Chapter 04
That evening. A chandelier hung with dozens of candles brightly illuminated the ballroom floor.
Highly skilled musicians played sweet, flowing music, and people danced hand in hand to the rhythm.
Among the well-dressed gentlemen and ladies searching for partners, there was someone standing in a corner, sipping a drink while scanning the party hall with sharp, hawk-like eyes.
It was Karin.
Within a two-meter radius of where Karin stood, not even an ant could be found.
After confessing to Duke Lucas and being rejected, Karin had become even more sensitive, often picking fights over trivial matters and causing disturbances.
Since everyone knew this, people deliberately avoided her.
‘Well, I can’t blame them. That’s what the original Karin did.’
Karin didn’t particularly care whether people avoided her or not and stayed focused on her task.
It wasn’t like finding a needle in a haystack—it was finding a duke in a ballroom.
“There he is.”
Her wandering gaze finally stopped at one point.
Black hair and red eyes—the textbook features of a romance fantasy male lead. A man so handsome there were rumors that God personally sculpted him with affection.
The duke of the kingdom’s most powerful first principality, and the male lead of “I Just Want a Clumsy Lady to Love Me!”
His dazzling name was Belzer Lucas.
He had just entered the ballroom.
He was tall, well-built, and disgustingly handsome.
His eyes were sharp and clear, his high nose exuded masculine charm. His lips were smooth like they had been painted with a brush, and his refined jawline looked sharp enough to cut.
He looked less like a human and more like a living sculpture.
“So what? He’s still annoying.”
His arrogant and authoritarian personality was exactly what she hated. Karin inwardly grumbled about him but soon remembered why she had come here and quickly finished her drink.
The distance between her and the duke wasn’t far.
As she lifted her dress slightly and began walking, she felt the gazes of others pierce her skin.
They had avoided her in fear before, but now they were curious about what she would say or do to the duke.
That worked in Karin’s favor. The more people who witnessed and spread today’s events, the better.
‘Come to think of it, Arken isn’t next to him.’
She had wanted to do this in front of Arken, too.
It was a bit disappointing, but the rumors would spread, and he would eventually hear about it, so it wasn’t a big concern.
With a mixture of fear and anticipation, Karin walked past the watching crowd and stopped in front of the duke.
“Duke Lucas.”
“……”
But the duke didn’t even acknowledge her.
“Excuse me?”
“……”
“I have something to say.”
He stared past her as if she didn’t exist. Seeing that reminded her of Arken’s face from yesterday.
The same expressionless face—but somehow equally infuriating.
Karin forced emotion into her voice and called him again.
“Duke Lucas!”
She even considered waving a hand in front of his face. Only then did his crimson eyes lower slightly, emitting a cold light.
“What is it?”
Karin forced a polite smile, trying not to show her dislike. Even if he didn’t like her, ignoring someone outright was too much.
She wanted to snap at him—but she was in no position to.
Meaning she had to endure whatever reaction he gave.
“I came to apologize for my previous confession.”
“……”
“I was thoughtless. I couldn’t accept rejection properly and behaved immaturely. I sincerely apologize.”
It wasn’t even her fault—it was the original Karin’s actions.
But since she had possessed this body, cleaning up her bad reputation required it. And it also helped lead into what she truly wanted to say.
“I’ve reflected on my behavior. I will no longer bother you in any way. I’ve also decided to completely let go of my feelings for you. After thinking about it, I don’t think we’re meant to be.”
In short: I’m not interested in you anymore.
That was the real point. The apology was just a pretext.
Karin wanted everyone—including Arken and Lucas—to understand that she was no longer interested in him.
She didn’t want to be misunderstood as someone chasing a man she didn’t even care about. And with that kind of rumor, dating someone else would be impossible.
“……”
Even after she finished speaking, the duke said nothing. His blood-red eyes remained cold, and his lips were set like stone.
It seemed she wouldn’t be forgiven—and she hadn’t expected forgiveness anyway.
Karin decided to end the conversation.
“I’ll be going now.”
She gave a polite nod. Her mood felt lighter, as if a burden had been lifted.
Ignoring the murmurs of disbelief around her, she was about to leave when—
Pfft.
A scoffing laugh rang out.
Karin turned around.
Surprisingly, the duke’s lips—previously a straight line—were now curved into a crooked smile.
He was laughing? What was so funny?
Before she could wonder further, she understood. It was a sneer.
“How amusing. The infamous Karin is apologizing.”
‘Ah… don’t tell me.’
A bad feeling struck her.
“You think I’d believe that? Changing your approach won’t work.”
The duke’s mocking tone confirmed her fear.
‘You don’t believe me either?!’
Karin felt like jumping up and down in frustration. Just like Arken, he didn’t believe her.
Her reputation was so terrible that anything she said was interpreted as part of a scheme.
She wanted to curse the nonexistent god who had possessed her into this body.
If this was how things were going to be, couldn’t she have been born into a decent reputation?!
“Not bothering me anymore, you say. A nice promise. One you won’t keep.”
The duke smirked, convinced he had seen through her.
Karin gritted her teeth, held back her anger, and spoke slowly:
“Believe it or not, it’s up to you. I’m being sincere.”
Even if he didn’t believe her now, he would eventually realize the truth.
But she had no intention of proving it to him.
“I’ve said what I needed to say.”
With that, she left the ballroom without another word.
No need for formalities.
She didn’t want to see that polished, infuriating face even one more second.
‘How long do I have to live like this? I can’t exactly tattoo “I’m not lying” on my forehead.’
But her mood lifted again as she thought about the future.
Now that she had taken back her confession, winning over Arken would be only a matter of time.
Whether Lucas believed it or not, plenty of people had heard their conversation.
For now, she just needed to stay quiet and follow through on her promise.
Then everyone would realize she was serious—and she could start flirting with Arken in earnest.
As expected, with this face and wealth, how could she not attract a man?
As she descended the stairs, loud voices echoed near the entrance.
A group of drunken men staggered in, clearly coming back from a night of drinking.
Karin instinctively hid behind a pillar. Even though she was a noble, habits built over time were hard to shake.
“Hey, wait.”
While she held her breath, one of the men approached her direction.
But he wasn’t coming for her—it seemed someone was on the other side of the pillar.
“Looks familiar…”
His slurred voice dragged out.
“Oh, well I’ll be. Look at you, all successful now.”
Laughter erupted from the group.
The mocking tone was unpleasant, deliberately provoking.
Karin silently listened, expecting a response.
But none came.
Why wasn’t he reacting?
Then she heard the next words.
“Times are good. Even peasants ignore nobles now…”
So it was a commoner. And apparently a commoner working as a duke’s aide.
A peasant? And the duke’s aide?
Karin slowly peeked around the pillar.
Long blond hair, a slender build—
It was Arken.
