CHAPTER 35
After finishing the untouched meal and heading back, Sophie glanced at Vivianne, who was clearly not in a good mood, debating whether to share the news she had just heard.
It was an incredibly satisfying turn of events for Sophie, but she doubted that kindhearted Vivianne would feel the same way. Instead, she worried it might only add to Vivianne’s burdens.
“Um, Miss…”
Sophie hesitated, torn between hoping Vivianne wouldn’t find out too soon and feeling that being the last to hear the news might be an insult to her. To Sophie, Vivianne was already no different from her rightful mistress, just as important as the duke himself.
Vivianne turned to Sophie with tearful eyes. When their gazes met, Sophie suddenly wanted to look away, but she pulled herself together.
“Today, Miss Win…”
“My lady, my lady!”
Just as she started speaking, a shout echoed from the end of the hallway. Several maids rushed over, stopping in front of Vivianne with polite and proper postures. Vivianne felt a bitter, pitiful twinge in her stomach as the familiar faces humbled themselves and shed tears before her.
“Miss Aveline, we were really wrong.”
These were the same maids who had feigned mistakes to dump manure on her, shifted their chores onto her, and mocked her openly as if they felt no need to hide their scorn. Yet, their positions had been completely reversed in an instant.
“We must have lost our minds for a moment. We never truly harbored ill feelings toward you.”
“Marian told us to do it all! Who would dare to disobey the words of the child standing next to the master of the manor? Especially since Miss Windler treasures Marian so dearly. We had no choice but to follow her instructions, fearing we might fall out of Miss Windler’s favor.”
Embedded in their long excuses were the names of Marian and Charlotte. Consumed by fear, they tried to shift the blame onto them, hoping to escape their predicament. Vivianne looked at them with eyes full of pity, but without giving them her heart.
“Hmph. Do you really think anything will change with such excuses? Didn’t I warn you? I told you not to harm Miss Vivianne! But you ignored me and went after her anyway! Are you scared now, afraid you’ll be thrown out of the manor like Miss Windler and Marian? Did you truly not foresee this outcome after what you did to her? You’re utterly shameless and despicable! Miss Vivianne, you absolutely must not forgive them!”
Unable to contain her anger, Sophie raised her voice in indignation. In her fiery outburst, she unwittingly revealed that Charlotte and Marian had been expelled from the manor.
“… Sophie. What did you just say?”
“You mustn’t forgive them, Miss Vivianne. They’re wicked enough to harm someone as earnest as you. That’s why—”
“No, no.”
Vivianne frowned slightly. Closing her eyes to focus, Sophie belatedly realized her mistake.
At that moment, Sophie understood how crushing a single name could be. The names spoken by the sobbing maids and by Sophie herself threatened to shatter Vivianne’s heart.
For a fleeting moment, Vivianne even entertained the thought that the countless torments she had endured might have been Edwin’s doing. For someone like Vivianne, unaccustomed to being so widely disliked, this was more than enough to hurt her deeply.
Surely, they don’t really hate me, she thought. It must have been the result of foolish people making the wrong choices under someone else’s orders. But if she had known that such truth would wound her even more deeply, she might never have allowed herself to see Edwin as a vile person.
“Miss Windler and Marian… were expelled from the manor? The reason they were expelled…”
“The Duke found out. He learned that Marian made us torment you, my lady!”
Instead of Sophie, who awkwardly pouted her lips, Caroline—the one who had thrown the excrement on Vivianne—spoke up boldly.
Vivianne, her legs trembling, fought to show no sign of weakness before them.
Quietly pressing her lips together, Vivianne, turned away coldly. Sophie, still unsatisfied, muttered a few more words to the sobbing culprits before hurrying after Vivianne.
The half-moon illuminated only half the world. Relying on its faint light, Vivianne walked through the silence, following a familiar path. Her weary legs carried her into a forest so dark she couldn’t see a step ahead. She pushed through the undergrowth until she reached a spot where the quiet melody of the lake could be heard.
The dim moonlight cast a dark blue hue over the lake. It had always been a sanctuary that soothed her troubled heart, but tonight, it failed to provide solace.
Unable to enjoy the magnificent view she hadn’t seen in so long, Vivianne sat quietly on the dock and dipped her feet into the water. The cool, refreshing sensation touched her skin, yet she felt no desire to swim as if all her energy had vanished.
Even so, she had brought a towel, removed her clothes, and plunged into the lake’s embrace—acting purely out of habit.
Cutting through the water, Vivianne reached the center of the lake and lay back, floating as she gazed up at the dark sky. Her golden hair rippled like waves across the surface, and her pale body merged with the water, forming a scene as picturesque as a masterpiece.
Beneath this serene display, Vivianne recalled the events of the day, now feeling so distant.
If only she hadn’t encountered the Duke in the barn. If only she hadn’t fallen for the Duke’s playful trickery. If only she had earned Charlotte’s favor from the start and built a closer bond with her—perhaps they might have been friends by now.
Unable to answer these questions, Vivianne’s face twisted in anguish. She felt as if the weight of the stars above were pushing her down beneath the water. Slowly, her body began to sink toward the lake’s depths.
Entrusting herself to the water, she sank deeper into its embrace. The clearer her memory of the barn became, the sharper Edwin’s face stood out in her mind, reminding her of her humiliation.
Finally, Vivianne twisted her body, pushing through the water as she kicked toward the deep, endless darkness.
She didn’t care if she died like this. If she could escape all the memories and repressed emotions, she would willingly accept death, even if it came from the lack of breath.
Her chest began to tighten, and she started to run out of air. At some point, Vivianne stopped, no longer looking toward the distant surface, simply enduring.
If she could drown here, if it were possible… Vivianne felt tempted to let herself go.
But life is sweet in the face of death.
As her lungs screamed for air and suffocation closed in, Vivianne’s mind changed. She began to swim desperately toward the surface. At the brink of life and death, Edwin’s face and all her tormenting thoughts vanished entirely, leaving only the primal instinct to survive.
Unknowingly, she swallowed water. Her flailing arms and legs moved blindly, driven by desperation. Just when she thought she’d reached her limit, when the terror of dying overwhelmed her, her outstretched hand broke through the surface into the sweet, life-giving air.
“Pwah!”
Vivianne exhaled violently, coughing and gasping as she gulped in life-giving air.
Tears streamed down her face as she looked up at the starry sky, overwhelmed by gratitude for being alive. A hollow laugh escaped her lips.
Would I feel the same desperate will to live if, one day, I faced death at that man’s hands?
As thoughts of that inevitable reaper crossed her mind, Vivianne’s breathing gradually calmed. A sense of peace returned, and she considered lying back on the lake’s surface once more.
But then, a sound—soft footsteps—made her uneasy.
It wasn’t the noise of an animal but human footsteps.
Startled, Vivianne turned her head toward the sound and saw a shadow approaching from afar. Frightened, she squinted her eyes, trying to identify the intruder.
Broad shoulders, unusually long legs, and a lean figure. After noticing the small face with its distinct features, Vivianne realized the shadow belonged to none other than the Duke of Baytness.
Unprotected and vulnerable, Vivianne was thrown into confusion. She wasn’t wearing anything, and if she left the water now, the Duke would see everything.
Can I just hide in the water like this? But what if that mischievous Duke decided to linger and refused to leave?
Vivianne wanted to trust in the gentlemanly reputation of the nobleman so adored by the people of Neway, but the Edwin she knew was far from a gentleman. He was the kind of man who delighted in embarrassing and harassing her.
She had to escape.
Even if her body was briefly exposed, it would only be for a moment. Tonight wasn’t particularly bright, and the low light might obscure anything too revealing. If she quickly dressed and ran, she assumed he wouldn’t go out of his way to chase her.
Determined, Vivianne swam to the dock.
By now, Edwin was halfway closer, and she watched him warily as she grabbed her nightclothes and dressed as fast as she could. Picking up her shawl and towel, she turned and started running without looking back.
Her thin nightclothes were soaking wet, clinging to her, but Vivianne was too preoccupied with glancing over her shoulder to notice.
It turned out to be the wrong decision.
Edwin had started running after her. In an instant, the distance between them closed, and a startled Vivianne tripped over her own feet. She fell to the ground, dropping her shawl and towel, unable even to cry out.
Terrified, she scrambled to her feet, desperate to flee. But Edwin was already there, looming over her as he grabbed her wet nightclothes roughly.
“Let go of me!”
Struggling to break free, Vivianne suddenly realized her soaked nightgown was clinging to her body, revealing everything. Panicking, and consumed with the thought of an escape, she fought with all her might to free herself.
She didn’t even hear the precarious sound of her nightclothes tearing as they stretched taut under opposing forces.
“You’d better stay still.”
“Let go of me! Let go, I said!”
Vivianne’s cry was almost a scream. Realizing that pulling away was futile, she grabbed Edwin’s hands gripping her clothes, and began hitting and biting them in desperation.
“Let go of me! I said, let go!”
Abandoning all formality, Vivianne struggled fiercely. With each movement, her wet nightclothes strained further, on the verge of tearing.
At last, the fabric gave way. The cruel sound of ripping cloth filled the air, and for a fleeting moment, Vivianne’s mind raced to find a way out of the crisis.
There was only one thing she could do to cover herself.
Following the pull of Edwin’s strength, she threw herself into his arms. Her forehead collided with his chest as she curled against him, burying her head into his chest. Her wet body trembled with fear in his unwanted embrace.
“Please…”
Edwin, enduring the sudden closeness, regarded Vivianne with calm, indifferent eyes. Cold droplets of water fell from her onto the grass, soaking it beneath them.
She seemed unaware that by pressing her soaking body so closely to him, she was drenching him as well. And not just drenching him—Edwin could also feel the faint warmth of her body through the thin layers separating them.
Edwin, feeling their intertwined body heat, was overcome with a strange sensation. It was like capturing a golden mermaid he had only admired from afar. Without effort or intent, the mermaid, radiant and otherworldly, now lay trembling in his arms, stirring something primal within him.
“Please… let me go.”
“I’m not holding you.”
Edwin tried to pull away from Vivianne, but she quickly closed the gap, refusing to let any distance grow between them. Vivianne, who had always taken a step back, had taken the first leap forward.
This unexpected shift quelled the day’s unpleasantness and the inexplicable anger simmering within him.
“Your Grace, please… My clothes are torn and wet… I’m—”
Edwin’s gaze swept from the crown of her head to her pale, exposed shoulders, and then to the small hands clutching his shirt. The woman who had been so desperate to escape was now clinging to him, pleading not to be abandoned.
His hand rose to cup her cold, fevered cheek. Though she stubbornly shook her head, she couldn’t evade his touch. Her gray eyes, as drenched as her disheveled appearance, met his.
“Were you trying to die?”
Vivianne’s eyes flickered at his question.
“… What?”
“Just now. Were you trying to die? In the lake.”
