Tell Me To Regret, Don’t Tempt Me - Chapter 5
Chapter 5
“Did that person say you’re ugly?”
Vivian shook her head at Daisy’s words.
“He didn’t exactly say I was ugly…”
Unconsciously, Daisy squeezed the teacup she was holding tightly.
“So you were hurt by that, Vivian.”
Vivian nodded her head. Daisy slowly put down the teacup and sat down next to her. Then she gently hugged Vivian.
“Vivian, there’s no one who dislikes beautiful things. But what is beauty?”
“Pretty things?”
“Pretty things can be beautiful. But beauty isn’t just about being pretty.”
Vivian, nestled in Daisy’s arms, nodded her head in agreement with Daisy’s words.
“The gorgeous roses blooming in the garden are beautiful, but the nameless wildflowers blooming in the field are beautiful too. The famous singer’s opera performance is beautiful, but the sound of you reading books is beautiful too.”
Lifting her head to look up at Daisy, Vivian’s eyes widened.
“Is the sound of me reading books beautiful?”
“Of course. It’s so lovely to listen to.
Vivian’s cheeks reddened at Daisy’s words.
“Just because someone isn’t physically attractive doesn’t mean they’re not beautiful. And standards of beauty vary from person to person, so don’t worry too much if that person you met at the imperial library today thought you were ugly. In my eyes, you are the prettiest person.”
Fidgeting with her small hands, Vivian then spoke up.
“I don’t want to be ugly in his eyes.”
Daisy was inwardly surprised.
“Do you have a reason for thinking that way?”
Vivian blushed and shook her head, pointing at Daisy.
“No reason, but……. It’s just, it’s just, it hurt me to hear him call me ugly.”
Daisy patted Vivian’s back sympathetically.
“I see, Vivi, that’s why you were upset.”
“But now! It’s okay now.”
Perhaps noticing Daisy’s slightly subdued voice, Vivian spoke confidently.
“I am a beautiful person to my mother, right?”
“Of course. You are beautiful to me.”
“Me too. I also think my mother is a beautiful person.”
Smiling up at Daisy, Vivian’s expression was like a timid wildflower. Daisy wanted to hold that sight in her eyes for a long time, for it was so lovely.
“Let’s create more beautiful things together from now on, Vivian.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Vivian’s heart fluttered with excitement on the way home.
She was curious about what beauty tomorrow would bring and that curiosity turned into anticipation.
The darkness disappeared from Vivian’s face as if she had never been sad, leaving only a bright light.
She wanted to tell Louis, whom she had met at the imperial library today, about the various beauties she had found.
The beauty Vivian had discovered.
***
These days, Vivian had been very busy.
She woke up early in the morning to see the sunrise with Tia and enjoyed picking flowers in the garden one by one. But her favorite time was when she went to the exhibitions once a week with her mother and father.
That was the most enjoyable part of her life in the capital.
The world of paintings was still quite puzzling, but she was gradually beginning to enjoy the process of learning about it.
The feeling of it accumulating layer by layer was truly satisfying. And so, another day passed by without much difference from any other day.
With her mother frequently summoned to the imperial palace, Vivian enjoyed tea time with Empress Annette.
Today, during their tea time, Vivian heard that the tutor of the Crown Prince wished to see the Empress, so they wrapped up the tea time early.
On the carriage ride back home,
“Mother, what kind of lessons does the Crown Prince take?”
“Hmm, in addition to the basic knowledge, he must be taking lessons to prepare him for becoming a ruler, don’t you think?”
“I see.”
Daisy, who was sitting opposite Vivian, observed her expression.
“We should find a good tutor for you soon too.”
“Huh? Really?”
Vivian jumped for joy and clasped her hands together in front of her. Seeing her so happy, Daisy regretted not finding a teacher for her sooner.
She had thought Vivian, now 10 years old, should be playing more than studying, but maybe not. It seemed she had been mistaken. Tonight, if Terrence returned early from the imperial court, Daisy thought, she would speak with him and hurry to find Vivian a tutor.
—
It was a morning heralding the start of summer, with the sound of birds chirping. When the diligent sun rose, Vivian’s eyes sparkled.
It was still early, with no water prepared for washing up.
Vivian, getting up from bed, threw off the blanket and bounced out from under the bed. Pushing aside the lightened curtains for summer, she could see the small garden of the mansion.
When she opened the door to the small balcony, the refreshing morning breeze tickled Vivian’s brown hair.
“Ah, it feels cool.”
Today was Vivian’s first day of classes after the Duke and Duchess arranged a tutor for her. She had been so excited that she couldn’t sleep and had talked excitedly to Tia late into the night.
Although she had slept later than usual, Vivian, who woke up early in the morning, eagerly awaited Tia’s arrival. Perhaps because she had woken up too early and thought Tia might not arrive just yet, she decided to read a book she had started last night.
Just as she was about to turn another page, Tia came in.
“You’re already up?”
Thinking she would still be asleep, Tia was surprised to see Vivian sitting in a chair reading a book and quickly brought water for washing up.
“Yeah. I woke up on my own today.”
“You must be really excited, huh?”
“Yeah!”
Seeing Vivian’s innocent, cheerful expression, Tia’s mood also brightened.
“Then I’ll have to dress you up extra prettily today.”
“Yay!”
Getting ready took twice as long as usual. Vivian’s hair was more tangled today after tossing and turning all night with excitement last night. But she was still the same joyful Vivian.
The anxious hours passed until it was time for her tutor’s visit. Arriving at the reception room with excitement and tension upon the Duchess’s call, Vivian saw a familiar back.
“Come on in, Viv.”
Daisy, noticing Vivian standing at the door, turned around. The person Vivian turned to look at was someone she had seen before.
“Hehe. What a coincidence.”
The grey-haired man smiled broadly when he spotted Vivian. He was the same person Vivian had encountered when she first visited the imperial library, looking for Louis.
“Hello.”
“Well, I didn’t expect to meet like this again. Nice to see you.”
“Do you know each other?”
The grey-haired man nodded his head slightly at Daisy’s question.
“We happened to meet at the imperial library. I remember seeing you reading difficult books at a young age.”
“I see.”
“You must be the young lady, my belated greetings. I’m Hugo Platten, who will be your tutor from now on.”
The grey-haired man who introduced himself as Hugo bowed to Vivian. Flattered by the gesture, Vivian bowed back.
“I’m Vivian Dinever.”
Watching them greet each other, Daisy spoke up.
“Hugo is also the current tutor of His Highness the Crown Prince. When Her Majesty, the Empress, heard of I’m looking for a tutor for you, Vivian, she asked Hugo.”
The prince’s tutor.
Vivian blinked and looked up into Hugo’s face. Meeting Vivian’s gaze, Huro smiled warmly.
“Duchess, I’d like to quickly assess Lady Vivian’s abilities, so may we finish our introductions and begin our lesson?”
Daisy nodded her permission, leaving the two of them alone in the room.
Vivian gazed nervously at Hugo, who sat in front of her.
“I’d like to ask you a few questions first.”
“Yes!”
And so began question time. Hugo, who had prepared a few questions to gauge the difficulty level, was surprised when Vivian slowly said the answers he had in mind.
“Okay, last question, then.”
“Yes!”
“Have you recently read the book you were holding when we met me at the Imperial Palace?”
“Yes!”
“In that case, may I ask you who you consider to be the greatest emperor?”
“The 12th Emperor, Arthur Lindez Tapeullon.”
“Hmm… And why is that?”
Huro, squinting his eyes and stroking his beard, listened to Vivian’s answer.
“Because of the treaty with the Mages.”
“I see.”
The treaty made with the Mages long ago had been upheld for a hundred years until now. It was one of the events that had greatly influenced the empire, and it was fascinating to Vivian, a 10-year-old lady who understood its value.
“That’s all for today.”
Finishing the lesson shortly since it was the first day of class, Hugo bid farewell to Lady Vivian and went to the Duchess’s study.
“How was the lesson today?”
“The most outstanding student among my students is His Highness, the Crown Prince.”
Upon being asked how the lesson went, praise for the prince was heard. Seeing the corners of Daisy’s mouth twitching at the unexpected response, Hugo chuckled and continued.
“But now, I can’t evaluate who’s the most outstanding.”
“Huh?”
“It means that you have a smart daughter, Duchess”
The corner of Daisy’s mouth lifted slightly as she realized the implications of Hugo’s words.
“She’s still only 10, but her breadth of knowledge is impressive. Depth will come with time. I’ll do my best to teach her.”
Walking out of the Duchess’s study, Hugo went back to his place.
Starting to study and nurture disciples on the path of scholarship, Huro thought these moments were the most rewarding.
Breathing in the musty smell of paper in the study, Huro was already looking forward to the next lesson.
***
This year’s summer was unusually hot.
Louis stepped out onto the training grounds early in the morning and swung his wooden sword. It had been a day since he had returned from traveling with the Emperor and Empress to the summer palace.
Although it would have been reasonable to take a day off until the hangover subsided, Louis diligently practiced with his sword.
“It’s gotten quite cool now.”
The captain of the 2nd Knight Squadron, who oversaw Louis’ sword training, gazed up at the now higher sky.
Sweat rolled down Louis’s pretty forehead as he completed his training regimen. Quickly wiping away the sweat that seemed about to fall, Louis followed the knight’s gaze upward.
The blue sky was dotted with feathery clouds. Autumn was truly approaching.
“By the way, what happened during your stay at the summer palace?”
“What do you mean?”
Did something happen that I wasn’t aware of?
Louis furrowed his brow as he returned the sword to its original place.
“You’ve grown so much taller. Significantly taller.”
The captain spread his thumb and forefinger apart, indicating a considerable amount of growth.
“I didn’t notice…”
“At this rate, you might even catch up to me in a year or two.”
Rayden, the 2nd Knight Squadron commander with a height of about 190cm and broad shoulders, looked approvingly at Louis Lindez Tapeullon, who was starting to shed his boyishness.
Whereas he had a boyish charm until last year, Louis was now starting to exude a more masculine aura.
“You might even be ready for marriage soon.”
At Raydon’s comment, a crease formed on Louis’ smooth forehead. Raydon found that expression adorable.
“I heard rumors about a betrothal for you, is that true?”
“No.”
Louis answered without hesitation.
“I thought I heard something about a certain young lady…”
“Rayden, where’s the report I asked for three days ago?”
“What? Oh! Isn’t that due tomorrow?”
“It’s today.”
“What? Today? You just asked for it out of the blue…….”
“No? Then you’ll have to return the vacation you took this week.”
“Y-Yes!”
Louis coldly turned on his heel and disappeared into the crown prince’s palace, leaving Rayden, who was now trembling with fear, behind.
“Commander, are you alright?”
“…Whether I’ll die by my girlfriend’s hand or my superior’s, that’s the question.”
Rayden’s broad shoulders seemed to shrink by about a hand’s breadth. The other knights around him solemnly placed a hand over their chests, offering their early condolences to the captain they had admired.