The visitor was her only friend.

“…Theo!”

For the first time in a while, color returned to Vivianne’s face.

* * *

“Did something good happen?”

When he casually asked, Vivianne lifted the corners of her mouth slightly.

“I’m just happy to see you after so long, Theo. You’re my only friend, after all.”

Perhaps due to her lifted spirits, her steps along the beach felt particularly light. Wanting to walk longer today, she wore the flat shoes Matilda had found for her. Though not particularly pretty, they were as comfortable as walking barefoot, which she appreciated.

The crashing waves and the sea breeze that tousled her hair and tickled her cheeks all felt wonderful. Her gloominess had somehow evaporated completely.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the knighthood ceremony in advance. I heard you were sick. I didn’t expect you to come.”

He seemed to have been keeping that in mind all this time.

Vivianne waved her hand dismissively. “No, I should be the one apologizing for visiting when you were busy.”

“I enjoyed the cookies. They were delicious.”

He smiled broadly—a smile as blue and refreshing as the waves.

Come to think of it, she had given cookies to Theodore that day too.

She had hoped Kian would smile like that as well. Somehow, her heart grew heavy.

“Why did you come that day?”

“Ah, nothing special… Being alone in the room was suffocating and boring. I didn’t know you’d be busy. Everyone has their own duties, and I guess I forgot that.”

“You can come anytime. From now on, I’ll let you know in advance if I’m busy. So don’t worry about it.”

“Thank you.”

Vivianne nodded slightly. After a moment of silence, she asked a somewhat unexpected question.

“By the way, Theo.”

“Yes?”

“Do you enjoy being a knight?”

“Yes. Well, I’ve… dreamed of it since I was young.”

“You love what you do.”

“I do.”

“I envy you, Theo.”

Why is she asking about this?

Theodore pondered her question again.

Of course, not everything about his job was pleasant. Knights operated on strict hierarchy, following their master’s will. Even being assigned to escort Vivianne hadn’t been his own choice.

“Kian says my job is to wait for him in the room, and when he returns in the evening, to be with him.”

Her deep blue eyes were downcast like the night sea.

“But I… don’t find it very enjoyable to do only that. It feels like being trapped.”

Vivianne was the master’s woman.

It was natural not to assign other duties to a mistress.

Remembering how he had teased and toyed with Vivianne in the carriage right in front of him, Theodore found it torturous to even imagine them alone together.

“Perhaps I’m just complaining despite having everything?”

“No.”

Theodore answered curtly.

He had no right to interfere in his master’s affairs.

He simply wanted to make her smile, if only for a moment, as her friend.

Should I give it to her now?

He had been hesitating until just now, but he was glad he had brought it.

“Ah, this is for you. A gift.”

“A gift? For me?”

“Yes. I feel like I’m always receiving things from you. I’m sorry about that.”

Vivianne accepted the ribbon he suddenly offered, looking somewhat dazed.

Her eyes widened.

“You said you like ribbons. I went to a general store with Allen and… just happened to see this. He was buying one, so I bought one too. It’s nothing special.”

Rambling. Incoherent. He wasn’t even sure what he was saying.

Was this a mistake after all? Just as he began to regret his action, she, who had been staring at the ribbon, smiled as radiantly as a blooming flower.

“It’s so pretty!”

“Do you like it?”

“Yes! I love ribbons, and you bought this thinking of me. Thank you.”

How could she express joy so honestly?

Her smile was so dazzlingly white that he couldn’t meet her gaze.

“I want to try it on now. The wind has been blowing my hair around, making it uncomfortable.”

She immediately gathered her hair with her hands. She seemed to be struggling to tie the ribbon, making small frustrated noises.

“I can do this well with a mirror. It’s difficult here.”

“Would you like me to help?”

It was a somewhat impulsive offer. He had no ulterior motives.

She had mentioned her hair was uncomfortable in the wind.

Yes, this much help was acceptable.

“Theo, can you do this?”

“Yes. I’m quite skilled. Stand here for a moment.”

“Then, please help me.”

Vivianne politely asked, handing him the ribbon. She turned around to stand in front of Theodore. Looking down at her round crown, he realized anew how fairy-like and tiny she was.

So delicately, like one wrong touch might break her.

Theodore carefully gathered her hair into a ponytail.

As her snow-white neckline was revealed, a pleasant fragrance wafted up, causing him to swallow hard. Whether from nervousness, his fingertips grew cold and his heartbeat quickened with each thump.

“Wow, Theo, you’re really good at tying hair.”

He wasn’t even sure how he had managed to finish.

Vivianne touched her completed ponytail and smiled broadly.

“How can you tell without seeing it?”

“I can tell just by feeling it. Have you tied many women’s hair before?”

“I often did it for Sophie when she was young. She was such a tomboy, always looking disheveled.”

“I see. Thanks to you, I’ve avoided looking messy. How does it look? Does it suit me?”

Vivianne twirled around in place like a child.

Theodore couldn’t take his eyes off the sight of her tied-up hair swaying gently with the lace ribbon.

“Yes. I’m glad you like it.”

Even if I can’t give her anything else.

At least.

I can make her smile.

A woman who smiles so beautifully at even the smallest things.

“Ah, there’s something I want to do.”

Vivianne placed the shawl she had brought onto the sandy beach and neatly set aside her shoes. Instead of walking barefoot on the sand as he expected, she suddenly dipped her feet into the incoming waves.

“The seawater feels so refreshing.”

“Vivi. It’s dangerous to go into the water. Please come out.”

The color drained from Theodore’s face. He remembered that night when he had witnessed her entering the sea.

“I’m just dipping my feet in for a moment. Is that not allowed?”

“No, it’s not. The master will worry because of the time you caught a fever after swimming at night.”

“Alright. I’ll come out right now… Ouch!”

She seemed to have misstepped, losing her balance and stumbling badly.

“Vivi, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Theodore rushed over in panic when he saw her plop down on the ground. Just as he was about to help her up, his face was splashed with water.

“Hehe. Yes, I’m fine.”

It was water that Vivianne had splashed on him.

* * *

Splash.

The sound of liquid accompanied the spreading scent of Earl Grey. Kian, sitting at his desk in the study, furrowed his brow slightly.

He fiddled with the ribbon tied around the cookie package before pulling it sharply.

As the wrapping opened, irregularly shaped cookies came into view.

Even at a glance, they showed unskilled craftsmanship.

The ones she gave to Theo didn’t look like this, from what he’d heard. Those were made by the chef.

This was definitely… homemade. Though the ugly cookies didn’t inspire confidence, he supposed he should try them.

First, he took a bite, giving them the benefit of the doubt. After tilting his head questioningly, he put the entire cookie in his mouth and chewed.

“…”

The taste was as clumsy as their appearance.

The flavor was somehow both familiar and unfamiliar. It seemed she had followed the recipe correctly, but the result was peculiar in many ways.

What had she done? Taking another bite, he detected a slightly burnt taste. With his mouth feeling rough, Kian moistened his lips with a sip from his teacup.

He thought about how much trouble those small hands must have gone through for something that didn’t need to be done.

“Would you like me to prepare more tea if you’re going to eat together?”

Richard, who was holding the teapot, asked cautiously.

“No, clear it away.”

Will I survive eating these?

He stared intently at a particularly crooked cookie as he gave the order.

“The tea leaves are distracting.”

“I’ll remove them, sir.”

Richard skillfully cleared the tea set. Once he left and Kian was alone in the study, he put the misshapen cookie he had been holding into his mouth.

With the tea gone, the sweetness lingered more intensely in his mouth.

Yes. This wasn’t just about the cookies.

He recalled the woman’s foolish appearance as she trembled hazily on the desk last night.

She looked quite cute crying over her mistake, dripping sweet fluids from above and below.

Though thinking of her was part of his daily routine, this memory was too explicit.

He shouldn’t have done that in his workplace. Thinking about that puppy-like woman made his body heat up, making it difficult to concentrate on his paperwork. This remained true even after forcing himself to finish all those strange cookies.

Kian was about to place his hand on his lapel when he realized there was no need.

He had called for tea to take a short break, and the remaining work wasn’t urgent.

Perhaps they could roll around in bed, bathe afterward, and have dinner together. A walk would also be nice since she must be feeling cooped up.

He had told her to wait.

Having kept her awake all night, she was probably sleeping obediently now.

He felt impatient. Instead of going for a walk tomorrow, it might be better to have dinner brought to the bedroom.

Kian efficiently rearranged the sequence of events in his mind as he headed toward the bedroom.