The kiss on the back of her hand caught Vivianne completely off guard, despite how naturally he performed the gesture.

The man who had called out to her with such longing near the garden that night seemed entirely different from the one now confidently taking her hand. His demeanor had transformed completely.

“What is this—”

“I’m escorting you,” he replied casually.

“…”

“Do you plan to live in the carriage?”

Theodore had escorted her in and out of carriages before, but he had never kissed her hand. 

Though confused, she stepped down from the carriage, hoping he would release her hand once her feet touched the ground.

Yet even after she disembarked, he maintained his grip.

“Your Grace… my hand, please…”

“Wrong.”

“Pardon?”

“You used to call me Kian.”

So they had indeed known each other. But how could she possibly remember what she used to call him when her memories were gone?

For Vivianne, who had lost her memory, this was officially only their second meeting.

Addressing a stranger by name, especially someone everyone seemed to fear, felt rather uncomfortable.

“How could I possibly…”

“Why not? I call you Vivi.”

Kian raised an eyebrow, treating it as the most natural thing in the world.

“Your Grace, where are we?”

“…”

Vivianne looked up at Kian, who merely continued walking leisurely forward, offering no response to her question.

Was her voice too quiet? She cleared her throat with a small cough and tried again.

“Your Grace.”

“…”

“Your Grace.”

It dawned on her that he wasn’t failing to hear her, he was deliberately ignoring her.

“Your Grace, are you going to keep ignoring me?”

“I’ll answer.”

“Where are we—”

“If you call me Kian.”

Despite her repeated attempts to get his attention, he had set this one condition. Though embarrassed, if that was what he wanted so badly, she saw no reason to refuse.

“K-Kian, where are we?”

“Would knowing help you?”

He wouldn’t answer anyway. Though somewhat indignant, even when she stared at him intensely, Kian refused to look her way.

“Regardless, how could you bring me here without telling me? The Marchioness will worry about me.”

“If I’d told you, you would have sought your Marchioness’s permission. And what does she think of me?”

Her assessment of Kian had been extremely negative. Normally, Vivianne would have glossed over it or said something nice, but his uncooperative attitude sparked an unexpected defiance in her.

“She called you a man of poor character and told me not to concern myself with you.”

“Do you agree?”

“After today, perhaps a little.”

“If I’d warned you in advance, you would have brought your guard out of fear of this man of poor character. What did that guard do to me that night?”

“…”

Vivianne pressed her lips together, recalling Theodore’s actions. She remembered Baron Grieam’s outrage that someone had dared to hold a blade to a Duke’s throat.

“So a man of poor character has no options but to use poor methods.”

Though clearly a sophism, it carried a strange persuasiveness that left her without a retort. Still, being dragged away without a proper explanation made her anxious.

“Why did you bring me here?”

“I thought you might be curious about why I embraced you.”

“What?”

“You’re curious about me. You’ve been secretly watching me, haven’t you?”

“N-no, I haven’t.”

“Don’t deny it. You watched from the window, and you’re watching me even now.”

“…”

Vivianne, who had been stealing glances at Kian’s profile, felt her face flush hot with embarrassment and quickly turned away.

‘How did he know I was watching from the window?’

She thought he couldn’t see her inside the carriage. The realization that he had discerned her thoughts mortified her.

Her face burned while her fingertips grew cold, likely from the anxiety of the situation.

“Your hands are cold.”

Noticing this, Kian began gently massaging each of her knuckles. It felt refreshing yet still embarrassing.

“More than wondering why you embraced me… you seem to know me. I want to hear about what happened between us, about my past.”

“I’m glad. I like that you’re curious about me.”

Had she heard those words before? They felt strangely familiar.

Walking across the garden, they eventually reached the entrance of the mansion. No one else was around.

Even if they had known each other, his sudden embrace and his evasive smiles instead of straightforward answers to her questions made her uneasy. Perhaps because of this, she felt afraid to enter the building alone with this inscrutable man.

“I want to go home. The Marchioness will worry, and it’s getting very late.”

“How would you go by yourself?”

“If I could take the carriage that brought me…”

She looked back along the path they had walked, intending to return, but the carriage had vanished. It was nowhere to be seen even as she looked around.

She wanted to go back. How was she supposed to get home? Just as despair began to set in, his hand tightened around hers.

“Please dine with me, Lady Vivianne.”

“What?”

“Please.”

Suddenly, his previously composed voice carried a note of desperation.

“Now?”

“Now is all we have.”

It was far too late for dinner. Moreover, she wasn’t sure if she should spend more time with this seemingly dangerous man.

“You’re afraid of this man of poor character, aren’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“Why, do you think I’m going to eat you?”

His pitch-black eyes stared intently at her. Fearing she might get pulled into those dark pupils if she wasn’t careful, she quickly averted her gaze.

Growl—

At that very moment, her stomach made a strange noise. How embarrassing!

Vivianne’s face turned bright red. Perhaps the exhaustion from her altercation with Angela and being held captive by the maids had left her hungry.

She hoped he didn’t hear that.

Please don’t let him hear that.

Glancing up, she saw him smirking, clearly finding it utterly amusing. She wanted to hide somewhere from the embarrassment.

“Won’t you eat? I’ve prepared all your favorites.”

“…”

“If you just have dinner with me, I’ll answer your questions and see you safely home. Okay?”

She really had only one choice. Besides, she was curious about what had happened between them, so it wasn’t a bad offer.

“…Alright.”

“Then, shall we?”

Kian’s eyes curved into a gentle smile as he pulled Vivianne into the mansion.

* * *

The moment they entered the lobby, an adorable ball of fluff came racing toward them.

Bark, bark, bark—

The puppy clung to Vivianne’s feet, whimpering to be picked up. She blinked in surprise at the tiny creature before lifting it into her arms, completely entranced.

“…How cute. Who is this?”

“An.”

“An?”

“Yes, you named him. The ‘An’ from Kian, the ‘An’ from Vivianne. The syllable our names share.”

So they raised a puppy together. An nuzzled happily against her chest, repeatedly licking her chin.

“Ah, s-stop, that tickles… Why is he licking me?”

“An must have missed you too.”

Vivianne hugged An preciously. A smile spread across her face while her eyes grew misty. Though she couldn’t recall those times, perhaps some memory remained etched in her mind. Her emotions felt impossible to sort out.

“Richard. Take An away.”

“Yes, Master.”

As Richard took An from Vivianne, disappointment crossed her face.

“Let’s eat first. You must be hungry.”

* * *

The food Kian had prepared was excellent. She particularly enjoyed the crescent-shaped bread and ate plenty of it. And that wasn’t all, he even cut the steak into bite-sized pieces for her.

Meanwhile, he didn’t touch any food himself. With his elbow on the table and chin resting on his hand, he simply stared at her eating.

‘Did he do this before too?’

Vivianne felt a strange sense of déjà vu from his behavior. The problem was that once she became conscious of his gaze, embarrassment made it difficult to swallow her food.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

“I am eating.”

“You haven’t touched anything.”

He tilted the glass he was holding to moisten his lips.

“There, I ate.”

This was strange. Why had he invited her to dinner if he wasn’t going to eat anything? He had promised to answer her questions, but his intense stare made her mind go blank and her words catch in her throat.

“…”

Vivianne ultimately couldn’t bring herself to ask anything until the main dish was finished and dessert plates arrived.

‘…Chocolate!’

When her favorite dessert appeared, she inhaled sharply and paused.

With excitement, she picked up a chocolate and put it in her mouth.

‘Delicious!’

It was so good her eyes widened. The rich sweetness melting in her mouth was exquisite. Entranced, she popped another piece into her mouth.

Glancing at Kian, she saw him give a small nod.

‘I guess that means I can have more?’

Even as she checked his reaction, her hand was already reaching for more chocolate. At the Baldwin estate, with so many people around, she had felt too self-conscious to eat her fill. This was heaven.

Vivianne put the next chocolate in her mouth as soon as the previous one had melted away.

A soft chuckle escaped him.

“…Why are you laughing?”

Instead of answering, Kian pointed to the corner of his mouth. Not immediately understanding his meaning, Vivianne tilted her head in confusion.

“You could just tell me.”

“There’s chocolate. On your face.”

“What?”

She wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, but Kian continued to smile in amusement. He rose from his seat, glass in hand, and strode over to her.

What is he doing now? Before she could finish the thought, he sat down beside her and lifted her chin with his long fingers.

The moment he firmly wiped the left corner of her mouth with his thumb, their eyes met. Regardless of how wide Vivianne’s eyes grew, he casually licked the chocolate from his thumb and took a sip from his glass.

“Delicious.”

“…”

“They say chocolate pairs well with this. It’s true.”

His casual remark made Vivianne’s face burn. Feeling awkward, she felt compelled to say something—anything.

“W-what’s that bubbly liquid?”

“This? Champagne.”

“May I have some? You said it pairs well with chocolate. I-I’d like to try it.”

“No.”

A flat refusal.

“Why not?”

“You can’t handle alcohol. Even a small amount makes you tipsy.”

“Even just one sip?”

“You tend to have no boundaries.”

When Vivianne’s face fell in disappointment, Kian persistently watched her and asked again.

“Are you curious?”

She nodded eagerly.

“I’ll give you just one sip. But promise never to drink it anywhere else.”

Her obedient nodding must have looked endearing, as a faint smile appeared on Kian’s lips.

Vivianne put another chocolate in her mouth and looked at him expectantly. Kian, who had been about to hand her the glass, changed direction and took a sip himself.

‘What’s this? Is he teasing me after promising?’

Just as her brow furrowed in confusion, he swiftly pressed his lips against hers.