Chapter 17

Grace’s eyes widened in shock.

“Hmm, I suppose it was given to the guest who’s been here since a month ago.”

“This is… insane….”

Grace jumped up from her seat.

“What’s the matter, Miss?”

Jayden tilted his head at Grace’s sudden change in demeanor.

“I have somewhere to be immediately! Oh, right. If possible, prepare some contraceptives!”

Grace shouted to Jayden and dashed out of the lab without looking back.

“Yes, I’ll make them since you asked. But…. It might be too late….”

Jayden mumbled to himself after Grace left. His words were unheard by Grace, who had quickly disappeared down the corridor.

“Vivian!”

The place Grace arrived at in a hurry was, of course, Vivian’s bedroom.

“Oh, Grace. Welcome.”

Contrary to Grace’s urgency, Vivian greeted her with a serene smile.

“This isn’t the time for that. Vivian, we need to leave here now!”

“What?”

Vivian widened her eyes and tilted her head at Grace’s urgent words.

“No, that’s not it. My brother….”

Seeing Grace flustered, Vivian calmly reassured her and spoke.

“Calm down and tell me slowly, Grace.”

“My brother had Jayden, our family mage, make a potion that forcibly maintains ovulation. You’ve been drinking it all this time!”

“Oh, I see…. So, the supplement I took every morning…. I thought so….”

Instead of being surprised, Vivian nodded as if understanding.

“Why are you so calm? Vivian, we need to escape now.”

“Grace.”

“I’ll find a place for you to stay and then convince my brother.”

“Grace….”

“That man is really out of his mind….”

“It’s okay, Grace.”

“What? How is it okay? Vivian, if this continues….”

Grace’s excited speech halted as her gaze fell on Vivian. Vivian wore a gentle smile, her eyebrows relaxed. Then, she reached out and lovingly caressed her belly. With that simple gesture, Grace understood everything instantly.

“Oh…. Vivian, don’t tell me you’re already….”

Despite understanding, Grace opened her mouth to hear confirmation from Vivian. Vivian, still smiling, gave a small nod instead of answering.

“I don’t know what expression to make or what to say in this situation….”

“Just congratulate me, Grace.”

“Vivian….”

“After hearing your story, I’m not entirely unshaken. But since the Marquis, no, Cassius is happy, I’m happy too. So it’s okay. I’m actually grateful to you, Grace.”

Vivian smiled joyfully.

* * *

“What on earth are you thinking?”

Grace burst into the office. Sensing the commotion, the aide, Peter, discreetly left the room.

“Hmm, Grace, are you not even calling me brother now? I wonder if it’s okay for the hierarchy of our family to be in such disarray.”

Cassius shook his head, chiding Grace’s rudeness while smiling brightly. Grace realized again today that the gentle image of Marquis Lofaere was all a lie.

However, Grace wasn’t one to back down easily.

“That’s not what’s important right now!”

“Then, what do you consider more important than the family order, Grace? I’d like to hear it.”

“Stop being sarcastic and listen. It’s about Vivian!”

“Hmm, that’s something I also consider very important.”

“I heard she’s pregnant.”

“Hahaha, did you already hear? It’s a very joyous occasion. Oh, you came to congratulate me? You should have said so earlier. Then I wouldn’t have been so defensive.”

Cassius visibly brightened.

“No, brother, are you really going to do this? Can’t you handle things a bit more normally?”

“What’s normal?”

Cassius asked, looking genuinely puzzled.

“What? So, having Jayden make magical potions is normal?”

“Didn’t you make the potion first? Is my memory faulty?”

“That… is that the same as what you did? Oh, I even prepared an antidote!”

Grace added a feeble excuse. Cassius looked at her with a disdainful expression before speaking.

“Grace, are you pretending to be innocent? It’s strange…. Surely you’re happy that Vivian is becoming part of our family, aren’t you?”

“Ugh…. No, that’s….”

Caught off guard, Grace couldn’t answer immediately, showing a flustered expression.

“See, I hit the mark, didn’t I?”

“W-well, it’s not wrong…. But still, people should have a conscience….”

Grace couldn’t outright deny it and muttered while avoiding his gaze.

“What’s the importance of conscience? Grace. Let’s be honest. How do you feel thinking that your cherished friend is becoming family?”

“…Honestly…?”

At his words, Grace reacted and watched Cassius carefully.

“Yes, I’ll keep it secret, so speak honestly.”

Cassius gestured for her to speak. Grace hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth.

“…Ah, it feels great…. How did you even think of this? I thought I’d only have to see scenes from novels once. Just imagining new situations every day is delightful!”

Grace expressed her true feelings with a thrilled expression. Cassius chuckled, as if he had expected it.

“See, it’s nice to be honest, isn’t it?”

“It is….”

Admitting it made her feel much lighter.

“Alright, then, I’ll be off.”

“Yes. Oh, I should go and tell the butler to prepare the ceremony. I need to prepare invitations for the nobles too! I’m going to be very busy.”

Grace, freed from her restraints, spoke excitedly.

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

Cassius, who had been observing the situation with his chin resting on the desk, added calmly.

“What?”

“If it’s about the wedding preparations, they were all completed a month ago.”

Cassius smiled and shrugged. A month ago was the day he suggested Vivian stay at the Marquis Estate. He seemed to have anticipated this outcome from a month ago. Or, even if things didn’t go this way, he was the type to make them happen.

“As expected of my brother! Ah, admitting it makes me feel at ease now.”

Bl＊＊d couldn’t betray, and Grace, who resembled her brother, found peace as she patted her chest.

Grace decided to simply accept this blessed situation.

* * *

“Oh…! Come to think of it, there’s one more thing I want to see.”

One day, as the wedding preparations were smoothly progressing, Grace visited Vivian’s room and started speaking as if she had remembered something.

“Even after all this, there’s still something left to see?”

Vivian laughed with an incredulous expression. She was beyond accustomed to her friend’s true nature, finding it cute, annoying, and feeling various emotions.

However, she was mostly grateful because, thanks to Grace, she could connect with Cassius, which she wouldn’t have dared to think about normally.

“This time, it’s really simple~!”

Grace clung to Vivian’s arm, hugging it tightly. She looked up at Vivian with shining eyes.

“Huh? Vivian.”

Grace shook Vivian’s arm again and asked. Her face was excessively pretty, resembling Cassius’s, so it was inevitable. Vivian’s heart gradually melted at her appearance, and she unconsciously opened her mouth.

“…Alright. Let’s hear it first.”

“Wow, thank you!”

Grace’s expression noticeably brightened, and she smiled brightly.

“I haven’t said I’d do it yet….”

“It’s really, really nothing. I just want to see you call my brother ‘Marquis Rimor’, Vivian.”

Grace still seemed unable to escape from <A Midnight Tryst.> However, it was a much more normal and not particularly difficult request compared to her previous strange ones. Vivian, who had been tense about what odd request might come next, felt much lighter about this relatively harmless request.

“Well, if it’s just that, I can’t refuse.”

“Wow, thank you. Vivian, you really are pretty and has a big heart.”

Grace cheerfully flattered Vivian.

“Yes, yes, I get it.”

Knowing him, Vivian nodded with a smile.

“Then let’s go right now!”

“Alright, I don’t have anything else to do anyway.”

Vivian nodded at Grace’s words. The two descended the stairs to find Cassius.

They moved from the second floor, used by the Marquis family, to the first floor, which had many common areas. Not long after reaching the first floor, they easily encountered Cassius coming out of the office.

“Um…, Cassius, just a moment.”

“Yes, Vivian. Why are you calling me like that?”

Cassius approached with a bright smile in response to Vivian’s call.

“I’m fulfilling Grace’s request.”

“Request…?”

Cassius tilted his head, looking puzzled.

“Just stand there.”

“Alright.”

Not knowing what was happening, Cassius did as Vivian instructed. Before fulfilling the request, Vivian glanced at Grace. Grace nodded, indicating she was ready to watch. After confirming, Vivian turned her gaze back to Cassius.

“Um, Marquis Rimor….”

Cassius narrowed his eyes and looked down at Vivian. Meanwhile, Grace’s voice was heard, admiring,

“Wow, this is so great. It’s like having the two characters from the novel right here.”

Contrary to that, Vivian was starting to feel burdened by Cassius’s gaze.

“Uh…, um…. Cassius?”

“Seems like education is necessary.”

He still wore a smiling face as he grabbed Vivian’s arm.

“What? No… why?”

As he tried to lead her away, Vivian resisted and asked. 

Education?! What part of me needed fixing that required education? 

Vivian felt wronged.

“Why, you ask, Vivian. Do you not know the reason? Calling me by another man’s name, how do you think I should take that?”

“Oh, wait, it’s a misunderstanding! Marquis Rimor is a character from a novel….”

Vivian quickly tried to clear up Cassius’s misunderstanding.

“I know. I read it with you, so I remember everything. However, even if it’s a fictional character, a man is a man. I’m very jealous, so I can’t even tolerate that.”

It seemed it wasn’t a misunderstanding. That was a bigger problem.

Vivian looked at Grace for help.

“Grace, help me!”

It was a reasonable request since she was the cause.

“Of course! Trust me! Hans! Hans!”

Grace answered confidently and called out desperately to a man named Hans, whom Vivian had never heard of before. Just when she thought he might be a newly arrived knight, a man with platinum blonde hair and a white ruffled shirt came running. His slender figure didn’t look like a knight at all.

“Yes, Miss!”

“Make sure to remember that scene and draw it!”

“What?”

Vivian let out a deflated sound.

“I’ll do as you command, Miss!”

Hans, who was hired, showed great enthusiasm for his first task. He seemed to be an artist.

“No, help me! It’s because of you!”

Feeling the crisis, Vivian urgently shouted at Grace.

“Haha, I am helping! I’m performing the great task of capturing the beautiful scene of you two in a painting!”

However, Grace was assisting in a completely different way than Vivian intended. It was unclear if this could be called help. It was purely beneficial to Grace.

“Can’t you see your friend is in danger?!”

Vivian, being dragged, held onto a pillar and appealed to Grace.

“I don’t see danger, but I do see a good atmosphere!”

Grace cheerfully smiled and gave Vivian a thumbs-up.

“…….”

Vivian was speechless and looked at Grace with a tired gaze. Asking for help was foolish.

“Seems like the conversation is over. Is it alright if I take Vivian now?”

Cassius, without waiting for a response, was stubbornly taking Vivian away.

“No, no….”

Grace and Cassius both seemed to think that doing what they wanted without listening to others was the same.

“Now, Vivian. Resisting is useless.”

Cassius finally lifted Vivian up in his arms.

“Why, why is it always me…?”

She wondered why she was the only one always in trouble.

But no one listened. There were only people who were happy in their own world.

However, soon Vivian also accepted Cassius’s loving actions, and her complaints disappeared.

– <Grace’s Strange Proposal> End