Chapter 2

Three days ago, Duke Dinever, who had received a summons from the capital, finally returned to his mansion late. Even after returning home, Terran Dinever spent a long time in his study before entering the bedroom, which was deep into the night.

“You’re back quite late today. Was there something going on at the palace?” 

Daisy, who had been waiting for him to enter the bedroom, asked.

“The Emperor Majesty suggested pushing forward the engagement between our Vivian and the Crown Prince.” 

Terran’s response to Daisy’s question was rather surprising.

“What? An engagement? But our Vivian is barely 10 years old!”

“It’s not uncommon for noble engagements to happen earlier than usual among the imperial family.”

The noble families of the esteemed Rasphol Empire often hurried to find their children’s matches. It was not only to leave heirs but also to prevent unnecessary power struggles by prearranging marriages.

Daisy knew the reasons well, but she didn’t like the idea that her young daughter would have to marry not out of her own will but because of an agreement between the Emperor and her parents.

“But still!”

Daisy couldn’t bring herself to continue speaking. It was because of Terran’s thoughtful expression. It was a face that conveyed many unspoken thoughts.

–

“Mother!”

Daisy snapped out of her reverie at her daughter’s excited voice.

“We’re going to meet the Empress, and then we’ll stop by the Imperial Library, right?”

In fact, what Vivian looked forward to the most on this trip to the capital was the palace library.

Vivian’s greatest love was reading, and her favorite place at their estate was the library. 

It was no surprise that she had chosen the Imperial Library as the place she most wanted to go, upon hearing that they were going to the capital.

“Sure, you can go.”

“Yay!”

A faint smile escaped Daisy’s lips as she watched her beloved Vivian raise her hands in excitement. Vivian’s cute freckles, dotted lightly on her cheeks, stood out even more.

As they bid farewell to the mansion staff and headed towards the palace, Vivian eagerly gazed out the window to take in the sights of the capital’s streets. The bustling city was filled with busy people. It was quite entertaining to watch the various people going about their ways, each with their own destinations.

As the road became less crowded the closer they got to the imperial palace, Vivian’s eyes widened.

As the carriage passed through the trees planted along the well-paved road, Dovelia Palace came into view, and Vivian quickly covered her mouth with her hands to stifle a scream.

Dovelia Palace boasted an immense size. Up close, its grandeur was overwhelmingly majestic, beyond words.

The entire Dovelia Palace, painted in white, even looked sacred.

As Daisy and Vivian’s carriage approached, the doors of Dovelia Palace swung open wide. Perhaps it was because they recognized the emblem on the carriage. They were able to enter the palace smoothly.

After traveling for a while longer, the carriage finally came to a stop.

Guided by a maid who had come out in advance, they made their way to where the Empress was. Vivian tightly held Daisy’s hand, her eyes wide open as she looked around.

Dovelia Palace, majestic yet delicate in its details, didn’t escape Vivian’s notice.

Throughout the palace, there were famous paintings and sculptures, and on the ceilings were paintings depicting the founding myths of the Tapellon Empire.

The palace was like a museum, and Vivian could see why people admired it.

While Vivian’s head was busy turning, the maid stopped in front of a large white door.

“Your Majesty, Duchess Daisy Dinever, and Lady Vivian Dinever.”

As the maid announced, the large door opened silently.

“Please come in.”

With excitement and nervousness, they entered. Vivian’s gaze was captured by a woman looking at her mother and herself.

With platinum blonde hair and eyes as lovely as swallowtails, the woman looked at Daisy and Vivian with warmth in her eyes.

“I greet Her Majesty, the Empress of the Empire.”

Daisy’s greeting made Vivian realize how much she had been staring at her, and she hastened to greet her.

“I greet Her Majesty, the Empress.”

After Vivian finished her greeting, the Empress Annette spoke.

“Daisy!”

She gracefully approached Daisy and embraced her tightly.

“It’s been a while.”

“Your Majesty….”

Daisy smiled embarrassedly at the Empress’s sudden hug. Empress Annette pouted at the sight of her.

“’Your Majesty’, huh? You seem taken aback by seeing an old friend after so long.”

Vivian’s mouth slightly opened in surprise upon learning that her mother and the Empress were friends. Annette, noticing Vivian’s existence only now, smiled and met Vivian’s eyes.

“I greet the Empress of Tapellon. I am Vivian Dinever.”

A smile tugged at the corners of Annette’s mouth at Vivian’s impeccable greeting.

“Wow. I’ve heard people say you’re a smart kid, but you’re even better than I expected. Nice to meet you, Vivian. I’m Annette Lindes Tapellon. Glad to meet you.”

The Empress affectionately stroked Vivian’s brown hair.

“I hope to see you often in the future.”

“Me? Um, yes….”

Vivian shyly nodded in response.

The place where Vivian, Daisy, and Annette moved to was the backyard of the Empress’s palace.

The backyard of the Empress’s palace was different from what Vivian had expected.

It was a modest garden. There were no flashy flowers, but small and quaint ones intertwined to capture people’s attention. It was a warm garden that exuded coziness. It had a strange feeling of fitting in yet not fitting in with the grandeur of the palace.

There were tea tables set up in places where one could enjoy such a garden.

Vivian was pleased to see her mother and the Empress conversing properly. The smile her mother wore now was slightly different from the usual smile that Vivian was accustomed to. It was like that of a little girl.

Seeing her mother’s girlish smile, Vivian couldn’t help but feel uplifted, and she instinctively wiggled her heels with joy.

“Oh, dear. We’ve been talking too much about ourselves and neglecting Vivian.”

Annette looked over at Vivian, who was giggling and shoveling cake into her mouth, and clapped her hands.

“Vivian, is there a place in Dovelia Palace you’ve been wanting to visit?”

Although it wasn’t boring to see the two beautiful ladies, Vivian’s eyes lit up at Empress Annette’s words.

“Yes!”

At Vivian’s lively response, Empress Annette covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled.

“I want to go to the imperial library.”

Daisy laughed embarrassedly at Vivian’s unhesitating way of telling where she wanted to go.

“It’s the place Vivian has wanted to go the most since she came to the capital…….”

“Oh, really? Alina.”

Annette called her maid, Alina.

“Alina, could you please escort our little lady to the Imperial Library?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Upon the Empress’s command, Vivian promptly stood up from her seat and bowed to Annette.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

After hearing Daisy’s plea not to stay too long, they set off for the Imperial Library. Vivian’s steps were lighter than ever.

A short distance away from the Empress’s palace. When she got there, the Empress’s maid, Alina, said.

“You may explore the books you want to see inside. If you have trouble finding a book due to the vast collection, just let the librarian know. I’ll come back in time for you, My lady.”

“Yes. Thank you for guiding me.”

Smiling at Vivian’s polite thanks, Alina asked the librarian for a favor and left the library.

As Alina left, Vivian embarked on her library exploration in earnest. Seeing Vivian unable to close her mouth, the librarian chuckled softly.

“If you wander around like that, you might get lost. Do you have a specific section of books you’re interested in?”

“Oh, yes. I’d like to read history books.”

“The history books are in section B, shelf 3.”

“Okay. Thank you for your guidance.”

After politely greeting the librarian, Vivian hurriedly made her way.

“Section B… Section B…”

The Imperial Library at Dovelia Palace was large. Divided into two floors with high ceilings, the shelves were densely packed with books.

Although the classification was well done, the sheer size of the library made it seem challenging to find books.

She couldn’t find the specific book she was looking for. Simply being in a place filled with books lifted Vivian’s spirits, and she found herself humming a tune.

Protected by preservation magic, the books didn’t need to be shielded from sunlight, so the library was bathed in sunlight streaming through large windows.

After exploring here and there, Vivian finally found Section B and quickly scanned through the books at eye level.

“Wow. There’s even ‘Taylor’s Imperial History’.”

Slightly higher up, she spotted the first edition of the history book Vivian liked. She tried to reach for it on tiptoe, but it was just out of reach.

“Ugh… Just a little more.”

Then…

“You could have asked the librarian for help.”

A copy of Taylor’s History of the Empire was pulled out from under Vivian’s head. Her gaze followed the book, and there, standing there, was a boy.

*Thump.*

Even though nothing fell, a loud sound echoed in Vivian’s ears.

The boy had black hair that looked like it would flow like silk if touched. He had a rebellious look about him like an angel refusing to serve. Vivian couldn’t take her eyes off his appearance which seemed to make even the gods jealous.

“Who are you? And what are you doing in the Imperial Library?”

The handsome boy had to shut up before he could finish his question.

“Louis! Lord Louis, where are you!”

At the sound of someone’s voice, Louis threw the book he was holding over Vivian’s head as if to pass it to her. Unprepared to catch it, Vivian dropped the book.

*Thunk.*

The fairly thick book made a loud thud as it fell to the floor.

“Louis, are you there?”

“Darn it!”

As the footsteps got closer, a visibly panicked boy grabbed Vivian’s shoulder.

“You mustn’t tell anyone that I’m here! Do you understand?”

Vivian was shaken as Louis shook her.

“Answer me!”

“What? Ah……. Yes.”

Upon hearing Vivian’s reply, Louis squeezed into the narrow space between the end of the bookshelf and the wall. As he disappeared into the gap, an elderly man with white hair leaned his head out.

“Are you here?”

As Vivian made eye contact with the man with white hair, she shuddered.

“I was wondering if…….”

“What? He’s not here!”

“What?”

“Ah… well…”

Vivian wanted to slap herself for answering something that wasn’t asked. She must have looked so foolish. She felt like Louis, who was between the bookshelves, was glaring at her suspiciously.

“Hmm…”

The man with white hair looked at Vivian while stroking his white beard.

“By any chance…”

*Gulp.*

Vivian swallowed nervously due to the tension. Still looking suspicious, the man with white hair shifted his gaze to the book in Vivian’s arms.

“Did you pick that book to read?”

“Yes? Uh, yes.”

“Hehe. It’s quite a challenging book….”

The man with white hair started to ramble about the plot and important parts of the book.

“Our Louis here mastered that book when he was only seven… Oh right! Louis!”

Suddenly realizing why he was there, the grey-haired old man turned his head and looked around.