Chapter 55

When Vivian first met Rosie at the winter banquet at the age of 10, she momentarily lost her words at seeing an expression on her friend’s face she had never seen before.

She wondered if her friend was someone who could make such an expression.

Seeing Rosie’s blushing face, Vivian realized that her friend had fallen in love. And it was unrequited love.

“That’s tough.”

“I just asked if Aitor was here or not, why are you giving me such a weird answer?”

Rosie turned her head to avoid Vivian’s all-knowing gaze.

Vivian, who knew well that feelings couldn’t be easily ignored just because one wanted to, hugged a cushion on the sofa.

“It’s tough for me to see Aitor too.”

“What? Why are you telling me this now!”

Rosie couldn’t hide her disappointment and jumped up from her seat. Vivian sighed and closed her mouth, watching her indignant friend.

“Why, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Do you want to stay for dinner?”

“No, I’m busy.”

Rosie, who had been dragging out time while drinking tea, suddenly decided to rush home upon hearing Aitor wasn’t there.

“Are you really just going to leave? Why not wait a bit?”

“I don’t even know when he’ll come… And, besides, I didn’t come here to see him!”

Vivian quietly watched Rosie.

“I’m leaving.”

Rosie hurriedly got into the carriage. The carriage quickly disappeared. Watching the back of the carriage, which overlapped with Rosie’s retreating figure, made Vivian smile.

“What’s so funny?”

Behind Vivian, who was chuckling, stood the owner of the voice Rosie had been waiting for.

“Aitor! When did you get here?”

“Just now?”

Vivian frowned at the unfortunate timing, watching the direction Rosie’s carriage had disappeared.

“Why are you frowning after smiling so much just now?”

“It’s just one of those things.”

Vivian gave a vague answer to the inexplicable situation.

“It’s cold. Let’s go inside quickly.”

Rubbing her arms against the cold air that seeped into her clothes, Vivian hurried into the mansion. Aitor alternated glances between Vivian, who was heading inside, and the place she had been looking at, shrugging his shoulders.

Vivian, about to head up the stairs to see Ian and Zero, stopped and turned around.

Aitor, following her, raised an eyebrow as Vivian suddenly turned to look at him.

Vivian quietly examined Aitor’s face.

“You’re handsome.”

“W-what are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Aitor’s face flushed red in an instant.

“You knew it too. Why are you suddenly embarrassed?”

Vivian turned her head to the side, covering her mouth with the back of her hand, and observed Aitor, who was blushing profusely.

His blond hair sparkled more than the sand on the dazzling beach she had visited as a child. His mysterious sea-colored eyes seemed untouched by human hands, and his prominent nose and playful face still retained a boyish charm. Looking at Aitor’s face, Vivian realized again that he was a handsome man with a different charm from Louis.

“What do you mean, I know?”

“That you’re handsome.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You’re lying. How could you not know? You look in the mirror every day.”

“I never thought I was handsome.”

Vivian shot a skeptical look at Aitor.

“Who lives thinking they’re handsome?”

“There is.”

“Who, who!”

“Louis.”

“…”

Vivian turned away and began climbing the stairs one step at a time.

* * *

Within just a week, winter had arrived. The sight of the bare branches made the weather feel even colder.

On a rare day off from preparing for the winter ball, Vivian was being led by Tia to the bustling streets of the capital. Ian, sitting next to Vivian, was pouting, seemingly upset that Zero couldn’t come along.

“Stay home with Zero.”

Vivian lightly tapped Ian’s lips.

“Young Master Ian needs clothes too. Lately, his clothes have turned into rags from playing outside.”

The nanny who came along with Ian said.

“In two weeks, the Duke will come to the capital, so I can finally relax.”

A letter from her father, Tereon, arrived yesterday. Duke Tereon was originally scheduled to come to the capital in spring, but he had decided to come earlier, before the winter ball.

“When Father comes, do I have to start lessons again?”

Ian fiddled with his clothes.

“Of course!”

It was the nanny, not Vivian, who answered Ian’s question.

“When the Duke comes, you’ll have to attend lessons just like in Raspol.”

“Sister…”

Vivian patted Ian’s head, whose eyes were drooping. Meanwhile, the carriage had arrived at the boutique Tia had reserved.

“Hello. Nice to meet you. I’m Michaela, the head designer of Langdush Boutique. It’s an honor to meet you, Young Lady.”

Michaela greeted them politely and led Vivian to a large mirror.

“My, you’re so beautiful! You look just like the Duchess.”

“Do you know my mother?”

“Of course. I met her when I was an apprentice designer here, before she got married.”

“I see.”

“She was the most beautiful person I’ve ever met.”

Michaela gave a sad smile and bowed her head in tribute. After a moment, Michaela lifted her head and began to circle around Vivian slowly.

“You’re a bit short, but your proportions are excellent, so I think any dress would suit you well.”

Vivian didn’t know how to respond to Michaela’s compliment. She had always received many comments about her appearance since she was young. Although the nature of those comments had changed, she still felt awkward about them.

“My sister is pretty.”

Ian, who was sitting behind them, said loudly. Michaela and the boutique staff chuckled at Ian’s cuteness.

“Yes, Young Master Ian is right.”

Michaela agreed with a bright smile, causing Ian’s shoulders to rise proudly.

“Shall we take your measurements first?”

Under Michaela’s guidance, the boutique staff began measuring Vivian from head to toe.

Vivian had to raise and lower her arms like a doll in their hands, being turned this way and that for a while.

Once the measurements were taken, Michaela placed a design book in front of Vivian.

“It contains everything from dresses trending in the capital this winter to those that are consistently popular.”

While Ian was being measured under the nanny’s watchful eye, Vivian flipped through the design book with Tia.

“I don’t really know…”

Vivian whispered to Tia.

“This dress looks too old, and this one doesn’t match your hair color, Young Lady. This design isn’t warm enough, so it would be cold…”

Tia selected a few dresses to make it easier for Vivian to choose. With Tia’s help, Vivian was able to select a dress easily.

After ordering Ian’s clothes as well, they left the boutique, realizing that three hours had passed since they had entered. The nanny, holding a sleeping Ian, boarded the carriage first, and Vivian was about to follow when someone called out to her urgently.

“Young Lady!”

A man jumped off a horse and ran at an incredible speed to the Dinever carriage.

“You are…”

“Hello. I’m not sure if you remember me, but I’m Elton Schmidt, a knight of the 2nd Royal Knights.”

“I remember. We went to the festival together before, right? You also got circus tickets for us…”

“You remember!”

Elton’s eyes glistened with emotion as Vivian recalled him.

“You were so smart and clever even as a child, but I never dreamed you would remember me. Ah, it’s touching.”

Elton began to shower Vivian with compliments. Vivian, who was staring blankly at Elton as he appeared out of nowhere with praise, finally opened her mouth.

“But why did you come to see me…”

“Oh! Yes! Right. There was a reason I came to find you, Young Lady. Haha.”

Elton laughed heartily, revealing his throat, and pulled out an envelope from his pocket.

“Her Majesty the Empress asked me to deliver this to you, Lady Vivian.”

The envelope didn’t bear the royal seal. Wondering if she should open it, Vivian hesitated for a moment before asking Elton.

“Why did Her Majesty ask the 2nd Royal Knights to run such an errand?”

At Vivian’s question, Elton rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head.

“That, I don’t really know… Captain Rayden just told me to go because it was Her Majesty’s order.”

Vivian looked down at the envelope Elton handed her and carefully opened it. Inside, a small dried purple flower fell out.

It was a flower that bloomed in the Empress’s garden, and Vivian had seen the Empress use dried flowers to decorate letters before.

Dismissing her doubts about the Empress sending a letter, Vivian unfolded the half-folded paper.

[I have something to show you, Vivian. In front of the Gods’ Anguish, at 3 PM.]

The letter contained only a brief explanation and the meeting place. When Vivian asked Elton if he knew anything, he vigorously shook his head, saying he would never dare to open a letter from the Empress.

There was only one way to find out. Vivian had to go to the place with the large statue and fountain named “Gods’ Anguish.”

After sending Ian, the nanny, and Tia ahead, Vivian got off at the square where the Gods’ Anguish was located and walked among the crowd.

“Be careful. It’s a famous place, so it’s crowded. People say the fountain will stop running next week, so maybe that’s why there are more people.”

Elton, who was guarding Vivian from behind, diligently kept an eye on their surroundings. It was Vivian’s first time here. Although it was ranked as the third must-visit spot when traveling to the capital, Vivian had never visited before.

Hearing different dialects and seeing people from neighboring kingdoms made Vivian realize it was indeed a tourist attraction.

“Is she really here? Why would she ask me to come here?”

Would the Empress be in such a bustling place filled with tourists and capital residents? 

The closer Vivian got to the fountain, the more she felt something was amiss.

“Could it be that she’s not here herself but sent someone else?”

Vivian thought Elton’s words might be true.

They were almost at the place with the statue of the Gods’ Anguish, but the crowd made it impossible to get any closer, and they had to stop.

“There’s a lot of people because they say if you throw a coin here, your wish will come true.”

Elton said, using his body to shield Vivian from the crowd.

Then, the people in front suddenly moved away.

“Let’s go forward, Elton.”

Seizing the opportunity, Vivian maneuvered her way forward. And there, she saw,

“Louis?”

Louis was standing there, frowning deeply as he stared at the Gods’ Anguish.