Chapter 129

“Let’s get married.”  

After Vivian’s proposal, silence flowed between the two. Vivian wondered what this silence meant.  

Was it a rejection?  

Seeing Louis’s startled eyes and tightly shut lips as he looked at her, Vivian’s lips began to tremble.  

He said he liked me, but was that all a lie? Or is dating one thing and marriage another?  

Vivian’s gaze began to drop lower, and her peridot-colored eyes started to glisten with tears.  

“Vi-Vivian.”  

When Vivian began to tear up after her surprise proposal, Louis became even more flustered. Seeing her biting her lips and shedding tears without saying a word, Louis got up from his seat, sat beside her, and matched her eye level.  

Whenever Vivian cried, Louis didn’t know what to do. It had been the same when they were young, but now, his mind went completely blank.  

As he fumbled through his pocket for a handkerchief, Louis cursed inwardly at the small object he felt in his hand.  

Looking at Vivian, who was still crying, Louis gently dabbed her eyes with the handkerchief. The silk handkerchief quickly became damp and darkened with her tears.  

“Are you not going to tell me why you’re crying?”  

When Louis asked gently, trying to comfort her, Vivian finally opened her tightly shut lips.  

“Why aren’t you answering me?”  

It was then that Louis realized he had been so stunned by Vivian’s proposal that he hadn’t answered her.  

Idiot.  

Louis had to swallow another curse rising in his throat. As his expression hardened further, tears began to well up in Vivian’s eyes again.  

“N-no, that’s not it.”  

Panicked by Vivian’s tears, Louis waved his hands and reached into his pocket again. Adjusting his posture, he knelt on one knee, pulled something out of his pocket, and took Vivian’s left hand.  

As he fiddled with her fingers, Louis slowly slipped a ring onto the fourth finger of her left hand.  

Vivian blinked her large eyes as she watched the ring slide onto her finger. Tears that had already welled up fell onto her dress.  

“I… I was going to do it first…”  

Biting his lower lip tightly, Louis brought Vivian’s left hand to his lips.  

A beautiful ring adorned with a peridot, neither too big nor too small, sparkled on Vivian’s left hand. Louis pressed his lips to the ring.  

“Sorry for making you say it first again. Please marry me.”

The ring, which should have been hidden inside the cake Vivian loved, in the beautifully decorated second floor of the dessert shop they visited today, was now on her finger.  

Following Allen’s advice, Louis had planned to propose by hiding the ring in the cake. But he hadn’t even set foot on the flower-filled second floor, nor could he present the extravagant cake with the ring inside to Vivian, who was happily reminiscing about desserts filled with memories of her mother.  

He had taken the ring from the apologetic staff member and stuffed it into his pocket, never expecting things to turn out like this.  

He never imagined Vivian would propose first or that he would end up proposing so clumsily in the Duke’s study to a crying Vivian.  

Vivian alternated between looking at the ring on her finger and at Louis.  

“I thought you didn’t like flashy things… If you don’t like the ring, you can pick out another one.”  

At Louis’s words, Vivian shook her head vigorously.  

“I love it.”  

Vivian wiped her eyes roughly with her right hand. Even after blinking, the ring on her finger continued to sparkle, making her smile bashfully.  

“So, what’s your answer?”  

Louis smiled as he followed her lead. As he tucked her hair behind her ear, he asked again.  

“Yes!”  

Without a second of hesitation, Vivian answered, and Louis smiled with his eyes. He touched her earlobe with his hand, then slid his hand into her hair and pulled her head closer.  

I guess I do like sweet things.  

Louis greedily claimed Vivian’s lips, which felt as sweet as honey. The kiss was so sugary, it felt like he might melt.  

After briefly pulling away, Louis looked at Vivian, who kept her eyes shut tightly. Tears clung to the tips of her long lashes.  

Louis brought his lips to her eyes. Her eyelids trembled slightly, and her beautiful peridot-colored eyes peeked open.  

“Can I kiss you again?”  

Why do I always ask for permission so late?  

Vivian let out a small laugh and nodded. As if he had been waiting for her approval, Louis devoured her lips.  

It was a long, sweet kiss, so much so that they forgot they were in the Duke’s study, which belonged to Louis’s soon-to-be father-in-law.  

The two had no idea that Pedro, the Duke’s secretary, was using all his strength to hold back Tereon, who was about to barge into the study.  

***

Tia’s mood always brightened whenever she saw her master humming a tune these days. The beautiful ring on Vivian’s fourth finger on her left hand spoke volumes about why she was so happy.  

The study, which was usually bustling, was quiet for the first time in a long while.  

Aitor and Zero, who were usually the most carefree, had gone out, leaving only Vivian and Tia in the room.  

“Young Lady, so when are you planning the wedding?”  

Tia asked as she worked on making a light document case for Vivian. At her question, Vivian’s humming abruptly stopped.  

Seeing Vivian furrow her brow and rest her chin on her hand, deep in thought, Tia worried she might have misspoken.  

But Vivian’s concern lay elsewhere.  

Though they were already engaged, and Louis had proposed, she hadn’t thought about when the wedding should take place.  

The wedding, originally set for early April, had been postponed. Now that the Emperor had decided to abdicate, Vivian wasn’t sure when the right time would be.  

For now, there was a more important decision to make than choosing the wedding date.  

Vivian stood up and walked to the window overlooking the garden. The midday sunlight was growing stronger. It was the beginning of June.  

As she gazed at the puffy clouds floating in the blue sky, Vivian returned to her desk, picked out her prettiest stationery, and began writing carefully, one letter at a time.  

She enclosed a small flower Ian and Laila had brought from the garden and handed the envelope to Tia.  

“Send this to Empress Annette.”  

***

At the same time Vivian was sending a letter to Empress Annette, Louis was leaving the Zenta River after a brief meeting with Daon.  

As the political situation began to stabilize, the people walking the streets seemed lighter in their steps and expressions.

Watching them for a moment, Louis turned toward the dessert shop he had visited with Arnold.

He picked out a few desserts he thought Vivian would like and left the shop, only to be met with Rayden shaking his head.

“What’s with that look?”

Louis asked, and Rayden, smiling wryly, replied.

“I just realized how kind Lady Vivian truly is.”

Though he enjoyed hearing compliments about Vivian, Louis raised an eyebrow, not liking Rayden’s tone.

“Why are you saying that?”

Louis walked past Rayden toward the carriage parked upstream by the Genta River, carrying the desserts. Rayden clicked his tongue as he watched Louis.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t have accepted so easily. Lady Vivian must be incredibly kind.”

Louis stopped in his tracks. Rayden, who had been following close behind and rambling on, abruptly halted and blinked at him.

“Cut it out, will you?”

Rayden flinched at Louis’ low voice, coughed awkwardly, and scratched the back of his head.

“Well, you know, once you step down from that position, it’s just a normal sibling-like relationship, right?”

Louis, looking at Rayden as if he were absurd, turned his back and began walking faster.

Watching Louis’ retreating figure, Rayden chuckled and shouted loudly.

“Wait for me! I might become your brother someday!”

At Rayden’s teasing, Louis quickened his pace even more. But when he saw someone standing near the carriage, he smirked and approached.

“I thought that carriage looked familiar.”

Aitor smiled warmly, his eyes curving. He waved at Rayden, who was following behind. Rayden also raised his hand in greeting, saying it was even nicer to see him outside.

To anyone watching, it might have seemed like they hadn’t seen each other in a long time, but the three of them had spent the previous night drinking wine together.

“Where’s Zero?”

“Oh, he returned to the estate with Lucas.”

Rayden nodded and then gave Aitor’s shoulder a strong pat. Aitor staggered from the impact, losing his balance, and Rayden muttered that he should increase the intensity of his morning workouts.

Seeing Aitor’s face turn pale, Rayden smirked and excused himself, saying he’d take a quick look around.

“How can someone so perceptive still get rejected by women every time?”

Rayden’s absence gave Aitor a moment to muse aloud.

“Hmm… That seems to be a different matter altogether.”

Louis handed the paper bag full of desserts to the coachman as he spoke. Aitor’s eyes widened slightly, surprised by Louis’ serious tone, as he had expected him to say, ‘That’s just Rayden being Rayden.’

Now that he thought about it, Louis, who usually didn’t even like desserts, had bought a whole bag of them.

Aitor chuckled softly at the sight and pointed toward a small park upstream along the Genta River.

“That spot is quiet and nice.”

Louis nodded and headed toward the park Aitor had indicated.

Finding a shaded spot, the two sat on an old bench, letting the gentle spring breeze wash over them.

For the first time in a while, both Aitor and Louis felt like they understood what true “leisure” meant.

“I just came back from a private audience with His Majesty.”

At Aitor’s words, Louis, who had been gazing at the sky in a good mood, furrowed his brow.

“His Majesty gave me this.”

Aitor carefully took out an old portrait from his coat.

It depicted Teria and a person with blue hair and a warm smile, someone who looked remarkably similar to Zero.

It was Lily and Caspian Turner.

“I don’t know why His Majesty had this, but it seems to have been kept with great care.”

It was a portrait of Caspian Turner in his younger days, clearly painted long ago.

Despite its age, the portrait was in excellent condition, with only slightly faded colors and no creases or damage.

It was unclear whether the Emperor had kept it or if someone else had.

Aitor gently ran his hand over the small portrait, which was slightly smaller than his palm, and spoke.

“His Majesty sincerely apologized.”

The spring breeze tousled Aitor’s bright golden hair.

Looking at Aitor’s smile, Louis felt as though he had taken a long detour only to return to where he started.