Good heavens. The room was completely covered in ribbons.
When Matilda stopped by Vivianne’s room during a break from work, she was shocked by how different the room looked.
“Vivi. What is all this?”
“I was practicing because I wasn’t doing well. I wanted to tie them as nicely as Matilda does.”
The curtain ties were tied in ribbon bows, ribbons on the bed canopy fabric, ribbons on the chairs, and she was wearing lots of ribbons in her hair. Her handiwork must be clumsy as the shapes were all uneven.
“Here, look. Hold the ribbon like this.”
“Yes.”
“Just gently pull while maintaining the shape.”
“Can I try it on Matilda?”
“Yes… sure…”
“Turn around, Matilda.”
Vivianne stood behind Matilda and retied her apron. Of course, it was tied in a bow.
“How is it?”
“Well, I can’t really see it since it’s behind me.”
“Ah, right. It’s pretty though.”
Of course she couldn’t see it since the bow was behind her. Vivianne became dejected when she realized she couldn’t show off her work.
“Just a moment.”
Matilda brought a hand mirror and stood with her back to the full-length mirror.
“I think you did better than me?”
“Really?”
“It’s so pretty.”
“Wow- Thank you, Matilda!”
Vivianne was so happy that she hugged Matilda from behind.
Just when you’d think she was clumsy, she’d quickly pick things up once shown how. Theodore had mentioned that Vivianne wanted to learn to read. She thought about talking to the master about it when he returned.
Learning something was good for passing time, and it gave her such satisfaction even from small things like this.
“Matilda. I have something to give you.”
“What is it?”
“Here.”
Vivianne held out her small fist. When Matilda uncertainly accepted, a white seashell was placed in her palm. Round and white. At a glance, it was clearly something she had picked up that reminded her of herself.
“Thank you for teaching me how to make ribbons. And for everything else.”
“Oh my. How cute. Did you find this at the beach?”
“Yes. Isn’t it pretty?”
Her beaming smile was like a puppy waiting for praise. Cute but heartbreaking. Especially knowing who Vivianne was waiting for.
After ordering them to look after Vivianne, Kian had left the mansion. He had only said it would take a few days, but it had been almost a week since the master’s absence.
Perhaps that’s why this innocent young lady seemed to be enduring each day waiting for him. Because in this mansion, her only purpose was limited to the master.
“Um, Vivi.”
“Yes.”
“Do you like the master?”
It was somewhat of an impulsive question. Though she had worked as a maid for a long time, among those who became the master’s women, there were many who didn’t.
“Yes. I like Kian.”
Vivianne smiled brightly.
Well. One couldn’t act like that without liking him.
On the fourth day, when Vivianne asked what Kian would arrive in, she told her the master comes by carriage. When she asked which way the carriage would come, she told her about the driveway. She wondered if she shouldn’t have told her, as she seemed to spend all day staring at the driveway.
On the fifth day, when she asked for the accumulated newspapers, she gave them to her. She had carefully cut out just up to page three that Kian reads and collected them in one place.
On the sixth day, when she had time to stop by, Vivianne would show her the newspaper and ask what the contents were about, and which were the most important stories.
Today, on the seventh day, Vivianne finally had her medical examination and had the bandage removed from her ankle. It had healed nicely, perhaps because of the good treatment. Matilda had heard Vivianne muttering to herself that she wanted to show it to Kian. It was heartbreaking to watch.
Vivianne was neatly tying up the collected newspapers with a lace ribbon. Was that what she had been practicing for? It seemed like it would be a gift for Kian.
“Um. Matilda. Can I go for a walk with Theo?”
Still, she never missed her daily walks. She would always ask permission like this before going. It seemed she was a bit uncomfortable asking Theodore directly, as he had become notably more reserved.
Though she understood Theodore’s feelings of wanting to maintain a certain distance because she was the master’s woman, it weighed on her heart that Vivianne seemed to be the one feeling awkward.
Thinking it would be better for her to get some fresh air rather than just waiting for Kian inside the room, she gave permission. But today, black clouds were gathering in the sky.
“Vivi. You should stay in your room today. Looking at those clouds, it seems like it’s going to pour soon.”
“…Okay.”
Seeing her dejected response made her feel bad. Matilda thought of an alternative for Vivianne.
“How about the glass greenhouse? It won’t rain there. It might be good for a short walk.”
“The place with roses?”
“Yes.”
Vivianne’s face darkened slightly. The glass greenhouse was where she had served tea to Kian and his fiancée.
“Um, Matilda.”
“Yes?”
“…Never mind.”
She had wanted to ask if Kian would end up marrying his fiancée, but held back. She knew it was a meaningless question unless asked to the person directly involved.
“The master really likes the roses there.”
“Kian likes roses?”
“Yes. That’s why we keep roses separately in the greenhouse.”
Though it wasn’t a particularly good memory, knowing they were flowers Kian liked meant she couldn’t let it remain an unpleasant memory.
“I’ll talk to the gardener. Ask him to make some bouquets and prepare some for vases too. We can decorate your room, and put some in the master’s room too. How does that sound?”
“I’d like that.”
Giving him the accumulated newspapers, arranging roses… Though she didn’t know how things would turn out, what Vivianne wanted right now was just one thing. For Kian to return home and rest comfortably.
* * *
It was the first time he had left the mansion for this long outside of training. Though Dante kept insisting they stay just one more day because it looked like rain, he was sick of the hotel suite room.
The noisy cityscape, the cigar smoke that seemed to have seeped into his body somehow, the peculiar hangover that hadn’t fully cleared since that day, even the opportunists in the salons trying to somehow establish a business connection by getting familiar – everything felt like unnecessary noise.
The raindrops striking the carriage window were getting quite heavy. The coachman was hurrying the carriage along, but only to the extent that wasn’t dangerous. Perhaps because of the rain, the sea fog was thick. The sea that usually appeared so clear was wavering hazily and darkly.
Kian quickly averted his gaze as he felt nauseous. He was just glad he had hurried to return before sunset.
He was returning home after being away for a week. During his time away, Kian had occasionally thought of the woman he had left in his room.
How dare she fall asleep in the bathtub. After playing him like a fool the whole time. Just when he tried to grasp her, she slipped away. Kian let out a stupid laugh, like a child who had tried to grasp water.
He had cleared away her clothes and put a large shower robe on her. So she would have been inevitably confined to the bedroom. The maids would have discovered her on their own, and there probably would have been quite a commotion.
There was no need to stay and watch over that. He decided to wander outside as soon as the sun rose and take care of postponed business in the capital. It was the perfect response that didn’t even need to be reconsidered.
And yet. Even while apart. Why did she suddenly come to mind? Her ridiculous appearance, looking like she had been swallowed by the large shower robe, wouldn’t leave his mind. Without any context or reason. Just like impure, idle thoughts.
In any case, though he had achieved his intended goal of making her appear to be his mistress, he still couldn’t shake his displeasure.
Silence was a kind of punishment. Kian still hadn’t said what he had to say, and she would become more curious about its contents as time passed.
Kian knew well. That only anxiety about an unfinished matter would make someone move.
Actually, thinking about it, even that was ridiculous. Why go to such lengths to enchant her? She was simply a woman to be used for this matter. Nothing more, nothing less. Once she served her purpose, there would be no reason to keep her around.
Cheap lust like this was the most unnecessary part of this matter.
“We’ve arrived, master.”
The coachman slowed down and announced their arrival. As the carriage entered the mansion’s entrance, the servants busily came out to greet them.
As he stepped down from the carriage, a servant was ready with an umbrella. Kian moved his steps slowly.
He had thought about watching for a few days while handling accumulated work first. So that his anxious mistress would have no choice but to come find him herself.
But then he saw a woman carrying an armful of roses. She was smiling brightly, thanking the guard who had held an umbrella for her.
Without bandages, wearing some strange shoes she had gotten from somewhere. Seeing her walking with light steps made anger surge up suddenly.
“That’s enough.”
Kian somewhat irritably pushed away the hand of the servant who was meticulously holding the umbrella to prevent any rain from splashing on him.
He impulsively turned his steps. It seemed like taking a walk would be good.
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Suckerforshipping
i feel bad for her. she knows that he has a fiancée and is assuming that they’ll get married, so she’s almost given up hope about being with him. in a way, doesn’t it seem like she’s doing everything she wants before dying? sort of.