Chapter 41

“Is all the luggage loaded? Nothing left behind?”

“I’ve packed all the important things. If anything is missing, I can buy it once we’re in the capital. Please don’t worry too much.”

Vivian felt a heaviness in her heart as she watched Duke Tereon, who kept checking and rechecking everything, unable to let go of his worries.

It was Duke Tereon who first suggested Vivian go to the capital. After wrapping up the festival and returning to his busy routine, Tereon recommended to Vivian, who had brought him some documents, that she go to the capital with the Crown Prince.

“I feel like I’m just making things harder for someone who’s about to leave on a long journey. But you’ll manage well, I’m sure.”

Seeing Vivian’s expression grow heavier, Duke Tereon hid his worry, took her hand, and led her to the carriage.

Standing in front of the carriage, Vivian looked at the entrance of the mansion and asked Tereon,

“Ian must be really upset, right? If I leave now, I won’t see him until spring…”

Ian had not come out to see her off.

After being severely scolded by Tereon and the nanny, Ian had locked himself in his room, refusing to attend lessons in protest, but Tereon had not budged.

“Don’t worry about Ian. The Crown Prince has been waiting too long. Hurry and get in the carriage.”

Vivian nodded, bid farewell to Tereon, who couldn’t hide his regret, and climbed into the carriage.

As the carriage departed, she looked back at the Raspol mansion that was gradually fading from view.

“Did you not want to go?”

Vivian had to hurriedly pack her things when it was decided she would go to the capital with Louis.

Though she wanted to soothe the sulking Ian, there was no time to do so, as the departure to the capital with Louis was urgent.

“It’s not that I didn’t want to go… But if I have to go, then I must.”

“You must have had a lot of considerations before deciding to go to the capital…”

Louis, sitting with his arms crossed and legs folded, nodded and then paused before asking,

“Did you discuss it thoroughly with your father before deciding?”

“Yes, we talked it over.”

“I could have traveled alone in the carriage…”

“Why would you? Besides, I’d rather travel with you than with Arnold.”

Louis said this and slowly closed his eyes.

It was a long journey. Judging that it would be cramped for three people to share one carriage, they had prepared an additional carriage. Vivian had intended to ride in that carriage, but Louis had sent Arnold there instead.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“How do you know I’m looking at you when your eyes are closed?”

Louis gently opened his eyes, revealing his glittering golden irises between his long eyelashes.

“How could I not notice when you’re staring so intensely?”

Vivian avoided his gaze and looked out the window. By now, the Dinever ducal mansion in Raspol had completely disappeared from view. The carriage was racing smoothly down the well-paved road towards the gate at the western end of Raspol.

Seeing Vivian resolutely staring out the window, Louis drew a slight curve on his lips and closed his eyes again.

Vivian, after looking out the window for a long time, glanced at Louis, who had his eyes closed, and let out a small sigh, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

Vivian knew she had to go to the capital.

When her father suggested it, she hesitated. Her responsibilities, her family—there were many factors holding her back.

Overhearing a conversation between Rayden and Louis, Vivian felt a surge of disappointment towards Louis.

Though she didn’t expect sweet words as Rayden had advised, Louis’s businesslike demeanor still irritated and upset her.

The decisive factor for her decision to go to the capital was Duke Tereon’s words.

-You truly like the Crown Prince. Just focus on that feeling, Vivian.

After a long conversation with her father, Vivian returned to her room and went out with Tia to a bookstore. She swept up books from the romance section, which she usually wouldn’t even glance at.

If Tia hadn’t stopped her, she might have bought every single romance book there. Most of the books loaded in the luggage cart behind them were purchased that day.

Having already read through more than half of the books, Vivian clenched her hands on her lap with a determined expression.

Let’s do this. Let’s give it a try.

Vivian looked at Louis, who was sitting in front of her with his eyes calmly closed, and steeled her resolve.

* * *

The carriage traveled for a long time without stopping, and by the time the sun was setting, they passed through the Raspol gate and arrived at the capital gate.

Upon arriving at the capital gate, the Crown Prince’s party took some time to check the carriage for any issues.

As Vivian, stiff from the long journey, considered stepping outside, she heard a commotion outside.

Louis, who had been skimming through some documents, also looked up at the noise outside.

“L-Lady Vivian!”

Tia’s urgent voice came from outside.

Vivian hurriedly opened the carriage door and stepped out. Tia was standing there, anxiously shifting from foot to foot.

“Tia, what’s going on?”

“Well, it’s… Young Lady…”

At that moment, Vivian couldn’t believe her eyes or ears.

“Sister!”

Ian, standing next to Arnold, was waving. He was wearing clothes that were too big for him, likely given by someone else.

Seeing Vivian, Ian ran towards her, holding onto his oversized clothes as they slipped off, then continued running energetically.

“Ian…?”

Vivian looked down at Ian, who was hugging her waist tightly, trying to make sense of the situation.

They were at the southern gate of the capital, not in Raspol. Yet here was Ian, who should have been in his room in the Raspol mansion.

“Ian!”

Realizing the situation, Vivian met her brother’s eyes and grabbed his shoulders.

“How did you get here…?”

“I was hiding in the luggage cart over there!”

Ian proudly pointed to the luggage cart.

Vivian took Ian’s cold hand, which felt like ice, and led him away. The weather was quite chilly, perhaps because the sun had set.

Louis, who had stepped out of the carriage, saw Ian and rubbed his chin with his fingers.

He knew Ian was very attached to Vivian, but he hadn’t imagined he would hide in the luggage cart and follow them. Since they had already crossed the gate into the capital, sending Ian back to Raspol was not an option.

“I went to the luggage cart to find something, and there he was, curled up.”

It was Arnold who had discovered Ian. Arnold, who had given Ian his coat, approached Louis and continued.

“It would be best to take the child to the capital and inform the Duke quickly.”

Louis nodded at Arnold’s suggestion and approached Vivian, who was holding Ian’s hand tightly.

“Let’s take Ian into the carriage. It’s cold, so we should hurry to the mansion.”

Vivian nodded, thanked Arnold for giving his coat to her brother, and got into the carriage with Ian.

The sudden appearance of Vivian’s brother made everyone hurry to prepare for departure. Thanks to this, the carriage started moving before Ian’s body could even warm up.

“Father said I couldn’t go with you, Sister… I got scolded a lot. Sister, say something. When you’re like this, it’s just like when the nanny gets mad.”

Ian pouted, looking at his sister, who was holding his hand without saying a word.

Hiding in the luggage cart and crouching all the way there had been tough, but Ian shivered from the lower temperature as soon as they crossed the gate, which was different from Raspol.

Just as he started regretting his decision to stow away, the carriage door suddenly opened. Thanks to the red-haired man who found him, he warmed up and felt the joy of meeting his sister, albeit briefly. Seeing his sister holding his hand with a stern face and saying nothing made his heart ache.

“I’m sorry.”

Ian lowered his head and spoke to Vivian.

“What are you sorry for?”

“…For hiding and coming along?”

“And?”

“Is there more?”

Seeing Ian’s wide-eyed look, wondering if he had done something else wrong, Louis covered his mouth to stifle his laughter.

But he couldn’t completely suppress a small sound, and Ian turned his head sharply to glare at Louis.

“Ian.”

At Vivian’s low voice, Ian turned back and lowered his head again.

“Did you think about how worried Father would be?”

“But!”

“And hiding in the luggage cart so dangerously! What if you had gotten hurt?”

Seeing Vivian’s eyes redden, Ian fidgeted with the hand she was holding.

“I’m sorry.”

This time, tears welled up in Ian’s eyes. Hiding in the luggage cart had been hard, but he had been excited about being with his sister.

However, seeing her scold him made him feel sad. Whenever his favorite sister got mad, Ian would cry sorrowfully.

“That’s enough. It seems your brother knows his mistake.”

At Louis’s words, Vivian covered her brother with a blanket from the carriage and wiped away his tears.

“I’ll inform the Dinever mansion of this as soon as we arrive at the palace. The Duke will then know Ian is safe.”

“Thank you.”

With that, the carriage was filled only with the sound of Ian’s sniffles.

As night fell, the carriage arrived at the Dinever mansion in the capital.

“You could go to the palace first.”

“I can’t send my fiancée alone.”

Watching the busy unloading of Vivian’s luggage from the cart, Louis spoke.

“I’ll enter the palace the day after tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

“See you then.”

“Yes. Travel safely.”

Just as Louis was about to turn away after saying goodbye to Vivian, Ian, who had been looking back and forth between them, grabbed his hand.

Louis looked down at Ian, tilting his head.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

At Louis’s question, Ian nodded vigorously. Ian, who had been crying on and off during the journey, now had a determined look in his tear-streaked eyes.

“Ian.”

Vivian called her brother anxiously, but Louis stepped in front of her.

“If he has something to say, let him.”

At Louis’s words, Ian gestured for him to come closer.

“Just for a moment, your ear.”

Louis chuckled and bent down to let Ian whisper in his ear.

Whisper, whisper.

The whispering went on for quite a while.

Watching anxiously from a distance, Vivian saw Louis occasionally nodding at Ian’s serious words.

“Alright. I’ll keep your words in mind, Young Master Ian.”

When Ian finished whispering, Louis smiled brightly and said. As Louis’s carriage departed, Vivian approached her brother Ian.

“What did you say to him?”