CHAPTER 6
Her small hand fought to survive. She reached out, attempting to seize the force pulling her toward death, even managing to scratch him with her nails. But her strength was no match for the man who had already made his decision.
“I came this far. I made a promise because I received a promise.”
His voice was unruffled, as if he held another’s life in his hands and it was nothing to him. The strength of her struggle faded as his grip tightened a little more.
“You have no idea what I staked on that promise.”
The events of 14 years ago flashed before her eyes. It was easy to read sincerity in those piercing blue eyes, the same as the boy’s back then.
Revenge against the Avelines, who had brought his family to the execution stand. And the promise.
So, she concluded that his grip on her throat would never loosen.
This is how it ends.
Unable to find her missing father and meeting her mother who said she would return, she will now lose her life to the man she had saved 14 years ago. She surrendered to her fading consciousness.
“Gasp! Ugh!”
When Vivianne’s rebellious movements began to subside, he suddenly changed his mind and loosened his grip. She collapsed onto the floor of the carriage, swallowing the sweet air that suddenly rushed in.
Not long ago, he had grabbed her chin; today, it was her neck. She had even imagined that her hair might be pulled, but that would have been a far more dignified option.
Before she could catch her breath, Edwin lifted Vivianne’s chin. Tears streamed from her bloodshot eyes, and her lips were drenched with saliva. The same hand that had been choking her to death now, almost painfully tender, wiped her lips. Her plumb lips were crushed under his fingers.
Vivianne, trying to maintain her dignity, attempted to pull away, but the hand pulling her chin made it clear what would happen if she backed down any further.
“Not today, though.”
His voice was calm, without a trace of anger. Though his eyes were dry, they showed some emotion that made her heart feel heavier and distressed.
“In moderation. When the time is right.”
He looked into her eyes, forcing her to remain still. The implication was clear.
Running away from death is freedom, but the price of freedom will be paid by someone else.
Vivianne read his thoughts. She lowered her eyes, full of dismay, hiding them beneath her eyelids as she let out a helpless sigh.
The once-noisy wheels of the carriage grew silent. Before the situation could be resolved, the carriage door opened, and a breeze carrying the scent of wet earth rushed inside. The servant, completely unaware of what had just transpired inside, was startled and quickly retreated, apologizing.
What came with the frustration was humiliation. The woman lying beneath the Duke of Baytness, her face held in his grip, was not accustomed to such humiliation.
“Open your eyes, Miss Aveline.”
The ruthless man had finally driven her to the edge of the cliff. As his hand moved away from her face, her head dropped. She noticed the Duke’s shoes, still shining in the rain. Compared to her disheveled state, their spotless condition deepened Vivianne’s despair.
“I haven’t done anything yet to make you behave like some tragic heroine.”
At his mocking words, she longed to see his eyes—to check if they were still as dry and lifeless as ever.
She tried to lift her head, but all she could see was Edwin’s ascot tie unraveling in his hand. A sudden surge of fear overwhelmed her.
“So, stop crying for today. There will be plenty to cry about in the future.”
She had no strength left to move. As the hand holding the tie approached her, all she could do was tightly shut her eyes. His cold hand touched her skin, and her neck stiffened under the pressure, but nothing happened, contrary to her fears.
Vivianne cautiously opened her eyes to assess the situation. His hand had pulled back, putting some space between them.
The air, once suffocating, felt lighter, and she could breathe a little easier. As her vision cleared, she saw Edwin looking down at her arrogantly as he calmly murmured.
“What was it you said earlier?”
Vivianne slowly glanced down at her neck. She couldn’t explain why the ascot tie that should have been around Edwin’s neck was now hanging around hers.
“Did you say you’d stop by the boutique to bring me the gift I wanted?”
His warmth still lingered on the tie. The eerie contrast between his chilling intent to take her breath and the lingering warmth sent a shiver down her spine.
“Now you understand, don’t you, Miss Aveline?”
Whether he wore his trademark pristine smile, a cynical expression, or perhaps a look she had never seen before, calmly whispering, she couldn’t tell.
“The gift I want isn’t at the boutique’s. Only you have it.”
Tears filled her eyes, blurring the man in front of her.
Theo quietly observed the unfinished dress hanging on the dress form. Something about it didn’t sit right with him, so he circled around it, deep in thought.
Should I finish this part with gold thread? It would suit her golden hair better, right? Should I change the shoulders to tulle? What if I layer the fabric like this?
Lost in his thoughts, Theo glanced at the clock. Realizing it was almost time for the owner of the dress to arrive, he left the tailoring room, carefully closing the door behind him. His next task was to meticulously dust every corner of the shop, determined not to allow a single speck of dust to remain.
Today was the day Vivianne was supposed to come. Now that the owner of the manor had changed and he could no longer go there, the only time he could see her was when she promised to bring her embroidery.
“It’s raining, so she might be late. It’s not a difficult road, but still, I should go out and check.”
Theo scanned his shop once more. He spotted a tiny speck of white dust on the cherry-colored table, picked it up, and flicked it out the window. At that moment, he saw a carriage pull up across the street from the shop.
He recognized the crest of the Baytness family on the carriage. Confident that Vivianne was inside, Theo hurried out of the shop.
The carriage stood still in the rain, but there was no movement. The curtains were drawn, making it impossible to see inside, but he briefly saw the servant’s feet before they disappeared from view.
“Why isn’t anyone getting out?”
Just as Theo was about to step off the porch, the carriage wheels began to turn. From behind the departing carriage, Vivianne appeared, sheltered under an umbrella. Theo, his face filled with joy, excitement, and worry, rushed into the rain to meet her.
“My lady!”
As he got closer and saw Vivianne’s blank face becoming clearer, a sense of anxiousness crept over him.
“… My lady?”
In addition, the strange sight of her wearing a man’s necktie around her neck added fuel to his growing concern.
“What happened? Did you come with the Duke of Baytness by any chance?”
His eyes, which had been following the now-distant carriage, returned to Vivianne, who looked dazed. As bad as things were, he couldn’t imagine mere servants leaving her in such a wretched, miserable state.
That left only one person.
The only one who could have reduced Vivianne to this state was none other than the Duke of Baytness.
Her eyes were red, and tear stains marked her clear cheeks. Her lips were swollen, and her small hand gripping the umbrella trembled faintly. Even her tousled golden hair, far too disheveled to blame on the weather alone, only confirmed his suspicions.
The public held the Duke of Baytness in the highest regard. They loved him, praised him as noble and pure, and hailed him as the hope of Neway.
But Theo didn’t believe in that kind of reputation.
From the moment he first encountered the Duke, he had sensed something impure in the man’s intent to send him away, and he had been constantly uneasy about leaving Vivianne alone in the Duke’s manor.
“… Let’s go inside for now. I’ll bring you some warm tea. Can you walk?”
Theo silently offered support to the distraught Vivianne, who dragged her feet along the floor as she leaned on him.
“Father… I actually saved the youngest son of the Raven Family.”
Fourteen years ago, without a word, Vivianne had ordered the coachman to run away, and her father had scolded her harshly. She knew she would be in even more trouble, but seeing her father angry for the first time, she had no choice but to confess. Dejected, the girl burst into tears and waited for her loving father’s harsh punishment.
However, her father chose to hold her silently instead of giving her a harsh punishment.
His unexpected reaction released the tension, and she cried even more for no apparent reason. Held in her father’s arms, she sobbed loudly and pitifully, while he held her tightly without saying a word. She thought she heard a faint sob from him, but figured it was just the sound of her own intense crying.
“Aren’t you cold?”
Theo, who had brought tea into the drawing room, sat across from her. She stared blankly at the steaming cup, her head moving up and down absentmindedly.
“Has the Duke touched you, my lady?”
Theo didn’t know how to beat around the bush. Although it was true, Vivianne could only shake her head.
“My lady.”
“…”
“I’m always on your side. Even if you don’t think I am, I will always stand by you. So please, tell me. That way, I can protect you.”
Even though she knew she would be caught, the lie she told was out of consideration, but her weakened heart whispered in her own ear.
If it’s Theo… To Theo, at least… Because it’s Theo.
Her swollen lips hesitated for a moment and then parted as if she had finally made up her mind. If it hadn’t been for the sound of the bell ringing at that moment, she might have spilled everything.
“… Just a moment. Please stay here, my lady. I’ll be right back.”
Theo hesitated for a moment, then reassured her several times before leaving the drawing room, promising he’d return soon.
Now alone, she came back to her senses. Theo Evans, kind and deeply caring, would, after hearing her story, give up everything he had to pay off her debt to the Duke.
To think she had been about to tell him everything—about the events of 14 years ago, how the Duke was using her debt to trap her, and that his ultimate goal was to kill her.
What a selfish, hypocritical person I am.
Feeling humiliated, Vivianne got up and walked over to the mirror hanging on the wall. Her trembling hand loosened Edwin’s tie from around her neck.
The blue bruises that had formed were the scars left by Sayer Raven. She remembered how Edwin had loosened his own tie to cover the bruise for her. A sudden surge of another kind of pain flared up inside her, a pain more suffocating and unclear than when the Duke had strangled her.
In an attempt to erase the unknown emotion, she wrapped the ascot tie back around her neck, hiding the bruise perfectly.
She decided to sell the completed embroidery later, knowing that she would be in even more danger than she was now. She couldn’t bear to despise herself for almost spilling everything to Theo at the sound of his voice.
Vivianne turned on her heel, and as she stepped out of the drawing room, she met Theo’s eyes as he greeted a customer. She recognized the face of the customer who had arrived, and for a moment, the painful wounds were forgotten as she put on a welcoming smile.
“Madame Monty?”
“Oh my, miss.”
“It’s nice to see you here! How have you been? Natalie must have grown up a lot.”
She clenched her fists tightly to maintain a flawless smile, and her palms ached from where her nails dug into them.
“Yes, indeed. It’s all thanks to Mr. Aveline. Has there been any news from him yet? Everyone in the village is anxiously awaiting news of him.”
“I’m sorry to have worried you, Madame Monty.”
“Oh no, don’t apologize. I feel bad that we couldn’t be of more help. By the way, what brings you here? Oh, you came to sell some embroidery, didn’t you? Theo, did you tell her? Her embroidery has become so popular!”
Mrs. Monty quickly changed the subject, trying not to stir up any more anxiety in Vivianne. As Theo responded with an awkward smile while conversing with Mrs. Monty, Vivianne subtly signaled to Theo with her eyes that she wanted to leave. Theo silently pleaded with his gaze for her to stay, but Vivianne, ignoring Theo’s efforts, was waiting for the right moment to leave.
“People are lining up to buy them, and the boutique has been constantly busy because of that… Oh? What’s this? Isn’t this a man’s item?”
Mrs. Monty leaned forward to get a better look at what was hanging around Vivianne’s neck. Startled, Vivianne quickly hid the tie in her hand and turned her body away.
Why did I do that?
Why did I try to hide his ascot tie?
Was it because I feared that the uncomfortable truth about the Duke, whom the people of Neway adored, would be exposed? Or was it the humiliating fact that the noble daughter of a fallen aristocratic family had been strangled?
No.
It was because of that incident 14 years ago, the cause of everything. It was because she was afraid to recall the shame that her father had destroyed an entire family.
After the fall of the House of Raven 14 years ago, the House of Aveline also didn’t walk an easy path. People criticized the method by which the Ravens were overthrown, calling it vile and cruel. They questioned whether such drastic measures were necessary, claiming it was nothing more than excessive slaughter.
I am such a selfish, hypocritical person.
This is how she judged herself, remembering her father’s reputation.
“I felt like I might catch a cold… I had nothing to wrap around my neck, so I grabbed this. I suddenly remembered I had something to do, so I’ll be leaving now. Please feel free to stay as long as you like, Madame Monty.”
The expression she had worked so hard to hide was a mess. Vivianne hurriedly excused herself and left. She sensed Theo was trying to follow her, but she didn’t turn back.
