CHAPTER 38
It wasn’t until the evening that the sign hanging in front of the dress shop was flipped. Afterward, Theo took Charlotte to his home, where he lived with his family.
Charlotte unexpectedly found herself introduced to Theo’s family. The gentle Mrs. Evans and his cheerful younger siblings even showed her some of Mr. Evans’ belongings—relics of a man who no longer existed in this world—despite no one asking them to.
There was nothing stranger than peering into the daily life of a man she had so harshly criticized.
Later, Charlotte had to confess everything that had happened at the manor to Theo in detail. Since Evans was the one who wanted to hear it, Charlotte skimmed over some incidents, such as the series of events where she had hurled curses at Vivianne, and continued her story.
After explaining the full situation, including how she ended up being expelled by Edwin, Evans—unable to close his mouth in shock—finally slumped into the wooden chair and sighed heavily, as though in disbelief.
“So…”
His voice, tinged with faint anger, made Charlotte uneasy.
“You’re saying that Miss Aveline became a maid at the manor, and your maid—Marian, the one outside—was caught scheming, and you both got expelled? Is that correct?”
“Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t order her to do it. Miss Aveline might be an unwelcome guest to me, but I wouldn’t stoop to something so despicable.”
Theo sighed deeply and tilted his weary head back as if escaping the harsh reality. Yet even with his eyes closed, the image of Vivianne lingered in his mind.
Theo pondered deeply about what Vivianne truly wanted and the kind of person he should have been for her.
If he had been the right person for Vivianne from the start, would he have needed to hear such a story from someone else’s mouth?
Thinking of Vivianne, who must have suffered with no one on her side, his heart ached, and tears welled up in his eyes. A painful realization pierced him: it was none other than himself who had left the struggling Vivianne to fend for herself.
“Anyway, thank you so much. Thanks to you, I can stay here safely. I won’t cause any trouble.”
Theo, returning to reality, straightened his posture and rubbed his temples.
“So, when are you planning to go back?” He asked quietly, lowering his head.
Charlotte hesitated, unable to give a confident answer.
“Do you even want to go back?”
When his bloodshot eyes met hers, she quickly averted her gaze, feigning ignorance.
“Where would I even go if not back there?”
“I also wish you’d return to the manor as soon as possible. I can’t stand the idea of Miss Aveline and the duke being alone together, not even for a single day.”
Theo’s situation wasn’t much different from hers, largely because of his own inability to hide his feelings.
After loving Edwin for so long, Charlotte had realized that revealing one’s feelings could be poisonous—a lesson she had come to learn through Baroness Baytness’s actions.
But Theo, perhaps because no one had ever pointed it out to him, couldn’t conceal his feelings for Vivianne.
So, this is love. Vivianne, you’ve been loved all along.
Charlotte smiled bitterly.
“I’ll send a letter to Miss Aveline. She’s in a situation where she can read letters, right?”
“Yes, she can.”
“Good. I’ll do whatever it takes to get you back to the manor, so you figure out a way to return as well. And delay the wedding as much as possible.”
If only she could, why couldn’t she? Charlotte doubted whether she could truly keep her promise to Theo, but she had no choice but to make it. Right now, she desperately needed his help.
It had been raining for several days. Perhaps because of that, even though the sky had cleared yesterday and today, it wasn’t particularly hot. The ground, soaked by the rain and cooled from the heat, still needed more time to warm back up.
Since the rain had begun, encounters with Aveline had noticeably increased. The audacious Vivianne Aveline did everything she could to draw attention to herself—wearing the dress he had bought her, showing up early in the morning with the other servants to energetically clean his room, opening the curtains, or even personally bringing him breakfast.
Sure, that’s what I was hoping for when I said it, but I didn’t expect her to be this proactive. If I had known the repayment receipt would have such power, I wouldn’t have tossed it into the mud like that.
After finishing dinner with the self-appointed servant, Edwin changed his destination to the library. Noticing him avoiding returning to his room, Vivianne, puzzled, followed him at a distance.
The sound of their footsteps echoed down the quiet evening hallway. Vivianne stared blankly at Edwin’s broad back as he walked ahead of her. The imposing sense of his overwhelming size was even more powerful when she stood close to him. Thinking about the incident by the lakeside a few days ago, it felt almost unreal that she had returned unscathed from an encounter with such a towering man.
Her greed had led her to take the Duke’s bait. He had offered her the signed repayment receipt and told her to do her best. She needed that receipt, signed by him.
The things she could do, and the things she could do in his presence—this role was the best idea Vivianne could come up with, though his reaction wasn’t entirely displeased.
“Find me a book on real estate worth recommending,” Edwin said lazily, wandering through the bookshelves.
Vivianne’s face brightened at being given a task, and she quickly approached the shelves to search.
As Edwin focused on selecting a book, he was momentarily distracted by the sudden, close scent of flowers. Turning his eyes to the source, he saw Vivianne standing on her tiptoes, eagerly stretching to reach for a book.
Putting the task of finding a book aside, Edwin leaned against the bookshelf and observed Vivianne. She would open a book, quickly skim it, then either return it to its place or move it to a shelf at eye level if she found it interesting. Occasionally, if something truly caught her attention, she’d become absorbed and start reading it. Watching her nod seriously at times nearly made him chuckle.
Vivianne must have really liked the book she had just taken off the shelf, as she leaned back against the bookshelf and turned the page. Even though the book seemed to cover a boring topic, her gray eyes sparkled brightly.
“Do you remember the time when you talked to me about books when we were young?”
That day, 14 years ago, the girl who had babbled excitedly about the story she’d read had shown a hidden side of herself—a glimpse of the bookworm within. That was why he knew he couldn’t bring himself to disturb Vivianne’s focus.
But then, the glimmer in her eyes faded, and her lively gaze faltered, trembling like reeds in the autumn wind. Edwin chuckled softly.
“I got curious all of a sudden. I wonder what book it was that gave Miss Aveline such good advice back then. I’d like to read it.”
“I… don’t remember either…” Vivianne replied, closing the book with a disappointed look as she straightened her posture.
As Edwin approached and snatched the book from her hands, Vivianne’s eyes widened in surprise. She desperately reached out to grab it back. Her intense reaction piqued his curiosity, and to prevent her from reclaiming it, Edwin raised the book high and glanced at the title.
『 Emily in Francis’s Fiefdom』
It was a romance novel published a few years ago. The story was a collection of tales serialized in tabloids, and at one point, it had become so popular that it was hard to find a woman in the capital who hadn’t read it.
Tasked with finding a book about real estate, Vivianne had instead become engrossed in a novel about a wealthy lord and a woman falling in love. Edwin looked down at her, noticing her cheeks flushing a rosy pink. Realizing that she couldn’t get the book back, Vivianne quickly began to explain.
“I was just skimming to see what it was about. The beginning seemed like something the duke might find relevant. I swear!”
“Is that so?”
Edwin smirked, but he didn’t return the book. Instead, he instructed her to grab a lamp. Tucking the novel under his arm, he left the library.
Following behind with the lamp, Vivianne couldn’t help but stare at the book.
Where is he taking that?
Once outside the manor, Vivianne looked around uneasily. As they passed through the maze-like garden, a path appeared that she didn’t recognize. The well-paved road seemed to be a recent addition, likely constructed after the manor had changed hands.
They went deeper, passing trees with red fruit hanging on both sides of the pavement. Vivianne’s instincts screamed that they had gone far enough, but the sound of rippling water erased her hesitation.
Following Edwin, she eventually arrived at a familiar yet breathtaking view—and froze in place.
She had always believed she was the only one who knew the way to the lake from the manor. Never had she imagined that a properly paved path might lead here.
The thought that the entire household might have known she swam here nightly was overwhelming. When she had lived with her parents, no one had known.
She had foolishly assumed that just because no one knew then, no one would know now.
Noticing Vivianne’s dazed expression, Edwin remained indifferent. With a heavy sigh, he stepped forward, swallowing dryly as he caught the distress in her eyes.
He settled into the shadows of some trees. Vivianne sat down a short distance away, her gaze fixed on the lake view before them.
To the southeast, a dock and a moored rowboat were visible. If Edwin had always been in this spot, he would have had a clear view of her approaching from the west through the bushes—and of her undressing at the dock.
A thick branch, artificially attached to the side of a tree, caught Edwin’s attention. He took the lamp from Vivianne and hung it on the branch. Then, he finally opened the book he had taken from her.
“Um… Your Grace,” she began.
She wanted confirmation—she hoped her worst suspicions were wrong. She wished that today was only the second time Edwin had come here during the time she had spent at this place, from late spring to midsummer.
Edwin, flipping through the book’s pages, glanced at Vivianne as she licked her suddenly dry lips.
“I didn’t know there was a path from the maze garden to the lake. There wasn’t one before. When… did you have it built?”
Edwin smiled casually as he turned to the first page. That smile made her fear that her hopes were already dashed. Vivianne bit down hard on the inside of her cheek, regretting the foolish and reckless behavior of her past.
“It was built shortly after I arrived. Abernathy told me there was a lake, so I had a path made. It’s a shame you didn’t know. I should have told you in advance. Then you wouldn’t have had to crawl through the bushes like a wild animal,” Edwin replied nonchalantly.
Vivianne trembled as if struck. Being compared to an animal, on top of the many indignities she had already endured, left her cheeks burning hot.
She wanted to cast aside all pretense of dignity and lash out in anger. She wanted to berate Edwin for his actions, to give him the same kind of humiliation. But, afraid of making a fool of herself, she forced the corners of her mouth up into a tight smile.
“That won’t happen again,” she said. “Because now I know there’s a path… No. I won’t be coming here alone anymore.”
Her firm voice carried an unmistakable anger.
When Edwin turned to look at her, she quickly averted her gaze. He didn’t press the matter and shifted his eyes elsewhere.
“No one but me has ever seen you. I’ve always come here alone.”
She tried not to show her anger, but his nonchalant demeanor left her dumbfounded. He had secretly watched a lady’s body and thought it was acceptable simply because no one else had seen her? Determined not to let this slide, she opened her mouth to speak.
“Your Grace, you always put me in difficult situations, don’t you? How am I supposed to live with this shame? You told me not to die, yet you’re practically pushing me off the edge. Honestly, I would’ve been better off if I’d just died that day.”
Edwin slammed his book shut, fueled by the intensity of Vivianne’s resentment.
“You feel ashamed because I saw you?”
“… Isn’t that obvious?”
“Why?”
“Why?! Because showing my body to anyone is a shameful thing.”
“To anyone else, sure. But I’m not just anyone.”
His response was so astonishingly absurd that she was left speechless, unable to form a reply.
“With others, it’s not acceptable—neither you showing yourself nor them seeing you. But with me, it’s fine. It’s okay for me to see you and for you to show yourself to me. It’s all okay.”
It was as if he were claiming ownership of her body with his brazen attitude. Did he really believe that, just because he held power over her life and death, he also had a right to her living body? This misconception had to be corrected. Otherwise, she wouldn’t sleep a wink tonight.
“No, I don’t belong to you, Your Grace.”
He reopened the book, his face indifferent, a detached smile playing on his lips despite the resolute and reproachful tone of her words.
“Even if I’m indebted to you, even if I owe my life to you, my body is not yours to do with as you wish. So, no, Your Grace, you cannot look at me as you please.”
“No. You are mine.”
His blue eyes remained fixed on the printed text, calm and quiet, betraying no emotion. He seemed so absorbed in the book that she wondered if he even realized the weight of his words.
“If that wasn’t what you wanted, you shouldn’t have let me live.”
Her gray eyes wavered as the breeze from the lake brushed against her. A sudden chill, cutting through the summer heat, ran down her spine. But it wasn’t the wind—it was the merciless smile curving his lips that froze her to the core.
“Are you starting to regret it now?”
The deepening summer night felt heavy with resentment. As the man who claimed to own her had said, she should have regretted that day.
If she could turn back time, she should have reported that poor, innocent boy instead of letting him go.
But I… even now, I…
If I could turn back time, I would make the same choice. I still don’t regret that choice. I would still want to save Sayer, even though he shamelessly claims ownership of me.
