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It’s been a few days since Vivian started trying to change Kyle’s mind.

Nothing seemed to be working at all.

Kyle kept pushing her away despite clenching his teeth, and with every rejection, Vivian felt like she was losing one card from her hand.

In the past, Kyle would have been bound by all his actions and gestures.

Those actions had once sparked an intense enough stimulus to pierce through their mutual hatred.

But not anymore.

Kyle acted as if he had lost all interest in her.

Every effort felt like a meaningless, pitiful gesture—and Vivian’s shame only deepened as a result.

How had he managed to seduce her all this time?

He had even spoken about having intimate relations several times.

Vivian was just now learning what it felt like to be rejected.

Especially when the person rejecting her was Kyle, it hurt even more.

It was unbearable to see someone who once adored her behave that way.

This time, he truly seemed like he was going to leave.

Vivian couldn’t fully grasp what that meant yet.

What would it feel like not to have Kyle by her side?

Kyle had been with her since she was thirteen.

She was soon to become an adult in just over a month.

All those long years, even through the tough times, Kyle had been by her side… and now he was going to disappear.

Fear consumed her; she couldn’t even predict what that feeling would be like.

Honestly, deep down, she still held onto the shallow belief that out of her arrogance.

Just like she had overcome all the previous hardships, she believed she would somehow get through this one too.

Kyle would change his mind and stay by her side.

And the reason was solely because of Kyle himself.

Since he had never left her side through any trials, she might have been unconsciously believing he wouldn’t this time either.

He wouldn’t leave.

This was about their relationship, wasn’t it?

She would get through this hardship somehow.

But if, by any chance, he did leave, she knew she would miss him every day.

Like a baby bird waiting for food, she would just wait for a letter bringing news about him.

How was he doing?

What was he eating? Who was he meeting?

And on the day she would hear that he had started a family with another woman…

“…”

She knew for sure she wouldn’t be able to stand it. Vivian was certain of that.

Deep within her heart, feelings bubbled up like the magma of a volcano.

She wasn’t quite sure how this would eventually erupt.

-Knock, knock, knock.

While she was lost in thought, someone knocked on the door.

Now, just from the refined sound, Vivian could tell who it was.

“Come in.”

At her permission, Lady Linne made her entrance.

Vivian couldn’t hide her exhausted expression as she greeted her.

“How can you look like a tired donkey while all this beauty is set up?”

Lady Linne asked lightly.

Vivian managed a weak smile and replied.

“…It’s been a while since you’ve made a joke, Master.”

Vivian sighed and slowly got to her feet.

As she signaled, the maids entered to prepare tea.

Lady Linne naturally found her place at the table, and Vivian did the same.

Vivian opened the conversation.

“Is there a reason you came today?”

“…”

Lady Linne raised her teacup instead of answering.

Vivian wasn’t in a hurry, so she waited for Lady Linne to speak.

“…Is the recent change due to Kyle Allen?”

As Lady Linne asked belatedly, Vivian’s hand, which was lifting the teacup, froze.

There was a silence for a moment.

Vivian couldn’t find the words, and Lady Linne took her time.

“…”

“…”

Feeling the tension, Lady Linne spoke.

“The recent changes must all be because of Kyle Allen, right? And what happened with Robert Rondore…”

Vivian still didn’t speak. The fact that someone was prying into Kyle’s relationship raised her caution.

“…Vivian. I don’t know how you feel, but… I see you as another granddaughter.”

As a softer expression came from her, Vivian finally smiled and replied.

“Thank you. I also… see you as a grandparent.”

Lady Linne was, though not as much as Kyle, one of the precious people who had stayed by her side.

Now she understood that all the extreme actions she had taken in the past stemmed from concern.

Accordingly, Vivian felt a lot of affection for Lady Linne as well.

Lady Linne smiled softly at Vivian’s response and then said.

“So, I’m speaking not as your vassal but as a grandmother worried about her granddaughter.”

“…?”

“…Vivian, please let go of Kyle Allen.”

-Thud.

Vivian placed her teacup down coldly.

She couldn’t believe the wave of fury that swept through her mind.

For sure, her eyes would have deeply darkened.

She lowered her gaze to hide it.

Lady Linne continued unaware of her agitation.

“There’s no more justification to hold onto Kyle Allen. Clearly, this could lead to a political dispute. We also have no reason to fear the Allen family anymore, but… it would ultimately be our side that’s being unreasonable. Lacking justification, we must now give up.”

Vivian took a deep breath and listened to Lady Linne.

She was listening calmly, yet the tips of her fingers were trembling slightly.

“Also, it’s easy for me to feel compassion for Kyle Allen since I’ve watched him since childhood. I feel responsible as one who has contributed to the torment of that Northern woman.”

With Kyle’s repeated rejections, her already sensitive emotions were reaching their limit due to Lady Linne’s meddling.

“…Vivian, I know now. That you and Kyle have developed feelings for each other. That you treasure Kyle Allen. But it’s time to let go of those feelings. There are many other men in the world. Loving a new man is—”

“-A new man?”

Vivian couldn’t hold back her anger any longer and interrupted.

Even Lady Linne flinched at her quivering voice.

“…Master, it’s not a lie that I view you as a grandparent. I feel so grateful for your protection and affection towards me.”

“Then please listen to me. Let Kyle Allen return home—”

“-But!”

Vivian could no longer hold back.

No one would remain silent when their sensitive spot was continually prodded.

Her red eyes burned fiercely.

“But… that doesn’t mean you have the right to meddle between me and Kyle.”

Lady Linne was taken aback by Vivian’s fierce emotions.

That alone wasn’t enough to calm Vivian down.

“Do you know what the bond Kyle and I have is… who protected me when I was trembling in fear of death… it wasn’t you. When you struck me with a rod every day… who empathized with me while we both suffered from that rod?”

“Vivian…!”

Vivian’s emotions, already at a boiling point, were bursting uncontrollably due to Lady Linne’s advice.

Her efforts to hide her fury crumbled more and more.

“When you claimed you were having dinner with your family and never once had a meal with me, who protected me by eating my food?”

Her voice was sharp to the point of no longer being able to hold back. She was slowly letting go of the restraints that wrapped around her.

“It was Kyle who pulled me from the massive inferno!! It was Kyle who defended me from the blades of assassins, putting himself in harm’s way! No matter how you claim to have cared for me, your advice to avoid Kyle is not your place to give!!”

“I was just… I felt so sorry for Kyle Allen…”

“So I should give up my relationship to alleviate your guilt?”

“…That, that’s…”

“The time when Kyle and I fought…! And the feelings that emerged from it run too deep. It’s not just some affection that can be summed up simply. You don’t even understand this. And you dare to speak freely as if giving advice.”

Somehow, Vivian had stood up from her seat.

Lady Linne, who had been offering advice, could no longer meet her gaze.

Seeing her tremble in fear brought Vivian’s sanity back to her gradually.

But she didn’t think for a second that she had misspoken.

Rather, it was Lady Linne’s fault for attempting to intervene.

“…I’ve thought for a long time, but that’s your problem. Is it because you’re of an older age? You give advice thoughtlessly. If you were going to say something like that… at least you should have understood what my relationship with Kyle was like before speaking. If you knew who put me in this position… you wouldn’t have said such things.”

It’s better to stay quiet than to speak without understanding.

The messy and complex feelings that Vivian and Kyle built together couldn’t be understood by anyone else.

Vivian squeezed her eyes shut before gathering her composure again.

“…A new man? Don’t make me laugh. There is no one who can love me as much as Kyle does. He put his life on the line for me countless times…!! His current behavior is just a temporary lapse. He’ll want to be by my side again. And I too… as much as Kyle…”

The words she once thought were obvious still struggled to leave her lips.

The word ‘love’ was shackled by the chains of a witch’s offering.

She would have to make a sacrifice of her womb… but… who knows, she might lose something even more deeply connected to Kyle.

So Vivian still couldn’t fully acknowledge those feelings openly.

Instead of ‘love,’ she chose another word.

“…There’s no one I can cherish as much as Kyle. I wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for him… So remember. Don’t carelessly tell me to give up on Kyle.”

With that sharp warning, Lady Linne nodded repeatedly, terrified.

“…I-I understand. I… I misspoke.”

Thinking back to the person who had once scolded her so profoundly that it made her tremble, it truly seemed that position shapes a person.

Now, even Lady Linne had to obey her words. It was only natural.

She had risen to a position where she was now referred to as a Grand Duke, after all; there was no way a mere noblewoman could shake someone like her.

Lady Linne must have known.

How Vivian had ascended to her current status.

How she had held the family tightly with her radical policies.

Financial officer Brinden, Baelor, Robert Rondore, and Count Korod all met their deaths as her enemies, while Scholar Krellyn, Chief Butler Pippin, and many other maids and knights were exiled.

She held nearly regal power.

Considering the vast territory she governed, that was saying a lot.

In plain terms, she was no longer restricted by anything.

If she wanted to, she could have anyone assassinated, or forcibly take land away.

If she truly desired, she could even kidnap people, or imprison them.

With just a snap of her fingers, she could make someone disappear from the world.

If she wished for any food, she could have whatever she desired; for any jewel she wanted, it could all be hers.

…But Vivian didn’t need any of that.

What she needed was just one thing: Kyle Allen.

If she could have Kyle Allen, she didn’t need anything else.

“…”

What couldn’t she do?

The position gap between her and Kyle was significant.

Kyle hadn’t yet inherited the family.

He was merely the eldest son of the Allen family, not the head.

Just another noble prince.

…If she wanted, she could just forcibly…

“…”

Vivian suddenly snapped back to reality at the thought.

No matter what, that wouldn’t do.

She was surprised by her own thoughts and shook her head.

Vivian’s desired relationship with Kyle was not one forced together.

She wished for a natural state where they chose to stay by each other’s side.

She kept thoughts of violence locked away in her mind.

…But once a thought arises, it never truly disappears.

It just quietly enters hibernation in the back of her mind.

 

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