Tell Me To Regret, Don’t Tempt Me - Chapter 21
Chapter 21
Vivian was picking out a book in her father’s study for the first time in a while. In the most secluded corner of the bookshelf, there was a thick Imperial dictionary. Struggling a bit to hold it with one hand, Vivian sat on the floor and opened the dictionary.
Carefully turning the pages one by one, Vivian found the word she was looking for.
“Unrequited love…”
[Love that is not reciprocated by the other party.]
Vivian read and reread the definition of unrequited love. The more she read, the sadder she felt, and with a loud ‘thud,’ she closed the dictionary.
Vivian opened the small bag slung over her shoulder. Inside was a white silk handkerchief. She took out the neatly folded handkerchief. The soft texture tickled her fingers. At the edge of the handkerchief, Louis’s initials and the three-headed eagle symbolizing the Imperial family were embroidered.
It was the handkerchief Louis had wrapped around her injured knee on the day she fell while trying to follow Aitor and Zero in the Emperor’s forest.
As the memory of that day came to mind, Vivian’s face began to flush. She brought one hand to her face and tried to fan herself with the other, but the heat wouldn’t subside easily.
“Vivi? Are you here?”
“Father!”
The owner of the study, Tereon Dinever, opened the door and entered, smiling brightly at the welcome guest.
“Did you just return from the capital?”
“I just arrived.”
Vivian ran over and hugged her father. She buried her nose in his embrace and sniffed.
Her father’s scent. A comforting and warm mix of cool mint and light tobacco filled her nose.
“What were you doing?”
“I was just looking at the dictionary for a moment.”
Vivian glanced at the dictionary on the floor and then buried her head back in her father’s embrace.
“Where is Mother?”
“Mother is busy these days. She is helping Empress Annette prepare for the winter banquet.”
“I see.”
Tereon smiled, stroking Vivian’s hair. At that moment, someone knocked on the study door.
“Come in.”
With Tereon’s permission, the door opened, and Pedro, the Duke’s secretary, entered the study.
“Your Grace. There are some urgent documents that need your attention. Ah, you’re with the young lady. It’s been a while, Vivian.”
“Hello, Uncle Pedro.”
“Leave the documents on the desk.”
Pedro nodded and placed the documents on the desk, then bowed politely before leaving the study.
“Are you very busy?”
It was only then that Vivian noticed her father looked a bit tired.
“No matter how busy I am, I always have time to talk with you, Vivi.”
Tereon smiled warmly and sat with Vivian on the blue velvet sofa in the study.
“Your mother mentioned lately that you’ve been diligent in your lessons?”
“Yes. They’re interesting.”
“That’s good to hear. Hugo Platten is a renowned scholar in the Empire. There’s much to learn from him.”
Vivian nodded, looking into her father’s warm gray eyes.
“Hmm… Have you become close with the Crown Prince?”
After a brief hesitation, Tereon cautiously asked.
Vivian nodded slightly at Tereon’s question. After discovering that Louis was the Crown Prince, she had returned to the mansion and cried in Daisy’s arms, saying she wouldn’t get engaged. Compared to then, it was true they had become closer, so she wasn’t lying. However, she felt guilty as if she were deceiving her father and lowered her head.
“I see.”
Tereon’s voice was as sweet and gentle as honey. It was a voice he only used with his daughter and wife. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind Vivani’s ear and looked at his daughter thoughtfully.
Her hair color was just like his. That brown hair, wavy like the former Duchess, and the peridot eyes, the same color as his beloved wife’s, were utterly adorable. The few light freckles sprinkled across her slightly low bridge made her even more charming whenever she smiled or frowned.
Tereon knew what people said about his daughter, but to him, it was all nonsense. It was the babbling of those who didn’t truly know Vivian.
When he heard from Daisy that Vivian had been called ugly by the Crown Prince, he had almost rushed out of bed to confront him immediately.
If Daisy hadn’t sternly stopped him and taken off his coat, he might have requested a talk with the Emperor in the middle of the night.
When he accidentally met Crown Prince Luideos Lindez Tapeullon at Dovelia Palace, he had to resist the urge to pull on those pretty lips.
But now, seeing Vivian getting along well with the Crown Prince made him feel a bit sad.
Tereon thought his conflicting feelings were all because of his deep love for his daughter. He wonders if he could really let her marry someday.
Tereon felt uncertain.
“I miss my nanny, Father.”
“Yes. It’s been quite a while since we came to the capital. After the winter banquet, let’s go to the estate together. Spending the winter there and then returning to the capital wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
The Dinever Duke’s mansion was located in the fertile Raspol Plain, famous in the south of the Empire.
Vivian nodded vigorously at Tereon’s words. The thought of seeing the nanny she missed so much after the winter banquet made her excited, and she swung her legs joyfully.
“Vivi. May I ask you something?”
“Yes, Father.”
“If it’s hard to answer, you don’t have to. But could you be honest with me?”
When Vivian nodded, Tereon, who had been stroking her hair lovingly, slowly opened his mouth.
“You know there’s talk that you might get engaged to the Crown Prince, right?”
Vivian’s swinging legs suddenly stopped.
“Since you and His Highness seem to get along well, His Majesty has brought up the engagement again.”
Vivian’s eyes widened at the sudden mention of an engagement.
“What do you think, Vivi?”
Vivian lowered her eyes, avoiding Tereon’s gaze.
“I…”
Vivian, who had opened her mouth with difficulty, closed it again. Words didn’t come easily, and she bit her lower lip.
“I want you to be honest. Your feelings are the most important.”
Tereon took Vivian’s small hand. It was still only half the size of his. He didn’t like bringing up the topic of engagement with such a young child, but it was unavoidable.
“I am the only heir to the Duke’s family. If I become the Crown Princess…”
“Vivi, that’s not important. You are the heir to the Dinever Duchy if you wish. But if you want to get engaged to the Crown Prince, that’s not something you need to worry about.”
Vivian’s eyes wavered at Tereon’s words.
“I need a little more time to think.”
“Of course. Take your time and let me know.”
Tereon patted his daughter’s tense shoulders.
“Father. How did you marry Mother?”
The love story of the Duke and Duchess of Dinever was quite famous in the Empire. Vivian knew it from the nanny’s stories but wanted to hear it directly from her father.
“I met Daisy by chance at a banquet. Hmm. Come to think of it, it was the winter banquet.”
Tereon, who smiled like spring sunshine at Vivian’s question, began his story.
“Daisy was very popular because she was so beautiful. On the other hand, I had just returned from the war and found such banquets very unfamiliar.”
The Duke’s expression as he recounted his romance looked like he was dreaming a fantastic dream.
“Hardly anyone spoke to me first because I was so aloof.”
Vivian tilted her head, finding it hard to imagine her father like that.
“But Daisy spoke to me. I can still clearly remember that moment.”
“What did Mother say?”
“She asked me to move.”
“What?”
“I was standing right in the middle of the hallway leading to the lounge. To get to the lounge, people had to pass by me, but since I was standing there, they were all just watching me.”
When Vivian blinked at the unexpected story, Tereon, who had been laughing heartily, ruffled her hair.
“Father! Tia will scold me again. Do you think it’s easy to brush my hair?”
Looking at Vivian’s brown hair, which had quickly become messy, Tereon laughed loudly once more.
“Shall I tidy your hair again? Or would you like me to continue the story?”
“Um… Please continue the story.”
Nodding at Vivian’s words, Tereon delved back into his memories.
“That’s when I fell in love with your mother at first sight. And I began an intense unrequited love.”
When the word ‘unrequited love’ came out of Tereon’s mouth, Vivian, startled, fidgeted with her sleeve, pretending to be calm.
“When did the unrequited love end?”
“Well…”
Just as Tereon was about to speak, someone knocked on the study door again.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Tereon.”
Tereon jumped up from the sofa. It was the Duchess, Daisy Dinever.
“Come in.”
As Daisy entered the study and saw Vivian sitting on the sofa, she smiled brightly.
“So you were here.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Vivian jumped off the sofa and hugged her mother.
“What were you two doing?”
Vivian, who had buried her face in her mother’s dress, looked up and glanced back. When Tereon and Vivian made eye contact, he winked. It was a signal to keep it a secret.
“We were just talking for a bit.”
“Hmm… It sounds like you’re telling me not to pry into the secrets of a father and daughter.”
The perceptive Daisy glanced back and forth between Tereon and Vivian.
“What brings you to the study, my lady?”
Tereon, with a playful smile, approached Daisy and kissed the back of her hand.
“All right. Just this once, I’ll pretend not to know for the sake of father-daughter bonding.”
When Tereon kissed her hand politely like a knight, Daisy lifted her chin, pretending to be magnanimous. She was still the cute and beautiful Daisy. Tereon kissed her cheek lovingly and guided her to the sofa. Escorting Daisy to the sofa, Tereon looked back and winked at Vivian once more.
Giggling, Vivian followed Tereon and Daisy to the sofa and sat down. Daisy then asked.
“I’m planning to have clothes made for the winter banquet. The tailor is coming tomorrow. When will you be available?”
“Hmm. Can’t we just wear the clothes we already have?”
“No!”
At Daisy’s firm response, Tereon immediately backed down.
“I think late afternoon would be fine.”
“All right. I’ll inform the tailor to come at that time. Vivian, you should remember that too. Don’t be late because you were hiding and reading a book. Understood?”
“Yes, Mother!”
At Vivian’s loud response, Tereon and Daisy exchanged smiles. When Tereon and Daisy laughed, Vivian laughed with them. Their laughter continued until the sun disappeared over the ridge.