Vivianne’s face lit up with joy.

“Of course. The writing teacher asked to be assigned to me as well. He even suggested I explore learning other things.”

“I’m so happy, Matilda!”

Was she truly that delighted?

Hearing the good news, she threw her arms around Matilda’s neck.

Although Vivianne’s embrace left her apron soaked, Matilda couldn’t help but feel pleased to see her so gleefully childlike.

* * *

“You’ve arrived.”

It was an unannounced visit.

Theodore, who was polishing swords in the knights’ armory, greeted his lord with proper knightly respect.

“You must be busy, yet you didn’t summon me to your office.”

“I thought we could have lunch together.”

Kian observed Theodore, dressed in a thin shirt, and picked up the sword he had been polishing. At a glance, the longsword was clearly in pristine condition.

“Is this your sword?”

“No, sir.”

“If it’s not yours, then… you’re polishing someone else’s sword?”

Theodore responded calmly.

“Everything here belongs to the Larson estate, so technically, it’s your sword, my lord.”

“I see.”

Kian nodded indifferently, adjusting his grip on the sword.

Theodore’s diligence was remarkable—polishing a sword that wasn’t even his own until it gleamed enough to reflect his face. This straightforward dedication was both his greatest strength and, at times, his weakness.

Of course, it was this very quality that made Kian keep him as a close aide.

“Oh, right. A tailor will be coming by this afternoon.”

“A tailor, sir?”

“Yes. Your jacket is too worn. The knights represent Larson, and if the budget is insufficient, we’ll allocate more. Don’t hesitate to speak up.”

Kian intended to have a new jacket made for him.

A jacket.

Theodore began piecing together why his lord had suddenly brought up the topic. He had lent his usual jacket to Vivianne at the beach yesterday when she was shivering. This morning, Matilda had summoned him unexpectedly.

Matilda hadn’t said anything unusual. She simply mentioned he had returned too late the previous night and should come back before sunset moving forward. She also suggested he prepare a shawl for Vivianne to handle the temperature fluctuations. Just practical instructions.

But now Kian was mentioning his jacket. How did he know? A sinking feeling crept over him.

Could Kian have seen Vivianne wearing his jacket?

There had been no ulterior motive in lending it to her. As her escort, he had merely wanted to keep her from catching a cold. In hindsight, though, it might have been an impulsive decision.

From Kian’s perspective, seeing his woman wearing another man’s outerwear could certainly be upsetting.

Vivianne wouldn’t have entered Kian’s bedroom wearing it—she wasn’t reckless. His lord had likely seen her in her own room. If that were the case, there was no way to explain it away. Theodore bowed his head respectfully.

“My actions yesterday were careless, my lord. I’ll be more mindful in the future.”

“What do you mean?”

Kian’s expression remained neutral.

“Theo, I think you’re misunderstanding something. I’m not here to reprimand you. You were simply doing your job as an escort, weren’t you?”

Not being scolded at all made it harder to gauge Kian’s true thoughts, which was even more unsettling.

Was Kian genuinely concerned about the worn jacket? The timing seemed too coincidental.

Theodore wasn’t naive enough to take his superior’s reassurance at face value. It didn’t feel like the right time to relax.

“Matilda says Vivi reminds her of Sophie. That’s why she’s so fond of her. I imagine it’s no different for you, is it?”

“……”

Kian’s certainty about his innocence somehow felt like an understated warning.

Sophie had been Theodore’s younger sister, who tragically drowned as a child while swimming in the sea. If she were alive, she would be around Vivianne’s age.

Matilda’s attachment to Vivianne made sense—she was a woman found washed ashore, unconscious but alive. To Matilda, it must feel like Sophie had returned, defying death.

For Theodore, Sophie and Vivianne were entirely separate individuals. Yet his lord seemed to assume he felt the same way as Matilda.

Theodore’s expression grew even more somber.

“You’re my people, after all,” Kian said with a faint smile.

Theodore noticed Kian’s fingers briefly tighten around the sword hilt before relaxing again.

This felt like a test. Making excuses or over-apologizing would only provoke Kian further.

Theodore bowed his head silently once more, waiting for the moment to pass.

“Even as an escort, your duties are limited to when Vivi goes out. You must be bored. Am I wasting talent like yours?”

“Not at all. I don’t consider any order from you to be less important.”

It was a flawless, respectful response.

“My intention was to let you rest after all your hard work. But it seems your diligent nature makes that difficult.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“They say an inability to tolerate rest is a kind of illness. I can’t afford to lose a valuable talent like you, so I’ll cooperate.”

“Pardon?”

“You may take Vivi outside.”

This was unexpected. After the trouble caused by their late-night outing, Kian was now granting permission.

When dealing with a disobedient dog, one usually keeps the leash tight. But Kian was loosening it, giving more freedom.

“You can take her to the market, the busy streets—anywhere.”

“……”

“But when my daily duties are done, I want Vivi to be where she belongs. That shouldn’t be difficult, right?”

Where she belongs.

The duke’s duties ended around sunset. By then, Vivianne needed to be on the fourth floor of the main building. Whether that meant her room or Kian’s bedroom wasn’t Theodore’s concern. His only responsibility was escorting her there.

“I’ll keep that in mind, my lord.”

Theodore replied resolutely.

Is it over now?

Though they were now lord and knight, they had been close during childhood.

Perhaps it had been arrogance to think he still knew Kian well after all these years.

Not being able to read Kian’s true thoughts was exhausting.

He wanted to rest alone, but since Kian had invited him to lunch, he had no choice but to accept.

His appetite was gone, but refusing might come across as displeasure.

“Oh, and Theo,” Kian said casually, sliding the sword into its scabbard.

“Try not to polish other people’s swords if you can avoid it.”

“…What?”

Theodore’s eyes widened slightly.

“When someone else touches something that bears my hand’s imprint.”

Kian took a breath, curling the corner of his mouth into a faint smile.

“It makes me feel f*cking awful.”

He extended the sword, delivering the vulgar statement with an elegance that belied its crudeness.

* * *

The aftermath of mating left Vivianne in a dreamy, dazed state for most of the day.

She soaked in a hot bath, and Matilda massaged her body with fragrant oils, but the fatigue lingered.

The herbal tea meant to relax her muscles made her eyelids droop, and she struggled to stay awake. Humans who endured such hardships to reproduce seemed worthy of admiration.

Vivianne eventually fell asleep in Kian’s bed, wearing the negligee Matilda had brought her. The freshly changed sheets felt soft and comfortable.

She wanted to return to her room, but Kian had ordered her to rest here today. After the maids and Matilda cleaned in the morning, no one else entered the duke’s bedroom.

Walking seemed impossible when even standing was difficult. Over the past few days, perhaps due to lack of sleep, all she craved was rest. She slept deeply, waking only briefly to see the sun had shifted in the sky.

As the sun began to set, Vivianne forced herself to sit up. She expected Kian to return soon.

She didn’t know how he would react after what had happened between them, but she wanted to greet him with a welcoming expression rather than be caught sleeping.

She glanced at the bedroom slippers. When she first came to this room, Kian had placed them on her feet.

She slipped them on again after a long time.

The sight of her feet swallowed by the oversized slippers made her chuckle softly.

Not long after, there was a knock at the door. Feeling a surge of excitement, she dragged her aching body to answer it, but…

“Vivi. Are you awake? I’ve brought dinner.”

It was Matilda.

Of course. People don’t knock when entering their own rooms. If it had been Kian, he would have come in without knocking. Vivianne’s face fell slightly with disappointment.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Where’s Kian?”

“Ah, about that…”

Matilda hesitated, looking troubled by the question.

The Kian Vivianne had expected to return by evening did not come back that day.