s signing table.
“But if we end up with two copies of the same book, we can keep one as a collector’s item, so that’s not bad either.”
“True.”
“By the way, Ruby, you’ve read Horrible’s previous works, right?”
“Of course.”
Despite the long line for the signing event, talking with Damien about Horrible’s previous works made the wait feel incredibly short.
“Honestly, I never thought anyone would surpass the writer Frightening.”
“I thought the same.”
“But after reading Horrible’s previous works, I started to think that, maybe, he’ll be on the same level as Frightening someday.”
“I thought something similar. At the time, he was a newcomer, so his raw and unrestrained style stood out, and that’s what caught my attention.”
“I felt the same. Especially the way he described the climax…”
Suddenly, Damien stopped speaking.
Under the blue sky, his eyes, sparkling like amethysts in the sunlight, calmly gazed at me.
“Damien? What’s wrong?”
“You’re smiling, Ruby.”
“Oh, this?”
I giggled and gently grabbed Damien’s sleeve.
“Damien, did you know?”
At my question, Damien tilted his head slightly.
Seeing his confused expression, I smiled and answered.
“You’ve been talking so comfortably, without a mask, even in the crowd.”
For a moment, a ripple passed through his deep purple eyes.
“Ah.”
It seemed he only now realized he was in the midst of the crowd without his mask. He touched his face.
Instead of the cold mask, his hand felt the warmth of human skin.
“I’m glad I got used to it faster than I thought.”
“Thank you.”
He gently took my hand, which had been holding his sleeve, and wrapped it with both of his hands.
“It’s because of you, Ruby. You’ve been holding my hand and suppressing the curse.”
“Ah…”
But I didn’t quite agree with that.
This wasn’t something I could do alone.
I shook my head and grasped his hand.
“No. It’s because you made the decision to change.”
“…Even if I made up my mind, I might not have been able to do it without your help.”
“But if you hadn’t made up your mind, I wouldn’t have had the chance to help you.”
I may have helped a little, but if Damien hadn’t decided not to hide anymore, there would have been no opportunity for me to assist.
“I believe it’s your effort that paid off.”
Damien, who had been staring into my eyes, lowered his gaze.
“This is what it feels like to be rewarded for effort.”
His voice was low but deep.
“I’ve never felt something like this before.”
It was dry and calm, but the tone carried traces of the hardships he had lived through. I felt a sense of sympathy and understanding.
“It feels really good.”
His face, looking directly at the bright, shining sun, appeared somehow refreshed.
“I feel good too.”
I found myself thinking I wanted to see his clear, clean, and refreshing smile more often.
Next, the signing event
“Next!”
It was now my turn. In my haste, I almost dropped the book I had been holding, but Damien caught it just in time and handed it to Horrible.
“Ah, you’ve also bought my previous works. Thank you so much. Your name?”
Horrible, whose appearance was drastically different from the sharp, rough sentences of his works, asked kindly, looking youthful and friendly.
“Ah, Ruby…”
I almost said Maledictus out loud, but realizing the noise around us, I quickly just said my first name.
Horrible wrote “To Ruby” on the front of the book and signed it.
“Yes, Ruby. Thank you so much for your interest in my work. I hope only good things come your way. Thompson, bring the special edition!”
“Yes, I’ll bring it!”
The staff handed me two books.
The Mirror Version and the Other Side Version—both versions I had been wanting.
“Huh?”
“Why are you giving me both?”
The flyer clearly stated that one would be given randomly.
A whirlwind of thoughts spun in my mind, wondering whether to let it go or speak up to the staff.
As a fan, I wanted to stay quiet, but I also felt guilty that someone else might not receive a book.
“Um, I think I got two. It seems like one more was given to me…”
When I mentioned it, the staff tilted his head and then smiled widely, waving his hands.
“It’s okay, both are for you. Didn’t you see it on the flyer? It’s written there.”
“Huh?”
“It’s easy to get confused since usually, we give them randomly. But this time, Horrible specifically asked that every fan get both editions.”
I stood there, holding three books, still stunned by the explanation.
Meanwhile, Damien, who had subtly changed his name to “Damien” to get his signature, approached with three books of his own.
“Anyway, take both books! I’ll be on my way now!”
The staff hurried off, leaving me to leave the signing event in a daze, holding three books.
“Ruby, give me the books. Three of them must be heavy.”
Before I could refuse, Damien took all the books from my arms.
With one arm holding six books, he grabbed my hand with his other.
“By the way, Damien.”
“Yes, Ruby.”
“The flyer clearly said these were randomly given, right?”
“I thought that was odd too. But in the end, it worked out well.”
“Right? It’s strange.”
I unfolded the flyer from my pocket again.
It still said the books would be given randomly.
Just as I was thinking how odd it was, I realized something was off with the writing on the flyer.
“Huh?”
“Ruby, is there something wrong?”
“Damien, look at the color of the ink.”
Upon closer inspection, the ink used for the random giveaway section was subtly different from the rest.
When I held the flyer up to the sunlight, the difference became more apparent.
“Wait, these words were written over the original flyer. Who did this…”
Damien and I simultaneously realized who the culprit was.
“Alice… she must have wanted us to go out together.”
“I see.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the situation, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.
In fact, I was thankful.
Thanks to Alice, the awkwardness between Damien and I had eased, and we enjoyed our outing together.
“She’s so mean with her words, but cute in her actions.”
“She is. Though she’s most adorable when she’s asleep, not awake.”
“Haha, I totally agree with that.”
Just as I was thinking I should buy her some new silverware on our way back, a loud voice caught my attention.
“Over there! Right there!”
A group of unfamiliar people surrounded us with a flash.
And then—
Bang—
A blinding light flashed, followed by the click of a camera shutter.
“Wha—what’s going on?”
Instinctively, I raised my arms to shield Damien’s face from the continuous flashes.
He had just gotten used to removing his mask. Having his bare face captured would be overwhelming for him.
“Stop it right now!”
Shouting toward the flashing lights, a man with a hat stepped forward, laughing.
“Are you Lady Rubyana Maledictus, Duchess of Maledictus?”
“What?”
Confused, I responded, but the sound of tapping boots filled the air.
“Rubyana, why are you pretending not to be her?”
A soft voice full of malice spoke.
“Cecilia?”
It was Cecilia, now dressed in new clothes, with her arms crossed and a wicked smile on her face.
“You’ve picked the wrong target. Do you think I’d let you trample on me in front of everyone?”
“I never trampled on you. You ruined your own dignity.”
I snapped back at Cecilia fiercely.
If I were alone, it wouldn’t matter, but I couldn’t let her insult Damien as well.
“Anyway, I’ve seen you spending your husband’s money lavishly.”
“It’s money I earned fairly. It’s my money.”
“Fine, then I’ll expose everything to your husband.”
Huh?
I narrowed my eyes.
‘What is she going to expose?’
Had she figured out about my illness?
Damien already knew about that.
Did she know I liked curses and horror novels?
She already knew that too.
But what else?
I couldn’t figure out what she meant, and while I was trying to piece it together, Cecilia added:
“You’re using your husband’s money to cheat with that young man beside you.”
For about three seconds, I couldn’t comprehend what Cecilia had said.
“Cheat…?”
What was she talking about?
“Yes. With that man beside you.”
Cecilia arrogantly pointed to Damien.
I turned to look at him with wide, confused eyes.
Now I understood what was going on.
“From the look of his clothes, it seems you’ve spent a lot of your husband’s money. Well, the guy’s face isn’t bad.”
“Cecilia.”
“With money, you could easily lure a man like him. If it weren’t for your husband’s money, you wouldn’t even be able to talk to a guy like that.”
“Cecilia.”
I felt Damien’s presence growing stronger, so I turned to look at him and called out to Cecilia in a serious voice.
“It would be better for you to close your mouth.”
“Ha, so it really is an affair, huh?”
But Cecilia’s cursed tongue wouldn’t stop.
“Listen, everyone! I’m going to expose how Lady Rubyana Maledictus used the money from the Monster Duke to buy a man and commit adultery! I’ll put it on the front page!”
Bang.
Damien silently placed the six books on the floor.
The sound made everyone freeze, including Cecilia and the reporters.
“It’s sad at such a young age.”
“Huh?”
Cecilia, not realizing the danger, glanced around in confusion.
“Me?”
Damien stood tall, staring at Cecilia without a word.
The increasing pressure from his height and his piercing violet eyes made Cecilia flinch.
“What? Are you a concubine, and now you’re speaking up?”
“No, isn’t it sad?”
Damien smirked coldly.
“At your age, to already be senile.”
“What?”
Cecilia’s face scrunched up.
“Not even recognizing someone you saw before.”
Cecilia, grinding her teeth, stepped forward.
“What do you mean, saw before? That’s nonsense—”
She stopped suddenly.
Her eyes were fixed on the ring on Damien’s thumb—the family ring of the Maledictus family.
It was a ring with the family crest, a spider, known throughout the empire.
Cecilia’s face went as pale as a sheet.
Damien smiled faintly.
“Am I wrong? Execution.”
For the first time, Damien looked as if he was ready to crush Cecilia completely.
