Chapter 76

“How about we try going somewhere else?” 

Vivian blurted out without realizing it. It would have been enough to part ways with the Bynes siblings, leaving a note to meet again next time. Vivian regretted saying it, but just as spilled water cannot be gathered back, she couldn’t take back her words.

“Oh! Yes! Let’s go somewhere else. I’m sure there’s a place even better than this.” 

Arnold, delighted by Vivian’s suggestion, began to lead the way. Reina followed her brother, frowning deeply. 

Fortunately, there was a dessert shop nearby. The display case was filled with desserts, many of which Vivian had never encountered before. 

Rather than being flashy, they were large and experimental, made with ingredients not typically used in desserts. 

As Vivian pondered what to eat, Arnold stepped in. It seemed true that Arnold Bynes had visited this place often. He skillfully ordered a few items from the staff and even recommended drinks, looking pleased as he glanced at Louis and Vivian.

“There are many desserts here that commoners often eat. That’s why there are things you haven’t seen before. They taste quite good. Coming here often makes me realize that expensive doesn’t always mean better.”

When Louis praised Arnold for sounding sensible, Arnold proudly puffed out his chest.

“You must come here often. I didn’t even know this place existed…”

“My fiancée really likes this place. Last week, we came here three days in a row. At first, I thought it was a bit chaotic and noisy, but the more I came, the more charming it became.”

When Vivian agreed, Arnold, excited, began to list good places to eat and nice walking courses.

Reina, on the other hand, took a sip of the drink Arnold ordered, frowned, and didn’t touch the dessert or drink again, as if they didn’t suit her taste.

In contrast, Vivian found the desserts here quite to her liking. They were rustic but had a proper taste. The unique desserts made through new attempts delighted Vivian’s palate.

Thinking that she should buy some for her father, Ian, and Aitor, Vivian picked up a small cookie.

“I have something to tell you.”

Rayden, who had been guarding nearby, approached urgently and whispered something in Louis’s ear.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Leaving those words, Louis quickly got up and left the shop with Rayden.

As Vivian watched Louis’s retreating figure with a worried expression, Arnold offered her a cloud-like, fluffy dessert.

“Thank you.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Haha.”

At Arnold’s light laughter, Reina frowned and stuffed a large cookie into her brother’s mouth.

Arnold, choking, quickly gulped down the drink in front of him.

“I’m sorry. My brother tends to meddle. You can get up when your fiancé arrives.”

At Reina’s apology, Vivian paused, the dessert Arnold had offered halfway to her mouth, and blinked.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Reina, sipping her drink, noticed Vivian’s expression and raised her eyebrows. Seeing Reina’s usual demeanor, Vivian felt relieved and set down the dessert.

“I was just a bit worried about you, Lady Reina, until now, but it seems it was for nothing.”

At those words, Reina scoffed and, as if something sticky had gotten on her hand, irritably rubbed her fingers on a handkerchief.

Watching the two, Arnold, who had been struggling to chew the cookie in his mouth, swallowed it with difficulty and stood up abruptly.

Vivian and Reina looked up at Arnold, who had suddenly stood.

“Lady Vivian. Could I have a word with you?”

“Pardon?”

“Just for a moment! Urgently! There’s something I must tell you.”

Vivian looked at Reina, but Reina was looking up at her brother with an even more anxious expression.

“Just say it here.”

“Yes, just say it here.”

At Reina and Vivian’s words, Arnold hesitated and looked around nervously. Then, as if something had come to mind, he smiled and spoke.

“There’s a small art studio just behind here, run by an artist. He’s quite talented, and I really want to introduce him to you, Lady Vivian.”

“If it’s something like that, when Louis returns…”

“Oh, no! It’s just that Louis doesn’t have an eye for art. You know the butterfly statue in front of the Crown Prince’s palace?”

When Vivian nodded, remembering, Arnold clapped his hands and twirled his finger.

“That’s Louis’s taste. It’ll only take a moment, so please come with me.”

Vivian recalled Louis proudly introducing the statue as a butterfly when she was young. A maid, newly assigned to the Crown Prince’s palace, had fainted at night upon seeing the butterfly statue, which still stood there as a grotesque fixture of the palace.

Seeing Vivian nod slightly, Arnold seized the opportunity and continued to persuade her. Leaving behind Reina, who was trying to dissuade them with an anxious expression, Vivian left the dessert shop with him.

“We’ll be back before Louis returns, so don’t worry.”

Although the weather was cool, Arnold was sweating profusely. 

A person who is not good at lying.

Vivian thought as she looked at Arnold’s red hair, damp with sweat. Come to think of it, the Bynes siblings seemed bad at lying.

Reina had no qualms about openly expressing her emotions, and Arnold, the young Marquis, was the worst liar among the nobles Vivian had met.

“Oops. This isn’t the place. Was it that way?”

When they missed the third turn, Vivian decided that was enough and tugged on his sleeve.

“Let’s go back now. As a fiancée, I think it’s enough to give my fiancé some alone time with another woman.”

Vivian said this and began to retrace her steps.

“That, um… Since when…”

Vivian thought she understood why Louis was concerned about the future of the Bynes family.

“From the beginning.”

“What?”

Arnold, eyes wide, blocked Vivian’s path.

“Then why…”

“Why did I follow you, Arnold? Well, I don’t know that myself now, but I think it’s enough time for them to talk, don’t you think?”

Arnold passed Vivian and started walking again. Following her, Arnold began to sweat even more than before.

“So, so…”

Stammering from behind, Arnold followed Vivian hesitantly and blocked her path once more.

“I’m sorry!”

Startled by his loud voice, Vivian took a step back. Arnold, bowing deeply to apologize, trembled.

“I know how shameless I’ve been. I know how rude my request was to you, Lady Vivian.”

Arnold continued, still bowing.

“My sister was very ill. After hearing the news of Louis’s wedding date, she suffered from a high fever for a week and barely got up, living with a devastated expression…”

Slowly straightening his back, Arnold continued, still looking down.

“I knew Reina admired Louis, but I thought it was just a light crush like the other young ladies. I never imagined she’d be this heartbroken…”

Arnold’s eyes darkened deeply. Watching him, Vivian thought of Ian at home.

“I dragged her out, even though she didn’t want to go out, and when we saw you two by chance, I became greedy. I wanted to give her a chance to say what she wanted to say for the last time, so I acted selfishly towards you, Lady Vivian.”

Vivian slowly walked past Arnold.

“It’s enough that you know it was wrong. I hope you won’t deceive me like this again.”

At Vivian’s words, Arnold raised his head and slowly followed her.

“Why did you go along with it, knowing? If it were me, I wouldn’t have left my fiancée alone with another man.”

Arnold asked about Vivian’s intentions in going along with the deception.

“I know Reina likes Louis a lot.”

Vivian vaguely sympathized with Reina. Although she didn’t like her, she could understand the one-sided affection Reina had.

A comrade in unrequited love, perhaps.

The reason Vivian went along with it today, even though she knew, was because of Reina’s expression.

The look of someone who had given up everything. The once charming, cat-like eyes, now empty, kept bothering Vivian.

If I got tired of unrequited love, would I make that expression too? Would my eyes look like that? 

Vivian kept thinking.

“There won’t be a second time. Pretending to be deceived like this, I mean.”

Vivian said, looking at the fork in the road ahead.

“But, do you know where you’re going?”

Arnold, following from behind, asked.

“Of course. Did you not know, Arnold?”

At Vivian’s question, Arnold forced a smile and wiped his sweat with a now damp handkerchief.

“Ha… Just follow me.”

Vivian began to move forward without hesitation.

* * *

“From tomorrow, Rayden will be working at the Ducal house.”

“Yes.”

“There’s nothing in particular you need to prepare, Vivian.”

“Yes.”

On the way back home from the Zenta River district, Vivian watched Louis’s expression. Having said what he needed to, Louis crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

As if he didn’t want to talk.

It was an ambiguous atmosphere, as if he was in a bad mood, yet also seemed normal. She wanted to ask Rayden, but he had disappeared and hadn’t been seen since earlier.

“Um…”

As the Ducal mansion came into view, Vivian felt a sudden urgency and called out to Louis.

Louis, who had been sitting with his arms crossed and eyes closed, opened his eyes. His languid, lion-like appearance made Vivian swallow dryly without realizing it.

“What did my father say then?”

“Duke Tereon?”

“Yes. While I was out for a moment…”

“Nothing much.”

Even before he finished speaking, Louis curtly cut her off. Looking out the window, Louis realized they were almost there and uncrossed his arms, gazing steadily at Vivian.

“Is there something you want to say…”

“About earlier.”

“Earlier?”

Vivian, tense, tightly gripped the end of Tia’s bag slung over her shoulder.

Earlier, she had returned to the dessert shop with Arnold without getting lost once. Seeing Vivian, Arnold had looked at her with respect, while Louis had gestured outside with his chin.

As soon as they returned, Arnold was dragged out again.

Left alone with Reina, Vivian saw her looking much more at ease. Staring intently at the cup that now held only ice, Reina handed something to Vivian.

Before she could open it to see what it was, Louis and Arnold returned. Urged by Louis to leave, the paper bag, whose contents were unknown, ended up in her bag.

“Never mind. We’re here. Go in and rest. See you at the strategy meeting in a few days.”

Vivian wanted to ask why he stopped talking like that, but seeing Louis’s stiff profile, she got off the carriage without a word.

Back in her room, Vivian collapsed onto the sofa.

“Did you have a good time today? I wanted to visit that place too. Was it nice?”

“Yes.”

Tia asked with sparkling eyes, but Vivian’s energy was depleted. The work she had been overdoing caught up with her all at once.

“Oh? What’s this, Young Lady?”

There was still work to be done. She needed to compile the guest list for the wedding and arrange accommodations for relatives coming from afar to stay in the capital.

It would be troublesome if she fell asleep now…

Barely keeping her heavy eyelids from closing, Vivian saw Tia shaking a paper bag while organizing her bag.

“Let me see.”

Vivian opened the paper bag that Reina had given her.

“This is…”

Inside the paper bag were the desserts Vivian had said she wanted to give to Ian, her father, and a friend.