Under the sky of a setting sun, her carriage came to a stop in front of the mansion. As a woman, exuding nobility, stepped down from the carriage, numerous waiting attendants greeted her respectfully.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“This time, there was quite a tenacious one.”
Viviana naturally handed her coat to the elderly man. He graciously accepted the coat, a kind smile on his lips as he replied, “Yet, that wouldn’t have been a match for Your Highness.”
“Well, that’s true.”
Viviana chuckled softly and took her haughty steps forward. Despite having just come from the battlefield, she walked toward her office without a trace of fatigue as always.
Alphonse, the head butler, silently followed her. The office, upon their arrival, reflected the usual scene. A pile of documents always stacked atop a luxurious desk. ‘As always, she sat in her chair with an expressionless gaze, picking up the same cigarette that always lay in the same spot.’
A monotonous, endlessly repetitive daily routine. Just as Viviana was about to light her cigarette without a hint of hesitation—
[Cough! Cough..!]
In the same old repetitive day-to-day life, a woman’s suffering came to mind. Viviana paused briefly, cigarette in hand, then clicked her tongue and lit it up.
“Is there still no contact?”
At Viviana’s question, the old man let out a short sigh.
“No, not even a letter.”
“Ugh.”
The old man couldn’t understand. Why was she, often standing so aristocratically, now waiting so densely for just one young lady’s letter? The thought crossed his mind that perhaps they had some sort of weakness linked to the Duke of Merdellia.
“That’s not very princess-like, is it? She’s just a scion of a declining family, after all.”
“I know that.”
Seeing Viviana’s displeasure, the old man refrained from scolding her any further. As a moment of silence crossed the office, the old man seemed to think of something and tapped his chin, bringing up a new topic.
“Speaking of that individual, I heard that there will be a small banquet at the Blanc Mansion next week.”
“What?”
“I heard it’s that young lady’s birthday.”
Viviana’s eyes widened as she emitted a smile that hinted at disbelief while blowing out cigarette smoke. Through the thickening haze, her violet eyes shone with a subtle yet ominous light.
“But I wasn’t invited?”
With those words, Viviana rose from her chair and left the office. Leaving the head butler behind, she made her way to a secluded library in the mansion, a hidden secret room within.
The secret room was covered in pure white marble, with a luxurious piano positioned beneath a massive window. Viviana calmly sat before the piano, sighed softly, and slowly placed her fingers on the keys.
The notes blooming from her fingertips filled the air with a rich fragrance. The sound of the piano encapsulated her deep emotions and noble dignity, embracing the room. Each slight movement of her wrist exuded elegance, as if she were dancing.
“….”
[I think I’m falling for Lady Viviana.]
[It was truly beautiful. The best performance I’ve ever heard. That’s not a lie, it’s genuine.]
[I’m always cheering for you.]
Not very princess-like.
Thud-!
As Viviana pressed down hard on the keys, a jarring noise echoed from the instrument. She struck the piano keys, gently closed her eyes, and let out a chuckle.
“Ugh, what am I doing?”
Alphonse was right. Here she was, wasting her mental energy being tossed around by a mere powerless young lady; it was quite pathetic for her.
She hadn’t even met that young lady a handful of times. Investing time in someone like that seemed too far from the path she needed to take.
Since the young lady of the Blanc family seemed to be avoiding her, it would be wise to let it be. There was no reason for her to seek out someone like that.
With a clear resolution, Viviana’s eyes brightened. The suffocating anxiety that had been tormenting her heart vanished, leaving no trace of lingering regret.
“However, there is one thing I must do.”
She intended to use some manipulative, cunning words to swing me around. To play with me, a mere noble at the whims of the Emperor of Merdellia, with her little pure white palm.
To tempt me with false words and betray me in the end. This was a serious insult to the Duke of Merdellia. It wasn’t in my nature to let such a thing slide.
“I’m the type to return any insult I receive, Lady Blanc.”
The first wrong move was on your side, my lady.
So, I trust you’ll understand if I stir up a bit of trouble.
Today was a bright and sunny morning. The sun wrapped the earth more warmly than before, and the chirping of birds sounded even more harmonious.
Today, I felt no pain from my period. With a lighter step, I exited my room and hurried to the kitchen, where a woman was enjoying tea in an elegant ambiance.
The woman who loved ‘me’ most in this world. Her blue eyes, swirling like a beautiful crescent moon, welcomed me.
“Happy birthday, my daughter.”
“Thank you, Mother.”
Without hesitation, I ran into her embrace. Her always warm and abundant figure wrapped around my face. While I nuzzled my face against her chest, something heavy was placed upon my hands.
“This is your birthday present.”
“Wow! Can I open it?”
Mother nodded with a gentle smile. As I opened the meticulously wrapped gift box, inside was an amulet with a small blue gem embedded in it.
I stared blankly at the amulet. It lacked extravagant decoration and was rather simple; yet, this accentuated the beauty of the blue gem in the center.
The gems given by other noble ladies would surely be far more expensive. Yet, for some reason, even though I could sell all the other gifts, I felt like I could never part with this amulet, not even if it meant dying.
“Don’t misunderstand, Tina. The gem in the center is a Magic Stone.”
“A Magic Stone?”
“Yes, if there’s a Magic Stone with the same resonance frequency nearby, it vibrates.”
Mother carefully showed me her hand. On her delicate, slender finger was a ring adorned with a gem of the same color as the amulet.
As Mother tapped the gem embedded in the amulet twice with her finger, both the amulet and her ring began to vibrate loudly.
“Of late, I’ve been worried about you, Tina. I’m concerned something might happen to you. So, this is the gift I prepared.”
“It feels like a sort of… location tracker?”
“…Yes. Tina, if it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to wear it. You can sell it in the market and buy something you want instead. I believe you could sell it at quite a good price.”
Considering Mother’s personality, it must have been a carefully chosen gift after deep thought, yet I looked at her with a sulky expression upon hearing her suggestion to sell it.
Oh, silly Mother,
You still don’t know me.
Silently, I passed the amulet back to Mother and turned my back to sit down. I lifted my long hair and presented the nape of my neck to her.
“…Please put it on me, Mother.”
Mother stared at me for some time silently before carefully placing the amulet around my neck. The sparkling blue gem, along with a slender silver chain, settled beneath my collar.
I spun around and faced Mother, beaming with a smile. And as always, I dashed into her embrace.
“This is my favorite gift out of all I’ll receive today. Thank you, Mother.”
“Hehe, you’ve said that without receiving gifts from others yet.”
“No, I’m sure of it.”
Mother’s concern for me was clearly embedded in the gem; how could I dislike it? And since I intended to sell off all the other gifts anyway, this one would become my precious treasure.
“I love you, Mother. I’ll treasure it with care.”
“Thank you for seeing it so positively.”
“Hehe… of course.”
Afterward, we shared some lighthearted conversations and enjoyed a delightful meal together. Following that, I had to move quite busily. I meticulously checked if anything had been overlooked for the upcoming tea party to entertain the young ladies.
As I rushed about, I soon realized time had flown, and before I knew it, luxurious carriages were arriving one by one to showcase themselves in front of the Blanc Mansion’s main entrance.
As I gazed out the window, watching young ladies gather one by one in the garden, I sensed a familiar presence approaching from behind.
“Miss, it seems you just need to come out now.”
“Renihel.”
I tore my gaze from the window to look at her. Renihel, upon seeing me, widened her eyes and placed a hand over her heart with a pleased smile.
“I thought the folks outside were beautiful, but it turns out today’s main attraction is indeed you.”
“Hehe… Thank you. I’ll be heading out now.”
After saying goodbye to Renihel, I walked down the stairs with a flutter of excitement. With each step closer to the garden, the harmonious laughter of the young ladies resonated around me.
I paused for a moment, making a wide smile with two fingers at my mouth. After confirming my reflection in the mirror, I dashed outside.
To the young ladies waiting for me.
Towards the gifts they had prepared.
