Chapter 62

“This place is…”

“It’s fine. Once the curtains are closed, no one will come in here.”

Rosie pushed Vivian, who was hesitating to enter, onto the terrace. Pushed by Rosie’s considerable strength, Vivian stumbled onto the terrace.

As soon as Vivian entered, Rosie quickly closed the curtains and wore a determined expression.

“I’ll be back in a bit, so don’t go anywhere and stay right here.”

Leaving a warning that wasn’t quite a warning, Rosie disappeared swiftly through the curtains.

“R-Rosie!”

Vivian’s call didn’t even reach Rosie and scattered into the air. Left alone on the terrace, Vivian anxiously scanned her surroundings.

The large terrace was quieter than she expected. The snow that had been falling heavily had stopped, and thanks to the heat from the magic stone, it was warm and not cold.

The sounds from the ballroom beyond the curtains weren’t too loud either. Vivian finally sighed in relief and plopped down on the backless sofa set on the terrace.

“I want to go home.”

Tia had insisted that Vivian wear high heels to stand next to the tall Louis, so she was wearing shoes with higher heels than usual.

She hadn’t noticed while in the ballroom, but now alone on the terrace, Vivian realized her feet were screaming in pain.

Lifting her dress slightly, Vivian struggled to remove her feet from the shoes. The immense sense of liberation made her laugh out loud without realizing it.

“Is now the time to laugh?”

Vivian muttered, burying her face in her palms at the sound of her own laughter.

Even now, outside the terrace, her beautiful fiancé was probably dancing with another woman. If time allowed tonight, he seemed ready to dance with every young lady present.

“So childish.”

Vivian, with her face in her hands, kicked the blue sparkling shoes she had taken off. The shoe lost its balance and rolled away, stopping not far off.

Looking at the shoe, Vivian sighed and stood up to pick it up, setting it neatly beside the other.

She couldn’t leave the shoes, which looked good on the outside but were uncomfortable and painful, just like someone she knew.

“Wow. Those aren’t shoes, they’re practically weapons.”

Rosie entered, frowning at the sight of Vivian’s discarded shoes.

“Vivi. Were you standing on those this whole time? Are your feet okay?”

Vivian shook her head and stretched out her foot in response to Rosie’s concern.

“They’re already red and swollen.”

Rosie clicked her tongue at Vivian’s outstretched foot and placed the glasses she was holding on the small table beside the sofa.

“Why wear those? They just hurt your feet.”

“You don’t understand because you’re tall, Rosie.”

Vivian pouted and curled her toes. Watching her, Rosie grinned and handed over one of the glasses she brought.

“Here, drink this.”

“What is it?”

“Something good?”

Vivian eyed the pale pink bubbly drink suspiciously.

“The color is pretty.”

“Yeah. It’s a rose liquor, one of the products from the liquor company our merchant group traded with. It tastes amazing.”

“L-liquor?”

Vivian’s eyes widened as she looked back and forth between Rosie and the glass of pink liquor.

“Yeah. Come on, you should drink on a day like this.”

“Rosie, I’ve never had alcohol before.”

“I knew you’d say that.”

Rosie forced the glass into Vivian’s hand, shaking her head.

“It’s been months since you became an adult, and you haven’t even tried alcohol yet? It’s fine! You can drink!”

“But still…”

“I guarantee the taste. It’ll lift your spirits!”

Rosie mimicked pressing her hand from her chest to her stomach and laughed.

“Have you tried it, Rosie?”

“Yep.”

Rosie nodded as if it was obvious and picked up the other glass from the table, bringing it to her lips. She savored the pink liquor, closing her eyes and nodding.

“It’s delicious.”

Vivian watched Rosie and, gathering her courage, lifted her glass. A fragrant and sweet aroma reached her nose. She took a sip, just enough to wet her lips.

“It’s, it’s delicious, Rosie.”

Rosie shrugged, as if to say when had she ever lied.

It was a taste Vivian had never experienced before.

The moment it entered her mouth, a sweet and fragrant flavor spread with the bubbles, tingling her entire mouth. The sweetness disappeared at the end, leaving a slightly bitter taste and a hint of fruit.

“Where was this liquor made again…?”

Rosie, already halfway through her drink, spun her glass and tilted her head.

Watching Rosie, Vivian took a bigger sip than before. With each sip, Vivian quickly emptied her glass.

“Oh! Vivi. This might taste sweet, but it’s quite strong, so if you drink it too fast…”

“Huh?”

“Oh my.”

Rosie blinked rapidly at the sight of Vivian’s empty glass, having looked away for just a moment. Vivian was frowning at the empty glass, looking disappointed.

“Are you okay?”

“What?”

“Wow! I guess I worried for nothing. As expected, my friend! Strong with alcohol too!”

Rosie gave Vivian a thumbs-up with a grin.

“Want more?”

“Yes!”

“Alright! Wait here! For Vivian, anything!”

Rosie flashed a reliable smile, as if to say trust her, and disappeared through the curtains again to fetch more drinks.

* * *

Louis was mechanically moving his feet as he danced with his fifth partner.

“It was an honor, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

The nameless young noblewoman blushed and trembled as she bowed at the end of the dance. As soon as the dance ended, another noble young lady with deep pink hair eagerly asked him for a dance.

Accepting the dance once more, Louis glanced around to find Vivian. As the dance began, he continued to search for Vivian with his eyes while moving his feet.

Why is she there?

Vivian was in a spot so inconspicuous that it took him a while to find her. Leaning against the wall in front of Rosie Langdne, with her head down, Louis furrowed his brow.

Was she getting scolded by Rosie Langdne?

Louis thought as he spun the pink-haired young lady. Then he slowly began to realize what he was doing.

This is madness.

By now, his body had become so accustomed to it that he could perform the basic steps perfectly while thinking of something else. Louis frowned at his childish and pathetic behavior.

“Ah, I, I…”

The pink-haired young lady was startled by Louis’s expression and became flustered. Her steps began to falter, and eventually, she stepped on Louis’s foot.

“I-I’m sorry!”

The startled young lady stopped and bowed her head in apology to Louis.

“It’s fine. There’s no need to apologize so much.”

But the pink-haired young lady was already trembling and shedding tears.

“Sigh…”

As Louis sighed, the pink-haired young lady flinched and bowed even lower in apology.

“Didn’t I say it was fine? You can lift your head now.”

At Louis’s icy cold words, the pink-haired young lady slowly lifted her head.

“It seems I should stop here.”

Leaving the young lady behind, Louis stepped away from the center of the ballroom. He even left the dance floor entirely, as if he had no intention of dancing anymore, causing the waiting young ladies to stomp their feet and glare at the pink-haired young lady.

Ignoring them, Louis picked up a glass of pink sparkling champagne, made with rose liquor, chosen as this year’s drink.

Finding the sweet taste didn’t suit him, Louis put the glass down and unconsciously searched for Vivian again.

Turning his gaze to where Vivian had been earlier, Louis frowned once more.

“Where did she go?”

Not seeing Vivian where she was supposed to be, Louis began scanning the large ballroom for his fiancée.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince. Isn’t this too much?”

At that moment, an unwelcome sight of red hair appeared in Louis’s view. He turned his head sharply, narrowing his eyes further.

“Wow, now you’re ignoring your friend too?”

Arnold pouted, downing the champagne Louis had left behind.

“What wind blew today that you’re dancing? Other young men can’t find partners because the young ladies are waiting to dance with you.”

“Is that my fault?”

Arnold made a face as if there was much he wanted to say but wouldn’t, and called over a passing maid to order something stronger.

“Dancing with other young ladies at the first ball with your fiancée could lead to trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?”

Louis asked disinterestedly, not even looking at Arnold.

“I’ll dance with other young men too!”

Arnold imitated a woman’s voice and made a prim expression, causing Louis to clench his fist.

“Would you be happy if Lady Vivian danced with another man? It’s because she’s kind. If it were Reina, you’d have your hair pulled out by now, Your Highness.”

At Arnold’s words, Louis chuckled and picked up the strong drink the maid brought. Arnold snatched it away in an instant.

Didn’t she already dance so beautifully with another man? Vivian had comfortably followed Aitor’s lead.

And she smiled. So beautifully.

Louis took a swig of the drink to moisten his dry mouth.

“Something’s off today…”

Watching Louis, Arnold rubbed his chin with his finger and narrowed his eyes.

“Did you see Vivian?”

Louis asked Arnold, who was feigning sharpness. Arnold nodded and pointed toward the terrace.

“She went in there.”

“What?”

Louis frowned at Arnold’s gesture.

“With Rosie Langdne? It seemed like she went in with that young lady.”

Surprised at the thought of Vivian being in a secluded space, Louis quickly erased all expression from his face at Arnold’s words.

If she’s with Rosie Langdne, it should be fine.

Spending time with Arnold and planning to discreetly leave the ballroom, Louis looked at the terrace where Vivian had gone once more and froze at Arnold’s words.

“But it looked like Lady Rosie Langdne was taking this drink in there…”

Arnold lifted a glass of pink liquor, letting it catch the light from the ornate chandelier above.

“Huh? Louis! Where are you going!”

Arnold called out to his friend, who was suddenly striding away. But seeing where he was headed, Arnold stopped and chuckled.

“Huh?”

Louis saw Rosie Langdne emerging with a flushed face and gestured with his chin toward the curtains.

“Is Vivian inside?”

“Uh… yes…”

Passing the dazed-looking Rosie Langdne, Louis opened the curtains. He quickly closed them again to block the curious gazes of onlookers.

“Vivian?”

Vivian was lying on the sofa with her eyes closed. Louis quickly approached his fiancée.

“Are you alright? Vivian?”

Louis gently shook Vivian’s shoulder. Her tightly shut eyelids slowly opened.

Her usually sparkling peridot eyes were dull and unfocused. Louis swallowed a curse and shook Vivian’s shoulder once more.

“Are you okay?”

Vivian’s eyes, blinking slowly at the ceiling, gradually moved. Those eyes slowly turned to Louis.

Vivian met Louis’s gaze and slowly lifted herself.

“You seem okay. Did you drink?”

Seeing the empty glasses scattered on the floor, Louis sighed softly. At that moment, Vivian grabbed Louis’s collar and pulled him toward her.

“Vi-Vivian?”

With her small hands, she pulled Louis so forcefully that he was easily drawn to her. Just as Louis tried to free himself from Vivian’s grip by holding her hands…

‘Smooch.’

A familiar sensation touched Louis’s lips, along with the scent of the champagne he had set aside earlier.