“Matilda!”

Vivianne rushed to embrace her the moment she entered the room.

“I was waiting for you, Matilda!”

“What is it? What happened, Vivi?”

She seemed busy despite staying only in her room.

Excitement filled Vivianne’s face.

When she discovered something interesting or had a request, she would display this spoiled behavior, unable to contain herself.

“This. This is Kian’s name, right?”

Vivianne thrust forward the newspaper she held.

Since learning to read, she enjoyed various materials, so Matilda had been bringing her newspapers.

Matilda examined the section Vivianne pointed to.

The article covered Kian receiving a medal for his achievements in the pirate suppression operation.

Unable to read long texts yet, she must have gotten excited just finding his name, but fortunately, it brought good news.

“That’s right. This is happy and honorable news for the master.”

“What does it say?”

“His Majesty the Emperor will present the master with a medal.”

“A medal?”

“Yes. It means he’s receiving an award for achieving something great!”

“So this is something to congratulate Kian for, right?”

“Of course!”

“Wow, Matilda-! I’m so happy!”

Vivianne hung from her neck again. Matilda hugged her back affectionately and tidied her disheveled hair.

“Vivi is such a spoiled child.”

“…Do you dislike that?”

“What?”

“If I’m making you uncomfortable, please tell me. I’ll fix it.”

With so much affection to give.

She seemed unfamiliar with both giving and receiving it.

“No, not at all. You’re just cute. Are you like this with the master too, Vivi?”

“Well, that…”

Though she wanted to be more than with anyone else, Kian wasn’t as comfortable as Matilda. Vivianne’s face became thoughtful for a moment before her lips curved into a smile.

“I get nervous around Kian. So… I want to look good to him.”

Her cheeks turned pink while avoiding eye contact. The desire to look good when first falling in love came naturally.

“I think the master will surely like you just as you are.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Vivianne fidgeted before carefully speaking up.

“I want to congratulate Kian, but what would be good?”

“How about preparing a small gift?”

A gift. She remembered the bundle of newspapers she had prepared before.

She had cut out just the third page that Kian reads and tied it with a pretty ribbon, but his reaction fell flat.

“Thank you for the gift, Vivi.”

“But it would have been better if you had brought it yourself.”

Kian’s stiff face.

Thinking back on that day, he didn’t seem particularly pleased.

Though things worked out well afterward, even doing embarrassing things with the ribbon.

Vivianne’s face grew somewhat complicated.

“I’m not sure what Kian would like.”

“He’ll like anything from you, Vivi. He read those newspapers thoroughly back then, you know.”

This surprised her. Still, newspapers seemed inappropriate for a congratulatory gift.

It felt mismatched.

“What do people usually prepare for congratulations?”

“Hmm… I suppose flowers would be nice?”

Matilda deliberately recommended something that wouldn’t cost money.

After all, expensive gifts wouldn’t excite a man who already possessed everything like their master.

“Roses?”

But Vivianne grew solemn, remembering the vase that had shattered on the floor.

“Since you gave those last time, how about picking flowers yourself from the back hill this time? There are many pretty flowers there. Oh right, since you’ve learned to write, you could write a congratulatory card yourself too. I’ll help you.”

“That sounds good.”

Color returned to Vivianne’s face.

Theodore watched the two women sitting in the flower garden, chatting and laughing together. Vivianne and Matilda. He had followed them out for a walk, but they had been sitting together for a while, making something.

The tailor had visited, and instead of just adjusting his jacket, they had made him a completely new uniform. Theodore hadn’t grown accustomed to it yet.

Moreover, he received his original jacket back, washed and ironed. She had learned to write, and even attached a short note.

Thank you, Theo.

-Vivi-

The handwriting appeared round like the seashells she had given him at the beach. He put it back in the jacket pocket and hung it in the closet.

Suddenly he owned two jackets. Now that the weather turned hot, and wearing it felt awkward, he wore just a thin shirt. No word had come from the master since he left for hunting at Baron Würgen’s territory.

The sun remained far from setting, and he had brought a shawl for Vivianne just in case. With Matilda present, no unnecessary misunderstandings would arise. Still, unease lingered. So he watched from a distance.

Actually, they hadn’t walked together in a while. They said Vivianne wasn’t feeling well. That evening, he had asked Matilda if she had caught a cold. Matilda said no but held back from saying more. Though it bothered him, he didn’t pry.

It wasn’t his place to worry about her beyond his duties.

With Vivianne staying in, he had more time than usual. For a while, forgetting his duty as a guard, he returned to overseeing the knights’ training. Some of the brazen ones asked.

They say she’s so pretty.

Is she really pretty?

She’s the master’s woman.

Of course she’s pretty, you fool.

Everyone showed excessive interest in the master’s woman.

Theodore ignored them. The muttering men quickly fell silent after running thirty laps around the training ground as an example.

These rough men’s interests remained transparently simple.

Is she pretty? Did they sleep together?

Just these two things.

Young men in their prime especially focused on these matters, and their reactions became even more uniform regarding others’ affairs.

Theodore, also a man in his prime, dealt with someone else’s business. Yet somehow, both questions made him uncomfortable.

Sometimes, even though the master ordered it, guarding Vivianne felt burdensome.

“My goodness, Vivi. You look beautiful.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Like a princess.”

Matilda finished weaving the wildflowers into a crown and placed it on Vivianne’s head. They were just humble wildflowers from underfoot, but what caused such joy? She smiled brightly at being called a princess.

The moment he caught himself staring at that smile, he quickly looked away.

Looking up at the sky to avoid his wandering gaze, rain clouds threatened overhead.

“Theo.”

He looked down at the sudden call.

Vivianne, wearing the flower crown, held out a boutonnière-sized bouquet just the size of a palm. When their eyes met, she smiled brightly.

Pure white Shasta daisies.

They looked beautiful.

Dazzlingly so.

“This is for you, Theo. Here.”

In Vivianne’s arms lay a much larger bouquet tied with ribbon. It dwarfed the one she offered him.

It must be for the master.

Vivianne. This woman belongs to the master.

“No thank you. I don’t particularly like flowers.”

Did he reject it too harshly?

Vivianne’s blue eyes dimmed slightly.

“This boy just shows his shy side. When young, he used to pick flowers for me whenever he got into trouble, trying to smooth things over.”

Matilda, sensing the awkwardness between them, intervened. In her hand lay a small bouquet matching the size of Theodore’s offered one.

Just palm-sized. The same size. He turned away. Why dwell on the size of a bouquet he wouldn’t accept?

Though clear skies had welcomed their outing, the weather proved fickle. Heavy clouds gathered quickly, threatening rain.

“Let’s head back down.”

Theodore handed Vivianne’s shawl to Matilda. Then he quickened his pace.

He deliberately avoided looking at Vivianne’s face.

The mansion, upon his return after almost a week, remained unchanged.

While changing clothes in his room, Kian discovered the delicate lace ribbon tied to the bed head.

It stayed exactly where he had left it that night when departing the bedroom. He reached out to fiddle with it briefly before untying it and placing it on the bedside table.

Suddenly thinking of that woman, he headed to the next room. Empty space greeted him.

When he called a maid to ask, she said Vivianne had gone out with Matilda.

Well, she must be somewhere. The beach. Or the garden.

The sun hadn’t set yet, so if anyone had broken their implicit rule, Kian had.

It didn’t matter. He made the only rules in this house anyway.

Since he’d already broken them, he decided to act freely today. Without the owner’s permission, he opened the notebook lying on the table.

So they had gotten her a writing teacher.

Round handwriting filled the pages densely.

Vivianne, Vivianne, Vivianne.

Matilda, Matilda, Matilda.

Theodore, Theodore, Theodore.

Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit.

Names and words appeared messily.

There were also short sentences without subjects or objects.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Congratulations. Congratulations. Congratulations.

I miss you. I miss you. I miss you.

No special meaning emerged. It seemed like a practice notebook where she wrote whatever crossed her mind.

Nothing special. He muttered, about to close the notebook when a card-like item fell out.

Congratulations, Kian.

-Vivi-

What prompted her congratulations? A light laugh escaped at the unnecessarily serious handwriting pressed hard onto the paper.

The sky had grown heavy, and now rain fell outside the window.

Maybe he should return to his room since it’s raining.

Just then, the door opened and a woman with a completely dejected face entered.

It was Vivianne.