After the explosive revelation at Mikael’s exhibition, guests rushed out the moment it ended, eager to find someone to share this juicy piece of gossip with.
The Empress had glared at me for quite some time with a sharp, icy expression, which left me feeling uneasy. But beside me, the Duchess looked more relieved than ever, as if a weight had finally been lifted from her chest.
“Don’t worry too much, Vivi.”
“…Pardon?”
“She’s always been like that since we were children. She only felt satisfied when she had the best of everything, when she was at the very top.”
The Duchess said this while watching the Empress’s retreating figure cut through the wind with a cold indifference.
“She always coveted things that weren’t really worth all that fuss, so it never mattered much.”
Then she looked at me — a soft gaze full of genuine affection.
“But I think it’s about time she learns not to covet what belongs to someone else.”
“Mm…”
The Duchess took my hand and smiled.
After that, I had to listen to her talk the entire way back home. She shared how I had caught her eye from the moment we met, how her heart sank when I said I didn’t want to become a duchess, and so on.
Having missed out on so much time together, her stories just kept going — all the way until we reached the house. Even when we were saying our goodbyes, she looked reluctant to part.
“To be honest, I’d love to talk to the Viscountess about arranging your engagement to Armin right now, but I worry it might seem too sudden.”
The Duchess clearly didn’t want to cause trouble for anyone, and I could only offer an awkward smile in response. Still, the fact that the truly troublesome matters seemed to be behind us let everyone finally breathe a little easier.
Before leaving, she said she’d pick a good day to visit our house soon, and then drove off.
“Oh, Vivi?”
Just as I was about to go inside, she called out to me.
“Yes?”
“Make sure to keep tomorrow free.”
I wasn’t sure what she meant, but I nodded anyway. She gave me a knowing smile.
“It’s so you can go on a date with Armin — to celebrate that everything’s been sorted out.”
Even without looking in a mirror, I could tell my face had gone bright red.
* * *
But the date with Armin never came to pass.
That night, an urgent and explosive message was delivered to several noble families in the capital — a formal Imperial decree sealed with the Emperor’s mark. And one of those decrees was delivered to our household as well.
「Alessandro Roha, heir of House Roha, is hereby ordered to immediately inspect the state of the border and defend against possible enemy incursions.」
It was a decree sent to the completely wrong address — more than just a misdelivery.
Sasha let out a bitter laugh as he read it.
Mother’s face had gone pale.
“W-What is the meaning of this? Hm? What does this mean?”
“It means exactly what it says, Mother. I need to prepare immediately and depart.”
“Why on earth would you be sent to the border? That doesn’t make any sense! There must be a mistake.”
Sasha’s official duties had nothing to do with border security. His area of expertise was tax policy and administrative reform — not battlefield strategy.
“I have to go, Mother.”
“No! There must be a mistake!”
“There’s no mistake.”
Sasha’s firm response made Mother stop and stare at him in shock. His eyes turned to me.
“The Imperial family picked their target precisely. They’ve chosen a house they know disobeyed them.”
“What are you talking about?! That’s ridiculous! What disloyalty has our house ever shown?”
“…Isn’t that right, Vivi?”
I couldn’t meet his gaze. My hands were shaking with anger.
Why did they have to go this far? There should be limits to repaying kindness with cruelty. All I did was try to help someone wrongly accused, using knowledge I happened to have — and that small act of justice was now tightening a noose around my one and only brother.
“It’s not your fault, Vivi. So don’t make that face.”
I didn’t even know what kind of face he was referring to, but at the sound of his voice, I felt something run down my cheek.
Tears.
And in that moment, my father and mother seemed to finally realize where this whole mess had started.
Sasha nodded to them gently.
“By now, the same decree will have arrived at House Grey.”
His calm assessment meant that even the Grey family — the Imperial family’s close allies and in-laws — wouldn’t be spared. And if the Duke wasn’t spared, there was no chance the Imperial grace would extend to a mere Viscount’s house like ours.
“What… What should I do?”
I couldn’t look him in the face. I lowered my head and saw his pale arms and hands, cold and stiff like a corpse, veins bulging from the chill.
Sasha pulled me into a hug and looked me in the eye.
“Nothing. Don’t do anything. Just think about yourself.”
“But—”
“Are you trying to make me look like some pathetic man who used his twin sister to get ahead? Listen here, Vivian Roha. I’m Alessandro Roha. There’s a reason I was born ten minutes earlier and became your older brother.”
“…Hrk, sob…”
“Don’t cry. Nothing’s going to happen. My department won’t even function without me. This is probably just for show — a way for the Imperial family to make an example of us, because their pride was wounded when your relationship with Armin was acknowledged in front of everyone.”
His tone was light — almost joking — as if trying to ease the heavy atmosphere.
“It’ll take about a week to reach the border, right? So if I carry out the Emperor’s orders and properly reinforce the defenses, I should be back within two months.”
“…Two months…”
“When two months have passed, the garden will be full of blooming lavender. Right?”
With my face a mess of tears and snot, I nodded. Sasha, who normally hated anything dirty, wiped my face with his own sleeve.
Of course I was scared. No one could predict what might happen on such a long journey, one that would take two whole months.
But Sasha responded calmly — because he knew too well that if he didn’t, I would cry even harder.
“When the lavender is in full bloom, let’s hold your engagement ceremony with Lord Armin. Okay?”
I knew he was desperately trying to reassure me. And I didn’t want to see him off with a crying face.
So I forced a smile and nodded at him.
* * *
The family did their best to act like everything was normal, not wanting to weigh Sasha down further as he returned to his room to pack.
Back in my own room, I kept racking my brain for things Sasha might need during such a long journey. But what could I possibly know about what a soldier stationed at the border to repel enemy forces would require?
As I rummaged through my things, the sound of the door opening behind me made me pause.
I thought it was Sasha and quickly stood up, ready to act like everything was fine.
But the person standing in front of me wasn’t Sasha.
I blinked slowly. It felt too unreal, like I was dreaming.
That platinum hair that looked almost silver in the dark.
Those violet eyes I loved so much. The eyes that always looked at me with such warmth.
It was Armin.
There was no need for words. I ran to him and threw myself into his arms.
Just as Sasha had predicted, Armin was in his formal military uniform.
The deep blue looked incredibly good on him — but I couldn’t stop crying until my tears left dark stains on the fabric.
“I didn’t come here just to see you cry,” he said, his voice a little helpless, tinged with a smile.
His attempt to act like nothing was wrong only made me sob harder.
“I’m not going off to die, so why are you crying like this, Vivian?”
He pinched my messy nose and wiggled it playfully.
“I told you to stop interfering in Imperial affairs, didn’t I?”
“Hic… sniff… I’m sorry… I’m really sorry…”
“But honestly, that’s just like you. Being you, Vivian.”
“I was worried I’d find you like this, crying.”
His warmth made the sorrow hit me even harder.
I hugged him tightly, pouring all my strength into the embrace.
“I’m glad I came.”
“Why didn’t anyone tell me you were here, Armin?”
“Because it’s a secret.”
He gave a wry little smile that hinted he found all of this annoying.
“If the Imperial family knew, they’d only try to stop me.”
“Sniff… hic…”
“Don’t cry.”
He gently wiped the fresh tears under my eyes, his gaze playful again.
“Things were easier to deal with when you were a pearl buried in the mud.”
“Sniffle… wh-what? Mud?”
“Make up your mind, Vivian Roha — either cry or be curious, not both.”
My full name, spoken with a laugh in his voice, made my chest ache with affection.
“Don’t blame yourself for what’s happening to me or to Alessandro.”
“But—!”
“I’m actually relieved.”
“Relieved? About what?”
“That I was the first person to discover how cute and lovable Vivian Roha is.”
The tears burst out again.
“I’ll be back soon. Until then, stay out of trouble — especially now that even Alessandro won’t be around to keep an eye on you.”
I nodded frantically.
“When I return, we’ll get engaged immediately. Even if you say no, I won’t care.”
“I’m not saying no. I’m not! I promise!”
My eagerness to refute must’ve pleased him, because his arms tightened around me.
“I should get your name changed soon. I won’t be able to relax until then.”
“My name?”
“Vivian Roha.”
Armin said my name so seriously, his eyes glinting with a strange, beautiful light.
“By the time I come back, I want you to be ready to live the rest of your life as Vivian Grey.”
As his face drew close, I instinctively knew:
Ah, this is the moment to close my eyes.
And then something soft pressed against my lips.
