“Vivi, dear. Hand me that thread, would you?”

Marchioness Baldwin called to Vivianne sitting across from her as she worked on her embroidery. Lost in thought, Vivianne didn’t respond, her face deeply contemplative.

“Vivi?”

“…”

“Vivi!”

“Yes? Did you call me?”

“Where on earth is your mind wandering?”

“I’m sorry.”

Ever since the commotion that night, Vivianne had been noticeably distracted. Usually chatty and animated, she had grown quieter lately.

The Marchioness released a soft sigh and gently inquired, “Are you perhaps… thinking about that man?”

“Who do you mean?”

“That fellow who forcibly embraced you that night.”

“Duke Larson?”

“Yes.”

Vivianne hesitated before answering, clearly uncertain whether to speak her mind.

“If I’m honest with you, you won’t scold me, right?”

“Of course not. In fact, lying and getting caught would be far more dangerous, wouldn’t it?”

“…He does keep crossing my mind.”

Vivianne lowered her eyelashes shyly, appearing somewhat embarrassed by her admission.

“You shouldn’t concern yourself with him. He seems like a man of poor character.”

“How do you know that, my lady? Were you close to him before?”

“Do I need to have been close to him to know? Some things are obvious at first glance.”

When the Marchioness answered so definitively, Vivianne only grew more curious rather than satisfied.

“At my age, dear, after encountering countless people throughout life, you naturally develop an eye for character.”

“I see. But why do I keep thinking about this man of poor character?”

“I told you to forget him.”

Despite the instruction to forget, Vivianne’s expression remained troubled.

“He seemed to know me… I’m curious about what happened to me before.”

“Knowing everything isn’t always the answer. Sometimes, after learning the truth, you might wish you hadn’t. After all, you nearly drowned and almost died.”

“That’s true,” Vivianne readily acknowledged.

“But what interests me more than the Duke is discovering what kind of life I led before.”

“Would you want to know even if those memories are sad or painful?”

“Yes. Those experiences are still part of who I am. Whether happy and joyful or sad and painful, it’s all me. I don’t know what happened, but I don’t want to hate or erase my past self. If even I abandon that person, wouldn’t that be too cruel?”

So much to pity about this girl. If only she could simply forget and move on. The more the Marchioness heard, the heavier her heart felt.

Sensing this, Vivianne fell silent, but her honest feelings had been expressed. The Marchioness wanted to hear more.

“It’s all right. Speak freely.”

“I want to praise myself for enduring whatever happened, to tell myself I did well. Burying everything forever and never knowing who I truly am would be too sad.”

She didn’t want to leave the past buried. Yet the Marchioness hadn’t even told her the whole truth.

How could she possibly tell this poor child about her miscarriage when she so desperately wanted to know her past?

The words simply wouldn’t come out.

Whatever happened with Duke Larson was likely even worse than that, not better.

“He said he missed me. He must have been searching for me for a long time.”

“There must have been a good reason for your separation.”

“You’re right. I don’t want to go back to him either. I don’t even know what happened between us.”

“Then?”

“It’s just… I could see it in his eyes. How much he must have suffered all this time. So if I get the chance, I’d like to hear his story.”

Her eyes were pleading. The Marchioness set down her embroidery needle and removed her glasses. Vivianne’s reckless words made it impossible to focus on her needlework.

“Vivi, dear.”

“Yes?”

“Did you read the story of Pandora’s box in the book I gave you?”

“I did.”

“Then you know she shouldn’t have opened the box.”

“Pandora probably knew that intellectually too. But her curiosity made opening it inevitable. Still… something remained in the box at the end, didn’t it?”

“What was that?”

“Hope. Perhaps Pandora opened the box searching for that very thing.”

* * *

“You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”

Angela Grieam burst into Vivianne’s bedroom, demanding answers with a furious expression. Her face flushed red and purple with rage, and the strong smell of wine emanated from her body.

“What are you talking about, Angela?”

“You appeared before Duke Larson in your negligee! Did you think I wouldn’t realize you were trying to improve your fortunes with such a scheme?”

It was understandable that she would be upset after seeing the man she admired embracing someone else, but she was completely misunderstanding the situation.

“It wasn’t intentional. I had my shawl wrapped properly. I just stepped outside briefly because I dropped the hairpin you gave me through the window…”

“Stop making excuses! I don’t want to hear it!”

Vivianne tried desperately to explain, but Angela showed no interest in listening.

“I see now. Clinging to nobility like a beggar is your specialty.”

“A beggar?”

“Yes, did I say something wrong?”

When Vivianne repeated the word in surprise, the veins in Angela’s neck bulged with anger.

“Wasn’t it enough to charm one old lady? I played nice with you out of pity and gave you clothes like charity. Yes, I even gave you that hairpin! Instead of showing gratitude, you go after my man?”

“I never went after him. He seemed lost, so I tried to help him, but then he suddenly—”

“Oh, so you weren’t after him, but you were ready to spread your legs in the garden?”

“What?”

Before Vivianne could even comprehend what spreading legs meant, Angela hurled an insult at her.

“You filthy woman!”

This felt unfair. To be called filthy out of nowhere. Not fully understanding Angela’s meaning, Vivianne sniffed herself, wondering if she smelled bad somehow.

Far from being dirty, she emitted only a delicate floral scent. If anything, the headache-inducing smell of alcohol was coming from Angela.

“I’m not dirty! I bathed and smell nice!”

“Oh, sure. You bathed! You smell nice! Because you need to roll around n*ked with men! I’m sick of forcing myself to talk to someone as stupid as you!”

This was precisely why Angela had prevented Vivianne from attending the dinner party. Angela believed she should have been the center of attention and didn’t want Vivianne diverting any focus.

She had made up all sorts of excuses to keep Vivianne away, never imagining that Vivianne would wander around improperly dressed and catch Duke Larson’s eye.

The obviousness of Vivianne’s intentions made Angela sick to her stomach, despite Vivianne’s pretense of innocence.

“I didn’t do it on purpose. I don’t remember anything… He already knew my name. I was hoping things would work out between you two. Truly.”

Vivianne was equally confused about the situation. Being suddenly insulted by Angela felt somewhat unfair. Though unintentional, she understood why Angela was upset and felt sorry about how things had turned out.

She tried her best to defend herself and explain the circumstances, but unfortunately, Angela seemed deaf to her explanations.

“You slept with that guard too, didn’t you? I saw with my own eyes how you both entered your bedroom that night and came out much later.”

“Theo and I aren’t like that.”

“Don’t lie to me. You two looked good together. Roll around with someone at your level. Don’t go after men you can never have just because you have a pretty body!”

“We didn’t roll around—”

“You still deny it!”

Smack! Angela’s hand flew up, and Vivianne’s vision went black for a moment.

Her slapped cheek stung sharply. When Angela raised her hand to strike again, Baron Grieam suddenly appeared and grabbed her wrist.

“What do you think you’re doing? Stop this immediately!”

“Let go, Father. She deliberately tried to humiliate me…!”

Smack! With the sound of another slap, this time Angela’s face turned sideways.

“Father, how could you…sob… how could you…”

Tears streamed down Angela’s face as she looked at her father in shock.

Ignoring her, Baron Grieam busied himself checking whether Vivianne was injured.

“I apologize, Vivianne. Let me apologize on Angela’s behalf. Are you hurt anywhere?”

He examined Vivianne’s reddened cheek without the slightest concern for his own daughter. His principle was clear: no matter what happened, the valuable merchandise must remain unblemished.

* * *

Maids summoned by Baron Grieam escorted Vivianne to an unfamiliar room. Inside, elaborate dresses and decorative jewels had been prepared.

Surrounded by maids before she knew what was happening, Vivianne was dressed in an elegant gown, had makeup applied, and wore a pearl necklace.

The shoes pleased her most of all, perfectly matching her preference for ribbons. But was it all right to enjoy this? Why was she suddenly being dressed up?

When she asked the maids, they only repeated that they were following orders, offering no explanation.

“Someone wishes to meet you, Lady Vivianne.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Please follow me.”

Even Francis the butler had suddenly become respectful. Vivianne felt bewildered by the abrupt change in circumstances.

Before she knew it, they had crossed the garden and arrived at a carriage. Vivianne hesitated with a troubled expression.

“Um… hasn’t the visitor come to the mansion?”

“You must board the carriage.”

“I was told to call Theo whenever I go out. And I need the Marchioness’s permission too.”

“The Baron has given permission, so it’s fine. Please get in.”

Though polite in tone, Francis practically pushed her into the carriage.

‘What should I do? Is this really all right?’

Although the Baron had apparently given permission, she had barely exchanged words with him before.

Suddenly she found herself alone in the carriage. No one told her where they were going. Vivianne anxiously kept looking out the window.

The journey wasn’t as long as she expected. The carriage stopped at an unfamiliar mansion.

Where is this place?

As she looked around nervously, the carriage door opened to reveal an unexpected face. Vivianne stared blankly at the hand extended toward her. The man smiled slightly and confidently took her hand.

The moment their eyes met, he raised her hand and briefly pressed his lips against it. Startled, Vivianne’s eyes widened in shock.

“Welcome, Vivi.”