Chapter 125

Empress Annette held Vivian’s hand tightly, repeatedly entrusting her with Louis before returning to Dovelia Palace.  

In the afternoon, Hugo Platten stormed in but left immediately after hearing one sentence from Louis.  

• I’ll fund your research with my own money.

Hugo had come to scold Louis for being such an irresponsible Crown Prince, questioning how he had grown up and whether this was what he had taught him. However, he left the Dinever Dukedom with a smile on his face.  

The people trying to put an end to Louis’s runaway escapades continued to fail, and the Dinever Duchy was experiencing noisy days.  

Every day, Allen commuted to work, Louis and Rayden sweated at the training ground every morning, and later, Duke Tereon joined their morning training.  

Aitor, dragged along by them, was being overworked every morning. Teresa and Lucas, who now seemed quite at home, and Ian, Laila, and Zero, who had become inseparable friends, were all part of the lively household.  

Vivian liked everyone, but there was just one single thing—just one thing—that was truly distressing.  

“Oh! Sister! Look at this! It’s amazing!”  

“Wow!”  

When Teresa used a magical tool to perform a small spell, Ian and Laila opened their mouths wide in amazement.  

“That’s incredible!”  

“It’s really fascinating, isn’t it?”  

Teresa’s shoulders rose with pride at the children’s praise, while Lucas shook his head at the sight.  

“Teresa, do you really have to play here?”  

Vivian, who was using the office previously used by the Duchess, asked Teresa, who was sitting on the carpet in the middle of the office with the children.  

“This place is nice. The kids like it here too.”  

The children and Lucas nodded their heads. Just then, Allen opened the door abruptly, greeted Vivian with a bow, and walked over to Louis’s desk, which was placed in one corner of the room.  

“You need to look at these documents first. Have you replied to the letter from the Kingdom of Rakus that I gave you this morning?”  

Vivian sighed as she watched Louis calmly receiving Allen’s report. She had offered to set up a temporary office in an empty room, but Louis had insisted on bringing another desk into this space.  

Unlike Vivian, who was becoming increasingly exasperated, Allen was working with a bright expression, relieved that Louis only handled urgent matters, which reduced his workload.  

Vivian shifted her gaze to Rayden and Aitor, who were chatting on the sofa.  

Rayden, using Louis’s protection as an excuse, had taken over one of the office sofas and showed no intention of moving. Since everyone gathered here, Aitor also spent his days in the office.  

Pressing her fingers to her temple, Vivian lowered her gaze to the documents she was reviewing.  

Spring preparations for the mansion were piling up like a mountain. There were also many decisions to make for the mansion in the capital and the Raspol estate.  

It was late planning—things that should already have been done but were delayed due to various incidents.  

“Linda, check the inventory of leftover winter supplies and look into making new uniforms for the staff.”  

“Yes, Miss.”  

Linda, the head maid, smiled brightly, seemingly enjoying the bustling atmosphere, and left the office.  

Vivian, flipping through the next set of documents to review, was suddenly distracted by a loud cheer.  

“That’s amazing! Laila!”  

Ian, who had quickly become friends with Laila despite their earlier fights, gave her a big thumbs up and shouted excitedly.  

At Ian’s loud exclamation, Aitor, who had been talking with Rayden, got up and approached the children.  

“Laila, how did you draw this?”  

“This? Teacher Teresa drew it before.”  

Laila, who had been engrossed in drawing with crayons, proudly held up a piece of paper.  

“That’s impressive.”  

Lucas also admired Laila’s drawing. Vivian eventually got up and approached Laila.  

What Laila had drawn wasn’t just a picture—it was a magical formula.  

Laila had been observing Teresa, who had drawn several magical formulas using magic stones, and copied one of them. Teresa, stroking her chin, stared at Laila’s magical formula in thought. After a while, her bright red eyes sparkled.  

“Copying a magical formula doesn’t mean you can use magic, but Laila has talent.”  

Lucas agreed with Teresa’s statement, noting that even copying a magical formula took considerable time. He gazed intently at Laila’s work. Teresa snapped her fingers and turned her head.  

“Was your name Allen?”  

“Huh? Yes…”  

“What’s the procedure for adopting a child in the Empire?”  

At Teresa’s words, everyone except Louis, who was intensely focused on his work, turned their attention to her.  

Aitor quickly blinked his eyes, picked up Laila, and shook his head.  

“Master, what are you saying? Don’t even joke about things like that.”  

Laila, in Aitor’s arms, alternated her gaze between Teresa and her handsome older brother holding her.  

“Why? If Caspian could do it, why can’t I?”  

“Father and you are different, Master!”  

“So, what’s the difference?”  

As Teresa and Aitor argued, Laila, Ian, and Zero’s heads moved back and forth between them.  

“Teresa, raising a child isn’t something you can decide lightly.”  

Vivian cautiously voiced her opinion, and Teresa, who had been heatedly arguing, folded her arms and let out a long sigh.  

“I’m not deciding lightly. From the moment I first met Laila, something felt strange.”  

Teresa pressed her palm to her chest and smiled warmly at Laila. Laila responded with a bright smile.  

“I didn’t think about this alone. I discussed it thoroughly with Duke Tereon.”  

Teresa’s smile became even brighter as she returned Laila’s grin. Lucas and Aitor were stunned.  

Seeing her disciples’ expressions, Teresa awkwardly scratched the back of her head.  

“Anyway! I’m not adopting her on a whim, so don’t worry!”  

Although still slightly uneasy, Aitor ruffled Laila’s hair, saying it might be nice to have a good younger sibling. Allen also promised to prepare the adoption procedures properly, supporting Teresa’s decision.  

At that moment, Louis suddenly stood up.  

“All done.”  

The attention, which had been focused on Laila and Teresa, now shifted to Louis.  

“Allen, I’ve finished everything for today, so handle the rest yourself.”  

Louis roughly organized his documents and grabbed the jacket he had draped over a chair.  

“Vivian, let’s go.” 

Striding over, Louis grabbed Vivian’s wrist and flung the office door open.  

“Where are you going?”  

Rayden hurriedly chased after Louis and asked.  

“On a date.”  

Vivian blinked in surprise at the sudden turn of events as Louis dragged her along. She tugged on his arm.  

“Where are we going?”  

“A date.”  

At Louis’s shameless answer, Vivian leaned back in protest. Louis, pausing at her resistance, tilted his head.  

“What’s this sudden date about?”  

“To make you fall for me again, we need to go on dates and things like that. Don’t worry; we won’t go far.”  

With a dazzling smile, Louis began walking again.  

It was a sunny spring day. The sunlight was as brilliant as Louis’s radiant smile, and the may sunshine sparkled on everything it touched.  

Louis, leaving the mansion without hesitation, headed straight to the garden.  

It was the season when the gardener’s hard work shone. The garden, full of blooming spring flowers, was fresh and beautiful.  

Vivian couldn’t help but chuckle when she saw Tia bustling under the largest tree in the garden.  

Tia, who had been busy preparing something, quickly stood up and bowed when Louis and Vivian appeared. Smiling shyly, Tia quickly left, wishing them a pleasant time.  

“I didn’t have anyone else to ask, so I asked Tia. You’re not upset, are you?”  

Vivian shook her head at Louis’s words.  

“There’s a lot of hassle involved in going to the busy streets, so let’s have our date here today.”  

Louis sat down on a pretty, wide mat and patted the spot beside him. Vivian hesitated but eventually sat next to him.  

As Vivian settled down, Louis grinned and began taking things out of the picnic basket Tia had prepared.  

“I asked her to bring things you like, but… wow, you have a sweet tooth.”  

As desserts famous for their sweetness emerged one by one, Louis’s eyebrows twitched. Not fond of sweets, Louis watched as Vivian popped a macaron into her mouth, smiling as she enjoyed it.  

Louis, staring seriously at the macarons, picked the one that looked the least sweet and took a bite, unaware it was filled with chocolate.  

His face crumpled instantly, and Vivian covered her mouth, laughing.  

“You should’ve told her to prepare things you like too.”  

Louis shook his head, chewing slowly as he couldn’t spit it out.  

“You could’ve warned me. I still have a mountain of work to do.”  

Vivian, taking another macaron, glanced slyly at Louis, who was grimacing at the excessive sweetness.  

Among the items in the basket was Louis’s favorite tea, brewed to perfection. It was a thoughtful touch from Tia.  

After gulping down the tea, Louis ignored Vivian’s playful reproach and gazed at the charming garden.  

Somehow, the garden reminded him of Vivian, and a soft smile spread across his face.  

“Why are you smiling? Are you saying you’ve finished all your work?”  

At Vivian’s complaint, Louis lay back with a relaxed expression.  

Vivian, feeling swayed by his coaxing, lay down at a slight distance from him.  

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”  

“Yes.”  

The clear blue sky, the vibrant green, and the sparkling sunlight were breathtaking. Vivian took a deep breath.  

“This is my first time.”  

Louis spoke.  

“It’s my first time lying outside like this and looking at the sky…”  

Vivian turned her head to look at Louis.  

The two shared a quiet moment, letting the spring sunlight embrace them.  

Suddenly, Louis screamed.  

“Ahh!”  

Vivian was startled by Louis’ scream and got up.

“How dare you!”  

Louis, who was now huddled next to Vivian, opened his eyes wide and pointed at a small frog next to the picnic basket.