TSUN-TSUN

"THANKS for the offer, but I already quit smoking a long time ago," Zoe said when she snapped out of it. Then she pointed at the candy cane in her hand by pouting her lips. "Thus, the candy."

"Ah, I should have been considerate," Vaughn Wilson said, then he dropped the cigarette on the floor and stepped on it. "I apologize for my thoughtlessness, Lady Rochester."

"Nah, it's cool. I miss smoking sometimes, so I don't mind having a sniff of secondhand smoke," she joked.

But not really.

Even back on earth, she would often hang out in smoking areas to inhale secondhand smoke. She knew it was worse than smoking so she was doing her best to break that bad habit of hers.

Anyway, she changed the topic to get her mind off of her real world.

"I see that you already know me, good sir."

She knew who Vaughn Wilson was because she read the novel.

Zoanne didn't have particular memories about the empress's older brother, though. Should she pretend that she didn't know him?

[But wouldn't it be weird if the daughter of Marquis Rochester doesn't know Vaughn Wilson? If I remember it correctly, he already inherited his father's title when Empress Veronica married Emperor Rino. So, he's a duke now, right? Yeah, as a noble, it would be weird if I pretended not to know Duke Vaughn Wilson.]

"Marquis Rochester is a revered war hero, and your family is known for producing the best weapons in the entire empire," the red-haired duke said. "Pink hair, orange eyes. Who wouldn't know that you are Marquis Rochester's only daughter? You may fool the commoners, but a noble like me would recognize you right away."

Ah, right.

If only dyeing your hair and pupils wasn't a crime in the empire, she would have dyed her hair and pupils to avoid getting attention. It seemed like in this world where colorful hair colors existed, pink was still among the rare ones.

"Lady Rochester, perhaps, it's you who doesn't recognize me?"

She raised an eyebrow when she saw Vaughn Wilson's expression.

[He looks like he's testing me. But what kind of test? Ah, whatever.]

"Red hair, green eyes," she said, copying his words earlier. "And you look like Her Majesty's male version. Who wouldn't recognize you, Duke Vaughn Wilson?"

"Why are you being formal, Lady Rochester?" he asked, then he tilted his head to one side. "Why don't you address me the way you did while we were both serving at the temple?"

Huh?

The real Zoanne and Vaughn Wilson spent time together in the temple?

But how come she remembered nothing about the red-haired duke? Zoanne's memories related to him were the ones where she met him at some banquets…

"How can I address you casually, my lord?" she said, acting as if she remembered him, but was trying to be polite. "You're a duke, and I'm just the daughter of a marquis. We may have treated each other casually in the temple, but it's only because it's the home of our lord where everyone is supposed to be equals. Now that we're outside the temple, I can no longer act that way towards you. I hope Your Grace understands."

Everything she just said was bullshit.

She panicked, okay? Vaughn Wilson was acting like they had a close relationship. But Zoanne didn't have memories of the duke.

[Did Zoe have amnesia or something?]

But nah, impossible.

Things like amnesia would only happen to the main character, and Zoanne definitely wasn't the main character. She wasn't even a major character since she died early in the story.

"I guess that's true," Vaughn Wilson said. "Lady Rochester, since we met here by chance, why don't we have lunch together? My treat, of course."

"That might be difficult, my lord," she said, then she bit the candy cane and chewed loudly. It was unladylike, and she might be ruining the real Zoanne's image, but she was doing it to protect herself. [Vaughn Wilson might be hot, but I treasure my life.]

"Why would it be difficult, my lady?"

"I think I offended Her Majesty during the tea party that she invited me to a few days ago," she confessed. "My lord, be honest with me. Are you here to punish me because I upset your little sister?"

"My little sister?" Vaughn Wilson asked, then he laughed. He laughed so hard that he clutched his stomach. "It's refreshing to hear someone refer to Her Majesty as my "little sister." Ever since she became the empress, everyone around me has referred to her as 'Her Majesty.'"

She just continued munching on her candy cane while observing the duke.

[Hmm… it seems like his laugh is genuine. But I bet the fact that he's here isn't a coincidence. He's probably here because Her Majesty sent him after me.]

In the novel, Empress Veronica would often send Vaughn Wilson after the people who offended her. Eunice Harper was the #1 victim of the siblings. Thus, Vaughn Wilson and Isaak Viotto would clash most of the time.

[But dayum. Even Vaughn Wilson's laugh is sexy. If only he wasn't a siscon…]

As far as she remembered, the red-haired duke was labeled a "siscon" by the readers because of how much he loved and spoiled Empress Veronica.

"As a token of gratitude for making me laugh until my stomach hurts, I'll be honest with you," Vaughn Wilson said when he calmed down from laughing loudly. "It's true that Her Majesty is upset because of you. I heard that you blatantly declared that you like a mature, handsome, and powerful man with violet eyes."

"Uh-huh," she said, then she licked the tip of the candy cane before speaking again. "Is that what made your little sister upset?"

He smirked as if he was amused. "I'm sure that was your intention."

"Maybe, maybe not," she said with a shrug. "I didn't like it when your little sister tried to set me up with Count Nigel Ratliff. I merely told her my type, so the next time she tries to play Cupid, she'd match me with the right man."

He laughed softly while shaking his head. "I will return to the palace and explain to Her Majesty that there has been a misunderstanding," he said. "I'm pretty sure that you weren't talking about His Majesty when you said "violet eyes.""

She only smiled as a response, but deep inside, she was 'shookt.'

[This sly bastard knows. He knows I am close to Isaak Viotto. That means he has eyes around us.]

"Will you really return to the palace now, my lord?"

"Yes," he said. "I already saw your face, Lady Rochester."

[He seems to be telling the truth, but…]

"Let's have a meal together once you return to the Royal Capital after your vacation," Vaughn Wilson said. "I'll make sure that my little sister would no longer be upset with you by that time."

"Alright, let's do that," Zoe agreed, because her priority right now was to send Vaughn Wilson away as soon as possible. Even though the red-haired duke was an eye candy, he wasn't worth the anxiety she'd get by staying with a person who reminded her of her older brother a lot. "See you later, my lord."

***

"M-MY L-LADY, are you a-alright?"

Zoe was quite surprised to see Dal shaking while approaching her. Her attendant was also very pale, and her eyes were filled with fear. "Dal, what happened?" she asked, confused. Then she held Dal by the shoulders and helped her sit on the bed. "Why are you shaking?"

Dal looked at her as if she was the one who should be confused. "My lady, weren't you affected by Duke Wilson's aura? I wanted to come and save you, but I wasn't able to move my body. The duke's aura is known to inflict fear in the hearts of the people inside his domain."

"Domain?"

Her attendant nodded weakly. "His Grace covered the whole inn with his aura, my lady. I noticed that the aura that covered our room is thicker than anywhere else. It seems like the duke tried to make you submit to him by using his aura to scare you."

She tilted her head to one side. "But I'm fine, though?"

Dal's eyes sparkled. "That's why you're amazing, my lady!" she said, her voice filled with admiration. Then she clasped her hands together. "I heard that you received a blessing from the High Priest before you left the temple, Lady Zoe. I guess the Holy Blessing that you received served as your protection."

Huh?

That wasn't in Zoanne's memories.

[Zoanne, did you get amnesia before I possessed your body?]

"My lady, we should report this to Grand Duke Viotto."

"Why?" she asked, setting aside Zoanne's mystery for now. "Duke Vaughn Wilson said he'd leave."

"We can't trust him, my lady," her attendant said. "I don't mind dying for you. But your survival rate will increase if Grand Duke Viotto comes to save you."

"But why him?" she asked, still confused. "I am not His Grace's responsibility."

"Huh?" Dal asked, extremely confused as well. "Lady Zoe, I thought you and the Grand Duke have something going on between you?"

Zoe laughed at Dal's innocence. "Dal, that doesn't mean Grand Duke Isaak Viotto will come running here just because we think I'm in danger because of Vaughn Wilson."

Right?

***

ZOE was amazed while staring at the screen on the wall.

It was a video communication device that turned the wall into a projector. Dal attached four Magic Gems on the wall earlier and voila, it connected to Isaak Viotto's device. Apparently, Dal had a "connected communication device" with Sawyer now.

Anyway, the ghoul duke's handsome face could be clearly seen on the screen.

"What did you say?" Isaak Viotto asked, his brows furrowed, as if he was stressed out. "Who did you meet there?"

"Vaughn Wilson, Empress Veronica's handsome, hot, and sexy older brother," Zoe said, while munching on the delicious cookie that Dal's aunt baked for her. "But Duke Wilson already left, I think. I told Dal that I don't have to report it to you since the duke already left, but she said we shouldn't believe him easily. So I called you to–"

"Tell me your Constellation."

"My what?"

"Ah," the ghoul duke said, as if he just remembered that she wasn't from this world. "'Constellation' means the coordinates that I need to create a teleportation portal that will get me to where you are. Just ask your attendant to send me your Constellation and she'll know what to do."

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Why do you need to go here?"

"Because Vaughn Wilson is there, and he's obviously targeting you," the Grand Duke said. "I need to be there to protect you from that snake bastard."

She blinked several times. "My lord, are you worried about me?"

Isaak Viotto looked surprised by her question.

Then, his lips formed a thin line as if he was having an inner debate with himself.

[Ohh… is he really worried about me?]

"Send me your Constellation," Isaak Viotto said sternly. "See you later."

And then he turned off his communication device.

The screen in front of her turned black.

Zoe couldn't help but laugh at what happened. "Isaak Viotto, you're such a tsundere!"

***

NOTE: Hi! Please consider ADDING 'I Won't Let The Ghoul Duke Go Hungry!' to your LIBRARY. Thank you! <3