Vivian recalled Aslan’s misconception. When he was trapped in a cave due to heavy rain, he saw on his chest the state of a black lion. The next thing that came to mind was the engraving token from the original work. But she immediately shook her head.
“This has a different color and shape than what I knew.”
In the original work, the male and female leads had exactly the same shape. Additionally, it was a darker dark red than her blood, so the original heroine had to wear a dress that covered her entire breast to cover it up. However, she had a slightly different shape, and in particular, her color was not as similar as the grime on her fingernails.
“Then what is this? It would be nice if I could ask someone, but there are no wizards around…”
Pentagram was the basic form of a magic circle. Aslan was also one of the best magic swordsmen in the empire, but it was a bit embarrassing to bare his chest to ask this. Besides, if this was the kind that didn’t benefit Aslan… There was no benefit in revealing her weakness to someone who was already so suspicious.
“Well, I even possessed someone else’s body, so what’s the big deal with a magic circle like this?”
That’s what she said, but she couldn’t help but feel worried inside. She was just tying the waistband of her gown, thinking that she would have to find a suitable wizard soon. Heavy footsteps were heard in the hallway. Aslan was coming. Vivian quickly cleared her dark expression. At the same time, the door suddenly opened.
“You came?”
“You made me wait a long time. I have official business to take care of.”
“I just got out of the bathtub.”
Aslan’s eyes softened as he entered her bedroom. Then, when he ran into Vivian coming out of the bathroom, he froze on the spot. Her hair was wet and swept to one side, her cheeks and lips were red, and the sound of her breathing as if she was running out of breath. To anyone who saw her, her mind seemed completely blank. Aslan was no exception, but he bit down hard on the inside of his cheek and swallowed the urge to run wild. He stood in front of her, barely maintaining a gentlemanly smile.
“Your body is weak, so you shouldn’t leave it wet like this.”
“I waited because you would come soon.”
In fact, she sent all her maids out to check the room. Aslan seemed to like Vivian’s excuse very much and smiled lowly as he sat her down in front of her dressing table. Then he brought up what she had been thinking about all along until she came here.
“It’s warm outside these days. Since it’s been a long time coming, how about going out together?”
“Are you going out suddenly?”
“You can do the shopping you want, and I heard that a foreign court chef has opened a restaurant. I think it would be nice to go there.”
“I didn’t know you would be interested in that.”
Vivian’s reaction was heartbreaking. This was because shopping or restaurants were not very attractive options. But he soon changed his mind.
‘If you want to find a wizard, you have to go out at least once. I don’t know anything about the geography of the capital, so I need to familiarize myself with it.’
Vivian nodded quickly.
“Now that I think about it, I think it might be fun. Are you going today?”
She looked up at Aslan in her mirror. He played with Vivian’s hair with his large, rough hands, and slowly rolled his eyes at her, as if he felt her gaze.
“A few days later. There are things we need to prepare in advance.”
“Ready? What are you ready for?”
“Oh, this and that… I have urgent official business to take care of at the estate.”
Vivian clicked her tongue inwardly. She wanted to get rid of it when she made up her mind, but it seemed like today wasn’t the day. Still, she decided not to make a big deal about it. It’s good if you wait a few days and the problem disappears, but if not, you can solve it again then.
“Then can I visit the family today?”
“You mean Eleono?”
“Yes, I am worried about how well my sister is adjusting to her family. Eleonora’s employees aren’t very meticulous. I want to take care of it myself.”
Actually, Alex wasn’t that worried. Despite his young age, he has already reached a great level of swordsmanship. Although he still lacks political experience, he was predicted to become the Minister of Military Affairs in the future. But he had a simple personality. He will not be able to look into the intimate details of the family.
“If that’s the case, don’t worry. I personally took care of Eleonora’s employees from start to finish.”
“You?”
“It’s your family’s business, so it’s natural to worry about it.”
Vivian’s hair was somewhat dry. Aslan continued, running her long hair through his fingers.
“If you’re going to Eleonora, take Dylan with you. He is one of the few people I can completely trust, so keep him by your side at all times.”
Dylan was Aslan’s closest confidant and colleague in the original work. He was a man of considerable skill, the second-in-command of the knights led by Aslan, and one of the few people who knew the true nature of the curse…
‘Yeoju’s guard and watchdog.’
From this perspective, it meant that he was someone who could not be completely reassured. But if he refused here, he would arouse Aslan’s suspicion. Besides, he had no intention of revealing Aslan’s identity to the outside world, so there was no problem for him.
“Okay.”
“Bye. Take care of yourself and don’t stay up too late.”
“Yes.”
Vivian obediently nodded her head.
＊ ＊ ＊
Vivian got off the carriage with Dylan’s thorough escort.
“Madam, we have arrived at the Duke’s residence. Watch your step.”
“Thank you.”
“When I looked at my feet, I remembered, what kind of flowers do you like? Her younger cousin recently received a marriage proposal from her fiancé, but without any sense…”
Vivian laughed vaguely, letting Dylan’s nonsense slip from one ear. In the original work, he was portrayed as a serious character. It was only natural that he and Aslan had gone through hell and other dangers. However, when she met him in person, he had quite the too-much-talker nature. He especially cared for her cousin so much that he harshly criticized her fiancé and listed the process of how she got proposed to him. He gave such details almost as if he had received them himself.
“So, I don’t think so, but what do you think?”
Dylan was asked for his opinion from time to time, but he didn’t want to argue with someone else’s proposal, so he answered as politely as possible.
“Well, I guess I’m not bad. The fact that you danced and sang yourself is proof that you worked hard, right? Even though I’m tone deaf, I think it’s worthless effort.”
“Ah, that’s right! My cousin’s sister also said she was impressed by her efforts.”
Her cousin, a younger sister, received a very strange proposal. Her fiancé placed candles in the shape of a heart in a crowded park. Then, she said, she sang and danced with Dylan’s cousin standing behind her. As if seducing her, she approached her with a shoulder dance, pretending to give her one rose, then moving away, pretending to give it again, then falling to her side, making her anxious. Eventually, Dylan’s younger cousin caught her passing carriage and she fled, she said.
‘My country will be like that too. I can’t even raise my head because I’m so ashamed.’
Of course, she didn’t say her thoughts out loud. She just became solemn at the tragedy that the woman, whose name she did not know, suffered.
“Greetings to you, Madam.”
“It’s been a long time coming, so please rest comfortably.”
Vivian was surprised when she entered the Duke’s residence. All of her numerous employees were waiting for her. Moreover, he even knelt down on one knee and greeted her sincerely. She slowly took a step back and checked the emblem on her front door.
‘The sword that defeated the devil. It’s Eleonora, right?’
Although she had only been staying in the villa for a little over a month, she still thought she knew most of her familiar faces…
‘Why are they all first shots?’
As Vivian scratched her chin vaguely, her happy face jumped out from within her.
“Vivian!”
“Sister Iris!”
Iris ran out and hugged Vivian. She had a very confused face at the Duke’s funeral, but now she had a much brighter expression.
“You’re so welcome! It always bothered me because I felt like we broke up on bad terms in the end.”
“I came because I was worried about my sister, too. As soon as she arrived in the capital, she realized that her father had become…”
“I roughly heard about Alex’s hidden circumstances. The Duke is my biological father, but I don’t think I can ever forgive him.”
Iris and Alex are the same age, but Iris’s birthday was earlier. So, the two seemed to have agreed to call each other comfortably without any honorifics.
“Let’s go in. Are you going to eat and go?”
Even though many things happened in a short period of time, her eyes did not waver. It was indeed the firmness of the original heroine.
‘If this is the case, I might be able to start my plan again.’
Vivian hasn’t given up yet. The so-called ‘Let’s connect the male and female leads as in the original’ project was exactly that.
‘I feel sorry for her sister, but what can I do? I have to live first…’
Anyway, Iris has a magical awakening in the middle of her original work. Considering how precious wizards were in this world, Iris, rather than him, was more suitable to be seated next to Aslan.
‘It’s okay, it’s okay.’
Vivian nodded her head and entered the mansion first. She didn’t even know that a new history was beginning behind her back.
“Ah, sorry! I wasn’t used to dresses so I lost her footing.”
“Lady, are you okay?”
“Yes…”
Ichae was amazed by the look in Iris and Dylan’s eyes as they looked at each other. Vivian’s project was sinking before it even started.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
If you like my work please support me with Ko-fi or Patreon. Next post will be released on March, 19.
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