Chapter 4

In the proud feeling of advancing as an excellent lord, Louis’s lips drew a gentle curve.

However, no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out what had made the girl cry. Louis’s brow furrowed as he slowly mulled over what had happened in the library just a while ago.

“But, I would like the person who becomes my wife to be beautiful. Like my mother.”

Louis swallowed the words that were to follow the end of that sentence. The words he swallowed pulled down the heightened sense of excitement he had.

At that moment, memories of attending his cousin’s wedding last year, seven years older than him, flooded back.

“What’s so good about it?”

Looking at his cousin walking down the aisle with a happy expression, holding the bouquet, Louis murmured softly. Once the wedding was over, she would leave the empire to become the queen of a small kingdom in the West.

How could she be so happy when she wouldn’t see her family or friends once she left the Empire? 

Louis couldn’t understand it at all.

He was the only crown prince and she was the only relative who approached his cold and prickly personality.

Watching his cousin smile so brightly even though she was leaving far away, Louis didn’t hide his discomfort.

When she saw him standing stiffly throughout the wedding, his cousin said.

“Do you have to stand there with that expression at someone else’s wedding? I think it would be nice to see you flustered around women. I don’t know who you’ll marry, but I’d give you all my wealth if I could.”

“That’s just a measly sum.”

In response to Louis’s words, his cousin quickly glanced around and pinched his arm hard.

“What’s so great about it when it’s not even a marriage based on love?” 

Louis asked, rubbing his pinched arm lightly.

“Who says I’m not in love?”

“Then do you already love King Rakus whom you met just a week ago? You met him under the Emperor’s command.”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

His cousin put her hand on her waist and smoothly lifted her pretty colored lips.

The former King suddenly died of illness, and at a young age, King Rakus ascended to the throne. Emperor Henry, pleased with the king who visited the empire to solidify his position within the empire and to pay respects, pushed for the marriage between Louis’s cousin and him.

The wedding was rushed because he had to return to the kingdom immediately, but since it was arranged by the emperor, the wedding was lavish and without any shortcomings.

Louis was surprised by the sudden news of the marriage. His cousin, he thought, who had no qualms about showing her emotions, would make a fuss and refuse to marry.

It was a mix of anticipation and worry throughout the wedding. But his cousin had an unexpected expression. Even now.

Louis glanced at the face of his cousin and then looked at King Rakus, who was happily chatting with the nobles of the empire while sipping his drink.

“Are you looking at him?”

“Is that not allowed?”

King Rakus, with his broad, well-defined shoulders, was a handsome man.

“Even though it’s an arranged marriage, marrying such a good-looking and capable man is an incredible stroke of luck.”

His cousin turned her head towards her groom. Her face turned slightly red.

It was a marriage of necessity,  but his cousin didn’t seem unhappy. That fact had been bothering Louis for quite some time.

Recently, in a letter he received from his cousin, along with the news of her pregnancy, there was a portrait of her with King Rakus.

“Sigh…”

Louis sighed deeply, resting his chin on his hand.

His cousin seemed to have found great luck, while it seemed to have eluded him. At that moment, the tears of his mother, whom he had seen for the first and last time, overlapped with the tears of the girl he had just seen at the library.

“Sigh…”

Louis let out another heavy sigh.

Just then, a book with no title on the cover was abruptly thrust in front of him.

“What book is this?”

Louis finally managed to pull himself out of the deep swamp of thoughts. As Louis regained his composure and lifted his head, he saw Hugo neatly packing some books into the bag he had brought.

“You don’t seem to be in the mood for lessons today, so I shall take my leave now.”

“Oh, no. Please continue with the lesson.”

Louis corrected his posture and said to Hugo.

“No, let’s call it a day for now. Instead…”

Hugo, with the bag slung over his shoulder, pointed to the book he had handed to Louis with his finger.

“Why don’t you spend the remaining time reading this book?”

“This book?”

Louis lifted the thin book that was on top of the book he was supposed to study. As Hugo nodded, Louis opened the untitled book.

“What… what is this!”

Louis gasped, throwing the book out of his hands. Watching Louis cover his embarrassed face with both hands, Hugo shook his head in disbelief.

“You’re old enough to know now, what are you so ashamed of?”

Hugo clicked his tongue, commenting that Louis was being reckless with such a valuable book, then picked up the fallen book from the floor and dusted it off.

“It’s much more wholesome than the obscene books circulating in the market. It helps establish a healthy understanding of sexuality. Don’t sneakily read those kinds of things. Instead, diligently read what your teacher recommends.”

“Who said I was sneakily reading!”

Hugo, still watching his embarrassed disciple covering his face with both hands, chuckled silently.

“Yes, yes. I understand.”

With an insincere response from Hugo, Louis lowered his hands and got up from his seat.

“And why on earth are you giving me this kind of book?”

“Weren’t you just thinking about women a moment ago?”

“T-That’s…”

Louis was momentarily speechless at Hugo’s words. He had been thinking about women, yes, but certainly not in such a way that he should be reading such a book.

“Now, my dear student, it’s time for you to open your eyes to such matters. It’s the natural order of things. Like the pain of growing up, there’s no need to be embarrassed. Hahaha.”

“It’s not like that!”

“There, there. This is hard to come by, so please do keep it.”

Ignoring Louis’s protests, Hugo laughed heartily and left the room.

Left alone, Louis felt his legs go weak. Sinking back into his seat, Louis burst into laughter, seemingly incredulous.

“Damn old man.”

Louis promised himself over and over again that he wouldn’t entertain other thoughts during his class as he quietly gathered the book Hugo had left behind and rose from his seat.

—

At the library, with Alina’s help, she was able to borrow the book she hadn’t finished reading.

Clutching the book dearly to her chest on the way home, Daisy noticed that Vivian was staring out the window without saying a word.

“What are you thinking about so intensely?”

Daisy’s words seemed to go unheard as Vivian continued to gaze fixedly out the window.

“Viv? Viv.”

“Yes? Mother, what did you say?”

Daisy looked at Vivian with concern after calling her several times before she finally responded and gently stroked her small brown head.

“I asked what you were thinking about so deeply.”

“It’s just that…”

Vivian’s face darkened at Daisy’s question, and she hesitated for a moment before speaking up with effort, surprising Daisy with her words.

“Mother, am I ugly?”

“Vivian.”

“I’ve heard people say such things when they look at me, compared to you and Father… that I’m not as good-looking…”

“Vivian!”

Vivian lowered her head to look at her knees. The bridge of her freckled nose flushed red.

“I can see it too when I look in the mirror, that I don’t look like you and Father.”

Daisy knew what people said when they looked at her precious daughter. She was furious, but if she stepped in and made a big deal out of it, it might go in an even worse direction, so she just kept her mouth shut.

And while she had been keeping quiet, Vivian had been hurt by the words of those people.

Daisy felt as if thousands of needles were piercing her heart.

“No… no, Vivian. You’re the spitting image of me and Terrence…”

She wanted to say no, that it wasn’t like that. Shaking her head, Daisy poured her heart into every word. Daisy felt like she couldn’t breathe when Vivian, who had been staring at her knees, looked up at her.

Her moist green eyes were filled with distrust and hurt.

“Come here, Viv.”

Daisy opened her arms and called Vivian.

Hesitating for a moment, Vivian then moved her body to climb into her mother’s embrace. As Vivian settled into Daisy’s arms, she realized she had been quite cold.

Even though it wasn’t a cold winter, Vivian had felt cold. It wasn’t her body but her heart that was cold. She realized this as she was embraced by her warm mother.

Gently stroking the trembling Vivian in her arms, Daisy knocked on the carriage.

“Stop the carriage for a moment.”

The carriage gradually slowed down and stopped, and the coachman’s voice could be heard from outside.

“What’s the matter, Duchess?”

“Is there a famous dessert shop nearby?”

“Huh? Yes… there is a renowned one around here.”

“Then please take us there.”

“Understood.”

Suddenly changing the destination, the coachman drove the carriage to a dessert shop quite famous among the nobility, as the Duchess had commanded.

The carriage slowly came to a stop. As Daisy got out of the carriage and Vivian followed her, Vivian tilted her head curiously.

“Mother, why are we here?”

“I suddenly had a craving.”

Holding Vivian’s hand, Daisy entered the large dessert shop. Following the staff’s guidance, they sat down in the sunniest spot, and Daisy expertly ordered various desserts.

Sitting at the table, Vivian looked around the dessert shop with great interest. In the center of the shop, there was a small fountain, water flowing from a blue marble basin.

Perhaps because it was frequented by nobles, there were many signs of attention to detail in the interior decorations.

Shortly after, the staff brought tea, beverages, and several desserts that were ordered.

“Try this, dear.”

Daisy handed Vivian an eclair filled with plenty of chocolate cream. Vivian’s eyes widened as she took a bite.

“Is it delicious?”

Vivian nodded vigorously in response to Daisy’s question. Vivian seemed focused on eating. 

Did it make her feel a bit better? 

Daisy felt relieved seeing Vivian’s legs swinging on the chair.

“Sometimes eating something sweet can help when you’re not feeling good.”

As Vivian was eagerly munching on a macaron in response to Daisy’s words, her eyes suddenly dimmed again.

“Vivian, did something unpleasant happen at the library today?”

Daisy asked cautiously, examining Vivian’s face.

“I… I met someone at the library.”

Vivian, who had been hesitating for a moment, spoke up.

“He was incredibly… incredibly handsome. He even recommended a book to me, and he was so smart and knowledgeable. But he said he doesn’t like ugly girls.”

Wondering who Vivian had met, Daisy wanted to go find that person and grab them by the collar to ask just how arrogant they had to be to say such things to a 10-year-old child.