Chapter 34

After all the guests who attended the Duchess’s funeral had left, the last remaining carriage, which would take the Crown Prince back to the capital, was waiting.

Rayden checked the carriage and the escort knights one last time. After making sure everything was ready, Rayden went to fetch his superior and glanced sideways at Louis, who was being dressed by a squire.

“If you have something to say, just say it. Don’t just stare.”

“Oh, you caught me. Haha.”

Rayden scratched his head awkwardly, exaggerating his surprise. Louis raised an eyebrow as he looked at Rayden’s foolish expression.

“It’s nothing special… I just thought you might stay here a bit longer.”

“What about the work left in the capital?”

“According to Allen, it can be postponed for about a week.”

Despite Rayden’s words, Louis didn’t bat an eye and continued to let the squire dress him. Once the squire finished, Louis adjusted his clothes in the mirror and turned to Rayden.

“Is the luggage ready?”

“Yes, everything is loaded and ready.”

“Alright, let’s go then.”

Vivian had suddenly lost her mother. It would have been nice if Louis could stay with her a bit longer, but the 14-year-old workaholic Crown Prince seemed determined to return.

As Rayden followed Louis, they found Duke Tereon and Vivian in the first-floor lobby, there to see them off.

While Duke Tereon and Louis exchanged greetings, Vivian just stared at Louis’s shoes without saying a word.

“Vivian?”

Duke Tereon called his daughter, who remained silent until the moment Louis was about to board the carriage.

“Yes?”

“You should say goodbye.”

“Oh, right…”

Vivian glanced at Louis and then lowered her head again, tapping the floor with her toes.

“I suppose I should give you some privacy. I’ll see you in the capital.”

Duke Tereon patted his daughter’s shoulder and headed back into the mansion. Watching her father disappear inside, Vivian finally looked at Louis and spoke.

“We won’t see each other often now, will we?”

“Probably not.”

Rayden clicked his tongue at his superior’s response and turned away, rubbing his forehead.

“…I might not be able to visit the capital often.”

“I heard from Duke Tereon that you want to learn the duties the Duchess used to handle.”

“Yes.”

Vivian had decided to take on the role of the lady of Dinever Estate for the time being. Though she was only 12, she was determined to help Duke Tereon and learn gradually.

Duke Tereon didn’t stop her. He simply hugged her and thanked her.

Though he was a bit worried, he believed that if her mother were still here, she would have supported Vivian, encouraging her that she could do it.

With that thought, Vivian gathered her courage.

“Can I write to you?”

Vivian asked cautiously, her lips trembling slightly.

“I’ll reply.”

Louis lifted one corner of his mouth and tousled Vivian’s hair.

“Hey, that’s rude to a lady!”

Vivian’s face turned red as she tried to smooth down her hair, but it was no use.

“A lady?”

“Yes!”

“…I didn’t know.”

Vivian puffed up in anger at Louis’s words, and as she let go of her hair, her brown curls sprang back up.

“Grow taller.”

“Height… That’s…”

As Vivian hesitated, Louis chuckled and turned to board the carriage. Before closing the door, he looked at Vivian once more and then shut it quietly.

As the carriage carrying Louis disappeared from view, Vivian slowly turned and headed back to the mansion.

Everyone who was meant to leave had left. Only those who needed to stay remained.

The mansion felt particularly large to Vivian that day. Instead of heading straight to her room, she wandered around the mansion, seeking traces of her mother.

The winter curtains Daisy had put up, fearing it might be an especially cold winter, were still hanging even though spring had arrived.

“There’s so much to do.”

Vivian wandered around the mansion for a while.

* * *

Before entering the gate to the capital, Rayden climbed into the carriage where Louis was sitting alone. Louis, with his arms crossed and eyes closed, slowly opened his eyes.

“There seems to be an issue with the gate, so we’ll have to wait a bit.”

“What kind of issue?”

“It’s a problem on the capital’s side, but they said it would be resolved soon.”

Louis nodded and closed his eyes again. Then, he opened them and stared intently at Rayden.

“Did I do something wrong again?”

“That.”

Louis pointed at Rayden’s pocket.

“Where did you get that?”

“Oh, this?”

Rayden pulled out a pink pouch sticking out of his pocket and shook it.

“Lady Vivian gave each of the knights some to eat.”

Rayden untied the pouch string and poured candies and chocolates into his palm. Among them was Vivian’s favorite strawberry candy.

“To everyone?”

“Yes. She came by while we were preparing to leave and personally handed them out, saying it was something the Duchess used to do and that she hoped we’d accept it, even if it was inadequate.”

Louis’s golden eyes darkened at Rayden’s explanation.

“Where’s mine?”

“Pardon?”

Rayden blinked rapidly in disbelief, quickly stuffing the candies back into his pocket and tucking the pouch deep inside his jacket.

“So that’s how it is?”

Louis’s words made Rayden shake his head.

“You should have done better.”

At Rayden’s muttered comment, Louis uncrossed his arms. Rayden clutched his jacket tightly and spoke.

“Don’t be too sad, Vivian. I’ll come down again soon.”

Imitating Louis, Rayden slicked back his hair, trying to look cool.

“If you could just be a bit kinder, it would be so nice. You’re going to marry her when she comes of age, and it seems you quite like her, don’t you?”

“Were you imitating me just now?”

“Yes. A bit similar, right?”

Louis turned his head sharply to look out the window. The gate still seemed to be having issues and showed no signs of opening.

Louis seriously considered leaving Rayden behind.

“Face your feelings head-on without ignoring them. Then you’ll have the courage to stand up to any enemy!”

“Who are you imitating now?”

“My father.”

Rayden’s father was a living legend, the head of the First Knights of the Empire.

“Don’t worry about me. Worry about yourself, Rayden.”

“I’m telling you because I’m worried.”

Rayden decided to say what he had to say.

“Don’t be afraid. Open your heart.”

“Who said I was afraid?”

Louis crossed his arms again and closed his eyes. Rayden sighed quietly at the sight.

“Just because you don’t believe in it doesn’t mean love doesn’t exist.”

Despite Rayden’s words, Louis kept his eyes closed. Rayden quietly stood up and opened the carriage door.

“There’s no place for love in my life. An emperor has no need for it.”

Before the door closed, Rayden looked at his superior for a moment and then shut the door.

30 minutes later.

“The gate has opened. We’ll head to the capital immediately. We should arrive at the palace before nightfall.”

Rayden, delivering the news from outside the carriage, adjusted the reins to guide the horses through the gate.

Thus, Louis left Raspol and did not see Vivian for quite a long time.

* * *

“Sis!”

Vivian looked up from her book to see her younger brother peeking over it, and she smiled brightly.

“Ian.”

“Sis, Father is looking for you.”

“Oh, I see.”

Vivian patted the head of her brother, who was about to turn six. He had brown hair like hers, but unlike Vivian, it wasn’t curly. His soft hair slipped through her fingers.

“I knew you’d be here reading again!”

Ian stood with his hands on his hips, proud of himself for finding her. His resemblance to their father made Vivian feel as if she were being scolded, so she got up from her seat.

As she stood, Ian began brushing off the dirt and grass from her dress with his tiny hands and then looked up.

“Do you love books that much?”

“Yes.”

“More than me?”

“No, not more than you, Ian.”

Seemingly satisfied with her answer, Ian smiled bashfully.

“Ian, why is Father looking for me?”

Walking under Raspol’s warm sunlight, holding a book in one hand and Ian’s hand in the other, Vivian asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Hmm… But isn’t it time for your lessons?”

At Vivian’s words, Ian flinched but she decided to pretend not to notice.

“T-The teacher told me to take a break.”

“Really? I see.”

But no sooner had she spoken than Ian’s tutor appeared, calling for him from outside the garden.

“Ian.”

When Vivian softly called his name, Ian pulled his hand from hers and started running.

“Go quickly, sis!”

Shaking her head at the sight, Vivian eventually burst into laughter.

The Raspol estate was peaceful today as well. It had taken some time to achieve this peace, but there were no major issues.

Duke Tereon quickly returned to his daily life, taking care of the estate and his family, and since turning 14, Vivian had begun to fulfill her role as the lady of the house without much help from Duke Tereon.

Ian grew up healthy without any major illnesses.

As he grew, his resemblance to Duke Tereon made him beloved by everyone in the household.

Six years.

Six years had flown by since Daisy’s death.

During that time, Vivian had considered going to the capital. However, Louis had to leave for an imperial tour, and an assassination attempt on the Emperor also occurred, preventing her from going due to Duke Tereon’s opposition.

One thing after another kept happening, and Vivian couldn’t visit the capital for six years after her engagement to Louis.

She exchanged letters with Aitor occasionally.

Aitor’s claims of being constantly busy seemed true as his replies became less frequent over the past three years. Nowadays, she received one or two letters a year at most. Still, Vivian wrote to him once a month.

Last year, Rosie visited Raspol and stayed for a season.

Rosie, who couldn’t stay long for Daisy’s funeral, spent a considerable amount of time with Vivian.

She constantly remarked on how beautiful Vivian had become and joked that if the Crown Prince saw her now, he’d be eager to marry her.

Each time, Vivian would smile bitterly and shake her head.

She did exchange letters with Louis, but they were mostly updates on their lives. Half of the content was about the capital, which she could also learn from Duke Tereon.

Eighty percent of the letters Louis sent contained information Vivian already knew.

“Father.”

“Vivian, I heard you were lying in the grass reading a book again?”

Vivian grinned and hugged Duke Tereon.

“The weather was so nice today.”

“But what if you get freckles? Did you wear a hat?”

Nodding at her father’s unusually persistent nagging, Vivian realized that sometimes a little white lie was necessary.

Duke Tereon’s desk was piled with documents and invitations.

“With the autumn festival approaching, there’s a lot to do.”

Duke Tereon sighed as he looked at the unfinished documents on his desk. Vivian released her hug and began to sort through the papers.

“I’ll organize the urgent ones for you.”

Relieved by Vivian’s words, Duke Tereon focused on the documents while watching his daughter work swiftly.

His daughter, now a young lady, no longer resembled her childhood self. Except for her peridot eyes, which still sparkled with intelligence, and her curly hair that needed constant care, she seemed like a different person.

Looking at Vivian, who closely resembled Daisy, Duke Tereon felt a momentary sadness in his brown eyes.

“Father, I think there’s a mistake here.”

Vivian handed a document to Duke Tereon, frowning.

Duke Tereon carefully reviewed the point Vivian had highlighted and found a discrepancy in the numbers, causing him to frown.

“You’re right. Hmm. I didn’t notice this earlier.”

Vivian scribbled something with a pen.

“Here’s how you can fix it.”

Watching his daughter handle the task so effortlessly, Duke Tereon reached for another document. With Vivian’s help, the documents were quickly organized.

“Vivian, I think we can stop for today.”

Vivian nodded at her father’s words. After reviewing the last document, Duke Tereon suggested they take a tea break.

Massaging her stiff neck, Vivian sat down as Duke Tereon poured fragrant tea into a cup.

“Vivian, the Crown Prince is coming to Raspol this time.”

Vivian, savoring the floral scent of the tea, dropped her cup in surprise. The spilled tea slowly soaked into the carpet.