Luka couldn’t understand Vivienne well; he wanted to ask her the reason for her visit, but each ti he hinted at it, she would skirt the topic or talk about sothing else.
Eventually, breakfast ca to an end, with the maids slowly removing the empty plates and bowls, leaving a small chilled pitcher of ale for them to drink.
He glanced at the sweet, dark red liquid and smiled, taking a small sip, the fruity, acidic taste spreading through his mouth. At this ti, water was too dangerous to drink without sterilisation and boiling it enough to drink took far too long.
"So, are you going to keep ignoring my question. Lady Vivienne?"
"Oh, please~ call Vivi, stop being so distant when we’re engaged, Luka."
Luka leaned back while taking a swig of his ale with closed eyes.
’The thing with Galatea seems to have really upset her...’
Though he hadn’t said what happened outright, after sending a normal maid to attend to her, it appeared Vivienne guessed where she slept and what happened.
Or perhaps she knew from the beginning.
Vivienne rested her cheek against the back of her fingers, smiling with the sa flawless sweetness as before. Yet the fingers of her other hand lightly tapped the table, once, then twice, then again.
The sound created a soft lody as she stared at him with narrowed eyes.
"Vivi."
She stopped tapping as her lips curved upward slightly. "Yes, dear husband?"
"Why did you co?"
"I already told you. I heard troubling news about Amol, your honoured father’s passing, and your sudden expedition. How could I remain still in Ironhold while my future husband risked his life?"
He shook his head.
"We both know what I an... This isn’t with your father’s permission, so how did you react so fast, and what is your goal?"
Vivienne’s smile twitched a fraction before she glanced up at Vaun with sharp eyes. Vaun stood behind him without moving, though Luka noticed her shoulders stiffen. The Ironhold maids had already withdrawn to the side of the hall, leaving only Vivienne’s silver-haired maid near the door.
There was a mont of silence as Vivienne lifted her cup and took a small sip of ale.
"Must a lady always hold a second motive when she cos to aid the man she is promised to?"
"No."
Luka placed his cup down.
"But you do."
Her eyes curved with pleasure.
"My, how sharp you have beco."
"Vivienne."
"I told you to call Vivi~"
"Don’t dodge my question, and just answer... or I’ll have to send you away."
For a mont, sothing in her face changed.
The playful noble mask remained, but a colder, more mature woman looked through it. Not hostile. Not afraid. rely asuring how much truth she could reveal without cutting herself.
"I ca because I heard you had moved."
"Huh? How did I move?"
"You did... you suddenly moved from your sickbed and rode into battle, how could I accept that kind of report? Then there’s suddenly a fast horse sent by my father announcing your father’s death as if waiting... but alas, you retook Amol, basically returning a hero and accepted the royal decree made for a corpse!"
Her voice softened.
"The Luka I knew would never have done such a thing."
Luka’s fingers remained still on the table.
That line could have been dangerous.
Instead, Vivienne’s gaze lowered to his hand, and her smile returned with a strange tenderness.
"So I thought perhaps my wish had finally been granted."
"Your wish?"
"That you would be able to stand, to fight and breathe freely without pain. That you would beco just selfish enough to take what belongs to you... and fulfil our promise."
She leaned closer, her dark eyes shining.
"And if that happened, then I could no longer stay away. Even... even if it ant disobeying my father and causing a huge problem for him."
Luka watched her quietly as she spoke, "Huge problem?"
Her eyes bead as she chugged more of her ale down, no longer acting like a prim and proper lady.
"You know my father hated you and your father... that he didn’t plan to uphold our marriage promise. He’d arranged a noble from the central alliance, soone loyal to the queen, for ... over the past month, he’s tried to force to et him. But I refused...!"
"And the supplies?"
"Mine."
"Not Ironhold’s?"
"Mine. Don’t you rember? You once told that everything starts with food and supplies... if a strong army lacks food, then its strength will wane and wither, while a weak populace with abundant food and resources can beco strong!"
Vivienne smiled, but her fingers tightened around her cup.
"I purchased the grain using my allowance, the dicine drawn in from stores I had authority to move. I managed to hire the knights and healers by selling countless gems and needless gifts I’ve received over the years... luckily, I managed to pay their wages in advance."
’This girl...’
Luka couldn’t believe that Vivienne would go so far for the sickly boy who had passed away, though he wanted to tell her.
He swore, deep down, never to reveal this secret.
"Does Duke Aldebaran know the full amount you brought?"
Her smile beca delicate.
"My father thinks that I am a dutiful daughter who ca to cancel our honoured and old engagent... I wonder what he will think when It’s the opposite."
"Is that why you tried to get to sleep with you?"
"W-What?!"
For the first ti that morning, Vivienne’s noble composure cracked.
The cup in her hand almost slipped, and her pale cheeks turned a deep, violent red. The reaction was so sharp that even her silver-haired maid glanced away, pretending not to hear while Vaun stood behind Luka with her head lowered in absolute silence.
Luka watched her without blinking.
"Did I say sothing wrong?"
"You said sothing indecent at breakfast!"
"You licked my cheek in the courtyard."
"T-That was different... I needed to create the right atmosphere..."
"You ntioned entering my bedroom."
"That was also..."
"Hmmm, all of it just a play to keep people around us in doubt? What a sha, I was quite looking forward to it."
Vivienne’s fingers pressed against the table, almost turning white as she stared into Luka’s eyes, her dark purple orbs shimring as she swallowed, her lips trembling.
"D-Do you an that...?"
[You have absorbed part of Vivienne Aldebaran’s Lust and Greed]
Luka peeked at the system ssage before staring at Vivienne.
For a brief mont, the corner of his mouth twitched.
Vivienne noticed and imdiately lifted her chin, trying to recover the dignity she had lost.
"A noble lady does not sche so crudely, Luka."
"No?"
"Of course not."
Vivienne lifted her cup with both hands and drank slowly, using the motion to calm herself. Yet the redness across her cheeks had not faded, and the faint tremble in her fingers betrayed far more than her perfect posture could hide.
"If I wished to force the matter, I would not throw myself at you like so tavern girl. I would prepare witnesses, summon a priest, then hold a grand ceremony for all the land to see and know that Vivienne Aldebaran is the wife of Luka de Babylon!"
"So you did think about it."
"...A wise lady considers all roads before choosing one."
"I’ll take that as a yes."
Luka almost laughed at her change, from the flirtatious vixen he t the night before, Vivienne now clearly showed a more delicate side.
She was troubleso, but he found her quite amusing. Beneath the sweet words, possessiveness and strange obsession, there was a woman who had already weighed all the possible outcos and made her choice.
The flirtation and affection were genuine, but they also served a purpose. She wanted people to see her clinging to him. She wanted the servants to talk. She wanted Ironhold’s escort to return with rumours.
It wasn’t her aim to sha him; rather, she wanted to create a path for the two of them to walk together without issues.
’Once everyone has accepted it, she could fight back against her father’s orders...’
Luka placed his cup down.
"Then let ask clearly. Do you want , or do you need ?"
Vivienne’s smile stopped, and behind him, he felt Vaun’s body shift as if almost falling.
When he glanced back, he didn’t notice any change. However, the tips of her elven ears were stained deep red. The next mont, Vivienne’s voice ca from the opposite side, stealing his attention.
"What a cruel question."
"It is an important one, though. Give the answer so I can help you."
She struggled to maintain her gaze with faintly darting eyes that slipped to the side of the room and back. "It’s... both..."
"I want you, Luka. I have wanted you since we were children. You were weak, sickly and far too gentle for the world around you, but I liked that. I thought you were cute and sothing that could beco mine."
Her gaze lowered slightly as if a little ashad of her words.
"And yes, I need you too. If you abandon , my father will use as he pleases."
Luka remained silent, listening to her words.
"Vivi."
Her eyes lifted at once, just the call of her na, and her body beca tightly wound.
"If you need my help, I will offer it, but the return will be grave. We both know what kind of man your father is."
"But I will not send you away either."
Her lips parted as she watched him leaning back on the chair.
"Babylon accepts your aid. I accept that you ca here by your own will, not Ironhold’s. As for the engagent," he paused for a mont, slowly scanning her face for its reaction. Then he continued. "From this mont, I will consider you my woman. Whether that ends up working out for us... Let’s see where fate takes us."
Vivienne’s dark eyes trembled before her smile blood, sweet enough to look almost painful.
She didn’t ntion Galatea, but made a sly comnt.
"My dear Luka really has beco greedy... well, I shall entrust my fate to you, my dear husband."
Before Luka could answer, the dining hall doors opened, and Levi’s old voice cut through the warmth. "My Lord... Sir Cedric has vanished from the guest wing and is searching for Da Galatea..."
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