CHAPTER 37
Charlotte waited for Marian under the awning of the clothing shop. It had been over ten minutes since Marian went inside, and there was still no sign of her. Charlotte debated whether to return to the shabby inn room where the drunkard was staying.
Long ago, she had quarreled with the person inside the clothing shop over Edwin. It was also true that this person had once tried to kill the one most precious to her. Entrusting her safety to such a person felt like a glaring contradiction.
Still, he’s Aveline’s friend. He can’t be that bad.
She decided to refrain from berating herself for being so critical of Vivianne. Otherwise, the conversation would come back to its starting point, only inflating her worries and fears.
On top of that, Charlotte, who was exhausted, decided to relieve her worries by leaving the matter to Marian.
That’s enough. Let’s go back.
Knowing that Evans would not willingly accept her, Charlotte figured it would be better to back out before facing further humiliation. Even amid all this, she managed to cling to some semblance of pride, though there wasn’t much she could do about the rest.
“My lady!”
Just then, the shop’s bell chimed, and an excited voice rang out. Marian waved happily, beckoning Charlotte to come inside. Instead, Marian rushed out and gave Charlotte a push on the back, propelling her into enemy territory—his clothing shop.
As soon as she stepped inside, she came face-to-face with Theo, whose eyes were glaring daggers. Embarrassed and flustered, Charlotte lowered her head awkwardly.
“… Th-thank you,” she murmured.
Even with Charlotte’s polite words, Theo walked away without a response.
“Honestly, such bad manners, don’t you think?” Marian remarked.
When Marian whispered softly, Charlotte shot her a sharp glare to silence her. Intimidated, Marian shrank back as Charlotte mustered the courage to follow where he had gone.
In a small room, his hands—now carefully pinning a dress—moved with more delicacy and precision than when handling a gun. Unable to bring herself to step inside, Charlotte stood awkwardly in the doorway and hesitantly spoke.
“I know it’s easier not to ask for favors like this, and it’s probably the same for you, Mr. Evans. That’s why I’m sorry, and thank you. I know you don’t think positively of me, yet you’re doing this for me.”
“What’s your name? Come to think of it, I don’t even know who you are.”
Arrogant and dismissive, Theo didn’t bother to meet her gaze, speaking as though the mannequin wearing the dress were Charlotte herself.
“… Charlotte Windler.”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t willingly open the door for you. It’s entirely because of Miss Aveline. But you’ll have to explain the whole situation yourself—I need to know what’s going on with her, at the very least.”
Grateful yet irritated, Charlotte narrowed her eyes as she watched Evans pin the dress.
Still, as she realized she was out of danger and her heart began to ease, the hostility she felt toward Theo quickly faded away.
Vivianne’s steps toward the library were more cautious and graceful than ever—a defensive posture that seemed to declare no one could dare treat her carelessly. There was also a naive hope in her heart that her ingrained dignity would protect her.
Arriving at the library, Vivianne looked around at the thick shelves of books, enough to fill a ballroom. Her father, who loved books, had often lamented that he couldn’t take the books he had left behind in Preston when they moved. He had always hoped that when his beloved daughter married and had children, the house would still be filled with reading material, so he had created this library.
What her father didn’t know was that the space he created for his beloved family would eventually become the playground of a man who would destroy that very family.
“You’re here?”
Edwin, who had been reading a book, greeted her casually as if their encounter by the lake had been nothing but a fleeting dream. Yet the memory of his gaze from the previous day—so full of disdain as he looked down on her—came vividly to mind, causing her cheeks to flush with embarrassment.
“Why did you call me here?”
Vivianne avoided meeting his blue eyes. She didn’t want to face them, knowing all her suspicions had been confirmed. She refused to let herself be seen as the obedient young lady she had once been.
“You’re not wearing it?”
Despite her resolve, Edwin’s single remark shattered her composure.
His brazen blue gaze traveled up and down her figure, scrutinizing her with an audacity she found intolerable. But unlike the previous day, when she had been defenseless, Vivianne now stood as if clad in impenetrable armor. She had no intention of enduring his malice any longer.
“Watch your words, Your Grace. How dare you insult a lady with such actions and words?”
His gaze, which had lingered at her feet, quickly traveled upward until it met her fiery gray eyes.
“Mr. Shaffer made a terrible mistake. If I ever meet Mr. Shaffer again, I’ll tell him everything about your lowly behavior—that you’re a vile man who takes pleasure in touching and ogling a lady’s body. He’ll change his opinion of you, no doubt. And as time goes on, the people of Neway will learn of all the unforgivable things you’ve done to me.”
Vivianne’s voice quivered with anger. Her pale skin flushed as she struggled to remain composed. Her small, delicate shoulders trembled, and she gripped her skirt so tightly that her nails seemed on the verge of leaving marks.
Edwin closed the book he had been reading with a mocking smile, a gesture that only stoked Vivianne’s fury.
“You’re the same—you’re no different from the men who came to inspect the manor before the auction. You’re a man of poor quality. Do you think I, who endured countless temptations and jeers, will crumble before Your Grace? If anything like what happened yesterday happens again, if you dare mock me as you did today…”
She stepped back as he advanced with the book in hand. Her retreat was quickly cut short by the tightly packed bookshelves behind her, trapping her in place.
“If I mock you, what then? What will you do?”
“If you mock me, I will…”
Her voice faltered as their shoes nearly touched. Looking up at him, she felt overwhelmed by his imposing presence. Despite her scathing accusations, he remained completely unshaken.
When his arm stretched toward her, she startled, instinctively closing her eyes and shrinking away. In that instant, her defeat in this confrontation became undeniable.
However, what Vivianne feared didn’t happen.
Instead, she felt a faint vibration from the bookshelf pressing against her back. Opening her eyes, she found herself face-to-face with him once again.
“Well, you can think about that later. For now, answer my question.”
Her eyes darted around, searching for clarification. The book he had been holding was gone, and there was now a wide space between them.
“Why aren’t you wearing the clothes I sent you?”
Her eyes wavered in confusion. The heat that had swirled in her head, almost dizzying, collided with a sharp coldness, causing the tension in the air to shift suddenly.
“Wasn’t your idea to wear something modest, nothing too flashy? If you’re going to wear such dirty clothes, that not even the maids would wear, you’d be an easy target for the beasts at the auction house.”
“…”
“Then again, would Evans’ clothes be any better? Hmm, no, I suppose they’d just make you my target instead.”
“Ah…”
Drained of energy, Vivianne couldn’t muster a response. As her thoughts slowly pieced themselves together, she realized that today’s misunderstanding wasn’t as shameful as she had initially believed. She had no reason to feel guilty or apologetic about it.
“So, for the sake of my good intentions, please don’t tell Mr. Shaffer about this?”
Vivianne’s face flushed hot with embarrassment. His playful smile only flustered her further, making it impossible to hide her reddened cheeks.
Stammering sounds—“Uh, um, ah…”—were all she could manage in response.
Edwin turned away with a soft smile, grabbed another book, and gestured for her to follow.
As Vivianne trailed behind him, she was overcome with regret.
Why did I bring up Mr. Shaffer? She thought. She had plenty of sharp words to rebuke Edwin’s bad behavior, yet she had chosen to invoke Mr. Shaffer’s name to attack him, which had no effect either.
The two of them reached the study and sat across from each other, the desk serving as a barrier between them. Being in such proximity naturally brought back memories Vivianne couldn’t forget—especially that cold spring day when she had first faced him to sign the promissory note.
“How’s your body feeling? Ah, I mean—are you sore from all the hard labor?”
Her eyes, which she had struggled to meet with his, now sharpened, piercing through Edwin’s teasing remark.
Meanwhile, large raindrops began to fall fiercely, splashing onto the ground outside.
When some of the rain spilled in through the open door, a servant promptly closed it. Edwin then dismissed the servants, leaving just the two of them alone.
The sound of rain hitting the glass window was light and refreshing, reminiscent of a butterfly’s fluttering wings. Amid that tranquil noise, Vivianne scrutinized the arrogant man before her.
His tilted head accentuated his sharp nose, casting a deep shadow that made his features appear even colder. Beneath his thick lashes, his icy eyes sparkled in the gray air of the room. His clean, flawless appearance gave him an air of perfectionism, one that felt distant and detached.
“Thanks to Sophie’s kind care last night, I feel much better,” Vivianne replied.
He nodded slowly, then pulled a checkbook from a desk drawer and picked up a fountain pen. As the soft scratching of the pen on paper continued, curiosity began to creep into Vivianne’s mind about what he was writing. Soon enough, he slid the document across the desk toward her.
Her gaze naturally fell upon it, and the first thing she noticed was the figure: 3,000 mori. Her brows furrowed slightly as she carefully processed the information.
“It’s a receipt confirming the repayment of 3,000 mori—part of what Miss Aveline owes me.”
Vivianne’s eyes widened in shock. Throwing decorum aside, she snatched up the receipt—no, the check—and examined it closely.
It was genuine.
A receipt for the repayment of 3,000 mori, complete with Edwin’s signature. Vivianne stared at him in disbelief.
“After you received your last wages, the accounts weren’t settled. This includes compensation for the physical and emotional damage caused by my servants, plus the cost of their wages,” he explained.
“B-but this is too much…”
Three thousand mori represented a tenth of the total debt—a sum Vivianne would need to earn over a hundred times her weekly wages to repay. She blinked rapidly, glancing back and forth between the receipt and Edwin. She even flipped the receipt over to ensure it wasn’t some elaborate trick.
“Is this… really true?”
Vivianne’s defenses crumbled entirely. The sharp, angry woman was gone, replaced by someone brimming with unrestrained joy. Her heart raced, so much so that she could almost hear its pounding echoing in her ears. She couldn’t hide her surge of happiness.
Edwin, equally satisfied by her reaction, leaned back in his chair, clearly pleased.
“Miss Aveline, a signature is a serious matter. Once a name is written, there’s no escaping legal responsibility. The fact that my signature is on that document—that’s what it means.”
Vivianne’s face visibly brightened, reassured by Edwin’s firm answer. She couldn’t hide the overwhelming emotions welling up inside her. Her gaze remained fixed on Edwin’s name stamped on the receipt, as though her eyes might wear it away.
“And from now on, I’ll continue writing receipts with my signature for you, Miss Aveline.”
She looked at him with fiery determination, as if she could accomplish anything. Though it felt unpleasantly materialistic, she didn’t care.
At this moment, nothing mattered more than repaying her debt.
“So, do what you can. In front of me, where I can see you. Then, I will purchase Miss Aveline’s efforts—with my name on the receipt.”
The elegant smile on his face didn’t seem calculated. For a businessman, it was unusual to convey sincerity so openly, but Vivianne chose to believe it.
As long as the path she followed didn’t destroy her spirit, she could endure any physical suffering.
