Chapter 37

With the Blessing Night, or the autumn festival, approaching, the duke’s household was busier than ever. They had to finish all their tasks in advance to enjoy the festival outside the mansion.

The workload increased even more with the visit of the Crown Prince, who was also the fiancée of the lady of the house. The work had doubled, no, tripled. The head butler, head maid, and all the servants of the mansion were extremely busy.

However, the maids of the duke’s residence didn’t complain about the increased workload; instead, smiles were permanently etched on their faces.

“Did you see him?”

“Of course, I did. The rumors were true. I’ve never seen such a handsome man before.”

“Our Duke is handsome too, but it’s a different kind of handsome, right?”

“Yeah. Black hair and golden eyes. I’m smitten. Did everyone see him?”

Yes, yes.

The other maids around them nodded in agreement.

“And why is he so tall? His broad shoulders make his clothes look different.”

“Who is the maid assigned to the Crown Prince’s quarters? I’m so jealous!”

“Are you jealous of the assigned maid? I’m most jealous of our lady.”

The main topic of conversation among the maids carrying laundry, preparing food, and working in the garden was the Crown Prince Louis.

Vivian Dinever couldn’t help but notice the excited atmosphere in the mansion.

As usual, in the late afternoon, Vivian was heading out to the garden with a book when she overheard the maids’ conversation.

On her way out, holding a book to calm her fluttering heart after meeting Louis, she heard their words of envy towards her, and a bitter smile formed on her lips.

“Sister!”

Ian suddenly appeared, calling out to Vivian as he ran towards her, and she greeted him with a bright smile.

“Ian, where are you coming from?”

“I was on my way back from horseback riding practice and saw you!”

Ian had attended a postponed riding lesson due to Louis’s visit.

When Vivian mentioned she was going to read a book, Ian grabbed her hand. They walked together through the garden to Vivian’s favorite spot.

As Vivian sat down, Ian naturally took a seat beside her. Just as Ian was about to complain about everyone’s attention being focused on the Crown Prince, his nanny called out to him.

Reluctantly, Ian hugged Vivian one last time, slumped his shoulders, and followed his nanny back to the mansion.

Watching her brother leave, Vivian picked up the book she had brought and placed it on her lap. However, she had to close the book before she could even read a paragraph. As she touched the corner of the book, she thought.

Six years was a long time, and during that period, the pure feelings she had for Louis, feelings that had made her heart flutter and blush, had faded.

A lot had happened during that time.

After losing her mother, young Vivian had studied and worked tirelessly to fill her mother’s void.

Thanks to her efforts, the duke’s household quickly returned to normalcy. Vivian had been so busy that she had no time to read. It was only last year that she found some leisure time and could hold a book again, something she loved dearly.

The image of Louis stepping out of the carriage was vividly imprinted in Vivian’s mind.

Louis was still handsome, and his mere presence commanded the surrounding atmosphere. At 20, he already had the aura of a ruler.

Could any young lady not feel their heart flutter at such a sight?

Barring any issues, Vivian and Louis would marry once she came of age. The word “marriage” popped into her mind, and Vivian let out a deep sigh.

Feeling overwhelmed by various thoughts, Vivian shook her head vigorously as if trying to clear her mind.

Just then, she heard the rustling sound of grass being stepped on.

“Did you forget something?”

“No, I didn’t forget anything.”

The voice answering Vivian’s question was not her brother Ian’s. It was a low, attractive voice that descended upon her like a whisper.

“Louis…”

Startled by Louis’s sudden appearance, Vivian jumped up from her seat. In her haste, the book on her lap fell to the ground with a soft thud.

Louis took a few long strides, closing the distance between them quickly. He reached down with his long arms and picked up the book that had fallen at her feet.

“A book by Rohatlo. You still like complex and difficult books, I see.”

Louis’s red lips curved into a smooth and beautiful smile. As his smile spread across his face, the cold air that surrounded him warmed instantly.

Louis’s smile had that kind of power, even though it was rare to see.

He dusted off the grass from the book and handed it back to Vivian.

Vivian looked down at the book he was holding out. Naturally, her eyes were drawn to his hand holding the book. His hand had grown larger, with more scars, and looked tougher.

Looking at his hand brought back forgotten feelings, and Vivian quickly averted her gaze. She slowly raised her hand and took the book from Louis.

“Why did you sigh?”

Louis asked, slipping his hands into his pockets. His casual attire, slightly tousled hair, and relaxed posture created a dangerous allure.

Vivian didn’t know what was dangerous about it, but she instinctively averted her gaze and sat back down.

“I just felt a bit stifled.”

At Vivian’s answer, Louis’s thick eyebrows twitched slightly. When she opened her book, he took a seat where Ian had been sitting earlier.

Seeing Vivian open her book indifferently despite his presence, Louis remembered what Arnold had said earlier.

Internally mocking Arnold, Louis tapped the cover of Vivian’s book with his finger.

Vivian squinted slightly and looked at Louis.

“Aren’t you curious about how I’ve been or how I’ve been doing?”

Vivian glanced at Louis’s face, which had a hint of mischief, and then returned her gaze to the book.

“…You told me in your letters.”

Louis tried to recall the contents of the last letter he sent to Vivian but couldn’t remember. Feeling awkward, he ran his hand through his hair and rested his chin on his hand, looking at Vivian.

Vivian felt a prickling sensation on her left cheek from Louis’s gaze.

Despite delaying the dinner to give Louis time to rest after his long journey, she couldn’t understand why he wasn’t resting and was wandering around instead.

Vivian tried to focus on the book, tracing the letters with her finger, but eventually, she had to close it due to the prickling sensation of his gaze.

With a ‘thud,’ Vivian closed the book, causing Louis to chuckle softly as he leaned back on his arms and gazed at the sky.

“It’s still a bit warmer here than in the capital.”

“That’s because we’re in the south.”

Vivian was annoyed that Louis had interrupted her precious reading time. Her curt reply made his lips curl up even more.

“Vivian, there’s an autumn festival here too, right?”

“Yes.”

Louis slowly lowered his head to look at Vivian. Her hands were roughly pulling at the innocent grass.

“Do you want to go see the circus?”

A clump of grass was yanked out in Vivian’s hand. The grass where her hand had been was completely uprooted, leaving a small hole.

“Ahem. Doesn’t Raspol have a circus troupe?”

Louis cleared his throat, looking at the numerous blades of grass in Vivian’s hand.

“It’s my first time in Raspol… My fiancée should show me around.”

Feeling embarrassed by Vivian’s continued silence and her rough handling of the grass, Louis reached out. When he touched Vivian’s hand to save the grass, she flinched in surprise.

“Wh-why are you touching my hand!”

“The grass… looked pitiful?”

Vivian finally looked at the hole she had made and opened her hand. The grip had been so tight that the green sap had stained her palm, seeping into the creases.

Staring down at her stained palm, Vivian shook off her hand and stood up abruptly. Her arms and legs moved awkwardly as she walked forward.

Watching her, Louis picked up the book “History of the City” by Rohatlo, which she had left behind, and followed her.

“Where are you going?”

Vivian didn’t answer and kept walking, swinging her arms as she went. Louis quickened his pace, his long legs quickly closing the distance and blocking her path.

“I asked, where are you going?”

“To my room!”

“Why are you suddenly angry?”

“I’m not angry!”

“You seem angry.”

“I said I’m not!”

Vivian, her face turning red, stared at Louis’s shoes.

“Do you not want to see the circus? You used to like it.”

At Louis’s words, Vivian’s body twitched. After a moment, she looked up at him.

“I don’t like it anymore.”

“…Why?”

“Because people probably abused animals to prepare for those performances, and I don’t want to watch such shows anymore.”

“Is there something else you’d like to do?”

Vivian’s peridot-colored eyes wavered intensely at Louis’s question. Seeing her visibly flustered, Louis wondered if he had asked something wrong but couldn’t figure out why she was so upset.

“Why… I mean, why…”

Vivian looked at Louis, her lips trembling.

“What? I can’t hear you. Vivian.”

Louis bent down to hear her better.

Vivian was so short that she barely reached Louis’s shoulder. To hear her well, Louis had to bend quite low.

When his face suddenly came closer, Vivian took a startled step back.

“Speak up, Vivian.”

At Louis’s prompting, Vivian clenched her fists, swallowed hard, and shouted while looking at his shiny black hair.

“Do you like me?”

Vivian’s voice was quite loud. Her loud voice hit Louis’s ears directly.

“…Who? Me?”

Rubbing his sore ear, Louis straightened up. Seeing Vivian’s face, which was red enough to burst, he tilted his head in confusion.

“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

Vivian’s long, lush eyelashes trembled.

“Well… you asked me to go to the circus, and then to the festival together…”

“If I ask you to go to the circus and the festival, does that mean I like you?”

Louis was genuinely curious.

If so, does it mean that all the men and women who go to the circus together are in love, and all the young people who enjoy the festival together are couples?

Seeing Louis genuinely puzzled, Vivian hurriedly continued.

“Tia said… Tia said that if a man asks you to go to the festival with him, it means he has feelings for you…”

At Vivian’s words, Louis’s straight, dark eyebrows shot up.

“Tia? Who’s Tia?”

Louis placed his hand on Vivian’s head, who was looking up at him with her hands clasped tightly. He gently patted her head and spoke.

“I don’t know who Tia is, but saying that everyone who asks you to go to a festival has good feelings for you is a hasty generalization, isn’t it?”

Louis continued moving his moderately thick, beautifully red lips.

“We should always be wary of falling into such logical fallacies.”

Vivian slowly raised her hand and grabbed his wrist. Then she squeezed it tightly, very tightly, gritting her teeth.

“I understand your point. Thank you for pointing out the fallacy.”

Vivian shook off his hand as if discarding trash and walked briskly toward the mansion.

Louis looked down at his dangling arm. His wrist was stained with green sap, undoubtedly from Vivian’s palm.