<CHAPTER 07>
Vivia replied nonchalantly.
“Who said that? I don’t know what you heard, but it’s just a rumor.”
A subtle wariness flickered through her eyes.
It was so brief that one had to be paying close attention to notice it.
“At the Pernolain Viscount’s residence, jewels and precious ornaments are everywhere you look.
It must be jealousy and envy that created such rumors.”
Her words flowed smoothly without the slightest hesitation, to the point that no one could easily suspect she was lying.
Hmm, that rumor is actually true.
The Pernolain family had not originally been nobles.
For generations the Pernolain family had been merchants, and the current Viscount Pernolain had finally purchased a noble title with the wealth accumulated over the years.
However, the old-fashioned rural noble society had no intention of easily accepting a merchant family with no connections.
The Pernolain couple, who were full of vanity but lacked substance, began spending money recklessly in order to imitate the lifestyle of nobles.
Taking Vivia into their household as a human doll had also been part of that effort.
They showered expensive gifts upon the nobles of Broten and the surrounding regions.
They built a magnificent new mansion and hosted tea parties and balls.
Meanwhile, the family’s original business was neglected.
Luxurious consumption quickly surpassed their income, and most of their fortune vanished in a short time.
The Pernolain residence had long been mortgaged under heavy debt.
Among those who worked in the household, it was common knowledge that the viscount employed far more servants than the family’s finances could support.
“Is that so?”
Achero smiled casually.
It seemed as though he had not noticed the sudden change in Vivia’s mood.
“Before coming to Broten, my master heard about it from Baroness Alfieri.
I happened to hear it as well, so I became curious.”
“Ah, Baroness Alfieri.
Lady Lorze visited the viscount’s house several times before she left Broten after her marriage.
She is such a pure person that she may have misunderstood something.”
“Hmm, you seem to know every noble around here.
I saw you earlier too.
You kept explaining things to the young lady you serve.”
“It’s the same as what I said earlier.
Since I carry a noble surname, knowing the general flow of topics in noble society helps with my work.”
Vivia continued speaking without lowering her guard.
Since everyone already knew about this matter, it did not really matter.
A gentle breeze blew.
Silver hair that seemed to have been woven from moonlight fluttered softly.
Vivia lifted her head and looked at Achero’s face.
Without a single blemish, his smooth skin, deer-like eyes, and straight nose seemed as though the heavens themselves had sculpted him perfectly.
For a moment she stared blankly.
When Vivia finally came to her senses, she hurriedly tried to pull away, only to brush awkwardly against his body.
Achero’s body was firmer than it looked.
He appeared slender and agile on the outside, yet when touched one could feel well-defined muscles.
Her cheeks flushed hot in the night air.
Fortunately, the darkness made it difficult to see her expression clearly.
“Careful. Slowly.”
Achero laughed softly and supported her arm so she would not lose her balance.
Then he leaned slightly closer.
His low whisper brushed against her ear.
“Vivia, do you know how to dance?”
“A little.
I practiced a bit as someone’s partner.”
Her mind suddenly felt blank like an empty ball.
Even the distant music sounded faint.
“Shall we walk?”
The next moment, Vivia found herself holding Achero’s hand.
What in the world had she been thinking?
Perhaps it was because of the moonlight that shone especially brightly that night.
Or perhaps the man before her was not human at all, but a fairy.
Under the moonlight, two shadows swayed.
Yet those shadows repeatedly separated whenever they touched and never truly became one.
“You asked if I would keep living like this.
No.
I will escape someday.”
Suddenly, Vivia spoke words she had long kept buried inside.
The warmth touching her palm that night felt strangely vivid.
Achero smiled beautifully.
The rustling sound of fabric brushing together felt oddly cool.
The pounding night grew deeper.
After leaving Count Odley’s residence.
The smile that had remained on Achero’s face all evening slowly faded as if sinking inward.
He walked through the unfamiliar streets of Broten with graceful and dignified composure before turning into a quiet alley.
Several figures emerged from the darkness and silently followed him.
“Your Grace.”
The man standing at the front spoke.
“What did you think of Lady Vivia?”
Though he lowered his voice carefully, the lively tone of expectation revealed his cheerful nature.
It was Loyola Bovillier, the chief aide to the Duke Rodrigo.
“…She was extremely beautiful.
Even if we searched the entire empire, it would be difficult to find such beauty.
And her eye color is almost identical to mine.
Perfect.
Her appearance alone would allow her to enter the ducal house immediately as my younger sister.”
As Achero spoke, he recalled the face of the lady he had just conversed with.
The blue eyes unique to the Rodrigo ducal family were famous.
Clear and transparent, like the blue sky of a summer day, yet simultaneously cold like the winter sea.
It was a color found nowhere else.
And a moment ago, two people with that color had existed in the same place.
“Wow.
If Your Grace says that, despite your high standards, she must be an incredible beauty.”
“Yes.
Not only that, she met almost all the conditions I desired.”
The bloodline condition that Veronica Rodrigo desired for the House of Rodrigo.
It had not been an absurd wish.
It existed.
Right here in Broten.
Achero had disguised himself as a servant in Count Odley’s residence and secretly observed Vivia the entire time.
Vivia possessed more dignity than Mariana Pernolain, whom she served.
She could identify the types of tea served after dinner.
She continuously whispered information about the attending nobles to Mariana.
Achero had boldly approached Vivia directly to test her.
The result was excellent.
Even if not perfect, it was more than sufficient.
She possessed natural conversational skill that guided the conversation smoothly with someone she had never met before.
Yet she still kept important secrets to herself.
Even when speaking casually, she never appeared to lose her grace.
Such qualities were difficult to acquire unless one was born with them.
She had likely never received formal etiquette education, yet she seemed to possess innate wit and persuasion.
Her dancing also showed potential for rapid improvement with a little guidance.
“Mr. Loyola.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Isn’t the story she carries simply wonderful?”
Achero looked not at the present but as though gazing toward a scene that had yet to arrive.
“A dazzlingly beautiful girl born and raised in the slums.
She is taken into a minor noble family and lives while suffering abuse.
Then she grasps the enormous fortune named Rodrigo.
Wouldn’t that become an unprecedentedly fascinating story within the empire?
Countless people would be interested.”
“If that happens, not only your grandmother’s wish, but the benefits that the House of Rodrigo could obtain would surely be significant.”
Achero’s lips curved upward.
Loyola felt the hairs on his body stand on end.
By the standards of the world, Achero possessed outstanding character and extremely gentlemanly behavior.
But at times, when it came to his family, he seemed capable of abandoning ordinary morality.
Whenever Achero appeared to momentarily forget sympathy or consideration, Loyola instinctively felt fear.
It was a different kind of ruthlessness from Veronica’s.
A deep darkness formed by a heart that had never received love.
Will His Grace ever experience regret someday?
It was impossible to imagine.
This man, who seemed almost without flaws, had never experienced failure.
Achero smiled again, the same perfectly drawn smile.
For some reason, a good feeling filled the air.
A strange certainty that everything would fall perfectly into place.
An indescribable excitement brushed across his heart.
He never imagined that the new encounter about to shake his life would create ominous ripples.
He merely hoped that the person he had searched for so long might at least bring a small stimulus into this dull and rigid life.
