CHAPTER 14
Vivianne’s plan fell through. After Sophie left, saying she was going to get permission, Vivianne tried to leave the manor in a hurry. However, Theo stubbornly insisted on waiting for the maid. Vivianne tried earnestly to persuade him, but for some reason, he wouldn’t change his mind.
She imagined Theo, who believed the incident in the carriage was the Duke’s doing, running into him by chance. Despite his innocent appearance, Theo occasionally lost his temper, and she feared he wouldn’t hold back from asking about what happened that day. So it was best to avoid Edwin as much as possible. Though, of course, that might not go as she wished.
“Oh my. Miss, you look truly stunning. How can anyone be this beautiful?”
Theo brought her a dress as a gift. Even without gemstones, the pale green hue and golden-thread stitching made it look incredibly exquisite.
Since Theo had asked her to wear it, considering the Duke’s courtesy, she obliged, even though the dress, which must have cost a fortune, felt heavy. Awkwardly fumbling with the voluminous skirt, she asked Sophie as she looked in the mirror.
“… Don’t you think this is a bit too extravagant for me?”
“Oh, no, Miss. What do you mean by extravagant? The noble ladies in the capital dress even more lavishly than this. Just look at Miss Windler! She’s always so splendidly dressed. And this dress—even without jewels—how can it sparkle like this? What on earth did he do to this dress?”
Vivianne straightened, holding herself upright to avoid slumping.
“I would believe you if you said your friend was a royal tailor. And the color! I’m sure he chose it personally. I’ve never seen such a color in my life. It suits you so well.”
Vivianne agreed with the praise for Theo. Having inherited his father’s skill, Theo led the fashion trends of Rodinia, and word of his talent spread to nearby towns, bringing more people to seek him out as the days went by.
However, as Theo increasingly spent time away from the clothing shop, his popularity waned. Thinking it was all because of her, Vivianne couldn’t fully appreciate the gift.
“Go out and show it to your friend. He will be thrilled.”
Is it really right to accept this dress?
Wearing the most beautiful dress but unable to smile brightly, Vivianne left the room, only to be clouded by new concerns.
The Duke of Baytness had once again shown unexpected generosity.
What was the duke’s true intention?
He had threatened to kill her, choking and overpowering her, yet when her guest arrived uninvited, instead of showing any displeasure, he even offered up his garden.
His kindness seemed closer to hostility. He acts wickedly and yet shows a relaxed kindness. However, Vivianne suspected that the Duke had an ulterior motive behind his generosity.
Her trust in the duke had been broken long ago.
Vivianne had learned on the day she swallowed the poisoned cake that she shouldn’t accept anything Edwin offered her. She was certain, therefore, that this act of generosity concealed another hidden intent.
As she passed through the entrance, the sun shone brightly. Making her way to the garden where Theo would be waiting, Vivianne stared at the light green fabric of her dress as it fluttered around her toes.
This dress, which she no longer dared to covet, was distorting Vivianne’s reality. The ominous weight stirring in her chest grew heavier and larger.
“My lady.”
She lifted her head at the sound of the call to see Theo standing in the shadow of the pergola, waving with a bright smile.
“Did you wait long? Theo, this dress is…”
She had planned exactly how to praise the dress, but then she saw the spread on the table: chocolate cookies, pudding, strawberry cake, apple pie, and bread piled high with candy and cream. And standing proudly in the middle of it all was Theo. The sight before her left her mind completely blank, making her prepared words useless.
She glanced back at Sophie, realizing they had more food than they could possibly eat alone.
“Did the duke instruct you to prepare all of this?”
At Vivianne’s raised voice, Sophie nodded with wide eyes, like a frightened cat. Realizing it wasn’t something she could blame Sophie for, Vivianne looked away.
“My lady, the dress suits you so well.”
Theo’s voice, filled with admiration, brought her attention back from the tea table. His gaze sparkled with delight, unable to take his eyes off the dress.
If she became the perfect mannequin for his carefully crafted creation, Vivianne was satisfied. She temporarily set aside Edwin’s peculiar behavior and focused on Theo.
“It’s so extravagant and beautiful that I wonder if it’s even right for me to wear.”
“If it doesn’t suit you, it won’t suit anyone. This dress is meant solely for you, my lady.”
Theo thought he should have chosen his words more carefully, but his eagerness was too sincere. Worried that his feelings might have shown, he quickly pulled out a chair for her.
“Please, have a seat.”
“Thank you, Theo.”
Sitting down, Vivianne once again looked at the absurd amount of food, feeling confused.
Was this an elegant way of scolding her for bringing in an uninvited guest? Or was he telling her to eat and gain some weight?
If it were the former, she couldn’t understand it; if it were the latter, she could let it slide.
The duke had never asked for her opinion before. This wasn’t the first time food had been brought before her without explanation.
“Theo, by the way…”
“Yes?”
Amid the overwhelming desserts, Theo calmly lifted his teacup.
“The dress is truly beautiful, but… I’m not sure if I should accept something like this. I imagine it cost a lot to make. If it’s alright, I’d like to at least pay for the materials. I can’t do it right away, but once I have the means…”
“Do you think I would spend months making this just to charge you for the materials?”
“But, Theo, this dress is too expensive for me to accept as a gift.”
“My lady.”
Theo didn’t bother to hide his disappointment; he openly showed his unfiltered feelings. Vivianne, reading his unspoken sentiments, found herself teetering on the edge of tangled emotions.
“Just lean on me, just for once.”
“…”
“It’s just a dress. I didn’t expect much from you. Was it too much to give something like this as a gift from a friend who felt sorry seeing you live with only one outfit?”
Even as he spoke the word “friend,” Theo felt a stiffness in his mouth. Were they truly friends? Could they ever be? Vivianne was a highly regarded noblewoman from Preston, and even after coming to Neway, everyone treated her as a noble. The idea of a noble lady and a mere tailor being friends was absurd.
“Actually, there’s another reason I came to see you.”
Whatever Vivianne was about to say, her lips slowly closed.
“How about leaving here?”
It felt closer to a plea than a suggestion, and closer to a demand than a plea. Theo’s eyes, looking into her gray ones, conveyed his determination.
“I’m planning to buy a small house in town. It’s a modest cottage, but it’s more than enough for my mother, siblings, and me to live in.”
“Theo…”
“My lady, you could stay at my house. My mother and siblings have given their permission. It may not be as grand as this manor, but it won’t feel cramped for you to live there alone.”
A helpless, complicated feeling tightened around her throat. Self-loathing and shame overwhelmed her, feeling like a worthless person.
As she bit down hard on the tender flesh inside her mouth, a metallic taste pooled on her tongue. Avoiding Theo’s gaze, Vivianne looked at the excessive display on the tea table—a testament to Edwin’s staged intentions.
At this moment, Edwin’s malice felt more hopeful than Theo’s good intentions.
“I really appreciate your kindness, but how could I take the home my father left you? A home where a family lives together. No matter what, that’s just not right. I can’t do that. I’d rather accept this dress instead.”
“My mother has approved of this, and my siblings also hope you can stay somewhere comfortable. I hope you don’t feel burdened by this; I just want you to be safe.”
Without someone’s help or sacrifice, she was always on the brink of danger. She hated herself for her weak, pitiful self, crumbling so miserably under such helplessness. To think she was someone who could only stand by stepping on others—it was shameful to be breathing in this pathetic state.
Just as she reached a point where she couldn’t muster a response, Vivianne reflexively looked up at the sound of hooves echoing through the air. A shiver of fear ran down her spine as her gaze met Edwin’s in the distance, seated atop his horse.
She was terrified that her despicable weakness would end up costing someone their home. The mere entanglement of her gaze with the duke had driven her thoughts that far.
Vivianne hurriedly averted her gaze from Edwin’s and looked at the slice of cake with strawberries on top.
Is this a little better?
She couldn’t be sure. After all, there might be poison in this strawberry cake too.
As the horse drew closer to the pergola, the scene came into clear view: a table filled with desserts, and a man and woman sitting across from each other as if spring flowers had bloomed around them.
Vivianne, the first to make eye contact, quickly looked away.
She needed to learn—if one retreats too noticeably, it only makes others want to approach more.
Theo Evans turned to look in their direction a bit slowly. It wasn’t bad for Theo Evans to know, too, that when something is a hindrance simply by its existence, there’s a desire to root it out.
Edwin stopped before passing them, and the two under the pergola rose from their seats and bowed to him.
Vivianne stood out clearly beyond the shrubs dividing the garden and path. Edwin couldn’t be sure if the shimmering green and gold dress she wore once belonged to Charlotte. However, judging by its lack of excessive frills, it likely wasn’t Charlotte’s dress.
In that case…
“It’s been a while, Mr. Theo Evans.”
“How do you know my name?”
That dress was likely the work of Theo Evans, who made no attempt to hide his hostility.
“Because you’re the only friend of Miss Aveline.”
Theo Evans’s sharp, unyielding eyes showed no flexibility. His defiant gaze looked ready for confrontation at any moment.
“Is Miss Eveline having a good time?”
“…I’m just grateful for your concern.”
“Sophie.”
Edwin beckoned to Sophie, who was waiting a short distance away.
“Bring out more dessert. Miss Aveline says there isn’t enough.”
“Your Grace, I’m fine. I haven’t even finished what’s here.”
“Eat more. You need to gain some weight.”
The extravagant dress Vivianne wore fit her perfectly, from the length of the skirt and the slim waist to the shoulders and arms where the fabric just barely held on.
Edwin’s gaze moved past Vivianne’s tightly pressed lips and sullen expression to Theo, who looked anything but at ease.
“Do you know how to handle a rifle?”
Today, for some reason, he felt like hunting—a day to become intoxicated by the smell of blood, to achieve a sense of accomplishment, and to clear his mind of all other thoughts.
The more hunters, the better, for a desired blood-stained outcome.
“Yes, I know how.”
Vivianne, however, turned pale, unable to endure the situation. Her desperate, pleading gaze shimmered brightly in the sunlight.
“Good. If you don’t mind, would you like to join us for a social gathering?”
“Isn’t there a significant class disparity between us for that?”
“And yet you’re friends with Miss Aveline.”
Edwin’s smile deepened.
Unable to watch any longer, Vivianne stepped forward, positioning herself protectively in front of Theo, as if to shield him, though she could barely cover his larger frame. Her bold, reckless stance made Edwin frown slightly.
“No, Your Grace. Theo has no talent for hunting at all. He would only be a hindrance to you and your guests. Besides, he’s left his shop unattended and needs to return soon.”
The unexpected situation had taken an unforeseen turn.
Her unease about the hunting invitation extended to Theo lay in the abundance of sweets filling the table. Vivianne was certain Edwin’s display of generosity concealed malice, and now Theo was on the verge of becoming a sacrificial lamb, dragged off to the hunting grounds.
There was no reason for the Duke of Baytness to take Theo Evans hunting. But if his goal was to make her suffer, then he had every reason to drag him there.
He had even deceived her mother, leading her to borrow money and accumulate a significant debt. If this was revenge against the Avelines, the Duke would have no qualms about doing anything to Theo.
Edwin’s piercing blue eyes, cruelly passing over Vivianne, landed on Theo. He wanted to hear from Theo directly, so Vivianne had to persuade him otherwise.
Please don’t go. Stay here. Don’t follow him. Don’t fall to his provocation.
Vivianne grabbed Theo’s sleeve tightly. But Theo’s determined gaze, already made up, pierced her heart.
“If that’s the case, please include me as well. If it’s a social gathering with high-ranking individuals, I’d like to participate too.”
“Theo, you…”
“My father taught me to hunt when I was young. Don’t worry; I can handle a rifle well.”
Vivianne despaired.
This was bait disguised as generosity, a trap veiled as goodwill.
Now that the threat was directed at Theo instead of herself, Vivianne felt a pain worse than death.
“Prepare Mr. Evans’s horse and equipment,” Edwin instructed the servants.
Terrified, Vivianne descended from the pergola, despairing as the shrubs blocked her path, and pleaded desperately.
“But, Your Grace, Theo is…”
“Miss Aveline.”
Unlike the frantic Vivianne, Edwin’s unfamiliar tone and icy gaze sent chills through her entire body.
“What exactly are you worried about?”
The casual smile on his face only deepened her fear.
Cold, piercing eyes looked down from atop his horse—a lion lying in wait for Aveline’s destruction; somewhere between hostility and kindness. That was what his smile implied.
Choking her in the carriage and threatening to devour her had only been the prelude. The real performance was just beginning.
It would likely involve taking away the things she cherished and loved most, inflicting a pain far worse than death.
