Chapter 128

Thinking about the desserts that would soon be delivered to the house, Vivian’s steps felt light. When she first stood in front of the dessert shop, memories of Daisy flooded her mind, making one side of her chest feel oddly heavy.  

Seeing Louis sitting where her mother once sat, apologizing awkwardly, Vivian felt a sudden urge to tease him a bit more. However, watching Louis, who couldn’t even meet her gaze properly, she eventually gave up on teasing him.  

Then, suddenly curious about something, she quickly turned her body and looked at Louis, who was walking behind her.  

“Do you still think I’m not pretty?”  

Louis was taken aback by Vivian’s question. Feeling a bit unfair but knowing he was in the wrong, he couldn’t easily open his mouth to respond.  

“You’re not… not pretty.”  

“Ah… Then, am I pretty?”  

“Yes.”  

Seeing Louis answer without hesitation, Vivian smiled softly.  

“Be careful.”  

Vivian, who was walking backward while looking at Louis, didn’t notice the low step on the ground. Louis grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him.  

The distance between them suddenly closed. Vivian’s slightly widened eyes were clear. In her peridot-colored gaze, Louis’s face, with his slightly drooping eyebrows, was reflected clearly.  

“I like you. It’s not because you’re pretty. I like you just because you’re Vivian.”  

Louis’s red lips spilled sweet words.  

“Ah, but that doesn’t mean you’re not pretty. You are. Really. To the point where I only want to look at you.”  

It felt like her head was spinning. Sugar overload. It felt like she was submerged in a jar of honey, from head to toe.  

Can a person change this much?  

She remembered the words Louis had said on the first night he ran away, ordering Tia to stay ten steps away.  

• I told you to look forward to it, didn’t I? 

Louis, who had been holding back, was now pouring out his feelings like a dam bursting. His sincerity hit Vivian deeply, and her lips parted naturally.  

She had to say it. That she liked him too. That she liked him enough to only want to look at him. That, in the past and even now, she could only see him.  

“Lou…”  

Just as Vivian was about to speak, Rayden, who had been standing guard a little further away, approached with long strides.  

“There’s an urgent message from the Duke’s estate.”  

Despite leaving the mansion to spend time alone together, once again, an intruder interrupted them. Louis frowned deeply in frustration. Seeing Louis’s sharp expression, Rayden quickly added.  

“His Majesty the Emperor is at the Duke Dinever estate.”  

Vivian and Louis exchanged glances. The Emperor was at the Duke Dinever estate. Vivian grabbed Louis’s arm and began walking quickly toward the carriage.  

“Vivian. You don’t have to rush.”  

He was someone who had tried to frame her dear friend and drive her out of the empire. She was scared and angry. But even so, he was still Louis’s biological father.  

The image of the Emperor slapping Louis across the face was still vividly etched in Vivian’s mind. His face when he listened to the late Emperor’s will, and his back as he turned away afterward, were also still clear.  

Vivian’s steps quickened even more.  

It was the seventeenth day since Louis Lindez Tapeullon ran away to the Duke Dinever estate.  

***

At Duke Dinever’s Study.  

The Duke was at a loss for how to start a conversation with the unexpected visitor.  

Was it because of the environment, so different from the Imperial Palace? Or was it due to the Duke’s opposition to the Emperor over Aitor’s issue? Or perhaps it was because he was temporarily sheltering the Emperor’s runaway son?  

Duke Tereon felt his throat tighten and gulped down his tea. It was already his second cup.  

Knock, knock. 

They’re here.  

Duke Tereon stood up abruptly at the arrival of the people he had been waiting for and opened the door.  

“I greet His Majesty the Emperor of the Empire.”  

The Emperor, hesitating slightly, entered the room and gazed at Vivian, who bowed in greeting, and Louis, who appeared completely at ease.  

“Sit down.”  

At the Emperor’s words, Duke Tereon, Vivian, and Louis all sat on the sofa. Silence once again settled over the Duke’s study.  

“It seems you find this place more comfortable than the Dovelia Palace.”  

The Emperor brought his teacup to his lips as he spoke. At his words, Vivian and Duke Dinever exchanged glances.  

It seemed that time was needed to ease the cold atmosphere between the father and son. When Vivian nodded, Duke Dinever opened his mouth to speak.  

“It seems His Highness the Crown Prince has something to discuss with you, Your Majesty. Vivian and I will step out for a moment.”  

After finishing his sentence, the Duke slowly rose from his chair.  

“No. Both of you stay.”  

Vivian, who had been about to stand up with the Duke, had to sit back down.  

“So, you left the palace saying you would find an answer. Did you find it?”  

After a long pause, the Emperor finally spoke. His question was met with an unreadable expression from Louis.  

“No.”  

At Louis’s blunt response, the Emperor let out a small laugh.  

For the first time, Vivian could take a good look at the Emperor’s face. Then she realized that his face seemed different from before.  

A lighter expression. That was the best way to describe it. The Emperor’s face looked unburdened.  

What had he let go of? 

Vivian, though aware it might be rude, stared intently at his face.  

“I came to the Duke’s estate today to inform the Crown Prince of my decision before making it public.”  

The Emperor rested his clasped hands on his crossed leg as he spoke.  

“I will step down from the throne.”  

The unexpected revelation left everyone in the study staring at the Emperor. Except for the Emperor, who smiled faintly, the Duke’s study seemed frozen in time.  

“Your Majesty, what do you mean by that…”  

Duke Tereon asked. Though he had clearly heard the words, they seemed to scatter and swirl in his mind, refusing to settle.  

“It feels like it’s time to stop. So today, I came to ask if you are ready to take my place.”  

The Emperor’s golden eyes moved to look at his son. Louis, who had been sitting leisurely with an unreadable expression, furrowed his brows slightly and blinked slowly at the Emperor’s words.  

“Why… so suddenly?”  

“Haha. Suddenly, you say…”  

The Emperor laughed heartily at Louis’s question. But even his laughter couldn’t dispel the heavy atmosphere.  

“I always thought my opinions were right. Even when they weren’t, I had to believe they were. But then, one video left by my father turned my world upside down. If only he had told me sooner…”  

The Emperor smiled bitterly, tapping the back of his hand with his finger.  

“If that’s the reason, there’s no need for you to step down. Sometimes… there were things I couldn’t understand, but, Your Majesty, you have been an excellent Emperor.”  

Anyone who heard Louis’s words would find them irrefutable.  

A strong Emperor. He was the Emperor who had quickly restored the empire to normalcy after the war. He kept the kingdoms and nobles in check and stood firm against the Mage Tower.

The commoners all proclaimed that life had become better. They praised and revered Emperor Henry.

“If we establish a new agreement with the Mage Tower this time, I will step down from the throne. I hope you, Luideos, will take that position.”

At the Emperor’s words, Louis’s pupils trembled slightly. Louis had grown up assuming he would one day ascend to the throne.

But now, he wasn’t sure if that position was truly meant for him. His confidence crumbled in an instant.

“That day… the day I said you were unfit to be Crown Prince… that was a lie.”

The Emperor looked at his son’s trembling hands. His gaze was filled with regret, guilt, and affection.

“I don’t intend to force you.”

If Louis said he didn’t want to become Emperor, the Emperor would let go of that expectation and seek someone else suitable for the position.

Among those with Imperial blood, there might be someone fit for the role of Emperor. If such a person wasn’t easily found, the Emperor planned to remain on the throne until one was.

It was a high and lonely position to be forced upon someone.

“It’s not a question you can answer right away. Take your time to think about it.”

The Emperor stood up, pulling down his rolled-up sleeves and straightening his jacket. He patted the Duke, who had also risen, on the shoulder.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

The Emperor glanced one more time at his son, who was sitting with his head bowed, before leaving the Duke’s office.

When Vivian followed to see him off, the Emperor shook his head.

The office became quiet. Vivian approached Louis. The sound of her heels echoed heavily through the air.

Vivian sat in a seat slightly apart from Louis. His disheveled hair covered his eyes, making it impossible for Vivian to discern his expression.

Looking at the seat the Emperor had occupied and the teacup he had neatly placed down, Vivian stood up and walked to Louis.

Vivian knelt in front of him and took his hand.

“If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to.”

At Vivian’s words, Louis raised his head. When their eyes met, Vivian smiled.

“If I have to, I’ll provide for us. I’m quite capable, you know. There are businesses my father runs where my input has significantly increased profits. Haven’t I bragged about that before?”

Vivian pulled Louis’s large, scarred hand closer. She clasped his hand tightly with her small, white hands.

“If you want to do it, that’s fine too.”

Vivian looked down at Louis’s hand. The hand that had helped her up when she fell as a child, the hand that comforted her when her mother passed away, and the hand that playfully reached out to her during the festival.

Come to think of it, Louis had often extended his hand to her.

“Being Empress… I can try that too. I’m sure Her Majesty the Empress Anette would teach me well.”

Vivian spoke as she held Louis’s hand tightly.

“Whatever you choose, I’ll be with you, so do what you want. Didn’t I tell you? I just want you to be happy.”

At Vivian’s words, Louis suddenly buried his face in his free hand.

“D*mn it.”

Vivian flinched at Louis’s low voice and blinked rapidly. As she wondered if she had said something wrong, she was startled again when Louis gripped her hand tightly.

“Is that… a proposal?”

At Louis’s words, Vivian’s face turned bright red in an instant. Her face flushed all the way to the top of her head as she tried to pull her hand away from Louis’s grasp, but his strong grip didn’t budge.

Looking at Louis, who still had his face buried in one hand, Vivian thought,

Alright. Let’s just be honest.

Vivian took a deep breath and exhaled before speaking.

“The part about not loving you… that was a lie.”

Louis raised his head at Vivian’s confession. His face, just as red as hers, was filled with surprise.

“I like you. Whether or not you’re the Crown Prince doesn’t matter to me. So, Louis…”

Vivian leaned closer to Louis. Their faces drew near, and their lips met.

“Let’s get married.”

Vivian’s heartfelt confession tickled the corners of Louis’s mouth.