《Please Take A Step Out Of The Portrait》 Chapter 0 - Prologue The weather today was especially good. Whether it was the chilly air that appeared at inopportune times during late spring subsiding, or the azure sky. The air was cool, but the spots that the sun shone on were still warm. The cats took their places on the marble that was baked a light yellow in the sun, basking in the sunlight. It was a peaceful day. Edmund Deer opened his eyes on the study¡¯s sofa, annoyed. He straightened up and collected a book that fell onto the floor. He seems to have fallen asleep in the study while reading a book at dawn. He dusted the book a few times and placed it on the table roughly, before staggering as he stretched himself. The suit that was worn to last night¡¯s social gathering was crumpled. ¡°I should¡¯ve drunk less.¡± ¡®I¡¯ll go back to my room and change my clothes, and give a draft for the magazine column¡­ What else did I need to do?¡¯ It was not long after he had woken up, so he was still dazed. Edmund left the study and headed for his room while holding his head. Whether it was for ventilation that all the windows were open, the curtains in the hallway fluttered wildly in the wind. ¡°Good morning, Young Master.¡± ¡°¡­Good morning.¡± He greeted the servant who passed by with laundry, and climbed the stairs to head to his room. As he put his hand on the door handle and was about to enter his room, a voice called for him from the other end of the hallway. ¡°Sir Deer.¡± ¡°Mr. Velloa.¡± The man that was wild with joy was one of the family¡¯s lawyers. Edmund inadvertently showed a face of disgust as he walked over with a happy expression. Whenever he had such an expression, Edmund¡¯s work would usually pile up into mountains. ¡°Did you hear the news?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m still on vacation.¡± However, he continued to speak without regard for Edmund¡¯s reaction. ¡°The Merci family has filed for bankruptcy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good news.¡± ¡°It was about time that the Young Master came back. Apparently the collections of the Merci family would be auctioned off.¡± That¡¯s very good news. Apart from the good news, it also meant that the family and the museum would once again become short-staffed. If this happens, Edmund would have no choice but to give up on his long awaited vacation, and return to the family¡¯s art gallery, ¡®The Deer¡¯. ¡°Right now, rumors are rife that a painting from Sasha Summers is coming out. Not only that, but there will definitely be a lot of undisclosed works by Impressionist artists. I think that you should get ready to return. The director is looking forward to it.¡± Edmund waved his hand a few times in acknowledgment, and the lawyer greeted him lightly before disappearing. As he stared at the end of the hallway where his lawyer disappeared towards, he let out a groan as he opened the door. ¡°¡­!¡± And he faced a woman that¡¯s on his bed. It was the first time he saw her. However, Edmund stared at the woman in front of him as if he were bewitched, forgetting to call anyone and even to breathe. He slowly stepped forward. Behind his bed was a large portrait. It was the portrait of a woman seated on a one-seater sofa that¡¯s delicately embroidered with motifs of roses, raising her head to look at the other party in the midst of reading her book. For him, who has lived half-disconnected from the world, this painting was the first thing he showed interest in at the age of fourteen. Edmund fell in love with the woman in the portrait when he was very young. That love continued to this day, and was even famous within the Empire. ¡°How is this, How is this possible?¡± As Edmund whispered softly and took another step, the woman was still unable to grasp the situation, looking at Edmund with a flustered face. Her dark green eyes were beautiful. Her pale pink hair swayed softly with her movements. The person in front of him was both the woman in a portrait, and the painter of the portrait¡¯s, Sasha Summers¡¯, younger sister. Her rosy hair was attractive, and her dark green eyes were dreamy, but that alone did not make him fall for her. A painting that captures the moment when someone had just raised her head in response to another¡¯s call, while reading a book. Perhaps her eyes were directed towards the painter, but at the same time, it was also directed at the audience. That gaze was captivating. He liked the atmosphere of the sole gaze from a painting made of warm colors. He seemed to hope for her gaze to be directed towards him only. And Edmund¡¯s obsessive collection of paintings began. He was a world-famous collector of works by Sasha, and if there was any relation between her paintings and his first love ¡®Vivian¡¯, he would first request to view them. His long-lasting first love. Unrequited love. by the artist Sasha Summers. The woman¡¯s gaze reached Edmund from within the portrait. At the same time, the gaze of the woman on the bed also reached Edmund. Edmund had a large portrait of a woman with pink hair, and on the bed below was the same woman. He felt that all of this was like a masterpiece. It didn¡¯t feel real. ¡°Excuse me, may I ask where am I?¡± She spoke while sweeping the hair hanging in front of her face with a puzzled expression. Her eyes fluttered aimlessly between her hair. It was the voice of his imagination. ¡°So¡­¡± Bang! What he barely managed to do with what remained of his reason was to close the door quickly so that no one could look inside. The woman trembled in surprise. Edmund approached the woman with a smile that was both dumbfounded and at the same time conveyed the joy that overflowed from deep within. Edmund¡¯s tall height naturally caused the woman to crane her neck. ¡°Vivian¨C¡± ¡°Do you know me?¡± ¡°Summers.¡± Edmund was already firmly convinced. Just as the goddess of beauty accepted Pygmalion¡¯s* plea and breathed life into Galatea, God responded to his wish and made her walk out of the portrait. [T/N: The story of Pygmalion and Galatea is an enchanting myth about a Cypriot sculptor who fell in love with his own sculpture. He prays to goddess Aphrodite (aka Venus) to bring the sculpture to life, because he plans for it to be his wife.] Even if she didn¡¯t introduce herself, she was Vivian Summers. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Vivian Ataraxia Summers. She was born in early summer, and after lasting for 20 years, she finally died today. There was a period of time during her childhood that she had forgotten. She couldn¡¯t remember what had happened then, and how unjust it was. The feelings of wanting to cry and being scared were still clear in her memories, despite not knowing what made her so upset. So, was the fact that her first memory was of her sister coming to pick her up a foreseeable tragedy? That was her thought as she was on the verge of death. It was painful to breathe. She opened her eyes one day after her consciousness sank into slumber, not expecting her body to recover. And her sister hovered over her feet every time she opened her eyes. Vivian would rather that her sister not come. Her older sister often came to listen to the doctor¡¯s report, before walking away indifferently. Like she had finished the day¡¯s work that she needed to do without even checking if her younger sister was awake. ¡®The Young Lady seems to be waking up soon. Would you like to stay for a while?¡¯ ¡®Ahh, next time.¡¯ It was the same today. The room¡¯s interior was warm. The pleasant sound of wood crackling as it burned in the fire reached her through her hazy consciousness, her motionless body that was buried in the bed was very warm. The head that continued to burn hotly with a fever, and the wet towel placed on it was lukewarm. Even so, it still felt cold. Her entire body trembled. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± From the voice of the doctor that had taken care of her since she was little, she seems to be slowly preparing to pass away. ¡°Tonight will be crucial.¡± Vivian¡¯s family, the Summers, was a prestigious family of mages that had accompanied the Millennium Empire since its founding. Their affluence came from the granary they owned, and they ruled the Southern part of the Empire with the powerful magic that protected their wealth. However, in the present generation, the disgrace of the family, Vivian, must have been the Summer¡¯s misfortune. In other words, it was also the misfortune of her older sister that will inherit the family. Vivian was born as an illegitimate child of the Summers, and with a chronic disease. Her body couldn¡¯t withstand magic. Everyone gossiped about the Summer¡¯s ludicrous illegitimate child; a half-baked mage that was unable to wield magic and the unprecedented disgrace that clung to her older sister. To Vivian, Sasha was no different from a hero, and so she wanted to gain recognition from her older sister. She didn¡¯t want to be a burden, she wanted to be more than an obligation to her older sister. ¡®You are my responsibility. I am your protector. Then, shouldn¡¯t you listen to my words?¡¯ It failed, though. ¡®If I wasn¡¯t a mage, would Sister have come to pick me up?¡¯ ¡°No.¡± ¡®Right¡­?¡¯ ¡®If you weren¡¯t a mage, the family would definitely have killed you.¡¯ She didn¡¯t know why the painful words that were embedded within her heart poured out when she was on the verge of her death. For a long time, she didn¡¯t want to acknowledge the fact that to her older sister, she was nothing, let alone a Summers. So, she would anticipate the words of, ¡°You¡¯re not my responsibility,¡± but end up getting hurt. It was for that very same reason that she hated birthdays. Her birthday falls in early summer, which was the season her family was at its busiest, so she would usually spend it alone. It was her plan to do so that year. It wasn¡¯t that miserable to celebrate her birthday by herself, as it has always been like that. But her sister remembered her birthday. Every time, when she received a card with the words: Happy birthday to you. Enclosed with the card is a little sincerity of mine. ¡ª From, Sasha Laurel Summers Her sister would always be the first to congratulate her with the card that her aide had sent. She would obviously think of blowing out the cake¡¯s candles with her sister. She looked forward to it. What her sister had done wrong was making her look anticipate it. If she hadn¡¯t inquired after her, she would have spent that day as usual without expecting anything from anyone. Her sister left the mansion, as if she had forgotten about her birthday. Vivian remembered that she looked out of the window all day, wondering if she would return in the evening. But her sister was nowhere to be seen, and if it was not for her sister, her father wouldn¡¯t have allowed her to sit with him in the first place¡­ She had dinner alone at the large table of the spacious dining hall. As she chewed and swallowed the meat that made her feel sick, the heart that was busy worrying over her sister, the heart that she had tried so hard to protect, was broken by the large cake placed before her. The sight of the cake that obviously took effort to make suffocated Vivian. After being dazed for quite a while, she finally moved her mouth to ask the butler. ¡®¡­Can¡¯t we not do this?¡¯ ¡®I apologize.¡¯ ¡®If you tell my sister that I had eaten well¡­¡¯ ¡®I apologize.¡¯ That evening, she only returned to her room after swallowing down a slice of the cake, in order to report to her sister that she had eaten. And Vivian spent that whole night throwing up everything that she ate, feeling sad. The reason her sister didn¡¯t show up wasn¡¯t because she was busy and forgot about her, but because there wasn¡¯t any need to appear. There were so many memories that were filled with grievances that she couldn¡¯t count with her hands, but why didn¡¯t Vivian give up? Her older sister was always cruel, she would occasionally show kindness. Vivian couldn¡¯t forget her sincerity, hence she kept getting involved with her. But now, this too has finally ended. When it was said that it would be hard for her to turn past twenty, that age felt very far away, but time flew so quickly that she was surprised that she had already reached the age of twenty. There wasn¡¯t a place that was comfortable usually, but occasionally she could bleed profusely and faint when problems occurred. But those occurrences were temporary, and she would get up soon after. That was the case during the late summer of her twentieth year. Both the inability to breathe properly and the terrible sensation of magic clashing assaulted her. As she fell to the floor, the calm thought of whether she would be able to wake up these days flitted through her mind. But now, it seems like she was really about to die. Vivian lost consciousness and woke up repeatedly. Autumn had already passed, and winter was just around the corner. And this is how she will die, forgotten by everyone. No one will remember her. That was her only comfort. Her older sister, whom she had admired greatly, would only be free after her death, and the Summers would fly freely without the fetters of disgrace under her sister¡¯s rule. Her hand stroked her hair awkwardly, which made her laugh without a reason. ¡®You¡¯d only stroke me once when I¡¯m about to die.¡¯ As she barely lifted the eyelids that were heavy and hard to open, the image of her older sister that she hadn¡¯t seen in a very long time looked blurred. Vivian couldn¡¯t see her sister¡¯s expression. ¡°¡­Sis¨Cter.¡± No. Truthfully, Vivian was upset that her sister would feel relieved at her death. She was so upset that her sister would finally be freed when she died. Instead of being an existence that would free the fetters around her sister, she wanted to remain in her sister¡¯s heart. ¡®Well, I¡¯m so pathetic.¡¯ The whole room was red like the evening glow. That¡¯s odd, didn¡¯t the sun set a long time ago? Has the day changed? Her brain wasn¡¯t working. She tried to keep her eyes open and forcefully connect her disconnected thoughts. Because of the magic power, her vision flickered and became blurry, before returning back to normal. ¡°Look out of the window.¡± Barely managing to turn her head at her sister¡¯s whisper, Vivian stared blankly at the outside world. Although it was so beautiful that she wouldn¡¯t take her eyes off it, she kept losing consciousness in between. From above her flickering vision, her sister¡¯s hand descended. And she fell back into the darkness. Her sister¡¯s indifferent hand seemed to say that that¡¯s enough. ¡°Vivi¡­¡± Her sister¡¯s whisper passed through her distant consciousness. ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D.¡± At twenty, at the beginning of winter, she died. And¡­ ¡°Vivian Summers.¡± 200 years in the distant future, her eyes opened at the Summers Mansion, in a world where magic has declined. The problem was that it was no longer the Summers¡¯ mansion, but the Deer¡¯s mansion. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T ¡°Huk!¡± When Vivian opened her eyes, she found herself on a soft bed. Even after blinking multiple times, the fact that it felt unfamiliar did not change. A pleasant breeze blew in through the opened window. ¡°¡­I thought that I died.¡± Was it an illusion? As she stretched out her hand, it blocked the sunlight, and light reflected off her pale skin, revealing her veins clearly. Still, it looked more like a human hand than a corpse¡¯s. It was originally much paler than now, and it looked like a dry branch. The family ring on her index finger was also not loose. As she slowly sat up, the blanket dropped down with a loud sound. It was a completely unfamiliar room. With a glance, it was evident that the room was made of the highest quality wood, and was lavish and glamorous, but it wasn¡¯t her room. ¡°But why does it feel so familiar?¡± No. The problem didn¡¯t lie there. ¡®I¡¯m not dead, I guess I just lost consciousness.¡¯ ¡®Did Sister succeed in saving me? It¡¯s amazing how light my body feels.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been in such good condition.¡± Then, the door swung open. The man entering moved naturally, as if he was entering his room. With a look of tiredness on his face, he stiffened when he made eye contact with Vivian, who was still on the bed. ¡®Who is he?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ve never seen him before.¡¯ ¡®I wouldn¡¯t have forgotten it if I had met someone that had an appearance like that.¡¯ The man and woman stayed like that for quite a while without taking their eyes off each other. The man with golden hair that even the sun would pale against opened his mouth, trying to form a sentence. From the looks of things, he seemed to be as bewildered as she was. ¡°Excuse me, may I ask where am I?¡± But as she was about to continue speaking, he slammed the door shut with a loud bang. She flinched at the loud noise. He burst into dumbfounded laughter. Although the room was spacious and there was quite a distance between the door and the bed, he strode with his long legs and reached right in front of her in a few steps. Vivian didn¡¯t realize that he was so tall when he stood by the door, but she had to crane her neck upwards for a moment to meet his eyes when he was in front of her. His face was filled with various emotions. The man suddenly lowered his posture. As she blinked at the suddenly lowered field of vision, he slowly spoke as if he had experienced a miracle. ¡°Vivian¨C¡± ¡®He knows my name. Is he someone that Sister assigned to me?¡¯ ¡°Do you know me?¡± ¡°Summers.¡± He nodded slowly in affirmation. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Vivian Summers.¡± The man¡¯s face was dyed with joy, and she only tilted my head as she couldn¡¯t understand. It was her first meeting with Edmund Deer. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Chapter 2 Chapter 2 < Vivi, At the festival > ¡°That¡¯s absurd.¡± ¡°What can I do?¡± At the sight of the man that shrugged his shoulders with a mischievous smile, Vivian raised her hand as if she was about to point at him, before ending up pulling at her own hair. ¡®Where did my loose and soft hair go? It¡¯s completely tangled.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s been 200 years?¡± What was more surprising was that this world was almost 200 years after the period of time that Vivian had lived in. During the first few hours that she had arrived here, Vivian made all sorts of threats, such as ¡°Tell me the truth while I¡¯m being nice,¡± ¡°First, call for my sister,¡± ¡°Even if I was the punching bag of the family, I was still a Summers,¡± so on and so forth. But the reason Vivian agreed at the very end was due to this mansion. ¡°How could the Summers leave this mansion!¡± When she stood in the garden and looked around, it was the Summers¡¯ mansion that she had lived in for almost all her life. ¡°It¡¯s regrettable, but it now belongs to the Deers.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that family before.¡± Deer? What kind of family name is deer? Vivian had memorised almost all of the noble families, but it was her first time hearing the name ¡®Deer¡¯. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you¡¯ll be hearing about it until you get sick and tired of it.¡± When she had first opened her eyes, it was natural that she found that room familiar. The Summers¡¯ mansion had withstood the passage of time, and that room was Vivian¡¯s around 200 years ago. The interior of the room, such as the wallpaper and furniture, was completely different from what she had remembered, but the basic structure of the mansion had remained the same. There wasn¡¯t any change to the scenery outside the window as well. The Roxen River that could be seen through the wide window was exactly as she had remembered. ¡°So, Deer.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you call me Edmund?¡± ¡°Alright, Edmund.¡± ¡°Yes, Vivian.¡± Edmund couldn¡¯t hide his excitement when Vivian called his name, and smiled softly. The raised corners of his lips was like a curve drawn with a thin brush, and the eyes that curved thinly rendered her speechless as she stared at him. Edmund Deer, a man with picturesque looks. He introduced himself as the second son of the Deer family, and that he had been using this room ever since he was born. He was very kind to her, an unfamiliar intruder, and it was the first time that she was treated in such a way, so Vivian panicked everytime he was friendly with her. In fact, she still couldn¡¯t get used to it. Like a person that was enchanted by her, he wanted to give everything to Vivian, making her at a loss on what to do. In an instant, dazzling boxes were placed everywhere. That¡¯s right. As soon as he saw the white nightdress that Vivian was dressed in, he had immediately sent someone to buy necessities for her, starting with clothes. Edmund held Vivian¡¯s arm lightly, and he asked with his eyes closed. ¡°Why did you call for me?¡± ¡°¡­It feels like a lot has changed.¡± Everything has changed. She could describe it as the world being turned upside down, right? 200 years is a long period of time that she had never had before, so it was difficult to imagine. Vivian had ignorantly thought that there wouldn¡¯t be much of a difference between the time period that she had lived in and now. But the only thing that remained was the mansion she lived in, while everything else became unfamiliar. ¡°The Summers¡­ It was the same even when they weren¡¯t in the mansion.¡± ¡°The Summers¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say it. I haven¡¯t prepared my heart for it yet.¡± She stopped Edmund from talking about how the Summers were currently. It was a family with a thousand years worth of history. Vivian naturally knew that it would continue to survive for a thousand years more, but the fact that the Summers weren¡¯t in this mansion meant that the family had fallen. She had guessed that from the moment she heard that this place belonged to the Deers, but she didn¡¯t want to hear the truth yet. Edmund had a smile on his face, seeming to find it all good. ¡°Matters of my family aside, I was more surprised by the decline of magic.¡± At first, Vivian wasn¡¯t able to understand the situation as she was of the opinion that families of mages were the world¡¯s dictators. However, she had no choice but to admit that magic has declined after confirming that the magic in the air was much thinner than it was 200 years ago. She also seems to have understood why the prestigious families of the Empire fell one after another. ¡°A lot has happened over the course of 200 years.¡± Edmund nodded his head. In the past 200 years, the Summers have fallen, and the families of mages that had ruled the world disappeared one after another. That was quite surprising, but the thing that shocked Vivian the most was something else. ¡°I thought that no one would remember something like me.¡± Edmund¡¯s composed face clouded instantly. He placed his chin on his palm and made eye contact with Vivian, as if he wanted to hear what she had to say. ¡°That is because no one was interested in me.¡± Born as an illegitimate child, her illness and subsequent death had only wasted the family¡¯s money and resources. How many people would have attended her funeral? Would there be anyone that was upset over her death? Even her sister wouldn¡¯t have cried for her. ¡°Vivian, you¡¯re one of the most famous people in the history of art.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s unbelievable.¡± But everyone said that they recognized her. They said that they remembered her. Immortalised in a portrait, she was the most precious person in the art gallery. Vivian walked towards the bed. There was a huge frame on the wall above the headboard of the bed. She stared blankly at the picture. Although she had already spent a long time before the painting, her thoughts always stopped and a suffocating feeling descended on her whenever she stood in front of it. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Vivian was in the painting. The image of her lifting her head and making eye contact to the painter as she was reading a book on the sofa. The parts of her lowly saturated rosy hair that was under the shadow were shaded, while the parts that were under the sunlight shimmered softly. ¡°¡­¡­¡± She knew where that picture was drawn. The rose-embroidered sofa was placed in a small and unused study that was connected with an outdoor terrace on the 4th floor. Ever since she had discovered the study when she was fifteen, Vivian spent her spare time there often. It wasn¡¯t as big and extravagant as the studies used by her sister or her father, but it was the only space that belonged to her. In particular, the terrace that stretched out to the back was a place where the rays of the sun shone particularly strongly, so oftentimes Vivian would open the window, draw a thin curtain, and lean on the couch with a cat in her lap while reading a book. She remembered every single one of those moments, but she couldn¡¯t remember that portrait. ¡°I don¡¯t know why Sister drew me.¡± It was Vivian¡¯s older sister that drew the image of her, which was filled with the atmosphere of a warm and sunny spring day. The Deers had paid the price of three houses for that portrait. When Vivian had first heard of that, she was shocked. A portrait of her, a portrait that she doesn¡¯t even remember her sister painting, was actually worth the price of three mansions in the captial. Someone had actually bought the portrait with that amount of money. ¡°I¨C I can¡¯t breathe whenever I think of my sister.¡± She was the person Vivian had admired the most, the one she wanted to touch and imitate the most, but at the same time, Vivian feared, was hurt by and hated the most. Her older sister has always been a point of desperation for Vivian, but to Sasha, Vivian felt deeply that she only viewed her as a burden. ¡°¡­Is your sister that great?¡± She didn¡¯t know when he came closer to stand beside her, ¡°Sasha is one of the most important and greatest artists in the history of art.¡± Right. The older sister Vivian had admired was amazing. As she spread her magic, the world was colored with a dazzling light. Her older sister was a great mage to the extent that Vivian was hard-pressed to imitate, and the Lord of Summers. However, her older sister was only remembered as ¡®Sasha, the artist¡¯. Sasha Summers was one of the greatest artists in the world, and as her muse, Vivian was considered one of the most beautiful people in the history of art. Vivian couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter at that. ¡°I don¡¯t want to admit to that.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Edmund comforted her lightly and sat her down. ¡°Then, Vivi.¡± ¡°Please call me Vivian.¡± ¡°Yes, Vivian. Where do you intend to stay? If 200 years had passed, there wouldn¡¯t be anyone that you would know, as well as a place for you to go.¡± Ah. Vivian¡¯s heart sank at the sound of his words. ¡®Yeah. Where do I go now?¡¯ Every moment in her memories was in this mansion. As such, the thought of leaving this place didn¡¯t cross her mind. As she opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, Edmund asked mischievously. ¡°You don¡¯t have a place to go, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Would you like to stay here?¡± This mansion still belonged to the Summers, but it was unfair that a stranger was making such an offer to Vivian. At the sight of Vivian¡¯s expression, Edmund smiled at his thought and got up from his seat. He looked around the room once and stood in front of her. He lowered himself before she could raise her head, ¡®I don¡¯t like this situation,¡¯ Vivian grumbled to herself. ¡°You¡¯re a noble, and yet you kneel so easily.¡± ¡°I only kneel for Vivian.¡± He didn¡¯t go into detail about his family. However, the distinctive words he used and the attitude that was ingrained in his body made it clear that he had received a fairly good education. ¡°Hmm.¡± It was a little burdensome that he had unhesitatingly lowered his position before her and looked into her eyes, so Vivian pulled back. He just smiled, like he was just happy to see her. ¡°I like you. I wanted to hear your voice.¡± ¡°But¨C¡± ¡°It¡¯s said that love begins with curiosity. What kinds of novels do you like? What kind of music do you like? Do you like summer or winter? What comes to mind when you think of summer? Do you prefer tea or coffee?¡± ¡°By the way, I prefer coffee,¡± he added. His golden hair glistened under the sunlight coming in through the wide window. Vivian listened quietly to that handsome face speaking softly like he was singing. ¡°I prefer tea.¡± He gently grabbed her hand, which had been lying against her knee, and whispered. ¡°Do you like dawn that was caught when waking up early in the morning, or do you prefer watching daybreak without sleeping?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Inexplicable emotions were intertwined within his silvery-grey eyes. It fluttered like a glass of wine filled to the brim with unexplained affection. Vivian was confused by his gaze. ¡°I¡¯ve been curious about you ever since I first met you when I was fourteen. What kind of story exists within that portrait? What kind of mindset and feeling did you look at the other person with?¡± He squeezed her hands once with both of his hands before standing up. As he turned his back against the sun, a shadow was cast over his face. Although she couldn¡¯t see his handsome face, he shone like the sun, making it impossible for others to take their eyes off him. ¡°I¡¯ve been in love with you for 10 years.¡± The other party confessed his feelings for her. It was Vivian¡¯s first time meeting him, and he laughed while saying that he had been curious about her for a long time. ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere else, and just stay here. This was originally your room, right? Then, use this room.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to do that¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m persuading you to stay because I like you.¡± At his firm answer, Vivian¡¯s heart beat uneasily. In any case, she wouldn¡¯t have anywhere to go if he didn¡¯t hold onto her anyway. That¡¯s why she hesitated even more. Although her memory of the moment of her death was too blurry, it was clear that she had died. And now, her current complexion was much better than the deathly pale complexion previously, and her face was younger than she recalled. Even the laborious breathing due to her chronic disease wasn¡¯t present. It felt like her body had become a few years younger. She felt that she was given about a year more, but questions arose at the same time. ¡®Why am I back here? Was the reason I came back related to the portrait that was drawn by my sister?¡¯ Vivian endured the urge to voice the questions that were lingering on the tip of her tongue. She spoke about something else instead. ¡°The Summers were one of the most prestigious families.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°I only keep the best around me.¡± ¡°That goes for me as well.¡± Since she wouldn¡¯t be living here for long, if it was only for a short while, wouldn¡¯t it be better to stay in this mansion that¡¯s filled with traces of her sister? ¡°If you can handle that, I¡¯ll stay.¡± He turned his head over arrogantly, and the mischievous look was completely gone from his face. The fingertips holding Vivian¡¯s hand were proper and selfless. As he bowed slightly from his waist, his lips touched her fingertips gracefully. ¡°Of course, Lady Summers.¡± Chapter 3 Chapter 3 After insisting on giving Vivian the room that she had used 200 years ago, Edmund acted like a person that went insane, spending all his money recklessly. As all of his belongings were moved to another place, the large space that remained was filled with things that Vivian could use. The spacious dressing room that was filled with Edmund¡¯s clothes, was quickly emptied and filled in an instant. Valerie, Reeding, Tom Jackson, Laurent Zuwitt, Sonnet, Morgan Summer, Alexandra Je¡­ It was Vivian¡¯s first time hearing about them, but many of those clothes looked high quality upon first glance, and various luxury goods, such as shoes, indoor clothes, watches, bracelets and necklaces filled the rest of the empty dressing room. Vivian barely managed to dissuade him from calling in the owner of the workshop to change the furniture, but since the current study had become a dressing room, Edmund decided to refurbish an old room into a study. ¡°It¡¯s amazing, really.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± This had all happened over the span of a week. ¡°It¡¯s not a compliment.¡± ¡°Even so, thank you.¡± He responded cheekily with his eyes curved. If he was left like this, the room would be filled with jewels, so Vivian said that she wanted to leave the mansion and look around, wherever it may be. She sat in the carriage and stared out the window dazedly. It¡¯s her first time going out after appearing here. Edmund had immediately prepared a carriage, saying that he wanted to show her wherever that he found good. ¡°In fact, any of Sasha Summers¡¯ paintings are deemed as one of the best collections in any art gallery. Particularly, portraits she had drawn are the representative works of each gallery.¡± As soon as Vivian turned her head, she made eye contact with Edmund. It seemed that he kept looking at her while she was staring out of the window. ¡°Is that the case with the place that we¡¯re going to now?¡± ¡°Yes. It actually houses one of the most famous paintings in the world.¡± ¡°¡­The people here don¡¯t even know that Sister was a mage.¡± When Vivian blurted that out, Edmund laughed softly, before putting leaning his chin on his hand and following her line of vision outside the window. ¡°Also, what we¡¯re about to see is really famous.¡± Vivian inadvertently wondered how expensive the painting was for him to speak so profoundly. When she asked why was her sister so famous, only at the very end of the week, Edmund told her how much the most recently bided painting by Sasha Summers was auctioned for. He smiled faintly as he muttered, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that I had to use such a shallow standard to introduce Sasha,¡± in response to Vivian¡¯s wide-opened mouth. Ever since then, whenever she heard that it was famous, her first thought would be that it was expensive. ¡°How many mansions is it worth?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s more accurate to say that this particular painting¡¯s price can¡¯t be fixed.¡± He sat comfortably as he undid the topmost button of his shirt. ¡°We are heading towards the Deer. The painting that I want to show you is termed the goddess of the Deer. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that tens of thousands of people from all over the world come to see her every year.¡± From the way Edmund used ¡®her¡¯, it seems that it was a portrait drawn by her sister. Vivian tried to recall any portraits within her memories, but she couldn¡¯t think of anything. It was to be expected. Her sister hated it when she showed interest in her paintings, and so ever since then, Vivian deliberately stopped paying attention. More than that, what caught her attention was their destination, the art gallery¡¯s name. ¡®The Deer¡¯. The art gallery¡¯s name contained Edmund¡¯s surname ¡®Deer¡¯. ¡°Is it your family¡¯s art gallery?¡± Then again, wealthy and distinguished families also owned galleries or art museums 200 years ago. In the Summers¡¯ case, they had an orchestra. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What painting is it about? ¡°If you don¡¯t remember this too, it will be a little sad.¡± ¡°Why? It seems like it¡¯s a painting of me?¡± Vivian had casually said that, but Edmund¡¯s eyes were wide open with an expression that asked how she knew about it. ¡°It¡¯s the painting of you that I liked the most. This painting was also the first time I saw you.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s a painting that you liked?¡± Their first meeting had only taken place a week ago, so hearing him say that their first meeting wasn¡¯t a week ago felt weird. As he folded his arms, he tilted his head downwards slightly. Languid eyes and curved corners of his mouth. It seemed like just thinking about that painting made him feel better. He nodded slowly. ¡°I like you.¡± His low voice made Vivian¡¯s heart race for no reason at all. She felt that he was mystifying. The person in the picture wasn¡¯t living but merely frozen at that moment. Yet how does he make eyes that conveyed deep affection? ¡°Sasha is¡­¡± Edmund talked about the portrait that he remembers. His quiet voice had a unique echo and was pleasant to hear. ¡°It was the first time that I had seen you, and without realising, I was entranced. What were you thinking, why were you making such an expression, what had happened? As those questions kept circling in my mind, I fell in love.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± His blond hair shone resplendently underneath the rays streaming in through the window. He looked like a character of a renowned painting due to the sunlight shining on his face in deep thought. ¡°That¡¯s why.¡± Vivian looked at him quietly and closed her eyes at the dazzling scene. Underneath the still afternoon sunshine, the carriage arrived at the art gallery. As Vivian held his hand, she exited the carriage and before her feet had touched the ground, she quietly inhaled at the sight of the scenery before her eyes The first thing that she saw was a noble family¡¯s mansion. ¡°I know this mansion¡±. The location where the garden should be was sprucely like a park, and the wide road leading towards the mansion had two bronze statues decorating each side. There were more statues than she had expected, and it seemed like they were added afterwards. Although the mansion was still beautiful, the traces of time added an antique appeal. ¡°This is the art gallery.¡± It was surprising that this mansion had remained the same even after 200 years had passed. It was surprising that this mansion, which for a long time had only been open to aristocrats, was open to everyone. There were people freely wandering around the mansion¡¯s park, people that were obviously not aristocrats. ¡°What about those people?¡± ¡°While some people came for the art gallery, others just came for a walk.¡± ¡°¡­It seems like too much has changed.¡± Vivian retracted her persistent gaze and look around her surroundings. ¡°So it was like this here.¡± Franzit was the central city in the Summers¡¯ territory, and although it¡¯s said to be the busiest city in the vicinity, it was only a city in the Southeast. Of course, it couldn¡¯t be compared with the extremely developed capital. However, it now was as bustling as Toyo, the capital of the Empire, once was. Whenever the eye could reach, it was dazzling and filled with laughter. Everywhere was filled with vitality, like droplets being sprayed everywhere from a fountain. It was as if all the world¡¯s sunlight had gathered to shine here. Vivian would be willing to believe it if someone had said that this was a completely different city. ¡°¡­It¡¯s amazing.¡± She stood at the center of the street and looked around blankly. The area around the large mansion, which was called an art museum, was crowded, making it unimaginable. In order to not lose its dignified appearance, the noise level around a noble¡¯s mansion was maintained as low as possible. As such, the nearby yellow coloured lodging house and the cafe located on its first floor with green awning were wholly unfamiliar to Vivian. But, even so. ¡°I have lived in this city for twenty years.¡± It was numbing to her that even after undergoing 200 years of changes, everything remained in its place like in the past. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s changed incredibly, but there¡¯s something that hasn¡¯t changed even after 200 years.¡± Streetlights that would light up at night from this mansion to that intersection, the buildings that were covered in green vines in that alley. The things that Vivian remembers. Yes, remember. As she didn¡¯t have friends when she was young, she used to escape the mansion surreptitiously. The city where she grew up in remained even after 200 years. The people that she knew and the ones that knew her had left, but the city still remained here. ¡°You¡¯ve said that this is now the capital.¡± ¡°Yeah. The capital was moved once.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised that this city has changed this much.¡± As the vibrant city she was looking at for the first time mingled with the city from her memories, a uniformed person approached Edmund. He seemed to be the gallery¡¯s security guard. After looking at the city for a long while, Vivian looked at Edmund chatting with another a little distance away. If his appearance was described as having the genteel elegance of a young noble when within the mansion, in the city¡¯s mysterious streets, he exuded a sophisticated bearing that¡¯s unique to a young nobleman. A lightly coloured cotton pants and a matching shirt perfect for spring, combined with a casual trench coat. Of course, the thing that attracted the most attention was that shiny face. ¡°Am I that weak to appearances¡­?¡± Well, she would fall for a ridiculous suggestion such as staying in the mansion because of his handsome appearance. As Vivian was muttering to herself, Edmund approached with wide strides. ¡°Vivi, shall we get going?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the way he bowed gracefully with the Imperial etiquette from a few centuries past that he perhaps had researched on separately. She placed her hand atop of his, and he held her fingertips. ¡°You¡¯re quite handsome.¡± ¡°Thank you. As such, you should hurry and fall for me too.¡± Vivian chuckled. When he had first started this, she felt burdened and took a step backwards, but after listening to it for a week, she became used to it. ¡°It¡¯s regrettable that you¡¯re not to my taste.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your preference?¡± ¡°Someone with a cool impression¡­?¡± As she recalled the only man that was by her side, Vivian added another condition. ¡°Yeah, just like that guy over there.¡± As they stood in front of the imposing main entrance, a black-haired man passed behind Edmund¡¯s back. ¡®Hm?¡¯ She had only pointed at someone she saw, but her gaze inadvertently followed him, as if she was captivated. ¡°Yuriel¡­¡± But that man had already moved a far distance away, and only his black hair entered her vision. ¡°Vivi?¡± Perhaps out of jealousy, Edmund called her with a grumpy face, before sensing the odd atmosphere. ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that I thought I saw someone that I knew.¡± ¡°All of the people you knew existed 200 years ago.¡± ¡®That¡¯s true.¡¯ He¡¯s right. Yuriel Jewell was Vivian¡¯s fiance, so he obviously wouldn¡¯t be here. At the thought of his chilly face, a bitter taste entered her mouth. As it was only an engagement symbolistic of the friendship between their families, rather than the title of fianc¨¦, he was more like the young master of another noble family that she¡¯d occasionally met. ¡°I guess it was just someone that looked similar.¡± Out of lingering attachment, Vivian turned her head just before entering the mansion, and couldn¡¯t even find a trace of him. Chapter 4 ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Like an ordinary noble¡¯s mansion, open space was revealed upon entrance. However, the atmosphere inside was different not only from Vivian¡¯s memory but also from the mansion that she was currently living in. Perhaps, the norms of aristocrats¡¯ mansions had simply been relinquished when the decision to use this mansion as an art gallery had been made. Usually, lighting is reduced in order to maintain grandeur, and the lighting of the interior was controlled by itself. However, the windows of this place were enlarged, allowing light to stream through into the interior. The interior was very bright as a result of that. ¡°Wow.¡± As the hall was the place that was most crowded, an individual exhibit wasn¡¯t on display, and there wasn¡¯t any kind of works in particular. All except for one work. Perhaps it was clear that the first work that everyone would view upon stepping into this space would be the majestic statue of Ranka, the goddess of victory, the sole exhibit located atop the flight of steps in the center of the hall. Vivian tilted her head upwards and looked at the statue of the goddess for a while. It made her feel oddly emotional to come across a statue that she had memories of in an unexpected place. It was said that this sculpture was carved thousands of years ago, and was discovered in a temple buried at sea. At that time, her neck had already vanished, but that doesn¡¯t mean that she wasn¡¯t dignified. Because of her beautiful wings that were spread out behind her back, the statue that was located at the top of the flight of stairs seemed as though she was about to fly in that instance. ¡°¡­Due to familial matters, I went to the capital city. That was the first time I¡¯d seen that statue in the central palace.¡± Whether it was then or now, Vivian¡¯s feelings haven¡¯t changed. At that time, she thought that if she had grown up, if her eye level had increased, if she became a more brilliant person, she wondered if she would feel less overwhelmed. ¡°When I first met Sister, I was quite young and she seemed like an adult. I remember having to tilt my head upwards to look at her.¡± Whether it was then or now, Vivian¡¯s thoughts remained the same. ¡°My feelings when I first saw that statue was similar to when I first saw Sister.¡± ¡°¡­I want to meet Sasha more when you say that.¡± ¡°Sister¡¯s a really amazing person.¡± When Vivian reached out to Edmund, he clasped their hands together. He then laughed cheekily. ¡°Would you like to look at it up close?¡± ¡°Uhm, wasn¡¯t it prohibited to ascend?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. All of this belongs to my family, so why would it matter?¡± As he spoke confidently, he pulled down the string that prevented people from crossing over. He ascended the stairs at Vivian¡¯s speed. As her eye level gradually increased, another side that couldn¡¯t be seen on the first floor appeared. Thump, thump. Vivian¡¯s heart raced. After passing the statue of Ranka and standing on the opposite railing, a spacious place was revealed. It was quieter than the place she was at a little earlier. Marble sculptures of mythical heroes and gods made in ancient times lined the place. It was like she was peeping into a mythical temple. ¡°The mansion is bigger than what I¡¯ve remembered it to be.¡± ¡°Apparently it was expanded in the process of making this place into an art museum. As this place was designed to be an open space, the stairs here were destroyed.¡± ¡°After expansion, the whole mansion became an art museum?¡± ¡°Yes. This is the largest museum in the Empire.¡± Even so, expanding that big mansion? And the mansion was demolished and rebuilt in order to make it more spacious? It seems that there are more people obsessed with art than she¡¯d thought. Haha. As Vivian turned her head while laughing, she made eye contact with a happily smiling Edmund. Just then, he spoke proudly. ¡°Even the Imperial Museum isn¡¯t as big as this.¡± It was no wonder that he looked so proud. It was obvious that Edmund was beside himself with pride in this space. But the scale of this place was deserving of such pride. It definitely was amazing that such a beautiful space was filled to the brim. The fact that the statue of the goddess of victory that could only be seen in the Imperial Palace in the past, was located here, which goes to show how great his family was. There were many different types of people present when observed from above. Although there were some that could be identified as nobility like Edmund, just from their clothes, there were various types of people, such as working professionals from upper class to middle class. As Vivian stared blankly at them, who entered a place where only high ranking aristocrats would have been allowed into, Edmund seems to have noticed what she was thinking about and spoke casually. ¡°Many changes had occurred over the past 200 years. The world that was dictated by mages has collapsed, and compared to the past, Imperial authority has fallen to the bottom. While the aristocrats that possessed capital still maintained their power, in the case of the majority, most families collapsed.¡± Her mouth felt bitter. ¡°And the newly emerged families filled their places.¡± It was no longer an era where the Emperor decided everything. No matter what it was, it required the Assembly¡¯s approval. ¡°The Deers are one of the ruling families in this era, and this art museum was a large-scale plan requiring astronomical sums of money. Even now, this place was barely made by pouring out a huge sum.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± ¡°As such, it¡¯s something only the Deers can do.¡± Edmund¡¯s words were saying that his family was like the Imperial Family. ¡°That¡¯s why an art museum was built.¡± Vivian looked upwards at Edmund, who was leaning his upper body against the railing. ¡°I didn¡¯t bring you here with the intention to brag about the greatness of the Deers, but to show you something else. That¡¯s located inside, so let¡¯s head there first.¡± At the way she looked downwards at the statues reluctantly, Edmund laughed softly. ¡°A week wouldn¡¯t be enough to tour the entire place. You¡¯d probably need a full month to look through it all.¡± ¡°¡­Sister would have loved it if she was here.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. Sister liked to view paintings.¡± In Vivian¡¯s time, rather than art, music was viewed to be the more sophisticated fine arts. As such, aristocrats learned the piano, violin, and vocal music. In such a situation, her sister picked up a brush and drew. Now that she thought about it, Edmund and her sister seem to be quite similar in many ways. Her sister loved the process of painting, and Edmund seems to love the act of discovering and interpreting completed works. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± As she followed beside Edmund, he opened the door immediately with a push. He grabbed the door, which looked heavy at first glance, with one hand and held it open as he nodded his head towards Vivian to enter first. Within was an exhibition hall. It was a painting that she¡¯s seeing for the first time. There were people walking slowly before the painting, looking around. Edmund walked without giving that painting a single glance. Vivian was drawn to his movements and quickly followed behind, brushing the painting to one side. ¡°Perhaps if you catch anyone that¡¯s visiting this place and ask them which painting they think to be the most famous in The Deer, nine out of ten would say the painting that we¡¯ve about to view now.¡± ¡°What exactly is the painting you¡¯re talking about?¡± ¡°¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± At that extremely undisguised name, Vivian stopped in her steps. ¡®Sister, the painting that you drew had such a name?¡¯ ¡°Although not everyone knows which country or city The Deer is located in, and what kind of family the Deers are, everyone knows that the painting by Sasha, , is housed in The Deer.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re the symbol of the richest and most beautiful Sierra from 200 years ago.¡± Vivi, At the Festival. It was her first time hearing that name. ¡°Sasha doesn¡¯t give her paintings a name. Her paintings were only named by the people from later generations. But there are just a few paintings that she¡¯d named herself.¡± Edmund supported Vivian and led her while telling her a story that he didn¡¯t tell me in the carriage. ¡° was the name that Sasha gave herself.¡± Vivian walked through a room containing myths from thousands of years ago, passed by a room with tranquil paintings from the next continent, and another room filled with portraits of prestigious aristocrats from her time. As the place was so wide, Vivian couldn¡¯t even estimate how many paintings she had passed by, or their quality. The place that she had arrived in had more people outside the exhibition hall than the others. As she hesitated, low laughter from beside her resounded. With his eyes folded into an arc, Edmund bowed down slightly as he whispered in her ear. ¡°Next time, let¡¯s either close the museum or come here before the museum opens. Then, you can enjoy it as much as you want.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to do that¡­¡± ¡°There are many paintings by Sasha here.¡± He swept the hair that fell forward back. His straight fingertips brushed against her cheeks. ¡°What I wanted to show you today wasn¡¯t a painting, but these people.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Over there, from that room onwards are filled with the works of impressionist masters with Sasha Summers at the center.¡± Edmund had been saying all week about how great Sasha is as an artist, but Vivian felt that it was unreal. That was turned upside down at this place today. ¡°As such, the innermost room of this building houses a painting that everyone from all over the world longs to see.¡± It would be, as he says, a portrait of Vivian. As she slowly entered the exhibition hall, there were various kinds of people, ranging from those discussing the paintings, to those who were absorbed by the paintings, as such taking a while to view them. Vivian gave them a glance, before looking through the works. Although she wasn¡¯t well informed about art and was even less informed about her sister¡¯s paintings, she knew it was a canvas that completely contained her sister¡¯s painting style. Vivian slowly walked from one end of the wall to the other end. While there were paintings of cups and desks drawn on very small canvases, there were also large frames filled with nature. Her memories vaguely recalled the vibrant colours that gushed from the painting. When she stopped before the painting of a man standing in the midst of a wheat field, Edmund let out a low sigh, ¡°Ah.¡± Vivian felt like she was about to get sucked into the painting. ¡°Erickson Riverry.¡± ¡°Yes, Sasha¡¯s fiance.¡± As she spoke with a strangely excited voice, the corners of her mouth raised slightly. In the lower right corner of the canvas, there was a man that seemed to disappear with the billowing wind, and although both his face and the shape of his body was smudged, it was obvious that the man was Erickson Riverry. Vivian fully agreed with Edmund¡¯s constant praise of her sister as ¡®great¡¯. As she stood viewing the painting quietly, the conversation between the two people standing next to her flowed into her ears. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful.¡± ¡°Sasha is a genius. Perhaps if it was not for her, art like hers wouldn¡¯t exist now.¡± ¡°I heard that she was a mage?¡± ¡°I heard the Summers are one of the most prestigious families. Apparently, she was the Lord of that family.¡± ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s amazing. How does she draw a painting like this?¡± Her sister was such an amazing person. She had thought that if her sister were to be remembered, it would be as a mage or a politician, or perhaps as a member of the Summers family. But the words representative of her sister was a painter, a word that was insignificant. Mage, politician, aristocrat, a family¡¯s ruler¡­ All of those magnificent and glistening positions were just words to embellish Sasha, the painter. ¡°Why are you making such a face already?¡± ¡°I feel strange.¡± The nausea she was feeling seems to have worsened. It seemed that the nausea she was feeling became more severe. As she approached the room where her portrait was hung in, the feelings of wanting to throw up turned into feelings of fear. Strangely, she couldn¡¯t lift her feet. When Edmund saw Vivian like that, he asked if she was alright as she was more disconcerted than expected, saying that it was alright to not view the work now if it was too difficult for her to do so, and asking her if she would like to leave. He also said that they could go and view the many excellent paintings housed in The Deer, and that they could come again another day. But it felt like unless it was today, unless it was right now, Vivian wouldn¡¯t be able to see her sister¡¯s paintings. As she was the type of person that kept running away, and not someone that faced things confidently. She slowly lifted her foot off the ground. The sound of shoes tapping against the ground was drowned out by the murmurs of the people. ¡°Vivi, are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. It was just because of my mood.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to overdo it.¡± ¡°I had kept wondering for the whole week why I had come here.¡± She walked past the works on display mechanically. The number of works that she had passed by without giving them a glance increased. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s the word that I¡¯ve heard the most in here?¡± ¡°No¨C¡± ¡°Sasha.¡± Edmund stood next to her when Vivian stopped walking. ¡°¡­Those are all things I couldn¡¯t understand. I can¡¯t understand how my sister and I are mentioned at the same time. Perhaps ¡®Sasha¡¯ would know why I fell here, and what I should do from now onwards; no matter what, wouldn¡¯t she know what to do?¡± She might have left the right answer in her painting. Vivian feared Sasha as much as she had admired her. She had always felt like she was fully disassembled before Sasha¡¯s gaze, and it felt like her world was falling apart when she realized that her faint expectations were cut off. Of course. Her staying with the Summers was all thanks to her sister. If it wasn¡¯t for her sister, she might have been kicked out of the mansion before she turned twenty, and died in a place where no one was aware of. Vivian took another step forward to lift her subdued mood. The next space seemed to be very spacious upon first glance. However, the expansive space was overshadowed by the number of people present, which was more than she had ever seen in one place. With an expression of weariness, Edmund sighed lowly. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of people here today.¡± There was a painting at the center of the other side, and many people were gathered in front of it. ¡°We can look at the painting properly next time, so let¡¯s take a peek at it and leave. What I had wanted to show you were those people.¡± Vivian shook her head when she heard that he wanted to show her how many people flocked over to see her sister¡¯s painting. She had already known that her sister was a famous painter. ¡°Only now do I know how famous Sister is.¡± As she moved forward, Vivian spotted a painting hidden by the crowd. It wasn¡¯t a very big canvas. Its size was big enough to cover her from her upper body to her head. This is the most famous painting by her sister housed in this museum. What kind of painting would the one with her name hanging before it be like? There were numerous people with slightly gaping mouths, looking at the huge canvas silently. While there were many people, it was contradictory in its stillness. From the side, Edmund¡¯s excitement was conveyed to her. As she looked at his side profile, whose attention had already been captured by the canvas, Vivian slowly raised her head. And¡­ Thump, thump. She had even forgotten to breathe. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Chapter 5 ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Vivian¡¯s POV I froze the moment I saw the painting. Thick and fast brushstrokes connected together to form the completed painting, which I looked at vacantly. I was in the painting. With fluttering rosy pink hair, it was a painting of me dancing at a small festival in town. Like a festival, there were many people on the canvas, but they were either blurred or small, and I was clearly in the middle, as if only I was the main character, The colours of both the dress I wore and the flower blooming next to me were distinct and intense, filled with vibrancy unique to festivals. However, the pastel colour covering the entire canvas in thick brush strokes made the painting vague, as if the subjects of the painting were about to disappear. ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing? Just looking at the painting, I can tell that this must be the center of the festival. I can hear the melody, and you¡¯re dancing over there.¡± Edmund held his breath for a moment. ¡°Just like that, I looked at you.¡± Ahh. As I swept my forehead with my fingertips and gave out a sigh-like exhale. Edmund continued to speak without knowing about my condition. ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of moment it was. But, I think I can understand. How sunny that day was, how good the breeze felt, how happy you were.¡± As I listened to his whisper, it was as if I had immersed myself into the feelings within that painting. Hair floating in the air shone white in the sun, evident of the vibrancy of an early summer festival. ¡°Smiling so brightly like that¡­¡± He trailed off at the end and soon after began to mutter. ¡°I was strangely enthralled by you with that expression. And long for it. Even if it¡¯s just once, I want to go into that moment when you had smiled like that. I hoped that you would smile like that.¡± But now, you¡¯re right by my side. I couldn¡¯t even hear the sound of his whispering clearly. The one in the middle of that painting that anyone would be able to tell was smiling merrily was me. That¡¯s right. I wonder how hard I had clenched my fist that all the joints of my fingers hurt. ¡°¡­I, I know that painting.¡± Tears might flow out if I wasn¡¯t careful, so I spoke while suppressing my feelings. As the hand that was brushing against my forehead trailed downwards to my eye, I used the back of my hand to gently press on an eyelid. I still remember that day. But I don¡¯t know why had Sister drew that. ¡°You remember it?¡± ¡°When I was eighteen.¡± I really don¡¯t know. I took one step closer towards the painting. Eighteen. It has been two years since that incident. The song for dancing that I heard, along with the bustling town, and the jubilant atmosphere reappeared before my eyes once again. But the moment from my memories wasn¡¯t a sparkling and joyful moment like the painting that¡¯s drawn by my sister. Generally, my older sister was scary, but that day she was exceptionally so. Even now, the memory of that time still remains clear. Edmund¡¯s gaze was filled with anticipation, but I was unable to speak out the words that he was hoping for. I pressed the other eye with my other hand. This was a deception. How could Sister draw it like that? ¡°It was my birthday, but something big had happened in my family. So Father went up to the capital in a hurry, and Sister wasn¡¯t in the mansion. Since I¡¯m an illegitimate child, I¡¯m not particularly welcomed wherever I went, so that day I was left in the mansion alone.¡± I continued to speak without taking my eyes off the painting. Although I felt like I was about to cry, my voice was calmer than I had thought. ¡°But I felt a little disappointed on that day. It was still my birthday, after all. I didn¡¯t want to stay in the mansion, where no one cared for me. It just so happened that there was a festival going on outside, so I just left the mansion quietly.¡± ¡°If you disappear, won¡¯t others find out that you¡¯re missing right away?¡± ¡°No, not for me.¡± Isn¡¯t that the fate of all illegitimate children? As he listened to me speak, Edmund¡¯s expression hardened. He opened his mouth slightly, as if he was about to say something. I passed by him, and took another step towards the painting. As I liked my sister¡¯s atelier, I would play in it often, but the paintings would always be covered with cloth or turned to the back so that I couldn¡¯t see them. ¡°When a festival is mentioned, wouldn¡¯t it have a unique atmosphere? It was a day that¡¯s no different from usual, but I was oddly excited for some reason. I was just feeling like that.¡± As I liked the music playing in the town, I started to dance inadvertently. I could act like that because no one knew that I was a Summer or that I was an illegitimate child. But my sister didn¡¯t like it when I did that. It was precisely because of that that I was excluded from high society, which was frustrating. So I could only leave the mansion when my sister was away for a long time. ¡°I hadn¡¯t planned to play to that extent, but it was much more fun than I had thought, so I just danced and had fun.¡± I didn¡¯t know Sister drew that scene. ¡°You said Sasha wasn¡¯t there.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Edmund had raised a valid question. It was a perfect birthday until that moment. It was much more blissful than my birthday when I was fifteen, where I had to forcibly eat a slice of cake for my sister to see. ¡°Sister returned earlier than scheduled. Apparently she was looking for me, but when she didn¡¯t find me in my room, she released the servants in search of me.¡± ¡°She was worried¡­¡± ¡°I was reprimanded, and it seems that I¡¯d heard everything I could¡¯ve heard. Vivian Summers, think about the weight of your name.¡± Have I ever been looked upon favourably by my sister? ¡°Even now, I can¡¯t forget those eyes.¡± Sister doesn¡¯t like me. She said that I made her bitterly disappointed. It was because I did not achieve anything even when I had the blood that Sister was proud of. If I was lacking in talent, I should have worked harder, but I didn¡¯t do that. ¡°Vivian Summers. Is the name of Summers heavy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not¡­¡± ¡®You¡¯d speak with honorifics when you¡¯re at a disadvantage. Just speak comfortably. I¡¯ve never turned a blind eye just because you¡¯re speaking respectfully.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Let me know if you feel that the name of Summers is too much for you. It¡¯s hard to enter this family, but it¡¯s easy to leave.¡± My sister¡¯s hardened face before my eyes, with the family knights and mages behind her, was still as clear as day. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Summers, you wouldn¡¯t have been here because you died a long time ago.¡¯ ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what you do within the mansion. Do you think I don¡¯t know that you would come up to my atelier whenever I¡¯m not present? I¡¯m aware, but I just let it go. It¡¯s a different story when you¡¯re outside, Vivian.¡± It has already been a few years since the events of that day, and in the meantime 200 years passed since I had died. But I couldn¡¯t forget it. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that there was such a story.¡± I glanced briefly at Edmund, who spoke in a low voice. ¡°Don¡¯t make me regret the day I fetched you.¡± Yeah. I was definitely impacted by that. Thump, thump. The sound of my beating heart was unpleasant. ¡°Why did Sister paint me from that day?¡± I¡¯m upset. Why did Sister paint a painting like this? Why did I come here? I had been worrying about this ever since I had fallen here. There was a phrase used commonly amongst mages. Through careful manipulation, the entire event would be magically realised at a place that no one would expect it to. From the beginning, something like coincidences or miracles doesn¡¯t exist. I¡¯d been constantly thinking whether or not there was a special meaning for me to fall here like this in my unfamiliar room. But now, it has become confusing. ¡®Did you actually watch me smile like that? Did you think I was that happy?¡¯ Didn¡¯t Sister admonish me? ¡®If you dare to carry the name of Summers, live up to it. Don¡¯t create situations where I have to pay attention to you. Don¡¯t make me regret my choice the day I had fetched you from the back alley.¡¯ Sister has always been like that towards me. You hated those types of appearances the most. After going through numerous questions, the question that was raised again was the same as my first. Why did I fall here, into this era in particular? ¡°¨CVivian.¡± ¡°¡­Hmm?¡± As I felt suffocated from the numerous questions running around in my head, it was a touch holding my shoulder and a low voice that dragged me back to reality. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± When I didn¡¯t answer, there was a subtle crack in his expression, which always contained a soft smile. He pulled me closer naturally, before bowing his head to speak softly by my ear. ¡°I apologise for this situation. I think that we should leave now.¡± At his words, the murmuring around us that wasn¡¯t clear before could be heard more detailedly. ¡°She looks exactly like Vivian Summers.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°The person beside her seems to be Edmund Deer.¡± ¡°Oh, that collector of Sasha¡¯s works?¡± ¡°¡­How incredible. Because he liked her so much, he¡¯d save someone that looks exactly like her?¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be.¡± Everyone seemed to be looking over at this side. Why did I recall those memories after managing to get a glimpse of the painting? It was alright up until a few moments ago, but their gazes became stinging the moment I was aware of them. In such a situation, their pouring gazes were a little burdensome. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± He spoke in a whisper. I hesitated for a moment before placing my hand on his outstretched hand that was beckoning. Just as my hand touched his lightly, Edmund held my hand firmly. Perhaps it was because he was aware of my condition, Edmund stepped forward while I was almost in his embrace. Others couldn¡¯t see me as I was in Edmund¡¯s arms, so I relied on him to walk. After leaving the exhibition room, I finally released the breath that I was holding. I had thought that I could get an answer by looking at Sister¡¯s painting of me, but it felt like I¡¯d returned with only more questions. I shook off Edmund, who hurriedly held me as I faltered. My legs trembled as if I was about to collapse instantly. But this isn¡¯t a place where I could collapse. ¡°I want to go back.¡± ¡°To where?¡± Edmund hurriedly grabbed me by the shoulders. The strength in his grip was higher than usual. But I didn¡¯t even have the mind to point that out. ¡°Home.¡± Only then did Edmund release his hand and take a step back. I covered my eyes with the back of my hand. ¡°I really don¡¯t know Sister.¡± Perhaps my sister was the one that hasn¡¯t changed most within the past 200 years. She makes me cry here, too. I¡¯m still afraid of Sister, yet I still love her. And I don¡¯t know. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Chapter 6 ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Vivian¡¯s POV As soon as I had returned from the art museum, I stood at the foot of the bed and stared at the portrait that my sister drew for a long time. Even as I met the gaze of me in the painting, my complicated feelings did not disappear. As I was ruminating over my sister¡¯s name, I lifted a book. This book was the painter Sasha Summers¡¯s biography that Edmund had left in the room about a week ago, asking me to have a look at it. For the past week, I consciously tried not to pay this thick hardcover book any mind. ¡°Even in death, I can¡¯t break away from you, Sister.¡± It was scary to flip the book open. It was Edmund who brought the book over, but now he was trying to take it away. ¡°Vivian, you can leave this for later. You don¡¯t have to look at it now.¡± ¡°There wouldn¡¯t be an opportunity later.¡± It was now or never. I had to know why my sister drew me. With the flip of every page, stories of my sister filling the pages were reflected in my eyes. The glamorous life of my sister as a mage, yet unable to conceal her fondness for paintings. The high society of the Empire at that time kept music in higher regard than painting. However, my sister was far removed from high society. Some of the things written were things I was aware of, others I was completely in the dark about. In fact, there were more things I wasn¡¯t aware of. Even when I had just skimmed through the book, there were too many things that I didn¡¯t understand. At twenty, except for the five years I spent after I was born unknowing of my identity as a Summers, there wasn¡¯t a day where I had lived as my sister¡¯s younger sibling. ¡°¡­I¡¯m really, absolutely ignorant.¡± After spitting those words out, the emotions that were intangible hardened into granules. Those granules pressed upon my chest, rendering me breathless. ¡°Don¡¯t look at it anymore. There¡¯s no reason for you to suffer while reading it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s offensive.¡± I could tell just by looking at Edmund¡¯s expression what my expression was like. With a pale and stiffened face and my feelings dripping downwards, it was a countenance that¡¯s very much unlike an aristocrat¡¯s. My sister would always say that it looked unsightly. Unsightly. Just as Edmund had said, I didn¡¯t want to look through this book anymore. It was upsetting that the life of Sasha Laurel Summers was contained within such cheap pieces of paper and sold, and it was infuriating that I had only learned what I badly wanted to know only after 200 years had passed. I flipped through the book quickly. There were many more paintings that I wasn¡¯t aware of. I guess that must be so. The portraits of me that were mentioned frequently but have no recollection of were accompanied by an explanation of how much fondness Sasha had for her younger sister. Sasha¡¯s muse, Vivian Summers. ¡°Sister didn¡¯t really care about me. To Sister, I was no different from an obligation and responsibility in order to succeed the Summers family.¡± I could also understand why others said that Sasha doted on me, as the painting was overflowing with affection towards me. It was present in both the painting of me raising my head while reading a book, and the painting of me dancing at the festival. But my sister had never given me half of the affection that¡¯s in the paintings. I had lived my entire life suppressing my breaths so that my sister would not find me irritating. ¡°For now, Vivian, calm down.¡± Perhaps he couldn¡¯t remain indifferent, Edmund moved forward and stopped before me. His long and pale hands crept over the book that I was absorbed in. ¡°As long as Sister was taking over the family, she would also be taking on the obligations of the family, namely me. I¡¯m like a burden in Sister¡¯s life. She told me not to make her regret bringing me back. I was scared that my sister¡¯s thread-like expectations would be cut off. But, she was fond of me? That¡¯s just ridiculous.¡± My voice rose naturally. As my sister has said, I have to become a worthy Summers that she was proud of, but even controlling my feelings was hard for me. ¡°I hate ridiculous words like my sister loves me. I don¡¯t want to, but there¡¯s something else I¡¯m more upset about.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯m completely clueless about my sister. Even though I was right next to her, I was still unaware of things that even those that did not live in the same era were well aware about. And it¡¯s infuriating that I only knew after skipping a few hundred years in the future.¡± Just because of one book. ¡®Sister, I¡¯m angry.¡¯ With lowered eyes, Edmund gently brushed my hair tidily. His finger brushed past strands of hair and stopped at my forehead. This book was filled with all the things that I had wanted to know, and the things that my sister had never entrusted me. I grabbed Edmund¡¯s finger that was tickling near my forehead. As I lowered his hand, he followed my movements obediently and withdrew his hand. As I turned my head back towards the book, he who had been pacing around before me eventually sat down where he was standing. He looked at me determinedly as if he was simply about to throw the book back towards the corner it came from. I focused as I turned from one chapter to the next. The father that had a blurry image in my mind had died, and the sister that became the matriarch of the Summers family. As the book gradually approached the ending, my sister¡¯s painting changed gradually. Her brushstrokes became rough, and the shape was indistinct, making it hard to see what she was trying to draw. I had finally arrived at the last chapter. Did Sister die? I still flipped through the pages at a fast pace, though it was slower than before. But my speed of flipping through the pages slowed down as the book neared its completion. I was afraid that after this, my sister would really die, so I savoured each line till the last period with my eyes. It was too young to be the last moments of her sister. I was much younger than my sister, so she always felt like an adult to me. It was the case when I was six and my sister was thirteen, when I was thirteen and she was twenty, and when my sister was twenty-seven. She was always far from me. But differing from that, my older sister mentioned in the book was too young. She was less than thirty, but I had already reached her last moments written in the book. Although my sister didn¡¯t love me, I loved her. I may have bore hatred for her, but I still liked her more, and admired her. So my sister had to live for a long time and spend her days more brilliantly than anyone, unlike me. She would welcome death while recollecting moments where she was more blissful than anyone. Only then will the times of my loneliness be compensated. She shouldn¡¯t be like me, dying while thinking of my memories of sadness and loneliness while I was in this family. The book was quickly flipped through. The letters written were crammed into my head. Next, another page. Next, another page. Just like that, I flipped through dozens of pages and only when I reached the last page, did I slowly place the book onto my lap. Thump, thump. The sound of my heartbeat shouldn¡¯t be that annoying. With my fingers together, I slowly touched my forehead. My eyesight became blurry. As I blinked, the tears clouding my vision were cut off and flowed down my cheeks. ¡°¡­My sister, she died.¡± The sound of a sob was mixed within my breathing. I didn¡¯t even know I was crying. Something hot rose up from underneath. As I spoke gaspingly, Edmund immediately removed the book from my lap. I didn¡¯t even realise when he came to stand in front of me. In a blink of an eye, Edmund was in front of me, and when I wiped the tears away with the back of my hand, his fingers wrapped around my wrist. When I exhaled rapidly again, Edmund knelt down and looked up at me from his position below. His fingertips hesitated for a moment, before brushing my cheek once and moving away. She was only twenty-nine. It was neither an accident that occured at the age of less than thirty, nor was it like me, dying from an illness. Execution. My sister was purged. It was an ending that I had never imagined would happen. Summers was a family that persisted for a thousand years along with the Empire. But my sister ended up dying at the hands of the crazy Emperor. The book states that my sister could not leave the fact that the country was slowly going downhill alone, and eventually intervened in the fight for the throne. Apparently, although my sister had supported the Fourth Prince, he was eventually murdered and with the reason being her support for the defeated Prince, she was executed under the crime of treason. The author of the biography interpreted that the fall of the Magic Empire had perhaps begun with the fall of Summers family. It was disgusting that the author said that such a tragedy made her sister¡¯s paintings even greater. I wouldn¡¯t feel so difficult if the family¡¯s extinction was a long while after my death. But only three years after my death did the Summers fall, making it hard for me to accept that. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± That¡¯s not right. In fact, it¡¯s none of my business whether the family goes bankrupt or not. In my eyes, the Summers was Sasha Summers¡¯ family, and not Vivian Summers¡¯ family. Normal aristocrats would bear love for their family to the extent that they would risk their own lives unhesitatingly, but to me, Sasha was such an existence, and not the family itself. ¡°Sister isn¡¯t someone that would die like this.¡± Perhaps he couldn¡¯t stand the fact that my hands were trembling, Edmund reached out to hold my hand, and the hands that were trembling stopped. He had a pale complexion. As I slowly stood up from my seat, he too got up and took a step away from me. While generally she was too much to me, she would save me during critical moments. She, who saved me dozens of times as I fell due to the overly strong flood of mana. When everyone else mocked me for being a half-baked mage, at least my sister didn¡¯t blame me for being unable to wield magic. Just based on this point alone, she was very kind. Whenever I endured the pain that came with every breath while my body fell onto the cold marble floor, I would always be thankful that my sister didn¡¯t blame me. ¡°I want to go back.¡± I seem to have found the reason why I had fallen here. ¡°I want to go back to where my older sister is.¡± I want to save my sister. Even if I hate her and couldn¡¯t understand her, I still want to save her. However, as I declared that, things that could be called emotion disappeared from Edmund¡¯s face. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Chapter 7 ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Vivian¡¯s POV He had always smiled affectionately at me. He would occasionally get angry out of worry. But right now, everything that could be called emotion was washed away from his sculpture-like face, leaving behind a terrifying silver-gray gaze. I first realised that Edmund would become expressionless when he was angry. When the brilliant smile that was always on his face disappeared, a dangerous atmosphere that wasn¡¯t present before surfaced. However, presently, I didn¡¯t have the presence of mind to observe Edmund¡¯s expression. As my gaze locked with Edmund¡¯s, I opened my mouth slowly. I now understood why I was here. ¡°I couldn¡¯t understand why I fell here. After all, I had already expired.¡± I let go of the resentment and pining towards my sister, who I had loved all my life, as well as the grievances towards the Summers that would be happy after I had left. ¡°I couldn¡¯t understand why I had come here, when I have lived like that.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°But now, I think I know why.¡± He¡¯s a tall person. As he stood quietly in front of me, he felt even bigger. My hands started to tremble unknowingly from the oppressing pressure coming from above. ¡°Is that so, Vivian?¡± At the sound of his voice breaking at the end, it felt like someone had gotten ahold of my neck and pressed on my airway lightly. It felt like I was in front of my sister one day. There was a resemblance between Edmund and my sister. When she¡¯s angry, my sister doesn¡¯t burn like fire. Her anger was freezing, like a lake in the middle of a severe winter. But my older sister wouldn¡¯t be here anymore He brushed against his neck, and then turned his head. The dark, lifeless eyes gazed vacantly downwards at me. I bit my lip lightly and declared to him. ¡°I came here in order to return and save my sister.¡± As soon as I finished speaking, the corners of his lip rose into a gentle smile. It was the first time the smile that I was weary of seemed so dangerous. The contrasting between the emotions of kindness being displayed on his emotionless face made me rather that he got angry instead. Looking at the side profile of his tilted face, I now understood why the word ¡®beautiful¡¯ was used simultaneously with the word ¡®dangerous¡¯ in numerous literature. ¡°Say that again.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Vivian Summers.¡± His eyes were then folded into curves this time. Even though his eyes became narrow, his gaze was like the eyes of a snake, giving off a strange light. ¡°You aren¡¯t going anywhere.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not your decision to make.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going back? Where will you go? Where are you going back?¡± ¡°To the time where my sister is still alive.¡± Currently, I don¡¯t know how to go back. However, the chances of my sister or the Summers being the cause of why I had travelled in time was high. Summers had been studying time magic from a very long time ago. Although a majority of people weren¡¯t aware, at the very least I, as the daughter of the head of this family and the younger sister of the next head, was aware. It was because I wasn¡¯t even given a chance to learn it. Family magic was an accumulation of special magic that was unique to each distinguished family of mages. The more conservative the family of mages was, the stronger they were, due to the family magic that had been accumulating over a long period of time. The family magic of the Summers dealt with time. It was different from simply emitting fire and producing water. ¡°Everything was already determined before the beginning of the world. And time was merely a passage to gain a glimpse through that crevice. We are aware of that, while the rest are simply unaware.¡± My sister once said that while she was explaining to me about the family¡¯s magic. ¡°While we express our respect before time, there¡¯s also with resignation towards it. We are but people that are ignorant, and it¡¯s precisely because of that that it¡¯s unfortunate.¡± Her lamenting words, that we should¡¯ve just been ignorant fools that have their eyes closed, remained in my mind for some reason. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Sasha was cruel to you.¡± ¡°But if it wasn¡¯t for her, I wouldn¡¯t be who I am now either.¡± Edmund shook his head from side to side and spoke in an urgent tone. ¡°But Vivian, those events have already passed. The collapse of the Summers family occurred a long time ago, and Sasha, who had made you suffer, died. It¡¯s been hundreds of years since everything ended. Vivian, you should calm down for now¨C¡± ¡°No! Sister, she wouldn¡¯t die!¡± Just as the words left my mouth, Edmund came to a stop before me, with a scary expression. He had only moved one step closer, but the oppressing pressure increased slightly more. I¡¯m a mage and he isn¡¯t a mage, so it shouldn¡¯t be hard for me to leave this mansion, but strangely¡­ It felt like I was trapped in this room. I know that he wouldn¡¯t do anything to me, but the feeling that I was facing my sister enclosed around me. I tried to shake off the chilly gaze and figure out the magic that I could use. After falling here, I had once used unsuitable magic and fainted after symptoms of anemia appeared. As my sister wouldn¡¯t be present to rescue me when I collapsed from a flood of magical power, I tried my best to refrain from using magic, but actually using it didn¡¯t pose much of a problem. So what if I fainted? I would just collapse and that¡¯s the end. It¡¯s not like I would die if I threw up a little blood. As long as I can go back, it wouldn¡¯t matter. As long as I could return and save my sister from being purged, it didn¡¯t matter if it had already been several hundreds or even thousands of years, it would all become things of the past. ¡°I had stayed alone in the Summers¡¯ mansion and lived my entire life searching for the meaning of my existence. Why was I born?¡± The numerous amounts of medicine and magical power that I ingested wouldn¡¯t have been wasted. There wouldn¡¯t be a need to set aside time to care for me in the midst of pressing affairs. If I wasn¡¯t there, someone would improve, and someone wouldn¡¯t be upset. Perhaps you might find it a pity for a child to vanish, but no matter how hard I thought about it, I can¡¯t think of anyone that would find my disappearance regrettable. ¡°I want to become someone useful. Then, if I die, perhaps they¡¯ll find it regrettable, even if it was for my usefulness.¡± That way, someone would feel my absence. I don¡¯t have much expectations. That level was enough for me. If I was at that level to my sister, it would be enough. But I had failed in even that. So I kept doubting my very existence. The magical power that I assimilated with my emotions began to buzz. My sister, who¡¯d come to save me even though she had an annoyed-to-death expression, wasn¡¯t here. As such, I shouldn¡¯t act like this, but the magical power that has broken away from my control did not move as per my intentions. Edmund grabbed my wrist. Although he didn¡¯t use much force, I was dragged towards him. His handsome face was right before my eyes. At the feeling of her breathing brushing against his cheek, he opened his mouth and asked. ¡°Why do you have to look for the reason for your existence?¡± I had always been a nuisance to the family. I couldn¡¯t even meet all the time, money, effort, and expectations that were spent on me. I was just. I was like that. The name of Summers didn¡¯t seem to be mine. ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± He spoke firmly. ¡°The reason for your existence? I don¡¯t know. You were just there. Then what¡¯s the reason for my existence? Was I just lucky enough to be born as a Deer, and love you like it was my destiny? If that¡¯s the case, did you exist to be loved by me?¡± But I wasn¡¯t talking about that. ¡°Edmund. If I saved Sister, would there be more feelings of guilt?¡± If I had saved Summers, would the heavy name that used to be like wearing clothes that didn¡¯t fit, become a little lighter? Would it be alright if I felt less like I was a sinner while I was dying? The magical power that I was barely holding on to vibrated. My magical power, which was much greater than my mana or heart can handle, was difficult to control when my emotions were agitated like this. ¡°Tell me, Edmund. In the history that you know of, what was I like? Did the story of my death appear?¡± ¡°¡­ There wasn¡¯t any record of you after you turned twenty.¡± ¡°Look at that. My life, where my death wasn¡¯t even recorded.¡± My sister¡¯s biography was completely wrong, all except for one thing. I was neither Sasha Summers¡¯ muse, nor a beloved younger sister, but at least it¡¯s clear that excluding my sister, I¡¯ve lived a life that wasn¡¯t established. Edmund opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, as if he wanted to say something. His long eyelashes trembled. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± He eventually checked my face and his expression eased with a light sigh. A hand approached my face, and before I could avoid it, it wrapped around the back of my head gently. I was dragged along with the light pulling force. He, who had been angry and gave an expressionless face a while ago, held me as he whispered to me, upset and at a loss of what to do. ¡°¡­ I fell in love when I first saw you, and it¡¯s the same now. Even if you say that I¡¯m overstepping my place, I have nothing to say to that. But Vivi, it makes me sad that you¡¯ve been thinking like that.¡± He raised his head from the face that was plastered to his chest. Edmund continued speaking with his hand inserted between my hair. ¡°If that¡¯s the reason behind why you want to go back, I¡¯ll stop you, at all costs.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not difficult for me.¡± I pushed at his chest and backed away. ¡°If I go back, it¡¯ll be different then.¡± Sasha will live for a long time, and Summers will not fall with my sister. I might not leave any records behind, but at least I wouldn¡¯t disappear and perhaps my sister would think about me for a moment? The magical power that had completely escaped my control vibrated threateningly. Soon after, I couldn¡¯t breathe, and a bloody smell was emitted. As I coughed, the blood dripped downwards. The magical power that was running wild shook the views of others. ¡°Cough, cough¡±. I didn¡¯t expect to vomit blood like this just because I had slightly overextended myself. The headache that had always been with me before falling here struck. My entire body was seized with the feeling of someone pounding my head. Edmund¡¯s face as he caught me staggering, was pale. ¡°¨CYou, blood.¡± ¡°C¨Ccall for any mage now.¡± The last scene in my memory as my vision turned blurry, was of Edmund urgently approaching me. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Chapter 8 ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Vivian¡¯s POV Four days had already passed since I had woken up after fainting. Edmund sat on the bed with his upper body tilted towards me. ¡°Your fever seems to have gone down a little.¡± I leaned against a supporting cushion and blinked. Edmund took out the thermometer I had in my mouth. He covered my forehead with a practiced hand. The hand that was larger than it looked brushed past my forehead to cover my eyes. I wondered what was the use of touching my forehead with a cool hand, but it didn¡¯t feel bad as it was cooling. Apparently, when I collapsed, the entire mansion was in a complete state of emergency. That was what I had heard. It lasted since I fell ill, until when I woke up today. I didn¡¯t think that I¡¯d remain unconscious for such a long period of time, but as this was a familiar occurrence, I felt fine. But Edmund, who watched me collapse right before his eyes, didn¡¯t think so. ¡°It tickles, Vivi.¡± ¡°I told you to remove your hand. As long as I don¡¯t have a fever, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure.¡± With one hand on my forehead, Edmund tilted his head and raised the other hand towards my forehead with an expression of seriousness. Fine, do as you please. I giggled and crossed my arms. ¡°It¡¯s unusual.¡± ¡°It¡¯s unusual?¡± Edmund asked back with a lowered gaze. Well, if it has been four days¡­ I shut my mouth and started looking here and there for no particular reason indifferently as I muttered. ¡°¡­It¡¯s alright as I¡¯m used to it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get used to it.¡± A hint of displeasure appeared on Edmund¡¯s handsome face. At the sudden prick of pain, he lifted his head slightly and let out a deep sigh, before sitting on the bed. I lowered my head after staring at his tired eyes and haggard face. While rubbing his face, he spoke. ¡°¡­¡­When you collapsed, I called for a healing mage, and he performed some first aid while recommending me to call for another mage that has a lot of mana.¡± While I was lying in bed, Edmund behaved just like a madman. ¡°I heard that the condition of your body isn¡¯t very good.¡± He grabbed my snow-white arm that has never seen sunlight with a light touch. His hands were large that made me seem exceptionally small. Edmund¡¯s expression got worse as he continued the train of thought he was thinking about. ¡°Were you aware of it?¡± Instead of answering, I only gave him a smile. The grip on my forearm tightened. As he thanked me for waking up that day, he also begged me to not use any more magic in the future. He said things like to not get sick again, and that he would be very upset. At his cordial words, I gave a faint smile. I think that the words I¡¯d wanted to hear from my sister were all spoken by Edmund. While I was asleep, doctors came several times, but all they could do right away was to prescribe fever reducers and painkillers. ¡°So I called for another wizard. He should be arriving soon.¡± Even so, he¡¯s a mage in an era where magic has fallen. I wasn¡¯t sure whether he¡¯ll be of any help. ¡°But, can I say that I¡¯m Vivian Summers to someone else?¡± As I hadn¡¯t intended to participate in social gatherings or be active originally, I had thought that this wasn¡¯t an area that I needed to care about. However, Edmund Deer received more attention than I¡¯d thought, and after 200 years, this place didn¡¯t place as much emphasis on high society like it was before. Otherwise, there was no way that someone that hadn¡¯t made their societal debut could be published in gossip papers. Although half of my face was covered, the people that recognised me went, ¡®Oh? Vivian!¡¯ And Edmund, who went hopping mad upon discovery of those gossip papers that published such images, caused the companies to struggle in retrieving all of such papers. In such a situation, I was worried whether or not I could reveal my name. ¡°You are Vivian Summers, right?¡± ¡°Would others believe you?¡± ¡°Other people aren¡¯t important.¡± Although both of us didn¡¯t dare to broach the topic now, before I had collapsed, we had been arguing about returning or not. I¡¯ve already made up my mind to go back, and I still think it¡¯s right to go back now. I would be leaving, so it doesn¡¯t matter what my reputation is here, but that isn¡¯t the case for Edmund. ¡°But it could be someone from the Deer family¡­¡± Edmund shook his head with an expression that was like he had heard something unsatisfactory. He spoke with a flat tone. ¡°Originally, there were rumours that I¡¯m besotted with a swindler.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I knew it. That swindler was me. Who would believe that I had come from 200 years in the past? Anyone would have thought that it was someone impersonating Vivian Summers. Unlike my long face, Edmund was calm. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. The family will take care of it.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What if I¡¯m an impersonator?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been dying due to having a fever for four days, and yet you¡¯re still worried about that? Stop it. Such assumptions are meaningless.¡± As I looked quietly at the calm silver-gray eyes, a knocking sound came from outside the door. Knock knock ¡°Young Master, Sir River has arrived.¡± ¡°Usher him in.¡± The door slowly opened at Edmund¡¯s reply. As it was still an outsider, Edmund got up from the bed and moved towards the door. I half-lying on the bed and welcomed the guest in this posture, but stiffened when I recognised the other person, ¡°Yuriel¡­?¡± It was because he looked exactly like my fiance. He was the man that I had looked back at many times as he looked like a person I knew, on the day I went to The Deer. Then, I had brushed past him suddenly, so I had thought it was my delusion. But it wasn¡¯t a delusion. He had the exact same appearance as my fiance, Yuriel Jewell. As I stared at him dazedly, unable to take my eyes off him, he introduced himself. ¡°I¡¯m Yurision River.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯m Vivian Summers.¡± Yurision River. Their names are also similar. However, considering the fact that he didn¡¯t have any particular reaction after meeting me, he should just be a person that looked similar. I couldn¡¯t believe that I was the one that came here and not my sister, so there was no reason that Yuriel, who was completely uninvolved with this, came here. ¡°Is he someone you know?¡± It was a familiar voice that drew my attention on the day I stared blankly at Yurision. Startled, I turned my head away, causing Edmund to narrow his eyes and fold his arms. He looked very uncomfortable. ¡°How?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t know him.¡± Then he lifted his head, like he was asking for an explanation. ¡°It¡¯s because he looks like someone I know.¡± I tried to say it while pretending to be as fine as possible, but my body didn¡¯t act as I wanted it to. As I talked, I couldn¡¯t catch my breath, and the dizziness continued. Edmund pointed at my forehead and said that he was anxious about my condition. ¡°Are you sure that you¡¯re okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not to the point that I¡¯ll die.¡± ¡°Vivian Summers.¡± Perhaps Edmund had understood that Yurision wasn¡¯t the problem, before sighing and quietly calling my name. As he was too worried, I pretended to be even more cheerful, but it seems to have caused an adverse effect. Eventually, Edmund gave up on talking to me and turned towards Yurision. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been a while. Is this the person I¡¯m supposed to check?¡± Yurision River and Edmund seem to be acquaintances. I looked alternately at the two that didn¡¯t seem close at all. Yurision held my hand and clicked his tongue as soon as he checked the condition of my mana. ¡°I think there has been a rush of mana recently.¡± ¡°Yes, but it wasn¡¯t that bad, so it was okay.¡± ¡°Aha, it wasn¡¯t that bad when it¡¯s in this state? When the magic that¡¯s overflowing from your heart is spread throughout your body?¡± Oh, that¡¯s a little exaggerated. It didn¡¯t spread throughout my body, but only just overflowed a little. As long as my body has recovered, I would be fine once I burned the magic overflowing from my heart or used magic to remove it. I was about to say that this level wasn¡¯t much, but I made eye contact with Edmund, who stood behind Yurision, causing me to shut my mouth. Come to think of it, I had never explained it to him in detail before. Edmund didn¡¯t hide his anger, which had clearly risen sharply. Yurision looked at the gazes being exchanged between Edmund and I, before speaking without caring about Edmund¡¯s igniting fury. ¡°It¡¯s rather fortunate that she hasn¡¯t died yet, seeing the way her magic is raging.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¨C It¡¯s not to that extent!¡± With a corner of his mouth lifted, Edmund had an expression of wanting to hear to what extent it had gone to. It really isn¡¯t though! Yurision approached me, who was feeling wronged. After saying, ¡°Excuse me¡±, he reached out with both his index and middle finger together, placing it on my forehead. Comfortable mana touched my forehead, and the right of control over the rampant mana that I had barely managed to grasp before the flood was passed over to him. ¡°It must have hurt.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s fine, as I¡¯m used to it.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have gotten used to it.¡± A comfortable mana flowed into my body from my forehead. My chaotic mana slowly began to move along with his mana. I was a little impressed. I had thought that this was a world where magic had completely fallen, but there was a mage with this level of skill here. Perhaps I could get some advice from him before I go back to the past. ¡°¡­You¡¯re quite skillful.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m a River.¡± He¡¯s quite condescending, but I acknowledge him. Yurision¡¯s mana moved along my veins slowly and gently. When the mana at my heart stopped fluctuating, the suffocating feeling stopped. I had only thought that he looked like Yuriel, but his magical inclination was also like his. While I had considered whether Yuriel Jewell had fallen in this world like I had, it didn¡¯t seem to be the case. If not, he wouldn¡¯t have had such a decent name like Yurision River. [T/N: XD] In addition, from the looks of things, River seems to be a family of mages. A family of mages adopting? That didn¡¯t make any sense. Even so. As my eyes rolled about, I placed a hand on my forehead, and looked up at his expression of concentration, before asking him a question. ¡°Are you perhaps an adopted child?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s quite an original insult.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Edmund, who stood there with a displeased expression, eventually eased it and came over to the side. I gazed at him to check his mood. ¡°He¡¯s the successor of River.¡± Oh, if he was the successor in the midst of all this, he wouldn¡¯t be Yuriel. Edmund continued to explain to me further. ¡°River is said to be the core of the Imperial wizards, and is one of the few families of mages left.¡± ¡°Aha.¡± ¡°Would it be easier to understand if the former identity of River was Riverry?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Oh, my. It was Riverry? If it¡¯s Riverry, then it would also be the family of her sister¡¯s fianc¨¦, Erickson Riverry. They were a family that had relations with the Summers ever since the founding of the Empire, so they were indeed a very prestigious family. If that¡¯s the case, the talent of Yurision River in front of her could also be explained. It was like a feeling of joy at meeting an old friend in a strange place. Our connection continued like this. With that thought in mind, I tried to brush away the fallen hair, but Yurision spoke. ¡°Please don¡¯t move.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re almost done.¡± ¡°If anything happens to Lady Summers, I don¡¯t think Sir Deer over there would let me go.¡± At his low baritone, I hummed, and averted my eyes. I thought of the man that began to mumble lowly, ¡°You¡¯re Vivian¡±, after meeting me one day, like I would definitely disappear anytime. ¡­My sister¡¯s fiance, Brother Erickson, and Yurision, bore no resemblance to each other at all. Well, I guess so. At this point, after 200 years, there wouldn¡¯t be any resemblance. As the comfortable mana from Yurision became aplenty in my body, it started to flow towards my forehead, and soon after escaped from my body through the fingers at my forehead. After cleaning up the mana, the nausea and the stabbing headache became much better. When I took a deep breath and leaned backwards with a more lively face than before, the supporting cushion tilted slightly. Edmund caught the hair that had fallen down and tucked it behind my ears. I grabbed Edmund¡¯s hand to raise my upper body and stand, calling Yurision, who looked at me with folded arms a few steps away. ¡°River¡­¡± How should I address him? Mr. River? Sir River? When I paused, a corner of Yurision¡¯s lips curled up slightly. The familiar smile caused me to stare dazedly at him inadvertently. ¡°You can call me Sir River.¡± It¡¯s because he has a title. Ahh, he has a title. He nodded slowly when I added the title to address him. ¡°Thank you, Sir River. I can be relieved for the time being thanks to you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad that it was of help to you.¡± ¡°I was born with much more mana than my body can handle.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a miracle that you¡¯re still alive.¡± He nodded and spewed out a bomb without changing his expression. As soon as Yurision¡¯s words left his mouth, the hand gripping mine tightened. ¡°It¡¯s not to that extent.¡± ¡°No. In a situation where both mana and body aren¡¯t in a very good shape, your heart would be in danger as it can¡¯t handle the mana¡­Your body is in a mess due to the overflowing mana, but you¡¯re saying that it isn¡¯t to that extent, it seems like you don¡¯t have much crisis awareness.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because there isn¡¯t a family mage here¨C Ugh!¡± Normally, it would be alright. My body was like this right now because of the induced rush of mana, and also because I didn¡¯t have the time to straighten out my mana myself¡­! However, before I could continue speaking the following words, I groaned at the grip that was crushing my bones. ¡°Sorry, Vivi.¡± Edmund seemed to be quite shocked as he loosened the fingers that were wrapped around my hand. He seems to have used strength in his hands without realising it. Edmund gave a glance to the quickly falling hand before looking upwards with an unexpected expression on his face. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Chapter 9 ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Vivian¡¯s POV Displeasure? Was he angry? His subdued expression was different from the angered expression that he had previously. At his worried look with the slightest hints of anger, I had no choice but to call him with a smile on my face. ¡°Eddie, what¡¯s that look for?¡± His expression then crumbled instantly. Without caring about Yurision, who was next to him, he asked with gritted teeth. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Why didn¡¯t you tell me about that? How could you deceive me seamlessly? Even if it wasn¡¯t said aloud, I could hear his unspoken words. I didn¡¯t avoid his gaze, and when I gave him a soft smile, Edmund¡¯s eyes turned fiercer. ¡°Because you didn¡¯t ask.¡± It was obvious that he wouldn¡¯t know that he had to ask. It was because before I fainted, he wasn¡¯t even aware that I was sick. Perhaps even the doctors and the healing mage would have only vaguely understood the condition of my body, making it hard to properly diagnose any abnormalities. I tried to make eye contact with Edmund, who was standing, but he quietly avoided my eye contact. From his expression, he clearly seemed angry, so a faint smile appeared on my face. So, it was because he was worried. But it would be better for him to not care so much about someone that he has met for only a few days. My gaze left Edmund and turned towards Yurision. ¡°There should be a cure, right Sir River?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that there isn¡¯t a perfect cure.¡± I did bear a hope that there would be a cure after 200 years, but that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case. Yurision brushed his black hair backwards once before he moved towards me. He reached a hand out towards me. The calluses on the first section from the tip of his third finger proved that he was a scholar. While staring blankly at it for a moment, I reached out and placed my hand on top of his hand. He prodded at the vein of my wrist. With faint magical power from the finger touching my wrist, I could also feel the flow of magic that I usually wasn¡¯t quite aware of. Like the pulsation of the heartbeat, the mana also throbbed. Edmund¡¯s fierce gaze stayed on my wrist for a long time. In the end, I could only call him with a voice filled with laughter. ¡°Eddie.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°You can relax.¡± Edmund looked pissed as he unfolded his arms while opening his mouth. ¡°Vivian, to me, right now, you¡¯re¨C¡± ¡°Sister often said this to me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡± ¡®Don¡¯t pay too much attention to trivial matters.¡¯ ¡± I didn¡¯t always agree. I was someone that couldn¡¯t expect any happiness, unless it was small and trivial. In order to somehow endure in this family, I had to find and hold on to happiness in little things. Even so, the time that I gave to myself was too short to set a grand goal. My sister clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction at me for giving up without even trying, but that¡¯s a reaction that can only be seen because it¡¯s not me. Nevertheless, I had no choice but to agree with my sister, as I had to cry as much as the small moments of happiness I had experienced. Edmund¡¯s silver and Yurision¡¯s blue eyes entered my vision at the same time. A light ripple surfaced on Yurision¡¯s face, which had been expressionless the entire time. In an unexpected whisper, the words that my sister always said to me flowed out. ¡± ¡®¡­It¡¯ll come back to ruin you someday.¡¯ ¡° In that moment, Yurision seemed to have loosen his grip over his mana, and the mana in the whole region became strong enough to steal the breath of others inadvertently. Due to the intensely concentrated mana, I was suffocated for a moment, as if I was smelling the scent of chemical products. ¡°Sir River?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Traces of complicated feelings appeared on his face, before disappearing soon after. Perhaps he was surprised by my behaviour, and started to clear the magic in the air hurriedly. Only the non-mage Edmund couldn¡¯t understand the situation, and remained blinking. But not long after, Edmund hurriedly put his sleeve at the side of my mouth. ¡°Vivian!¡± Something hot and fishy rose up from my esophagus. As I coughed up blood, Edmund wiped the blood in front of me and paled. After barely getting the coughing under control, I took a deep breath while Edmund used a white handkerchief to wipe the traces of blood. ¡°Eddie, it¡¯s alright. It would happen sometimes after being exposed directly to mana. It doesn¡¯t cause strain to my body¨C¡° But Edmund cut me off and yelled at Yurision. ¡°Yurision River, are you kidding me?¡± The courtesy that was demonstrated just a few moments prior was completely forgotten as Edmund spoke agitatedly. After taking a gulp for air unwittingly, I tightly grasped the hand that was wiping the blood away with both of my hands. ¡°I¡¯m fine, this would occasionally happen¡­!¡± I forcibly caught Edmund¡¯s head from turning towards Yurision, under the pretext of wiping the blood away. ¡°I apologise, Lady Summers.¡± ¡°No, just Vivian will do.¡± Yurision apologised to me with a bewildered voice. As it wouldn¡¯t cause a large strain on my body, it didn¡¯t matter. I said that it was alright, and added that he could call me by my name. ¡°Vivi.¡± Edmund called my name ferociously. Yurision¡¯s voice, without looking at his face, could be heard. ¡°The blood will stop soon. I¡¯ll pay more attention to confirm it. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I had called Senior here to treat Vivian.¡± [T/N: ¡®Senior¡¯ as in upperclassman.] ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± At Edmund¡¯s ferocious words, Yurision seemed to be apologetic for now. However, the words that followed soon after showed that Yurision was just as sharp as Eddie. ¡°It seems like you¡¯re pretending to understand, seeing as how you¡¯re calling me ¡®Senior¡¯ and all.¡± ¡°Is that important?¡± ¡°Not at all. On the contrary, I¡¯m glad to see that side of you, but it¡¯s a shame.¡± Yurision snorted before turning towards me. With a flick of his finger, the bloodstained face, as well as the clothes and blankets instantly became clean. ¡°I guess the two of you went to the same school?¡± The answering response came from Yurision. ¡°I¡¯m an alumni of Del La Clyde.¡± Del La Clyde is said to be the most historic and traditional academy in the Empire. It was both an elite educational institution that dominated the world, and a location for the upper classes to gather for social activities. I was a little amazed as the academy didn¡¯t have such a high status 200 years ago. It seems that Yurision is a senior while Edmund is a junior. In that case, there really isn¡¯t a chance that Yurision is Yuriel. ¡°Both Senior and I used to be the president of the student council. Although we¡¯re not close, it¡¯s not like we don¡¯t know each other.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised that you¡¯re treating me like I¡¯m your senior.¡± Yurision stood obliquely with his arms folded. Just by standing there with his posture and appearance, his well-managed appearance alone that differed from Edmund showed his position as a high-ranking aristocrat. Well, there¡¯s no way that the student president of a prestigious private school isn¡¯t a high-ranking nobleman. Yurision¡¯s gaze started from my hand that was laid on the bed and went up all the way to my head. And that gaze only returned to its original position only after glancing at the huge portrait above my head. He gave a chilly smile. At the much more cynical atmosphere than I had remembered, I tried to shake off the memories of Yuriel that I had left in the past. Right. Those two can¡¯t be the same person. ¡°So, please explain to me about Vivi¡¯s condition, Senior.¡± It seems that he had decided that it would be better to directly ask Yurision than to get information from me. Yurision had also explained in more detail than expected while in a slanted posture. ¡°The magical energy surrounding the heart is what ¡®s usually called a mana heart¡­ Right, you seem to know about that. Mages accumulate magical energy through the heart, and supply mana to the entire body with the heart¡¯s pulsation.¡± To mages, this was similar to having another heart, hence mages use the expression that they have two hearts. Yurision turned towards me completely. It seems like this explanation was directed towards me this time. ¡°However, there are people that are born with too much magical energy, so much so that their hearts are unable to handle it. As the heart has been overworking ever since then, it would easily break at the slightest mistakes, just like glasswork. Adding to that, the excess mana would accumulate throughout the body, thus affecting the body once again.¡± I don¡¯t understand why he was telling me what he should be saying to Edmund. Did he think that I was unaware? ¡°When the magical energy circulating throughout the body just like blood deviates its designated path, it¡¯s no different from a bomb that would explode once it¡¯s touched wrongly.¡± ¡°¡­Does the deviant magical energy from the heart not dissipate?¡± Edmund asked. ¡°That only happens when the magical energy is collected from nature.¡± I continued answering on behalf of Yurision. ¡°The magical energy that I¡¯m born with naturally is mine eternally. That¡¯s why it doesn¡¯t dissipate and accumulates everywhere in my body, causing my body to weaken. I would suffer from hemoptysis or a migraine even if I overdo it slightly, and this is usually because of that magical energy.¡± ¡°Then, what should you do?¡± ¡°I¡¯d have to remove it on purpose.¡± ¡°How?¡± I met his worried silver-gray eyes willingly. ¡°You can draw the magical energy out. Perhaps it¡¯s hard for you to understand as you¡¯re not a mage, but you have to slowly draw the magical energy from the toes to the fingertips and draw it out.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you can do that too.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m not talented at detecting mana. I can do it while meditating in times of emergency to protect myself, but it¡¯s hard to do it perfectly. Just like how Sir River had helped me a while ago, I¡¯ve been receiving the help of the family mages all this while. That¡¯s how I was about to stay alive until now.¡± Edmund seemed to have much that he wanted to say. I continued to explain everything to him. ¡°As the magical energy is unstable, and also because of the excessive magical energy, the heart itself is unstable, so it is actually overdoing it to use magic most of the time. Normally it would be fine, but if a mistake was made, it could instantly become a deluge.¡± It was gratifying that I was the daughter of a prestigious family of mages with a very high-quality education, and thanks to that, I was accustomed to using magic. Up until now, a situation where a flood of mana after using magic had only occurred a few times. ¡°Although there was a lot of magical energy overflowing this time, it¡¯s because of the intense emotions assimilating together with the magical energy.¡° ¡°¡­It¡¯s at a level where it¡¯s life threatening?¡± ¡°That could be the case when it¡¯s serious, but right now, it¡¯s still alright. But I¡¯d occasionally get hemoptysis like this, so you don¡¯t have to worry too much. Rather, it¡¯s more like the body is sending signals to live¡­¡± As I explained casually while wrapping it up to not show as much of the truth as possible, my eyes met with Yurision¡¯s, who was standing with a slanted posture. The corners of his distorted mouth were lifted. He seems to have noticed the fact that I was lying. But what could I do? ¡°It¡¯s alright! I¡¯ve been lazy ever since I came here, and I¡¯ve been neglecting it because there¡¯s too little magical power in the atmosphere? I¡¯ll sort it out first from now onwards. Hmm? Eddie, don¡¯t make that face.¡± In the end, this was only a temporary measure so as to not die immediately. If I wanted to return to my sister¡¯s side, I, who didn¡¯t know when I would die, should find a solution as soon as possible. ¡°Sir River, is there no cure for it at all?¡± Ordinarily, dark hair would shine brightly under light. However, under light, Yuriel¡¯s jet-black hair would only become even darker. That was the case for Yurision as well. He stared at me for a long time, then raised his head and stared at the portrait above the bed. ¡°Vivian Summers.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± He muttered my name to himself. When he looked up at the portrait, his side profile was like someone that had given up a lot of things, and was taken over by exhaustion. The blank voice that left his mouth was a little hoarse. ¡°¡­Currently, the only method is to break the heart.¡± ¡°That method would be difficult. I wouldn¡¯t be able to use magic anymore.¡± ¡°In addition, if something goes wrong, it¡¯s dangerous enough that it could even cause you to lose your life. Several skilled mages would be required.¡± It was a solution that had also existed 200 years ago. Then, rather than saying that it¡¯s a cure, it was a quick and elegant way to commit suicide without suffering. It was also a method that definitely couldn¡¯t be used here. When the heart is broken, there isn¡¯t someone here that could control the wild magical power that has lost its path. What¡¯s the point of barely escaping with my life and waking up? Without magic, I wouldn¡¯t be able to return to my sister. ¡°Are there any other questions you¡¯d like to ask?¡± ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Chapter 10 ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Vivian¡¯s POV ¡°There¡¯s too little magic in the air.¡± ¡°In that case, your chronic fatigue would also be intense.¡± ¡°To what extent?¡± Paper and a fountain pen appeared with a wave of Yurision¡¯s hand. He placed the paper on his palm and scrawled some words on it. ¡°River.¡± Yurision did not respond to Edmund¡¯s call. Yurision continued to write words onto the paper. ¡°Senior.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening, so speak.¡± ¡°She would stumble sometimes, is that perhaps related to magic?¡± How did he know that too? I didn¡¯t expect that he had seen me staggering due to fatigue. ¡°If something like this happens again, what can I do?¡± Yurision smirked. As he dismissed the fountain pen and placed the paper on the table, he replied. ¡°Nothing much? Is there anything you can do?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Calling me?¡± Yurision tilted his head slightly, before straightening his head again. His jet-black hair shook with his movements. ¡°Vivian.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Call for me when a problem arises.¡± He took a business card out from his chest pocket. The black card that was embroidered with silver foil, didn¡¯t have anything special on it, only containing his name and the family¡¯s emblem. However, from the enchantment that could be felt underneath faintly, it seems like a spell was placed on the entire paper itself. ¡°If you¡¯re not satisfied, you don¡¯t have to call for me. But I¡¯m probably the only one in the Empire that can save your life.¡± Although he spoke in a very arrogant tone, I agreed to a certain extent, so I nodded readily. Perhaps Edmund also knew that there wasn¡¯t any other way, so he remained silent despite openly expressing his dislike for Yurision. ¡°If you infuse this with mana, it will contact me, so use it in emergencies.¡± I fiddled with his business card curiously. ¡°Also, when you feel better, I hope that you¡¯ll attend a banquet hosted by my family.¡± ¡°What?¡± All of a sudden? Unlike my blinking self, Yurision had his arms crossed in a very relaxed posture. Perhaps due to his height and long limbs, his every movement was embedded in my eyes. ¡°In late fall, River will be hosting a Mage¡¯s Confederation party.¡± Underneath his jet-black hair, blue eyes gleamed strangely. It was a gaze that I seem to have seen before. The corner of his mouth curled up smoothly. ¡°If Miss Summers turns up, the Empire¡¯s magical world will become quite noisy.¡± ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T As soon as Yurision returned, the room was filled with silence again. Edmund held his forehead with a displeased expression, and kept opening and closing his mouth repeatedly. My hands gathered together on the thick blanket quietly. Perhaps he had heard a wriggling sound underneath the blanket, so our eyes met when he raised his head. Frustration and anger, but more than that, a sense of shame was swirling in his eyes. If Edmund was a mage, perhaps his magic would have already filled this room. Edmund moved towards me with wide steps. Unlike the way he chose his words, he asked with a deflated voice. ¡°Why did you hide it from me?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hide it.¡± It wasn¡¯t hiding. He didn¡¯t even ask. Of course, I didn¡¯t have the intention to answer honestly just because he had asked. But the moment I answered him, Edmund¡¯s facial expression vanished. ¡°Then? Do I have to hear about your condition from another person?¡± A wet voice came out of his mouth. I didn¡¯t think that he¡¯d be this upset. The hands that were fiddling with the blanket nervously sweeped against the underside of the blanket. ¡°You could¡¯ve told me.¡± He tried to gather his crumbling expression but failed, revealing his hurt feelings. However, it was only temporarily, as he bowed his head silently. He seemed to be trying his best to regulate his emotions, and I waited as he breathed in and out repeatedly. Perhaps he had noticed my gaze, Edmund opened his mouth several times, before placing his face in his hands. Half of his face disappeared behind his long, prominent jointed fingers. ¡°¡­At times like this, I really hate myself.¡± A dispirited voice filled with shame rang out. ¡°You were sick when you¡¯re right next to me, but I was unaware about it.¡± ¡°It was like that even before I¡¯d arrived here.¡± So, he didn¡¯t have to take it to heart. With both hands on the bed supporting him, his upper body tilted sideways, stopping right beside me. His breath touched my cheek lightly. A pair of watery eyes gazed at me. ¡°Vivian. I was really unaware.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to blame yourself. How would you know when I didn¡¯t tell you about it?¡± ¡°Do you know that those words are even more saddening?¡± I let out an exhale comfortably and slid downwards from the cushion that I was leaning against. Although my eyes closed slowly, a bland voice shattered the peace. ¡°Even I, who was beside you everyday, was unaware. But Yurision knew. Why didn¡¯t I notice it less than an hour after meeting you?¡± Ah, I get it. I then realised the identity of the deep emotion that had been lingering from a while ago. I opened my closed eyes slightly. Edmund was looking down at me from above before I realised it. Although his eyes shone like the sand of a desert underneath sunlight, a pale yellow hue that wouldn¡¯t normally be seen was mixed within his eyes when looked at in the shade. Those beautiful eyes were filled with emotions. The corner of my mouth slowly curved upwards. ¡°So you¡¯re jealous, Eddie.¡± He crumbled. ¡°Yeah, I guess I¡¯m jealous.¡± Edmund slowly collapsed above me. As he was seated on the chair next to the bed, he leaned against the bed completely. ¡°You¡¯re sick, and yet I¡¯m feeling jealousy in such a situation. I¡¯m really¡­¡± I smiled faintly at his gloomy words. There wasn¡¯t much I could comfort him about when it came to my illness, so it¡¯s better to speak less about it. But, when it comes to Yurision, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. ¡°I know a person that looks just like Yurision.¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Yuriel Jewell.¡± The successor of the Jewell family. It seems that I should find out more about what kind of ending Yuriel Jewell had. After my body recovers a little more, I wanted to check it out properly. Summers had fallen like that, so I didn¡¯t think Jewell would be unscathed. ¡°Within my narrow world of interpersonal relationships, he can be considered a friend. He¡¯s also my fianc¨¦.¡± ¡°¡­You had a fianc¨¦?¡± ¡°Officially.¡± Edmund¡¯s lips closed tightly. Oh dear, Eddie. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. Whether it was a fianc¨¦ or a friend, it doesn¡¯t matter. It was an engagement made with the fact that I wouldn¡¯t be able to live long kept in mind.¡± Upon hearing my words, Edmund¡¯s expression became even more dim. ¡°Your expression became weirder.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that you can¡¯t live long.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to live for a long time.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I have to live longer. I have to live long enough to be able to return and save my sister. When Yuriel was mentioned, my sister naturally came to mind. Once I thought of my sister, I felt that I had to go back to the distant past. It was Edmund¡¯s determined voice that caught me while my thoughts wandered for a moment. ¡°Vivian. You have to live.¡± He spoke with a firm voice, as his eyes shone again like platinum. ¡°The only thing that matters to me is that you¡¯re next to me. That¡¯s all I care about. You¡¯ll live, and stay by my side.¡± ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T ¡®Don¡¯t pay too much attention to trivial matters.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯ll come back to ruin you someday.¡¯ As soon as he heard those words, Yurision River was unable to deny it. She was the one that he had been searching for for a very long time. The pale white face underneath faded rose-colored hair. Dark green eyes that cut through the unrestrained magical energy that was ravaging everywhere. As well as the unmoored atmosphere that was unique to her. As if there¡¯s a danger of her disappearing right away. ¡®Really?¡¯ Those were what he knew of Vivian Summers, but Yurision River felt extremely disappointed at coming here. As such, he straightened out Vivian¡¯s magical energy without an expression on his face like usual, and gave a diagnosis. Thump, thump. He pretended not to know that his heart was beating anxiously. But the reason he grabbed Vivian¡¯s hand without realising it was because of the words that that person had said to him. He didn¡¯t expect to hear those words again from her sister¡¯s mouth. When he first received a notice that the Deers were looking for him in a hurry, the first thing that came to his mind was one huge question. ¡®Why?¡¯ While both the Deers and the Rivers were great nobles of the Empire based in the capital, Franzit, other than this common factor, everything else differed. As such, Yurision River and Edmund Deer were people standing at two extremes. They had only met each other a few times while attending the same school, and this was also known by all of their fellow schoolmates. It was also ludicrous that someone two years younger was aiming for the seat of student council president. There were two years between 10th grade and graduation, so it was an unusual move to run for the student council president. However, Edmund had cleared up the rumours of him being a ruffian, and became a huge threat to Yurision. Although Yurision had ultimately won, apparently after his graduation, Edmund had served as the student council president for two years. Ever since then, if they encountered each other in high society, they would exchange formalities on the surface, and otherwise pretend to not know each other. Yuriel Jewell, who had lived thinking that magic was the best for his entire life, fell into a world where magic was declining, while possessing a child¡¯s body. Luckily, he was adopted by the Rivers, who recognised his talent, and became its successor. He, who was born and grew up as a mage, couldn¡¯t look favourably at the Deers, who had caused the downfall of magic. But Edmund Deer had sent him a personally written letter. He sent an investment contract related to the business that the Rivers had been pursuing for a long time, along with a letter saying that there¡¯s a sick mage in his mansion, and to come over right away if he didn¡¯t mind. No matter how much he considered himself to be Yuriel Jewell and not Yurision River, he did live as River¡¯s successor for more than a decade. He could not ignore a contract that could help the River family. ¡°¡­Perhaps I had come here in order to live in peace.¡± The reason that he came here was clearly to revive his fallen family, the Jewells¡­ Yurision muttered to himself as he leant his head against the wall of the carriage wall. He was so tired that his entire body felt heavy. When he had first heard of the rumours, he¡¯d expected ¡°her¡± to come like usual. But the disappointments continued for too long, and in the end, he gave up. It was hard to escape the learned resignation. So, that¡¯s why Yurision¡­ No matter how hard he tried, the rose coloured hair that appeared before his eyes naturally made him sigh. It can¡¯t be wrong, but even now he still couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Vivian.¡± Yurision murmured the name that that person claimed to love so much. The painting that she had carried with her until the very end was hung in the room as if it was just a very distant memory. Under the sunlight streaming through the window of the carriage, Yuriel¡¯s blue eyes sparkled like a lake. As Yuriel learned his head against the wall of the carriage, a corner of his lips curled upwards tiredly. ¡°You had even arrived quickly, Vivi.¡± ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T [T/N: o.O] ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Chapter 11 ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T < 2. Auction finale.> Vivian¡¯s POV After Yurision River¡¯s visit, I recovered quickly. Ever since I came here, I¡¯d been suffering from chronic fatigue all along, but after another mage helped to find a path to my magical energy, my body felt much lighter. As I moved the magical power skillfully, the magic rose from my fingers like a shimmering haze. ¡°Perfect.¡± As Edmund was overly concerned, he kept me half locked up in the mansion and overprotecting me, but it was already early summer when he nodded his head unwillingly. ¡°What¡¯s this? Isn¡¯t this Edmund from the Deer family?¡± The days where I sat at the terrace of the hall and languidly enjoyed the early summer breeze repeated. As soon as I had gotten better, Edmund was taken away by his mother, the director of The Deer and the Madam of the Deer family. He had definitely told me that he was currently taking a long vacation, but that long vacation had apparently ended a while ago. Whenever I met his busy self everyday, I would try my best to make fun of him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m bored.¡± Edmund¡¯s face, which was gaunt as he couldn¡¯t get proper sleep, grimaced. I wanted to ask where had the Edmund that had constantly asked me why didn¡¯t I tell him about my illness disappeared to. Actually, when I looked at him standing by the wall with a look of lament on his face that said he would disregard everything and bring me around immediately if I said I was bored, he did seem to be quite busy. ¡°Take a walk in the mansion and look at some of the paintings around.¡± ¡°The weather is so pleasant that it¡¯s such a waste to stay inside the mansion. What are your plans for the weekend? Do you want to go on a picnic?¡± ¡°¡­I have something really urgent to do.¡± ¡°Oho!¡± He did say something like that a few days ago. I readily nodded and spoke. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go when your matters have been settled.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the right season for it have passed when I¡¯m done?¡± ¡°No.¡± It was obvious that his words got shorter and shorter due to lack of sleep. I had even snorted as I watched him zone out momentarily while in the middle of a conversation. My sister had also walked around the mansion at the end of the year with such an expression. I felt apologetic about getting him to go out and play when he¡¯s like that. ¡°I can go out by myself.¡± It was just a picnic anyways. And this city was where I was born and raised in. I wasn¡¯t a child, and I wasn¡¯t as quiet as I was 200 years ago. So I thought that it wouldn¡¯t be bad for me to go out alone. However, Edmund had firmly stated from the very beginning that I wasn¡¯t allowed to go out alone. ¡°Honestly, I think you¡¯re being overprotective.¡± As soon as I had just finished talking, Edmund¡¯s expression clouded over. ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t our relationship like that?¡± ¡°Oh my, Deer. You¡¯re speaking as if we have some kind of relationship.¡± At my words, Edmund unfolded his arms as he chuckled and held my fingertips. He then bowed and kissed my fingers, looking at me languidly. ¡°Lady Summers. Have you forgotten about the intense time spent together last night?¡± Well, shall I play along with him? Even when he was babbling nonsense while being very tired, his face glowed despite being haggard. Instead, because it looked gaunt, his handsome face looked more defined, adding slight decadence to his looks. I giggled and covered the corners of my mouth with the back of my hand. ¡°Aren¡¯t you giving too much meaning to just one night?¡± As I raised my head and turned my gaze away slightly, Edmund paused momentarily, lost for words. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s stop here. It might cause misunderstandings.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Edmund Deer? Even if we denied it, it doesn¡¯t mean that the intense time we¡¯ve spent didn¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°Please, Vivi.¡± With his ears reddened, Edmund eventually burst into laughter. He smiled lightly in embarrassment and brushed my hair backwards. ¡°You have to speak properly. The only thing we did last night was play chess.¡± From how his gaze was kept aimed behind me, it definitely seems that there are servants that were passing by near them. ¡°Chess, what a sophisticated, elegant, and passionate battle it is.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s my fault.¡± He quickly admitted that and grabbed my hand, entangling our fingers before letting go. He, who had stopped by the mansion in order to prepare some important documents, headed towards the study. ¡°So, what exactly are you busy doing?¡± ¡°This time, the season for Chervanni Auction House¡¯s large-scale art auction is upon us, so I was sorting out the paintings that we intend to purchase.¡± He was surprisingly busy, to the point where I didn¡¯t get the chance to ask him about what he was busy with. Was my portrait successfully bidded for at a place like this? ¡°I¡¯m curious.¡± It was interesting that there were people who would spend large sums to buy paintings. ¡°There¡¯s a family called the Mercis that appeared like a comet about a hundred years ago. That family was also quite the art lover, and collected all sorts of paintings, but not long ago, it filed for bankruptcy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a shame.¡± As I expressed my regret over the Mercis without batting an eye, Edmund smiled calmly and recieved my regret. ¡°To me, it¡¯s something to be thankful for. As there will not only be undisclosed works by well-known artists, famous paintings would also be appearing, so it is gaining interest from the world.¡± ¡°In that case, are you participating in the auction?¡±¡± Edmund nodded as he undid a button, perhaps due to the hot weather. As another button was undid, his neckline was revealed. My gaze was drawn turned towards the line from his neck to his collarbone unknowingly. Apparently, although he doesn¡¯t look like it, he would work out every morning while I was asleep for a long time. Come to think of it, he seemed to have said that he was good at tennis¡­ ¡°Before I graduated, I often played polo games. I¡¯m busy now, so I prefer doing some light exercise.¡± As he walked, he undid another button. ¡°So, I¡¯m drafting a budget for that. In auctions such as these, the works will be released in advance, but the most famous works won¡¯t be revealed until that day itself. So I have to predict what kind of works will appear, allocate the budget according to those predictions, and decide which paintings to bid for. I have to make decisions for those kinds of things.¡± It seemed like there was much to be done just by listening to his explanation. As such, I spent the time wandering around the mansion and looking at the paintings. Thanks to this, while he was gone, I spent the last few days wandering around the mansion and looking at the paintings. Actually, rather than the paintings, what I found more interesting was the time-worn mansion itself. Just as Edmund had mentioned, the entire mansion that was owned by the Deers, was like a small art museum. The large paintings that I was mainly viewing a few days ago, have recently become the small paintings that were located in nooks and along the corridors. In fact, it was huge to the point that calling it a ¡®small¡¯ gallery was pathetic. I wasn¡¯t that interested in paintings originally, but as I was surrounded by paintings everyday, I naturally became interested in it. Perhaps that was why I became interested in the auction. I was curious about what kind of people would purchase my sister¡¯s paintings for the price of dozens of mansions. I followed him through the hallway exhibiting abstract art, which had been greatly revived over the past 100 years. It¡¯s an area that I really couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°In that case, when you¡¯re participating in the auction, are you attending in order to bid for the art museum?¡± ¡°Usually.¡± Also, between the sounds of my shoes hitting the marble floor, Edmund¡¯s heavier footsteps rang out. ¡°If something that I want appears, but it isn¡¯t something that¡¯s intended to be purchased for the art museum, I would bid for it at my own expense.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Would you like to attend this auction with me?¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Can I also attend? Really? Edmund stopped walking and turned his head towards me. At the sight of my face that was filled with expectations, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°So you¡¯ve been waiting for that sentence.¡± ¡°Can I really come along? It¡¯s work, though.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s a kind of social function anyways.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± He hesitated for a moment with a vague expression, before opening his mouth eventually. ¡°However, Sasha¡¯s painting will definitely come out. Will that still be alright for you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± ¡°Of course, there would be many paintings by other artists, but according to predictions within the family, the finale would probably be a painting by Sasha.¡± That¡¯s nothing. I nodded readily. Perhaps Edmund was quite shocked by my collapse that day, he simply used cloth to cover some of the paintings in the mansion. When I asked a passing maid what painting was this, she awkwardly replied that it was a painting drawn by my sister. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯ve always been curious about what an auction is like.¡± ¡°The auction house established by Chervanni has a longer history than other auction houses, and due to it being a company established by a deeply rooted aristocratic family, it has a more old-fashioned taste, so it should be quite interesting.¡± ¡°Is an art auction different from the auctions that I know of?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what the auctions from 200 years ago were like. It¡¯s probably different from an ordinary auction. Moreover, the last day of Chervanni¡¯s art and jewellery auctions are known as the most famous party in the world.¡± He continued to explain the meaning, before nodding his head. ¡°The auction will be held over a week, but the party is held on the last day. The most famous painting will also be appearing on the last day as well, so let¡¯s go together on that day.¡± He brushed against his bright blond hair. ¡°The auction starts in a week. Tomorrow at this time, my work will be somewhat finished, so let¡¯s go and get our outfits together.¡± ¡°Do we have to go shopping?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s a party.¡± I would normally call for people into the mansion to match clothes or purchase items. As such, I didn¡¯t understand what Edmund said a while ago, to go out and enjoy shopping. ¡°And after the auction, let¡¯s go on a picnic before the weather gets hotter.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± He opened the door to my study and nodded gracefully, as if he was gesturing for me to enter. I entered, and he didn¡¯t follow, instead smiling lightly while holding the door. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be back after work.¡± ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Chapter 12 ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Vivian¡¯s POV ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to buy some?¡± ¡°I already have a lot, so you don¡¯t have to worry about my clothes.¡± ¡°¡­Even so.¡± ¡°Have you ever seen me wearing the same clothes twice?¡± Come to think of it, I don¡¯t think that I have. I gave him a weary look, but he only gave me a smile in return. I don¡¯t even know how many outfits I have bought so far. I had definitely followed him out in order to get matching outfits for the party, but he kept insisting on hoarding clothes for daily wear. Before, he had only requested for several brands to strictly select some outfits and bought them immediately. Edmund had said that it was something that he cared about, He didn¡¯t listen to me dissuading him to stop caring about my clothings. ¡°If you don¡¯t really care about it, doesn¡¯t that mean that you aren¡¯t quite satisfied?¡± Instead, he said those ridiculous words, and began selecting my clothes meticulously. Although time has passed, the clothes itself didn¡¯t seem to have changed much. Of course, there were designs that I was seeing for the first time. In the period of time I lived in, young ladies and married noblewomen often wore dresses with flowing skirts, but now such dresses were only worn at parties or balls. Anyways, those weren¡¯t important. ¡°Edmund Deer. Why don¡¯t we stop purchasing now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just the beginning though?¡± ¡°I tend to spend money without worrying about others¡¯ moods.¡± ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s great. This would fit you well too.¡± He didn¡¯t even pretend that he was listening to me. As he stood quietly in front of me, he stealthily passed the blue dress over to the employee, before smiling satisfactorily. I glanced around at the luxurious room that was filled with clothes and sat down on the sofa. At first, I chose this and that because I liked it, but at this point, I began to wonder if it really was alright. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about this before, but I think that you go well with Morgan Summer.¡± ¡°¡­Fine.¡± Edmund brought over a dress from a women¡¯s clothing brand, Morgan Summers, and hung it on an empty hanger. And he then brought a trench coat by Kellyn. Kellyn was a famous dressing room even 200 years ago, so it was a place I was quite familiar with. ¡°I think it¡¯ll look pretty if you wear it like this. I heard that this style was popular in the past.¡± ¡°Right. But it¡¯s not even my money.¡± ¡°Right, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s not your money, but it¡¯s mine, so just spend it freely.¡± ¡°Can I try it on?¡± ¡°Of course, it will be my pleasure.¡± I picked up Morgan Summer¡¯s navy coloured dress that he had hung. The thin material of the shoulders, the backstitching line along the waist that cinched it, and the full skirt fell abundantly underneath. It seems quite simple at first glance, but it would look different once it¡¯s tried on. When I went behind the screen with the clothes in hand, the employees that were already waiting beforehand helped me to change. Placing the blue fabric onto my body, tying the ribbon at my back, and buttoning up, a cool yet stiff luxurious fabric hugged my body. As I replaced the shoulder strap that dropped down and took a step forward, a gasp of admiration resounded from behind. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Does it look weird anywhere?¡± ¡°Not at all. Miss really fits well with Morgan Summer.¡± The length of the dress was quite long, so the ends would flutter around my ankle with every step. When I stood in front of the mirror, instead of looking simple, I was met with the reflection of me in a splendid dress. ¡°What do you think?¡± I walked out from behind the screen and twirled in a circle like I was showing off to Edmund. The skirt that stuck around my ankles slightly flared outwards. At this point, I had no choice but to admit it. Edmund had indeed picked out clothes that fit me well. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Eddie?¡± The feeling of the dress brushing against my ankles felt pleasant, so I walked around for no reason, before raising my head. Without answering, Edmund was staring at me dazedly. ¡°¡­You¡¯re pretty.¡± ¡°I know that.¡± ¡°¡­ It suits you very well.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± He said that it suited me, but what he was actually looking at was not the clothes I was wearing, but my face. His breakdown seems to be because of me. As I strode towards him, his cheeks turned slightly red. ¡°Since you¡¯re going to buy this for me, buy me shoes too.¡± ¡°It would be an honour to.¡± He gave an enchanting smile as his anxious eyes were saying that wanted to buy another item and place it in my arms. He gave me a once over and said. ¡°Let¡¯s have your dress for the auction party fitted by Morgan.¡± I didn¡¯t exactly understand and just nodded roughly, but he seems to have noticed it, so he added. ¡°Usually, these brands sell ready-made clothes. Majority of aristocrats would just buy and wear them, but as you¡¯re well aware, we have to always stand out from the rest.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°However, since there¡¯s already a brand, there¡¯s no need to order it from a boutique.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s the case. 200 years ago, famous boutiques were always quick to meet the deadline.¡± With shoes that came out of nowhere, Edmund knelt before me. It was a pair of pointed white leather shoes that revealed my heels and ankles. His long fingers brushed against my ankle. At the strange yet unfamiliar feeling, I flinched without realising it. The rope made of calf leather that I was wearing fell off lightly with a thud. My feet couldn¡¯t fill one of his hands. He slowly put on the shoes on my feet, and this entire series of processes felt very sensual. It was even more so as it was contact without such intentions. It¡¯s just his hand holding my heel, but the odd touch brought about ripples within my heart. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯ll order party dresses or formal attire directly from the brand¡¯s designer.¡± ¡°In that case, what¡¯s the difference?¡± ¡°It¡¯s different. This impressive brand would be making clothes for you only.¡± Well. That could be something great in this era. ¡°Even generous nobles can¡¯t place an order like that.¡± ¡°However, you are, after all, a Deer. I just need to thankfully accept it, right?¡± ¡°Our Vivi knows me well.¡± Edmund placed my other foot into a shoe too. In this era where the status system was more blurry, Edmund Deer was more like an aristocrat than anyone else. A strange feeling rose within at the sight of such a man bending down to put my shoes on for me. Just then, the employee returned with a white cardigan. The trench coat would be too warm, hence it was brought over. This white cardigan is short, so it ends above the waistline when worn. Perhaps Edmund had really liked my current outfit, so he suggested that I just continue wearing these clothes and go for dinner. Although I had said to purchase moderately, I quite liked these clothes, so I pretended that I couldn¡¯t win against him and nodded. ¡°Will the designer take long to arrive?¡± ¡°She¡¯s on her way here now. Please wait for a moment.¡± Edmund had already called for Morgan Summer¡¯s designer. Originally, the designer would be called to the mansion, but as the deadline was tight this time, we came here thinking that it would be better to move ourselves. Edmund was as tired as I was, and he leaned on the sofa he was seated on. A familiar silence settled between us quietly. Just as I was feeling drowsy from the silence, Morgan Summer¡¯s designer appeared. The door opened smoothly and in came a woman with a short stature and curly brown hair. She looked like a lovely person from first glance, but I could tell that she was currently very tired from her haggard face. ¡°I¡¯m Edmund Deer.¡± ¡°Hello, I¡¯m the chief designer for Morgan Summer, Alice Didi¡­¡± As she shook hands with Edmund with a tired face, she stopped moving dazedly. To be more exact, as soon as the tired eyes behind thick glasses spotted me, she stopped her self-introduction and stared at me blankly. And her mouth opened slowly. ¡°Vivian¡­?¡± ¡­It seems that I really am famous. ¡°I¡¯m Vivian Summers.¡± She rushed forward towards me. She was half a head shorter than me, and the eyes that were half-dead disappeared, turning into gleaming eyes. Her black eyes sparkled exceptionally brightly. ¡°Oh, my. Does this make sense? How can this be true?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± The designer kept exclaiming. I had only thought that I must be very famous. My fame, was it due to being the subject of my sister¡¯s paintings, or was it due to being Edmund Deer¡¯s ¡®her¡¯? ¡°How can you pull off the clothes that I¡¯d made so well?¡± Hmm? Alice grabbed my hand tightly even before I could properly comprehend the words that came out of her mouth. The exclamation continued to leave the designer¡¯s mouth as she took another step closer to me. Dark circles indicative of staying up for several nights, a gaunt face and twinkling eyes definitely weren¡¯t good signs. When I called for Edmund¡¯s help, he approached with a small smile. ¡°Alice Didi Stella.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± When Edmund called her name, she seemed to have come to her senses, quickly stepping backwards. Soon after, she quickly spoke with a red face. ¡°Please be my muse!¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°No, that wasn¡¯t it.¡± The designer¡¯s hands were full of her curly brown hair. She was quite the odd person, with awkwardness and inexplicable happiness that rose on her weary looking face. ¡°I¡¯m the chief designer of Morgan Summer, Alice Didi Stella.¡± Even before I could give her a response, she started to speak. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that there would be someone that can pull off my clothes like this! It¡¯s a miracle. How can such an existence appear right in front of me? You even look the same as ¡®that¡¯ portrait of Vivian Summers.¡± ¡°¡­Excuse me.¡± ¡°Please be my muse. Yes? Miss Vivian, please.¡± No. This, what in the world¡­ I turned again and sent Edmund another look for help. Edmund looked as shocked as I was. Help me. ¡°An idea just hit me. When a collection is released under the theme of reinterpreting the classics¡­ Please be my muse!¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­Miss Vivian.¡± ¡°Eddie, can you help me instead of laughing there?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Edmund approached me and naturally dragged me over. ¡°I want to see you wearing a genius designer¡¯s masterpiece, but I don¡¯t want you to be seen by others¡­¡± After contemplating for a moment, Edmund shook his head. ¡°Do whatever you want to.¡± As soon as he said that, Alice grabbed my arm. ¡°I have confidence that I can interpret Sasha¡¯s Vivian well and reinvent it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t anyone in the Empire that can make clothes that¡¯ll fit Vivian as well as I do.¡± Hey, if you could listen to my words. When I pushed Alice, who was clutching me, a little, their gazes turned towards me. What do you mean by Sasha¡¯s ¡®Vivian¡¯? I had quite a lot of fun today, but my mood dropped instantly. It was because this was one of my biggest concerns recently. However, the more I thought about it, the more the outcome would be too difficult for me, so I also gave up thinking about it. Do these people see me as Vivian, or as the ¡®Vivian¡¯ in the paintings? ¡°¡­¡­¡± And Edmund was included in those people. At the sight of my expression that darkened suddenly, Edmund started to worry whether I was feeling unwell. I shook my head hurriedly, shaking off his hand that was trying to measure my body temperature. Instead of criticising Alice, I said something else. ¡°I do want to request a dress from you this time. But I¡¯ll need more time to think about being a muse.¡± ¡°You can take your time to think about it. First of all, I will do my best to make a dress for you to wear to the auction. Could you make your decision after that?¡± As she had said it like that, and the fact that I quite liked the clothes that I was wearing currently, I had no choice but to nod. Instead, I added conditions about things that were weighing on my mind. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t want to remain as Sister¡¯s ¡®Vivian¡¯. Please interpret it in a new way.¡± ¡°Of course. There isn¡¯t a sin greater than imitating the old in art.¡± Her answer was quite satisfactory. I turned away from Edmund, who still had a doubtful gaze, and faced Alice. ¡°By the way, how did you recognise me?¡± While it seemed like she knew me, she seemed to recognize me as ¡®Vivian Summers¡¯ too easily, making me feel complicated. ¡°¡­¡­I was born and raised in Toyo, the old capital. There was a large art museum in front of my house, and I would go to the art museum every day after school. One of the paintings that I frequently saw while growing up were Sasha¡¯s paintings. There was obviously a painting of Vivian amongst them.¡± Alice, who rattled off without taking a breath about how much she loved me, looked up at me with a burdensome gaze again. ¡°Ever since then, my muse has been Vivian Summers. But how can I miss this opportunity when you¡¯re right in front of me.¡± I felt awkward by her stabbing gaze of longing. ¡°Please take care of this dress first.¡± While her employees were busy measuring me, Alice leafed through the thick book that she had taken out from somewhere in front of me. ¡°What style of dresses do you like? Do you have any special requests?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll make it up on my own! Just tell me what kind of atmosphere you¡¯d prefer.¡± Edmund who answered on behalf of me, who was embarrassed. ¡°Something different from others, but not old-fashioned.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± After taking all the measurements, the employees rearranged the dress that I was currently wearing in a tasteful manner. Edmund watched the entire process with a complicated expression. When our eyes met, he gave a soft smile. He came over and pulled my waist closer as he spoke. ¡°Should we just not go to the auction?¡± ¡°Why, all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want others to gossip about you.¡± I stared at him, my eyes telling him to speak words that made sense. Edmund turned his head with a sullen face. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Chapter 13 ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Vivian¡¯s POV Edmund was swamped with work as soon as the auction began. He returned every night with an exhausted face. He said that most of the paintings that were successfully bidded for went straight to the art museum, but some of the paintings that he bought at his own expense would be sent straight to the mansion after the auction has ended. The number of times I could wander around watching the amazing scene of Edmund signing in a flowing script to receive the items had come to an end unknowingly. Every night, Edmund would say that there wouldn¡¯t be an auction with as many excellent works as this round, while draining his glass. ¡°And tomorrow will be the last day.¡± According to Edmund, there would only be four or five works on the last day. Additionally, unlike the previous six days of the auction which started early in the morning, the last day would start from late afternoon till evening. Edmund explained that as soon as the auction had ended, its major customers and other prominent people in society would be invited to kick off a charity party, which was one of the parties that drew the most attention. It also meant that all kinds of attention will be drawn to me, who will appear at the party under Edmund Deer¡¯s escort. For some reason, Edmund seemed quite unwilling for me to go to the auction with him, and would often whine, asking if he could just not go for the auction. ¡°Why is he still not here?¡± I closed the book I was reading carelessly and checked the time. Seven o¡¯clock. If I had known that he¡¯d be late, I should have had dinner first. I killed time by twirling the family ring around my index finger for no reason at all. However, not long after, that thought also subsided by the sound that could be heard through the thick door. I opened the book again and pretended to be reading it, and the door opened after the sound of a knock was heard. While I flipped a page of the book without reading it seriously, Edmund stood in front of me. ¡°I¡¯m late right? I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, you¡¯re late.¡± I closed the book with a snap and raised my head. Edmund was there, breathing heavily with a strangely red face. He was dressed in a flawless suit and his hair was also slicked back, put his hair back, and he looked more flashy than usual. However, unlike his perfect looking appearance, the tenderness on his face made me stand up with a faint smile. ¡°Why were you so late? I was hungry.¡± ¡°Did you wait for me?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± A joyful tinge appeared on his slightly gaunt face Although it¡¯s true that I had waited for quite some time, I didn¡¯t want to be asked whether I liked him that much. At my lack of answer, Edmund closed his lips tightly, before noticing what I was thinking about and smiling broadly. ¡°¡­You¡¯re overly aware that you¡¯re handsome.¡± ¡°Am I handsome?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that?¡± ¡°No, but it¡¯s important that I¡¯m handsome to you.¡± Instead of answering his brazen words, I forced a smile and passed him to leave the study. Edmund naturally linked arms with me tightly, and nuzzled close while whining as he followed me. ¡°But didn¡¯t you say that I wasn¡¯t to your preference?¡± He kept whining like that about an appearance that went beyond preferences. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T The meal was prepared quickly. With the short width of the large and long table in between, we sat facing each other. It¡¯s a table that I sit at every day, but I always find it new again every time I see it. One of the things that hasn¡¯t changed after 200 years has passed was this table that was elegant beyond comparison. The dining room that I remembered was heavy to the point of suffocation. Now it has completely changed to become bright and cheerful, but this large and dreary table still remains the same. My sister and I originally sat and ate facing each other with the long length of the table in between. As it¡¯s too far away, sounds can¡¯t be heard clearly, so I wasn¡¯t sure if it can be described as ¡®face to face¡¯. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Likely because I stopped while using a knife, Edmund called out to me. It really wasn¡¯t a big deal. I smiled slightly and shook my head. WIth another movement of my knife, the meat is cut smoothly and red juice falls from between the two slices. I bit the piece of meat to prevent the sides of my mouth from being oily. The meat¡¯s flavour filled my mouth. The savoury fragrance of premium butter and the juice that was spreading below it. I chewed the meat and swallowed, before arranging the tableware and raising my head to meet the gaze that had been focused on me while I was unaware. ¡°Why?¡± When I asked while pulling the white cloth on my knees to wipe the corner of my lips, Edmund turned his gaze to my plate again instead of answering. Edmund Deer. He¡¯s very quick-witted. I must say, Edmund would notice right away whenever I paused due to memories that were related to my sister. Even now, it was definitely a reaction he made after realising it. The reaction that he made when he wanted to ask about it, but he was worried that I would feel bothered. I clicked my tongue and opened my mouth. ¡°I told you before that this table exists in my memory.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°My father ate his meals separately for practically all of the time. So I often had dinner alone with my sister, but we didn¡¯t sit this close, like you and I.¡± Edmund got a faint whiff of the accompanying wine, shook his glass slowly and tilted his head. ¡°With the long length of the table between, I sat face to face with my sister.¡± ¡°¡­ Is that considering sitting face to face?¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± ¡°Can you hear anything? Is it because you¡¯re mages, so it¡¯s different?¡± How can that be? ¡°There isn¡¯t any conversation.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± With a glass in his hand, he stopped moving. From his reaction, I could tell that he couldn¡¯t come up with a response to that. I lifted my glass, too. When the rim of the glass rested on my lips slightly, a dry scent reached my nose. ¡°So why were you late today?¡± ¡°I was originally going to talk about it.¡± Perhaps I came to my senses after drinking wine, but I could feel the sparkle over my face much better than before. ¡°Do you know what the last work of today was?¡± Edmund smiled meaningfully and placed his glass down. I blinked. ¡°Michaebella¡¯s .¡± Michaebella¡¯s . I mulled over the two names in my mouth. Why did it feel familiar? My brows narrowed into a frown. ¡°You don¡¯t know? That¡¯s possible. This painting was originally famous for bewitching people, but it became even more famous for being stolen hundreds of years ago.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°According to records, the artist was Michaebella Summers, and the place it was stolen from was the Summers Mansion, so it instantly became a topic of gossip.¡± I heard that something like that had happened. Although it happened before I was born, it was a painting that became famous because of the tumultuous incident. Acrid, famous for bewitching people, was a painting painted by the first head of the Summers family. During my time, it was only around a decade since the painting was stolen, so the Summers were still searching for it. But why did that painting appear at the auction? Even if 200 years have passed, the painting should still be in a stolen state. Towards me, whose head was tilted, Edmund opened his mouth a little excitedly. Whether it was due to the alcohol or it was because he was in a good mood, his face was red. Since then, it became Edmund¡¯s one-sided flood of words. How important this painting was, and the status it had in the world after 200 years had passed without me. What kind of rumours that floated around, and what kind of dissertations appeared. Words about how just the fact that this work was created was impressive. ¡°Eddie¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Is that why you won the bid for that painting?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± While he was rattling off, the tableware was removed and dessert was served. I peeped at the small cake wonderfully decorated with sprinkles of chocolate powder. ¡°It was really fierce. That¡¯s actually the reason why I took a long time to return. No matter what, there¡¯s no compromise, and I had to bring that painting back to The Deer somehow.¡± ¡°How much was your successful bid?¡± ¡°About tens of millions?¡± As I already knew that the units attached behind his words definitely wouldn¡¯t be normal, I kept my mouth shut. I knew that the unit that would be attached to the back of that horse would never be a routine unit, so I kept my mouth shut. ¡°It¡¯s a really famous painting. But the fact that it didn¡¯t appear during the finale, but on the second last day is the part that I¡¯m paying attention to now.¡± ¡°It means that tomorrow¡¯s finale will be even more spectacular, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Perhaps it was because he was done with eating, Edmund rinsed his mouth with water and stood up. When I also tidied up and stood, he was already by my side with a hand outstretched towards me. ¡°I¡¯ll take you back.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Even so.¡± I walked beside him. The sound of shoes hitting against the marble floor rang out, and the evening sun cast a long shadow in the hallway was indicative that summer was really approaching. A long hallway devoid of people, arch windows and the shadow it cast, as well as the few paintings hung along the hallway. I recalled what Edmund had said, that he borrowed the power of magic to prevent the paintings from getting damaged by sunlight. I looked at his side profile that was staring blankly, perhaps turning silent due to the sudden feeling of drowsiness. What I had come to realise in the past few days was that Edmund talked less when he was tired, and even though he held a conversation well, he would fall into his own thoughts quickly. And it seemed that now was one of those times. ¡°Will you be alright tomorrow?¡± ¡°Sorry, I was thinking about something else for a second.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± The gaze that was aimed outside the window was directed towards me instantly. Under the drowsy light of the evening, the faint smile that rose on his face was blurry due to his sparkling hair and the backlight. I stopped breathing for no reason. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Vivi?¡± When I shook my head in response to his query of what¡¯s wrong, he laughed. For some reason, the lower part of the pit of my stomach felt clogged, and ticklish. Was this how he felt about me? Sometimes, I feel like I have become a very expensive piece of art. Whenever I felt this way, I would start to feel gloomy, but whenever I see him being wordless and calmly affectionate¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± I swallowed back the tingling emotions. Afterwards, I stepped forward again. Edmund is kind. He himself might not be aware of it, but he would occasionally show a gentle expression in contrast with his usual energetic expression, which would strangely cause me to waver. He doesn¡¯t know what I¡¯m like. I didn¡¯t really understand how he was always so energetic, so I¡¯m afraid that I probably wouldn¡¯t understand the relaxed expression he had today even more. Edmund stopped in front of my room and opened the door. The heavy door opened smoothly without making a sound. He held the door and leaned on it relaxedly. ¡°You¡¯ll be quite tired tomorrow, so go to bed early today.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to entrust my escort to a corpse.¡± ¡°Of course, my lady. I will return with a human-like appearance tomorrow, so please turn a blind eye once. Hmm?¡± When I spoke those twisted words of worry as I turned in front of the door, he immediately understood and smiled. Hearing the playful tone within his voice, I started to feel embarrassed and turned to try and close the door. However, Edmund was faster than my movements. He held the door firmly and tilted his upper body towards me. And¡­ ¡°See you tomorrow, Vivi.¡± His voice grazed past the lobe of my ear. No. Did it really just graze past? My heart pounded to the point that the pulsating feeling of my neck was clear. Why would someone keep whispering in another¡¯s ear? After blowing into my ear while I was momentarily frozen, he burst into laughter and quickly closed the door with a wave of his hand. ¡°Hey!¡± ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Chapter 14 ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Vivian¡¯s POV Chervanni was famous for their art and jewellery auctions. The Chervanni family was a prestigious family with a long history, but from the lack of impression in my memories, it seems that they weren¡¯t a mainstream family 200 years ago. The Chervanni Auctions was first established 170 years ago by introducing a completely different system from the existing auctions then, which mainly traded items such as magic weapons and enchantments. ¡°1500.¡± The main items they auctioned were art and jewellery. They would hold small auctions ordinarily and sell goods, but the ones that underwent meticulous preparations were the art auction in May and the jewellery auction in November. Jewellery auctions are held for only one day, and the winter party would commence afterwards, while the art auctions will take place over seven days, where only prominent works are placed on the auction block. ¡°1600.¡± And the last day out of those seven days was called the finale. ¡°1600, 1600. Is there anyone else that would like to call out?¡± The day was bright on the finale of the art auction in May. ¡°2000.¡± On the center stage of a huge party hall, a man dressed smartly in a tuxedo and a gray mask was proceeding with the auction. I had heard that the last day would be different from the auction I was familiar with, but this was really unexpected. Everyone was dressed splendidly, browsing while wearing masks that expressed their individuality. I seem to understand why the word ¡®party¡¯ was more appropriate to describe this than ¡®auction¡¯. Edmund didn¡¯t seem that interested in this painting, so he just stopped there watching its price continue to rise leisurely. When we arrived at the ballroom, Edmund placed a deer mask onto my face while we were in the carriage. The deer mask that instantly let others know I was Edmund¡¯s partner, was surprisingly decorated with diamonds. ¡°It¡¯s going up a lot.¡± ¡°Right, it¡¯s not just me that thinks it¡¯s expensive, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s the work of an artist that¡¯s getting popular these days. Well, perhaps it¡¯s suitable for investment purposes, but it¡¯s not to my tastes.¡± Edmund sipped on his alcohol lightly, gazing at the painting on the stage, before turning towards me completely. His extravagant deer mask covers his cheekbones, nose and forehead, leaving his chin and cheeks exposed. He was wearing a mask, but in fact, everyone already knows each other¡¯s identity. In the first place, it was neither a secret auction, nor were masks worn to conceal one¡¯s identity, but only for the sake of entertainment. In addition, Edmund was said to have worn a deer mask every time he attended an auction ever since his childhood. When I appeared in the ballroom with Edmund escorting me, everyone¡¯s gazes were directed towards me. And those gazes remained, even though the auction had progressed to a certain extent. Unlike me, who kept shrinking into myself, Edmund was nonchalant, seemingly familiar with the attention he was given. He spoke to me, ¡°Pretty.¡± ¡°Hm? Yeah. Right? I didn¡¯t think that it would be to such an extent, but I really like it.¡± I bowed my head and looked downwards at the dress that I was currently wearing. The lining was made of pink silk in the shade of white cotton candy scattered on my hair, and extremely thin white gauze was layered above multiple times to form the dress. Finally, small jewels were inlaid on the dress like a flower garden. When I touched the jewels with my fingers, they sparkled brightly according to the light. ¡°I guess she wasn¡¯t called a genius for no reason.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t saying that the dress was pretty.¡± Huh? I could feel heat rushing to my cheeks. When I touched my face to no avail, Edmund asked, ¡°Did you know that this dress was inspired by Sasha¡¯s painting?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t know.¡± I didn¡¯t even know what had my sister painted, so how would I know that? With a shrug of his shoulders, Edmund nodded while saying that that could be the case. I felt quite tired as I had suffered throughout the day at the hands of Deer¡¯s maids, since morning until just before I left for the party. It seemed like all of the employees in the mansion were attached to me, while I was washed, groomed from head to toe and dolled up, from my dress, hair and makeup. They helped me to dress up excitedly, saying that they were bored as there were only two young masters in the house. My dishevelled hair was detangled and set into curls while they babbled on. ¡°It¡¯s a painting in the Halika Gallery in the old capital Toyo, and while it¡¯s not Sasha¡¯s representative work, the people here should be able to recognise it in a glance.¡± ¡°Aha.¡± Morgan Summer¡¯s designed had explained that starting from a line above her waist, the upper body consisted of rose vines creeping upwards attractively, while the embroidery of red petals and white gypsophila consisted of jewels that were deliberately shattered with a hammer, to depict an unorganised wild garden. When Edmund heard my explanation, he burst into laughter, saying that there isn¡¯t anyone that would dare to shatter jewels. As I pretended not to hear the price, I didn¡¯t know the exact value of the dress. Edmund straightened out the slightly wrinkled train and spoke jokingly, ¡°You¡¯re probably the star of today¡¯s party. Thank you for giving me the honour of escorting the main character in advance.¡± I looked away from Edmund and looked around, the conversations of the people next to me entered my ears. ¡°He¡¯s the rumoured¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I can only say that it¡¯s really surprising.¡± ¡°¡­Maybe they¡¯re distant relatives?¡± It was awkward to see gazes full of curiosity without hostility. ¡°I heard that that dress was made by Morgan Summer¡¯s chief designer.¡± ¡°I heard that she was offered to be her muse.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t you know why she did that? Didn¡¯t that designer also like Sasha? ¡°She¡¯s famous for that.¡± I awkwardly raised the corners of my mouth, before turning around. The white hem of the dress wrapped around my legs. To match me, Edmund was dressed in a black tuxedo accented with red jewels. With hair neatly slicked back, his handsome face could be found underneath. Although more than half of his face was covered by the mask, it gave him a mysterious atmosphere. Edmund placed his glass on a passing waiter¡¯s tray and lifted a new glass. ¡°Then, aren¡¯t you here in Deer¡¯s name? Speaking of the price, do you not do things like that normally?¡± [T/N: ¡®that¡¯ referring to calling out bids for the work being auctioned.] ¡°There are times where I would, but I usually leave it to another expert.¡± ¡°Then what do you do?¡± Edmund pointed to the employee of Deer that was working hard at a distance, speaking. ¡°This isn¡¯t just a matter of one or two pennies, and in such auctions, you wouldn¡¯t know what kind of works would appear beforehand, right? Even if a budget was made in advance, the occurrence of mistakes is a situation that occurs oftenly.¡± ¡°Uhm.¡± ¡°So, if the bid is going to exceed the set budget, the final decision on whether to continue calling or to give up on the work rests on me.¡± Edmund had much more authority than I expected. It seems that he really was an amazing person. Even if his actions were no different from a loafer. Edmund looked like he was stabbed when I gazed at him with suspicious eyes. ¡°¡­Of course, I¡¯m in charge of representing Deer too.¡± As I was chatting with Edmund, a new work appeared. ¡°Oh, we¡¯re getting that work.¡± It¡¯s a painting of the Imperial Family during the Empire¡¯s golden age. Apparently, the painting of the blonde princess and her fiance had surprisingly fallen into the hands of an unheard of family and eventually appeared in today¡¯s auction. Unlike the work that was first auctioned, the figures being called out gradually increased. As the bids grew steeper at a faster rate, the number of people participating in the auction conceding soon increased. Edmund watched the entire situation silently. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The sight of his mouth closed tightly underneath his silver mask showed that he was uncomfortable. While it was the same deer mask, the person wearing a much simpler mask than Edmund¡¯s and mine approached us. ¡°Mr. Deer. The price range is increasing faster than we¡®d anticipated.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°While I¡¯m going according to the budget, I think that you should make the final decision.¡± It seems that now was the time to make a decision. After this, the finale is all that¡¯s left. If he was planning to obtain the finale at an exorbitant price, wouldn¡¯t it be better to just give up on this painting? If that¡¯s not the case, he¡¯d have to spend more to obtain the painting. Making such decisions was what Edmund had to do at the auction today. Magic brushed past the surroundings of Edmund and him, as well as me. From how soundproofing magic had been activated, it seems that he was going to say something important. ¡°Let¡¯s go all the way to 80 million Zulang.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass it along.¡± Even while they were conversing, the bids continued to rise steadily. There was still a long way to reach the price Edmund had just mentioned, but from the looks of this trend, it seemed like it would reach in an instant. ¡°It¡¯s rising a lot more than I¡¯d thought.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Edmund gave a regretful smile. ¡°I knew that painting would be appearing, but I didn¡¯t expect that the competition would be this fierce.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s your opponent? Are they representing an art museum like yours? Or is it individually?¡± At my words, a slightly irritated smile appeared on Eddie¡¯s face. The gaze that was on the stage slowly moved towards a blond man standing quietly in a distance from the stage. It seems that that person was Edmund¡¯s opponent. ¡°¡­ The Crown Prince.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The Crown Prince? Isn¡¯t he an important figure? Is it alright to impede a member of the Imperial Family¡¯s bidding? ¡°¡­Are you sure that it¡¯s okay?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Don¡¯t worry.¡± No, while the Summers were a family that the Imperial Family couldn¡¯t do anything about, my sister didn¡¯t react like that towards the Imperial Family. Edmund treated the Crown Prince like he was insignificant. Rather, he said that the finale of the art auction was more problematic than that. ¡°The last work is definitely Sasha¡¯s work. That¡¯s because there were only two paintings during these seven days, a bouquet of sunflowers and the scenery of Riverry¡¯s wheat fields.¡± ¡°I think I know the sunflower one.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Nervously holding the cup in his mouth, he turned his head. My eyebrows went up and down in line with the words, ¡°Really?¡± ¡°The opening was a sunflower. I¡¯d bidded for it successfully on the first day, so let¡¯s go and see it later.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Of course, the competition for that painting was fierce. Even so, for the amount required to obtain it, it¡¯s much simpler than it was rumoured to be.¡± Edmund paid attention to the auction as he brushed against his chin. ¡°7,800!¡± ¡°80 million.¡± The person wearing the mask of the Deer family threw out the final amount, and caused the whole area to quieten down. Everyone looked curious about how long the price would go up. ¡°We have reached 80 million. Is there anyone else? I shall start counting. Three¡­ two¡­. one.¡± ¡°Haah, finally.¡± ¡°Vellota Caruni¡¯s has been sold for 80 million Zulang. Thank you.¡± Edmund placed his glass down and other people in our surroundings offered him words of congratulations. He smiled faintly and nodded at them, before a frown appeared on his face and he shook his head. While I was engaging in idle chatter with Edmund, the auctioneer who went inside walked out of the stage with good timing. Edmund asked me, ¡°Are you very tired?¡± ¡°I think I understand why you would return like you¡¯re half dead.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s a party after this, so let¡¯s stay for a little and return.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I didn¡¯t do much, but I felt tired. Up till morning today I was a little excited due to my curiosity towards the auction and a party that I haven¡¯t been to in a while, but now I wasn¡¯t sure. First of all, I didn¡¯t know anyone, and there wasn¡¯t much to converse about. No, that¡¯s not a big problem as conversing can be done even if you¡¯re not close to the other person. However, everyone paid attention to the works on display during the auction, so it was not easy to make conversation. And while Edmund pretended not to be, he became sensitive and everything caught his eyes, so even leaving him behind was the same. I headed to the couch right beside me as my legs hurt and I wanted to sit for a moment, Edmund followed behind me. We continued our meaningless idle chatter. After a short back and forth, an object covered in a dark red cloth, presumably the next work, appeared beside the auctioneer. The buzzing sounds suddenly increased in volume. The auctioneer looked around at their reactions with satisfaction as he came forward looking. ¡°You¡¯d been waiting for a long time. The Finale for this year¡¯s Chervanni art auction.¡± He slowly pulled down the cloth, saying that there was no need for him to elaborate what a great painting this was. The attention of all within the party hall were focused on the painting covered in cloth. Even those that did not intend to bid for this painting showed signs of nervousness. I was also like that. While I wasn¡¯t interested in the slightest, I swallowed dryly as I watched the cloth fall slowly. And the moment the fabric fell to the floor, My heart rate sped up. ¡°Ah, oh my god.¡± ¡°So that painting was in Merci.¡± There were exclamations everywhere. The canvas was quite large. There was a woman seated gracefully within. I was seated gracefully with my legs crossed on an old and crude wooden chair, and not an expensive sofa with rose embroidery. The hem of the luxurious navy blue dress hung downwards, subtly showing my leg line. ¡°Oh.¡± With a wooden palette in one hand and a brush in another. Perhaps it was because of the window directly in front of that person, light shone directly over her. The sunset coloured light fell onto the faded wheat-colored hair. The parts where the light touched her were all scarlet coloured. I stared dazedly at the painting, feeling like crying a little. ¡°Sister.¡± Within the painting was my older sister in red coloured light. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Chapter 15 ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T When the glossy dark red fabric fell and the painting appeared to the world, Edmund could only stare at it blankly. It¡¯s because this was one of the paintings that he couldn¡¯t figure out its location. This painting was only rumoured to exist, and not a single person has actually seen it. He wasn¡¯t able to confirm its existence in reality. He had only managed to find out that in the distant past, an artist that was invited to the Summers mansion 200 years ago drew this painting as a token of gratitude for the head of the family, who had saved his life. As it was not the work of a famous painter, the painting did not receive attention at first. However, when a question was raised about the painting¡¯s background, it received the world¡¯s attention. It was just a frame depicting the behind the scenes of a portrait. A small and turbid painting. A portrait of a red sunset pouring over faded wheat hair. The person held a palette in one hand and a brush in the other. The art circles became excited at the revelation that instead of a painting of a nobleman in the past, it was a portrait drawn of Sasha Summers¡¯ father, the head of the Summers family then. As such, artists wandered everywhere in search of the painting, saying that painting within the portrait seems to be Sasha¡¯s self-portrait. Even the first thing that the director of The Deer, the Lady of the Deer family, did after her marriage with the head of the Deer family was to search the mansion for Sasha Summers¡¯ self-portrait. But the picture was right in front of him. Edmund stared captivated at the painting, without hearing the sound of his pounding heart. But that didn¡¯t last for a long while either. ¡°¡­Sister.¡± Vivian looked upwards dazedly with her lips opened slightly. The appearance of her deep in contemplation was as tragically beautiful as the painting. Like she was holding all of the world¡¯s sorrow, she looked at Sasha vacantly with ripples in her dark green eyes. While everyone else buzzed in their own excitement, only Vivian turned pale. Ah. Vivian. As if cold water was poured over his head, Edmund¡¯s dazed mind reverted back to normal quickly. Right now, the problem wasn¡¯t the issue. No, it is a problem. Edmund knew that Vivian was having a hard time, so he tried his best to somehow reduce Sasha¡¯s traces. As such he covered all of Sasha¡¯s paintings in the mansion with cloth. Only the portrait in Vivian¡¯s room was left untouched. His heart that was pounding with excitement in the face of a work that was like a legend, started to beat anxiously. ¡°Vivi, are you okay?¡± However, Edmund¡¯s voice did not reach Vivien¡¯s ears. In fact, she couldn¡¯t see or hear anything. All she could focus on was a very familiar face that she missed over there. Edmund eventually caught Vivian, who was moving forward like she was possessed. He held a hand carefully and tightly, while pulling on her shoulder with the other. The faint sound of her heartbeat and small tremors were conveyed from her body to his. ¡°Vivian, it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°¡­Eddie.¡± The head that was bowed deeply lifted up, and the sight of dark green eyes glistening dimly like dew present in a garden at dawn. Edmund¡¯s thoughts halted. The image of Vivian who had collapsed before his eyes a few days ago was still clear, and Edmund¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Let¡¯s return.¡± ¡°¡­But.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot of other people here. So, let¡¯s return.¡± In actual fact, as someone attending for The Deer, they must win the bid for that work no matter what. But Vivian was more important than that painting right now. Vivian was also the younger sister of the main subject of that painting. However, Vivian shook her head side to side with a pale face. A voice that was about to break appeared from her mouth. ¡°¡­Sister, I didn¡¯t know that I¡¯d meet her here like this.¡± ¡°I know. So, let¡¯s return.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± Edmund was helpless in the face of the stubborn Vivian. While anxiety that the auction would soon begin enveloped him, Vivian shook her head firmly and turned towards Sasha again. A bell rang in the middle of their small scuffle. The auction has begun. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Vivian¡¯s POV Edmund was insistent on returning with me, but after hearing that the auction had started, he used the hand that wasn¡¯t holding mine to brush back the hair on my forehead. It¡¯s a gesture that seemed like he was deep in thought. I know that he had only said that as he was worried about me, but it doesn¡¯t make sense to return home immediately. The long anticipated finale had appeared, and how could I return when it wasn¡¯t my sister¡¯s work but my sister¡¯s self-portrait? While it was shocking to me, from the looks of the reactions of others, it seemed to be a shock for them, too. ¡­I didn¡¯t expect to meet my sister here like this. While looking at me nervously, Edmund flinched whenever the sound of people raising the bids appeared. ¡®Right, what do you mean returning when you have this attitude.¡¯ I pushed away Edmund, who was sticking closely to me. While seeing my sister¡¯s portrait did give me a shock, it didn¡¯t mean that I couldn¡¯t control my magical power like before. She¡¯s a sister that I¡¯d seen in the mansion not too long ago. Although she¡¯s an older sister that I could only see through that painting now. ¡°Eddie.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Focus on the auction. Because I¡¯m really alright.¡± Edmund¡¯s mouth closed and he stared at me. Despite the mask, I could clearly see what he was thinking about right now. Edmund gave a faint smile to reassure me, before holding my hand tightly without turning towards the stage. ¡°2700!¡± ¡°2800!¡± ¡°Yes, 2,800.¡± ¡°3000.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve reached 3,000!¡± Let¡¯s go, what, it¡¯s alright, it¡¯s not alright. While we were arguing, the price had already increased dramatically. Deer¡¯s people that had deer masks on were also occasionally raising prices. In the few minutes after the auction began, the price skyrocketed. Edmund let out a sigh as he watched the rate at which the prices were rising. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Sasha¡¯s self-portrait, if it doesn¡¯t reach this standard, I¡¯d be disappointed.¡± Edmund held my hand tight while continuing to check the auction price. Although my heart kept pounding whenever I made eye contact with my sister in the painting, the hand that was tightly held comforted me. Edmund was necessary today. ¡°¡­Should I have given up on the painting of the princess earlier?¡± ¡°Do you think that the budget isn¡¯t enough?¡± ¡°¡­Of course it will exceed. Even if I gather all of my money, I¡¯m not confident.¡± Not much time had passed, but my sister¡¯s painting had already passed 6000 and was reaching 7000. A person wearing a deer mask approached Edmund. ¡°What should I do?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯ll reach 200 million to 300 million.¡± ¡°Would you be keeping the upper limit?¡± Edmund shook his head. It was an expression that said that he had no other option. ¡°Let¡¯s leave the target at 320 million for now. Add 40 million to 50 million according to the situation.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Keep up the hard work.¡± The man nodded and moved a short distance away from Edmund and I. Like he was trying to shake off his anxiety, Edmund exhaled loudly and laughed, saying that it¡¯s alright. He asked me a light question instead. ¡°Do you know about that painting?¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably Sasha¡¯s only self-portrait.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Edmund¡¯s gaze was glued onto my sister¡¯s self-portrait, like he was captivated. My sister¡¯s self-portrait has long since exceeded a few years¡¯ worth of income from a decent family¡¯s land. ¡°If the bids exceed 400 million, it¡¯ll be hard to bring it back to ¡®The Deer¡¯. I bought too many different paintings this time.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± It has been a long time since the bids have exceeded 100 million zulang, and now the units rose by 10 million each. Maybe because the small fry had fallen off, those wearing deer masks called for bids intermittently. When Edmund heard that the bids had passed 250 million, he added 50 million zulang to the man that called before him. ¡°But the total amount of the works I¡¯ve bought at this auction doesn¡¯t exceed 400 million.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bit disappointing.¡± ¡°¡­It isn¡¯t that I can¡¯t buy it.¡± Edmund seemed to be quite vexed, as he caressed my cheek with a serious expression. ¡°In Deer, while the art business is a charity work, it is also close to a hobby that has been passed down through the generations. Ever since it was first started, it was fine even if a deficit of this degree was incurred.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Currently, while Deer¡¯s art business is the most famous, it¡¯s not very profitable. Money comes from other businesses.¡± That¡¯s because paintings were closer to charity work in the beginning. The words he mumbled towards himself reached me, before shaking his head with an anxious expression. ¡°300 million.¡± At this point, there were only two people calling out bids. Edmund and a black haired person wearing a mask that wrapped around his entire face. While each had employees calling out bids, there were only two actual buyers. ¡°330 million.¡± ¡°330 million has appeared.¡± ¡°340 million.¡± Edmund looked at his opponent with a feigned smile. He then turned around, clicking his tongue. What¡¯s this, is he someone he knows? ¡°Is he someone you know?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Edmund brushed my hair with an irritated hand. As soon as Edmund finished his words, an employee of Deer¡¯s called out all the money that ¡®The Deer¡¯ could afford to pay. ¡°390 million.¡± Silence engulfed the entire hall. Edmund exhaled with a displeased look. I moved my gaze from Edmund turning my head towards my sister. My sister was still in a dark blue dress, with a brush in one hand and a palette in another. She was in front of the easel, gracefully facing me and the sunlight. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Sister was really accurate. Be it her wheat coloured hair, or her expression. My sister looked at me quietly without a smile. Apparently this was an early work of my sister¡¯s, so the sister within the painting was younger than I remembered. It was definitely drawn while I was alive, but I have never seen that painting before. I heard that it was hung on the walls of the mansion, so I thought that perhaps it was hung after my death. ¡­¡­I know that background. I know which direction my sister¡¯s studio faces, and the position where the light of sunset poured towards. There were books that my sister liked to read placed haphazardly behind that, which remained in the painting. When the window was opened while seated at the position my sister was sitting at, yes, this was just the right season where the breeze was cooling. Even if my hair became messy due to the wind, I liked the refreshing scent, so I kept running around excitedly the whole day that day. Now, my sister¡¯s hair was not only under the light of the setting sun, it was also fluttering with the breeze. It felt like she was going to blink. It felt like she was going to frown while brushing back my hair. And then she¡¯d say, ¡°What are you looking at?¡± ¡°400 million.¡± Eventually, my heart sank at the amount called out by the opponent. An even deeper silence spread amongst the crowd. My sister was still looking at me in the sunset. Thump, thump. I felt like the sound of my heartbeat was right next to my ears. ¡°Anyone else? I¡¯ll start counting. Three.¡± Time passed slowly when my sister was away from me. My heart throbbed as my sister still looked at me from afar. I don¡¯t mind being reprimanded, I just want to hear my sister¡¯s voice. ¡°Edmund, Sister is¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but pull on Edmund¡¯s sleeve. What came out of my mouth was his name and the word ¡®Sister¡¯. My voice sounded pathetic even to me. It wasn¡¯t spoken with any particular meaning, so I wasn¡¯t trying to hold onto him. But Edmund¡¯s hand patted my head. The hand that was affectionate yet heavy raised even further. ¡°500 million.¡± ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Chapter 16 ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Vivian¡¯s POV Silence engulfed the entire place. It wasn¡¯t just me that heard wrongly, right? As I kept staring blankly at the hand that was still holding Edmund¡¯s elbow, I thought about just what I had done. I was just, I only intended to call out for my sister. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± It feels like I broke out in cold sweat. I think that I¡¯ve made a mistake. I didn¡¯t particularly call out with the intention of asking him to buy the painting, but when I thought about it carefully, I think it was because I didn¡¯t want to leave my sister¡¯s painting in the hands of others. As I slowly paled, the surrounding people began to talk in whispers. ¡°Goodness.¡± ¡°500 million?¡± ¡°That¡¯s, 500 million is probably nothing as it¡¯s Deer, but still.¡± As murmurs quickly enveloped the hall, the auctioneer¡¯s voice rose above them. ¡°Anyone else? I¡¯ll start counting down. Three¡­two¡­one¡­ Congratulations. This year¡¯s finale is sold to Mr. Edmund Deer!¡± After his successful bid was confirmed, the hall quietened instead, and not long after, words that were similar to cheers popped out. When I heard the news that Edmund had eventually renewed the highest bid in history, I bit on my lip. When comments such as ¡®how much do you love Sasha¡¯ and ¡®you¡¯ll get into trouble one day¡¯ started, various discussions began to flood the surroundings, In the midst of this fuss, Edmund only remained calm, as if nothing had happened. When I looked up at him nervously, he looked downwards at me and smiled, as if nothing had happened. No, it wasn¡¯t the time for him to laugh like that! Meanwhile, another man wearing a deer mask approached urgently. ¡°Mr. Deer, what are you trying to do¡­? In any case, 500 million is too unreasonable.¡± ¡°Then, should I have just passed up Sasha¡¯s self-portrait? To someone with a questionable background?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± With a smile, Edmund briefly glanced at the black-haired man¡¯s location, before turning his head again. He then laughed mischievously. ¡°Who said that I¡¯m giving it to ¡®The Deer¡¯?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I had only bought it for my personal collection. It¡¯s not related to ¡®The Deer¡¯ at all.¡± ¡°What?¡± He threw out astonishing words without even batting an eye. ¡°500 million¡­?¡± He tilted his head slightly to the right. ¡°It¡¯s also a large sum for me. It definitely isn¡¯t a small amount. But I¡¯m quite lucky in various respects.¡± I couldn¡¯t figure out whether he was bluffing or being truthful now. The words he mentioned earlier, that the art museum business was the smallest amongst the businesses by the Deer family, was it the truth? In that case, just how massive is the Deer family¡¯s wealth? ¡°W¨Cwhat? Wait a moment, Eddie. You had just bought that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Paying for it?¡± Oh, I have yet to pay for it, so it isn¡¯t mine yet. He continued to speak as if nothing had happened. Without looking, I could tell that all eyes were focused on this side. What the heck. ¡°¡­Are the Deers that rich?¡± Instead of responding, the corners of Edmund¡¯s mouth curved upwards. Was it alright for him to freely use his family¡¯s money to buy a painting? Perhaps because he noticed my eyes that were filled with uneasiness, Edmund shook his head, telling me to not worry. In that case, let¡¯s change the question. ¡°Is Sister¡¯s painting that valuable?¡± ¡°¡­Sasha¡¯s self-portrait in itself is valuable.¡± His silver-gray eyes gleamed from underneath the mask. He took a step closer to me and whispered softly. His uniquely elegant pronunciation caused the words to roll from under his tongue smoothly. ¡°Even so, isn¡¯t she your older sister?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I was rendered speechless. ¡°Even though you aren¡¯t sure of how you should feel about Sasha yet, she wasn¡¯t someone that¡¯s meaningless to you, since she made you grab me desperately at the last minute.¡± I felt my heart tingling. ¡°That¡¯s why, it was enough.¡± ¡°But¨C¡± ¡°As I¡¯d said, I¡¯m fine. How about you?¡± Edmund cut off my counter and turned it into a question for me. How about you? The fact that it was my first time hearing such a question rendered me speechless. ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± I didn¡¯t have a chance to think about it properly, so the words that came out were broken up. Perhaps he knew about my condition, Edmund shook his head slightly to signify that it¡¯s fine, and a hand reached out. ¡°Are you feeling okay? I didn¡¯t want you to pay attention to it, so I covered all of the paintings by Sasha, but how is it that we¡¯d run into her here¡­¡± His finger touched the mask I was wearing. I could feel the magic on the mask unravelling. Before I could catch it, the silver deer mask fell smoothly into Edmund¡¯s hand. As I touched my forehead in vain at the sudden feeling of emptiness, Edmund took another step closer. Like magic, there was only a fist¡¯s worth of distance between him and me. He slowly tilted his upper body. ¡°Oh¡­¡± The scent of Edmund¡¯s favourite perfume invaded my personal space. And before I could properly process what was going on, his lips touched my forehead. It was a kiss that wasn¡¯t filled with other ulterior motives, a kiss that wasn¡¯t desirous but courteous beyond comparison. When I raised a hand to touch my forehead, Edmund stepped backwards easily and handed the mask he took off to aside, as if nothing had happened. He then held my hand. The tranquil song that was being played by the orchestra in the background was suddenly changed to a cheerful tune. ¡°Eddie, you have to explain what¡¯s going on!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I say earlier that you¡¯re the main character of today¡¯s party?¡± ¡°What are you suddenly talking about?¡± ¡°Originally, the successful bidder of the finale starts off the first dance of the charity party in the second part of the event.¡± Edmund stood in the center of the hall, which had suddenly turned into a dance floor, and gave me a smile. If he gave off a mysterious atmosphere while he was wearing a mask, he seemed like a deity that had descended into the human world when he took off his mask. ¡°And that person¡¯s partner would always become the main character of the party.¡± ¡°¡­What¡¯s that?¡± Edmund used the half-obsolete imperial etiquette from 200 years ago to ask me for a dance, which was very familiar to me. ¡°So, Lady Summers. Will you grant me the honour of having the first dance with me?¡± With both hands on his back and a leg tucked behind, he bowed gracefully and courteously in greeting. ¡°¡­Do you know this dance?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you personally check?¡± He lifted his bent upper body again, and whispered while walking over to me, while I tucked a leg behind me while holding the skirt with both my hands. Just like that, while I was by his side, he walked behind me. As we stood together in a half-embrace, he held my hand tightly and spun me out to the side. After the greetings, the starting introduction of the dance continued like flowing water. Everyone watched our greetings like they were enchanted. Just as I was about to feel a little burdened by their gazes, Edmund held my hand to assure me. Eventually, I followed him in the dance steps. In conclusion, Edmund danced very well. It should have been a dance that he had never seen before, so it was at an excellent level. While it felt like I was the only one jarring as I coordinated the steps with our bodies together, the people watching had probably felt that the all movements were as fluid like water only. Although he accidentally stepped on my foot due to a misstep, it was still great. ¡°What should I do? Is your foot alright? Does it hurt? ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it swollen? Let¡¯s go and rest. Since I have danced already, we can just return now.¡± Edmund made a fuss. I was the one that was stepped on, but Edmund threw a fit. Also, as I wasn¡¯t stepped on hard, it didn¡¯t hurt. The top of my foot was only slightly reddened. ¡°While it¡¯s alright, it¡¯s tempting to return home now.¡± Her uncharacteristic excitement about going to a party had completely turned into exhaustion. My personality hasn¡¯t changed, even after 200 years. There was a reason why I liked to bustle about all over the place but wasn¡¯t very willing to participate in high society, Like he was intending to leave right away, Edmund jumped up suddenly. But a neatly dressed man approached him and spoke to him about something politely. After a small conversation with him, Edmund frowned, He nodded his head with an ambiguous motion, before apologising to me. ¡°Vivi. His Highness is looking for me, so I think I¡¯ll need to leave for a while.¡± ¡°Is that so? Go ahead.¡± ¡°Stay here by yourself for a moment, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°You can take your time.¡± If it was His Highness, it would be referring to the Crown Prince. It wouldn¡¯t be unnatural for a family like Deer to have friendly relations with the Imperial Family. Soon after he disappeared and I turned around to change my location, the stinging gazes that I felt at the art museum once again reappeared. At the thought that every of my movements were captured within another¡¯s gaze, I would stop, even if I wanted to move. Gazes of curiosity and perhaps contacting a more shady undertone followed me wherever I went. At that place, as the illegitimate child of Summers, I seemed to be something very fascinating. ¡°Isn¡¯t it cleaner and more convenient to kill someone?¡± ¡°That¡¯s usually true. Its existence in itself is a nuisance to the family.¡± ¡°Sasha Summers, she¡¯s quite the oddball. Well, if the family has such a successor, they¡¯d be able to afford half of that, right?¡± Those words were a matter of course. It was because I was told over and over again by my sister that the only person in the world that was on my side was her, and to never forget that I owe my life to her. ¡°¡­¡­¡± As the blood of a family of mages was so precious, every marriage was a contract. In order to prevent blood, which was directly related to mana, from leaking out, even the side branches were thoroughly managed by the main house. Before the marriage, the number of children to be born, and even which of the children would assume which family¡¯s surname was all included in the marriage contract. As such, the existence of illegitimate children in families of mages was very ambiguous. As mages themselves were precious, each and every one were valuable resources, but they were also existences that were in violation of the contract. Thus, sometimes they were removed without a trace, and other times they were accepted as a member of the family out of recognition for their ability. In my case, I was able to live as my sister, the successor, recognised me. Perhaps my dad couldn¡¯t kill me, so he just washed his hands off of me and waited for me to die. As a result, I didn¡¯t become a member of the Summers as my father¡¯s daughter, but as my sister¡¯s younger sister. ¡°That¡¯s why I can¡¯t give up on my sister.¡± I couldn¡¯t be established without my sister. Therefore, it was fine for me to ignore the gazes of people that weren¡¯t my sister¡¯s. I used the back of my hand to press on the corners of my eyes. ¡°¡­Eddie, I shouldn¡¯t have sent him away.¡± When my thoughts of the past and the thought of my sister¡¯s paintings came to mind, my feelings became complicated. The stability of my mood differed similarly to the way it looked when Edmund was and wasn¡¯t beside me. I wondered whether it would be better to stay by the wall quietly or to move to a corner while waiting for Edmund to come. Looking at the gazes of the surrounding people while trying to slip towards the wall sneakily, I made eye contact with a woman that was standing a distance away. I turned my head, thinking that it was just an illusion, but she quickly approached me. ¡°Hello!¡± And she, to be more exact, she and the man that appears to be her partner, arrived in front of me before I could escape. The woman greeted me excitedly, heedless to the way I froze in bewilderment. Before I could answer her, she opened her mouth first. ¡°The dress is so pretty. It¡¯s Sasha¡¯s , right? ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Chapter 17 ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Vivian¡¯s POV Ordi-et¡­? I didn¡¯t know much about it other than the fact that it¡¯s a small rural village in the Summers¡¯ territory. It seems that my sister drew the village. Even so, I didn¡¯t know about it. It was surprising that my sister drew so many paintings, but I couldn¡¯t possibly know all the names of her paintings. I kept my silence as I didn¡¯t know how I should reply, but she wasn¡¯t offended and continued to ask me about this and that. ¡°What¡¯s your name? Can I be introduced? I know Edmund was supposed to introduce you personally. I¡¯m quite curious, and it feels as though he would never introduce you¡­¡± She then mumbled, ¡°I really wanted to meet you since a long time ago!¡± She had light brown hair and wore an elegant black dress which had embroidery in extravagant gold thread everywhere, making it seem as though she was an incarnation of the goddess of death. From the fact that she didn¡¯t meet anyone with such a strong presence during the earlier auction, she probably arrived after the second part of the event, the party. Due to her already gorgeous looks, despite the sleek looks of the man that appeared to be her partner, he didn¡¯t give a strong impression. ¡°By the way, who¡­?¡± ¡°Oh my, I didn¡¯t introduce myself. My name is Rovelyn Deer. I¡¯m Eddie¡¯s older cousin. This is my fiance.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Hector Valcara.¡± ¡°I came over as soon as I saw Edmund leave.¡± Edmund¡¯s cousin, Rovelyn, held a hand out to me and smiled brightly. While she looked a little fierce, she looked like a puppy when she smiled like this. If she was his older cousin, wouldn¡¯t she suspect me of being a scammer? Various thoughts, such as annoyance and hatred and the like, swept through my mind. However, with her expectant face in front of me, I pushed those thoughts away and held her outstretched hand. ¡°I¡¯m Vivian Summers.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t believe it when I only heard rumours. I thought that it was just a scammer that he caught. I¡¯d thought as much. I was only thinking about when Edmund, that rascal, would kick her out.¡± I laughed at the words that mercilessly pierced my heart, and kept thinking about when I could run away from this uncomfortable place. ¡°By the way, seriously.¡± Rovelyn shook her head slowly and made a hushed exclamation. ¡°Vivian Summers.¡± She made a series of exclamations. ¡°Seriously, how is this possible? How did you travel through time? Magic? It has to be magic, right?¡± ¡°Oh, yes, well.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if that isn¡¯t the truth. From the looks of things, you don¡¯t look like you¡¯re staying beside that child because you want something from Deer.¡± Although she said that, her following words were full of questions regarding older sister¡¯s sibling, ¡®Vivian Summers¡¯. ¡°What kind of person was Sasha?¡± ¡°Are there hidden unreleased works by Sasha?¡± ¡°I¡¯m quite curious about Sasha¡¯s romance,¡± so on and so forth. I answered them one by one, but eventually closed my mouth. Rather than questions about me, there were more regarding my sister, but it¡¯s unfortunate that my understanding of my sister was fragmentary. Perhaps the researchers of this era would know more than I do. Considering the fact that I got much more information from the book I barely managed to open. Unaware of my feelings, Rovelyn just stood with a smiling face. ¡°Edmund really liked Ms. Summers. To a serious extent.¡± She smiled refreshingly. ¡°At least, it isn¡¯t a portrait now, but a living person¡­¡± But the more I heard from her what Edmund was like, the more I couldn¡¯t get rid of my feelings of discomfort. The thought that I was like a living portrait to Edmund arose. In the meantime, perhaps Rovelyn¡¯s fiance had other matters, but he disappeared after whispering in her ear. Rovelyn came a little closer to me. ¡°Hey, Miss Deer?¡± ¡°Please call me Rovelyn.¡± ¡°In that case, Miss Rovelyn.¡± ¡°Rovelyn.¡± ¡°¡­Rovelyn.¡± Only then did she smile brightly and nodded. ¡®Edmund, where are you?¡¯ Rovelyn approached me without caring whether I froze up or not. ¡°I¡¯m really curious about something.¡± ¡°Please speak.¡± ¡°The Summers were a great family of mages. In that case, is Vivian also a mage? Can you emit fire without drawing an enchantment?¡± I was rendered speechless for a moment. It was clear that magic has indeed fallen here. Could a mage emit fire? In that case, just what could mages do here? Did they just inject their own magic into enchantments available in the market without using their own magic? After tilting my head for a moment, I decided to choose a magic that I could use immediately. A magic that wasn¡¯t as burdensome but still interesting¡­ I glanced around, before lifting my index finger. My finger whipped about like I was drawing an enchantment, and my magical power moved. ¡°Like this?¡± ¡°What?¡± A petal fell right over her puzzled face. ¡°Huh?¡± Another petal. And one more. Rovelyn looked up blankly. Yet another pink petal fell right under her eyes to her cheek. Her slightly gaping lips made me feel good for some reason. This sort of magic was the basic of the basics, and has always been well received when shown to people that were unfamiliar with magic. As such, it was also the most commonly used magic when I escaped the mansion and wandered around the city. Like bubbles appearing in the air, petals fluttered and fell over our heads. Rovelyn righted her head that was tilted up towards the sky. I thought that she didn¡¯t look like Edmund at all, but looking at her current appearance, their eyes seemed quite similar. Rovelyn¡¯s silver gray eyes were sparkling. ¡°Vivian, can¡¯t you come to me instead of Edmund?¡± Rovelyn grabbed my hand. Surprised by the sudden contact, I tried to back away, but Rovelyn¡¯s grip was stronger than I had expected. The recoil caused my body to sway. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Careful¨C!¡± Rovelyn reached out a hand to try and grab me, who was about to fall, but ended up falling together with me instead. As Rovelyn was hurriedly trying to take care of me, who was seated on the floor dazedly, the gazes of the surrounding people were focused in this direction. And¡­ ¡°¡­Oh dear.¡± I added more magic when I fell. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Is that snow?¡± ¡°It¡¯s flower petals!¡± ¡°Oh, goodness. Flowers are falling down like snow!¡± At the sight of flower petals falling over my head, everyone raised their heads and looked upwards at the ceiling. Additionally, petals gradually continued to fall onto the ground where Rovelyn and I were still sprawled out on, beginning to pile up on the back of my hand. Looking up at the party venue from a lower place than usual made it seem larger than expected. They were like villagers, shouting exclamations while watching my magic. Some people reached out their hands and tried to grab the petals. As I watched the unrealistic scene before me dazedly, as the petals fell before my eyes, I slowly closed my eyes and opened them again. I¡¯m in trouble. A huge one at that. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T I met Edmund¡¯s gaze. In the midst of everyone¡¯s exclamations, Edmund was staring at me scarily, and not at the ceiling. ¡°¡­¡­¡± As soon as our gazes met, I closed my mouth quietly as Edmund¡¯s eyes narrowed. And his mouth moved. Although I couldn¡¯t hear his voice as there was a distance, goosebumps formed. ¡®You, used magic.¡¯ I didn¡¯t know what else Edmund, who became startled whenever I used magic ever since I collapsed, would say to me. Although the trivial magic were unavoidable and could be given a pass by, saying, ¡°Yes, yes¡±, even I couldn¡¯t say that the falling petals were trivial. The petals are falling one by one above his flashy blonde hair, unlike his expression. Rovelyn reached out to me after slowly getting up from her position. ¡°Are you alright? Were you hurt?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± I reached out to grab her hand and stand up, but what I had actually grabbed was a big and firm hand. ¡°Did you get hurt?¡± I stared up at Edmund blanking while holding his hand. When did he come over? I looked up at him while about to rise from my seated position on the floor. He was just as dazzling as the sun, standing with his back against the light. His hair that was brushed neatly backwards showed slight annoyance and worry through his revealed forehead. Instead of helping me up, Edmund just sat in front of me. Our eye levels matched in an instant. Edmund took off his left glove and touched my forehead. He gently brushed away the flowing bangs and touched it with a cold hand. Perhaps the memory of the day I collapsed was too shocking to him, he would always treat me like a glass doll with cracks. Even if I coughed wrongly once, he probably would come running over like this. Edmund said with a hint of disapproval. ¡°Vivi, you have to be careful until your body is completely fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really alright.¡± After getting back up with his support, the rain of flowers stopped with a flick of my finger. Not much time has passed, but the dark red carpet was covered with petals that didn¡¯t match with it. ¡°However, Vivian¨C¡± I turned my head away with a face that was tired of Edmund¡¯s nagging, which would certainly continue for a long time. And, on such a day, it was Rovelyn that saved me with good timing. ¡°My dearest Eddie. Can¡¯t you see your Noona?¡± [T/N: ¡®Noona¡¯ means sister, and is used as a form of address to his older cousin. In Korea, it¡¯s considered rude to call relatives that are older by their names even if you¡¯re from the same generation (siblings/cousins) I¡¯ll keep it as ¡®Noona¡¯ instead of sister because Rovelyn isn¡¯t actually Edmund¡¯s sister >. Chapter 18 ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Vivian¡¯s POV Although the war of nerves between Edmund and Rovelyn occurring for unknown reasons made me feel uneasy, the more pressing issue was the rapidly rising fatigue. Using a lot of mana made my body droop exhaustedly like wet cotton. A huge pile of petals were underneath my shoes. Clamour filled the party hall momentarily, and the gazes soon scattered. It¡¯s possible that it wasn¡¯t the first or second time that they didn¡¯t get along. ¡°¡­How do I reverse the summon?¡± I learned it before, but I don¡¯t remember how. As it was a petal made of mana, I thought that it would be for the best if I reversed the summoning personally. I pressed on my temples with my fingertips for no reason and tried my best to recall my memories. Was this the right method? I picked up a petal by the hem of my dress. While fiddling the soft and thin petal with my thumb and index finger, I blew on it and imbued my mana into the air that was blown out. As I whispered the spell, the petal slowly floated into the air. With that as the beginning, all the petals within the wide hall began to float up into the air one after another. Just like how it first appeared, the petals disappeared one by one. Just like time has reversed, the rain of flowers moving in reverse was a very unrealistic appearance. Magical power also escaped continuously, as much as the laws of the earth were violated. Still, after practising for a few days recently, the flow of mana was much better than I thought. Right, it¡¯s not as if I couldn¡¯t do it. What other insulting words were there, to tell a mage that they shouldn¡¯t use magic? In order to not make a mistake like before, this time I focused my attention right to the last petal. It wasn¡¯t until the petals on my shoes floated into the air and disappeared like burst bubbles, did I look around my surroundings. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± There were more gazes than I thought, so I took a deep breath. If there were only one of two gazes, I could accept them skillfully, but many gazes were aimed in this direction throughout the wide hall, and even from the direction of the hall that was sectioned off. ¡°¡­Why.¡± I moved my legs stealthily and clung to Edmund¡¯s side. Edmund chuckled lowly, and grabbed me to hide me in his embrace. As he was much taller than me, it was easy for me to avoid eye contact, and thanks to that, my unease quickly subsided. For some reason, I wanted to check whether those gazes were still on me, so I tried to look over Edmund¡¯s shoulder by tip toeing. However, my attempt was thwarted as Edmund pressed on my head hard. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with everyone?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m currently thinking that you¡¯re more amazing than I thought you were, so what about them?¡± This was considered amazing? ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Are you asking because you¡¯re unaware?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this something all mages are supposed to be able to do?¡± If my sister heard such words, she would be speechless at how much of a waste of magic it was. ¡°Rovelyn, are there still a lot of people looking here?¡± ¡°Not currently.¡± She glanced around and smiled while shaking her head. Her voice sounded like it was a threat to those that were still looking over here, to get them to turn their heads on their own. ¡°¡­In that case, that¡¯s fine.¡± When I gave Edmund, who was holding me tightly, a slight push, he let me go with a sad face. When I retreated a few steps away from him, something was caught in my shoes. What. What¡¯s this? Fortunately, the person that was behind me caught me, who was reeling because of my heels, and I didn¡¯t fall like previously. ¡°Thank¨C you.¡± The man standing behind me was the same person with platinum blond hair that I saw during the auction earlier. He was the one that fought fiercely with Edmund for the portrait, . In other words, it was the Crown Prince of the Empire. ¡°I greet Your Highness, the Crown Prince.¡± ¡°Your Highness, what brings you here?¡± ¡°Long time no see, Rovelyn. And Eddie.¡± How should I react to him? Edmund said that the Crown Prince really wasn¡¯t much, but the Emperor within my memories was an omnipotent person in power. In addition, the fact that the Emperor that I knew of was a crazy tyrant that spoke for itself. As such, Rovelyn¡¯s and Edmund¡¯s impolite attitudes made me uneasy. Apparently, the Imperial Family couldn¡¯t do anything about the Deer Family, and Edmund and the Crown Prince seemed close. I hid my confused mind and stood quietly, but Edmund stood out first. ¡°I wanted to introduce you first, but this is Vivian Summers.¡± ¡°Aha, ¡®Her¡¯?¡± The Crown Prince looked at Edmund and I alternately, with a face that looked like he had quite a lot that he wanted to say. I thought about whether I should treat him as if he was the Crown Prince of my time, but when I looked at how the people around me treated him, I thought that it would be fine for me to not do so. ¡­Whatever. As I bent over and held the train of my skirt in one hand, I placed my right hand under my left collarbone and lowered my upper body slightly in greeting. ¡°I¡¯m Vivian Ataraxia Summers.¡± The Crown Prince laughed. ¡°I¡¯m Leon Swanye Sierra.¡± The Crown Prince also introduced himself briefly. Edmund seemed to be close with the Crown Prince, as he spoke grumpily. ¡°I heard you called me, but I couldn¡¯t find you after looking for a long time. Where were you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because something else cropped up. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°¡­Why did you do that during the auction earlier?¡± ¡°What did I do?¡± The Crown Prince responded with a nonchalant shrug. It seemed as though he cared quite a bit for Edmund. ¡°Your Highness raised the price so much that I wasted so much money.¡± ¡°What do you mean wasting money? I raised the price fairly.¡± They were probably talking about the fierce battle they had for a successful bid over . The Crown Prince smiled lightly, as if he was looking at his cheeky youngest sibling. Rovelyn cut into their conversation, berating Edmund for being rude, but Edmund didn¡¯t pay it any attention. I took a step back from them and watched the situation. ¡°The Deer family tends to overindulge Edmund.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± ¡°Especially Aunt, she sides with him too much.¡± What¡¯s the relationship between the Crown Prince and Edmund? I checked the faces of the two people before me with a confused expression. ¡°Lady Summers seems to have a question.¡± ¡°¡­What¡¯s the relationship between Edmund and the Crown Prince?¡± All three of them stared at me and blinked. I let out a low exclamation as I watched the three of them blink side by side. It seems as though Edmund would appear if half of the Crown Prince and Rovelyn¡¯s features were mixed. With a threatening expression, Rovelyn stepped on Edmund¡¯s foot. ¡°Ah, what is it, Noona?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t show such indecent behaviour before His Highness.¡± ¡°Yeah, it doesn¡¯t matter when it¡¯s just us.¡± When the Crown Prince stood up for Edmund immediately, Rovelyn¡¯s face twisted, as if she had eaten a rotten apple. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to chat about Deer¡¯s overindulging way of raising children, or something like that. To treat His Highness without reserve¡­ Edmund.¡± When Rovelyn jabbed her elbow towards Edmund, he made an ¡®ugh¡¯ sound and grabbed the area near his ribs. ¡°Aren¡¯t you becoming too arrogant?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Rovelyn and Edmund seemed to be one or two years apart, while the Crown Prince looks around four or five years older than them. Edmund rubbed his side and said. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°The Crown Prince is my cousin.¡± Hm? ¡°My mother is an Imperial princess.¡± His Majesty¡¯s younger sister. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh dryly. The Deer family. It seems like it¡¯s quite easy for this family to kill and eat an Empire. Their wealth isn¡¯t shaken when a painting was bought for 500 million Zulang, and a Lady of the house that¡¯s from the Imperial family. ¡°How is Aunt doing?¡± ¡°Mother, she¡¯s still the same. This time she went on a business trip in a hurry, and other business cropped up, so she gave me half of Chervanni, and I benefitted as a result.¡± ¡°So, you don¡¯t have the intention to officially introduce your lady?¡± ¡°Ahh, she isn¡¯t my lady yet.¡± The Crown Prince nodded distractedly and turned completely towards me. After staring at my face to the point of being rude, he then chuckled. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to say this.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I think I see why rumours that Edmund was besotted with Miss Summers appeared.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I was a little uncomfortable. The words that I heard the most after I first revealed my face in this place, was that I looked exactly like the portrait, as if I had walked out of the portrait. I recalled the portrait that I didn¡¯t have memories of, and tried my best to ignore my displeasure. It was unpleasant for people to think of me impersonating the painting, but it was just as unpleasant for people to treat me like I was the portrait after giving me a glance. It is hard to determine which of the two was more unpleasant. ¡°I don¡¯t know whether Edmund is besotted by me or not¡­¡± Right. Portrait. My sister drew me very realistically. And that painting was one of the most famous paintings in ¡®The Deer¡¯. ¡°First of all, I am indeed the Vivian Summers in ¡®her¡¯ portrait.¡± ¡°I see.¡± However, that doesn¡¯t mean that I, a person named Vivian Summers, will become Sasha Summers¡¯ . All of the discomfort I had all this time stemmed from this. In fact, even Edmund, the person that I trusted the most here, showed signs of having such thoughts, might have contributed to my discomfort. The Crown Prince nodded readily and suddenly reached a hand out towards me. Edmund was slightly annoyed, saying, ¡±Oh, your Highness the Crown Prince,¡± and Rovelyn threatened Edmund with a threatening, ¡°Edmund Deer.¡± However, the Crown Prince smiled slightly, uncaring of the two of them. ¡°The Imperial Family is always obsessed with the golden age of the Empire.¡± If it was the golden age of the Empire, it would refer to the time period where I lived in or the period before that. But why was he bringing that up? I stayed still as I couldn¡¯t understand, but Edmund stepped in immediately. ¡°We are currently in another golden age, Your Highness.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Deer¡¯s golden age.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± At the Crown Prince¡¯s words that were telling him to shut up, Edmund closed his mouth ¡°I too, know the Imperial Family¡¯s dance from back then.¡± As I stood there dazedly, he gave Edmund a playful smile, directly took my hand and briefly pressed his lips lightly on it. ¡°Please sing us a song.¡± ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Chapter 19 ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Vivian¡¯s POV With a yelp, I was dragged to the middle of the dance floor. Edmund was at a distance, not concealing his displeased expression, while Rovelyn clicked her tongue while watching Edmund. Up till a while ago, there were quite a number of people on the dance floor. As there were too many, they were even changing partners while dancing. Why was it suddenly emptied? Was it emptied because the crown prince made his appearance? After all, the Imperial family is the existence that would gain the most attention, so the floor would be emptied like this. The d*mned Imperial Family. Even so¡­! ¡°What¡¯s with your expression?¡± ¡°¡­Why are we the only ones on the dance floor?¡± It¡¯s too burdensome! ¡°The only people that know the steps to this dance are the members of the Imperial family and Edmund, who¡¯s standing over there with a dissatisfied face. Who else are you going to dance with?¡± ¡­The dance floor was empty as we were the only ones who knew how to dance. Perhaps it was because he noted my expression, but the crown prince burst into laughter. ¡°I had only asked for a dance to tease Edmund, so don¡¯t feel too pressured.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I had thought that the crown prince asked me to dance because he had something important to say to me. As the song began, the sounds made by the stringed instruments rang out peacefully. Along with the dreamy melody, the crown prince gave a slight bow in greeting. While he was walking past and to stand behind me, I lifted the hem of my skirt that was embroidered with jewels slightly and bent my knees. After I straightened up, I kept my gaze forward and reached out my right hand to the side, and the crown prince¡¯s hand held mine. The dance began, and the crown prince revealed his inner thoughts in earnest. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll understand that I have no choice but to ask you this, no matter how you feel about it.¡± ¡°¡­Please speak.¡± ¡°Are you really the Vivian Summers in Sasha Summers¡¯s portrait?¡± He mentioned that he knew the dance, but the crown prince was really adept at dancing. Under his lead, I stepped out and twirled in a circle once. As the hem of my skirt fanned out in a wide arc, exclamations burst out everywhere. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± My body was floating all of a sudden. Without a change in expression, the crown prince placed me down lightly and asked with the rational voice he used in front of Edmund earlier. ¡°What¡¯s your proof?¡± The crown prince has a unique way of speaking. While he was technically using honorifics, it wasn¡¯t used to respect the other party or lower himself. It seemed to be respectful of the other party, but ultimately, their difference in station wasn¡¯t forgotten. Perhaps that¡¯s precisely why his short and simple words weren¡¯t awkward at all. After finishing the steps of the dance, I opened my mouth after twirling in another circle. ¡°¡­Do I need to prove it?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to prove it.¡± ¡°Then I won¡¯t do it. It doesn¡¯t matter whether you believe it or not. While the world¡¯s rotation is a matter of course, not everyone wants to prove its reasoning.¡± Also, isn¡¯t it weird that I had to stand up and say that I¡¯m Vivian Summers, even though I don¡¯t have to be recognised? My existence itself is already Vivian Summers. The crown prince didn¡¯t talk for a while, perhaps he understood what I was saying. So I said the rest after that. ¡°If I am recognised by someone, I¡¯ll become ¡®Vivian of the Summers Family¡¯, but can¡¯t I be ¡®her¡¯ if I¡¯m not recognised by someone?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°As long as I have confidence in myself, there wouldn¡¯t be a need for something meaningless and ugly such as proving myself.¡± While they held such a meaningless conversation, the dance had unknowingly reached its ending. After completing the final move, I took a step back and slowly bent my knees in greeting. He too placed a hand near his chest and bowed gracefully. Lively applause poured out from the surroundings. The crown prince stared at me without responding. ¡°As such, the only way I can prove myself is to not prove it, Your Highness.¡± ¡°I hope that you¡¯ll remember that that choice isn¡¯t very good.¡± I lowered my head at the level that wasn¡¯t deemed rude and turned, the shattered jewels that embroidered the hem of my skirt brushed against each other and let out a lively sound. ¡°Is it advice or intimidation?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a notification.¡± A faint hint of displeasure flashed across the crown prince¡¯s face. He stared at me without blinking, before turning to leave first. I also followed in his footsteps and left. It seems that the crown prince¡¯s dislike of me grew further. I managed to offend the Imperial Family as soon as I got here. The reassuring protection of the Summers Family wasn¡¯t here to protect me, so was it really alright? ¡°¡­Since I¡¯m going to return anyway, it¡¯ll work out somehow.¡± As I was trying to shake off the prickly displeasure, Edmund caught me. He spoke playfully, unable to erase the slight displeasure he was feeling on the inside. ¡°Hello, Vivi. You¡¯re pretty even when you dance with His Highness.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°What did you talk about with His Highness?¡± Something like proving, although there were quite a lot of words exchanged, I didn¡¯t feel like explaining it all, and it felt miserable to delve deeper. As such, I carelessly spoke words that were completely different. ¡°He told me to not flirt with you. I¡¯m so envious that you have such a good cousin.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to play with my designer, so don¡¯t follow me.¡± I left Edmund, who seemed to be frozen with embarrassment, and approached Morgan Summer¡¯s chief designer, Alice Stella, who had just entered the party venue. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T The place where all the wealthy in the world flocked to. The capital of the Empire, Marie-Franzit. Everything in Marie-Franzit was extravagant. If it was art, it¡¯s art, and if it was music, it¡¯s music. And amongst the new culture, movies and photographs, architecture, fashion¡­ The place where everything glitters was Marie-Franzit, the capital of the Empire. If the question of the most famous party in the capital of the Empire was raised, everyone would mention these five. The eve of the anniversary of the Empire¡¯s founding, where only the nobles of the Empire are eligible to participate. The year-end ball hosted by the Imperial Family, with those that had the greatest influence on the Empire throughout the year on their invite list. The charity party that¡¯s hosted by the wealthiest family, the position that¡¯s occupied by the Deer Family. The mage federation ball, which is hosted by the families of mages, their head being the River Family. And¡­ Chervanni¡¯s Art Auction Finale Party. Of course, there are definitely parties that are more famous than this. There weren¡¯t only one or two parties that were held by the Deer Family, and in the case of unofficial balls, situations where the participants were lavish and outstanding was commonplace. However, aside from all of these, the reason that the aforementioned five parties are even more famous than those closed parties is because they are events that experience extensive media coverage. Backtracking, if the first four parties mentioned previously were lofty parties enjoyed by aristocratic families, then Chervanni¡¯s Art Auction Finale Party would fall into the category where the world¡¯s most famous people would gather without care for status. There were especially numerous people that were involved in the art industry, such as leading actors, designers, and writers alike. As such, various kinds of magazines and newspapers would discuss the clothings, their partners, their purchases, the happenings in the party and so on. Naturally, reporters flocked to the front of Chervanni¡¯s party hall in time for the second part of the art auction¡¯s finale, the charity party. Morgan Summer¡¯s chief designer, Alice Didi Stella, spoke in reply to a reporter that was interviewing her. ¡°Vivian Summer? She will most certainly bring a completely different trend to the high society of the Sierra Empire that has been dying for the past decades.¡± ¡°Is that why you made a proposal for her to be your muse?¡± ¡°The focal point isn¡¯t right. It isn¡¯t that ¡®Morgan¡¯s Alice made a proposal for Vivian Summers to be her muse¡¯, but that ¡®Vivian Summers chose me amongst the many others.¡¯¡± It was the first time that Alice waited for the second part of the party to begin after the auction like this. She appeared like a comet and went up faster than anyone else with the sounds of genius trailing behind, eventually becoming the chief designer of Morgan Summer at the age of twenty eight. Therefore, it was a matter of course that under her lead, Morgan Summer reigned at the top of the Empire¡¯s fashion world faster than anyone else. Such an Alice has been suffering from boredom in recent years. When she was about to come to the conclusion that she couldn¡¯t continue to work in this state, Vivian Summers appeared. These were the words that the Deer family had separately relayed to her when they entrusted her to complete Vivian¡¯s dress for the finale. ¡°She will become the main character of the finale, so make the dress as extravagant as possible, but without losing the dignity of the olden aristocrats.¡± Alice had immediately booked a train and visited Toyo, the city dominated by mages hundreds of years ago. She was so busy that she couldn¡¯t even stop by her hometown. She rushed to the art museum to look at Sasha Summers¡¯ paintings for a while, before immediately boarding the train to return. The completed work by condensing the time of so many craftsmen was the dress worn by Vivian Summers, who was currently dancing with the crown prince in front of her. Amongst Sasha¡¯s series of seasons in , the dress Vivian wore was inspired by the roses blooming freshly in May, coupled with Vivian¡¯s unique atmosphere like she was about to disappear, made her seem as beautiful as the blooming flowers. With each step she takes, the fluttering skirt seemed to enhance her unique atmosphere, and everyone turned to look back at her, entranced. Finding Alice quietly covering her mouth, Vivian headed straight towards her with a bright smile. ¡°Alice!¡± ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Vivian¡¯s POV ¡°Alice!¡± I ran over to show off the dress, but she didn¡¯t respond much with her eyes wide open. What¡¯s this? She doesn¡¯t like it? I like it though! That¡¯s why I came over thinking about being her muse. Alice seemed to be mumbling something to herself. ¡°¡­God, I¡¯m afraid of my talent.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± It seems like she likes it very much. ¡°¡­You¡¯re so beautiful, Vivian.¡± ¡°That¡¯s thanks to you, It¡¯s very much to my liking.¡± ¡°Have you, perhaps, considered my offer?¡± At her carefully asked question, I nodded slowly. ¡°Let¡¯s quickly set a date. I expect that I¡¯ll be quite busy for a while.¡± ¡°In that case, is it alright for me to see it as you positively considering to be Morgan Summer¡¯s muse?¡± Her slightly trembling voice quivered. What¡¯s a muse? I thought that I had to do something extraordinary, but apparently that wasn¡¯t it. All I had to do was live my life zealously and wear the clothes Morgan Summer makes diligently. I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ll remain here, but I decided that since I¡¯m already here, it wouldn¡¯t be that bad to spend the time here pleasantly, so I made up my mind. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Thank you. I guarantee it. Vivian Summers, you are already an image representing the golden age of the past, but at the same time, you will become an icon that penetrates today¡¯s Sierra.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I didn¡¯t want it to be to that extent, but I nodded my head at the confidence of Alice, who spoke firmly. The other unknown people that were listening by the side started to greet and congratulate me. ¡°Congratulations!¡± ¡°In that case, will Vivian Summers be the main muse for next year¡¯s collection? Or will it still be based on Sasha¡¯s paintings?¡± ¡°It should be alright if Sasha¡¯s painting is used as the motif.¡± ¡°Right. Everyone always feels nostalgia for that era.¡± To those that asked all kinds of questions, Alice shook her hand and dismissed them, saying she would slowly decide those things one by one. ¡°We¡¯ll have to proceed with the details after the contract, but what¡¯s the most urgent thing¡­¡± ¡°The hunting competition in summer is coming up soon.¡± It was Edmund, not me, who answered Alice, who seemed to be in a flurry. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Chapter 20 ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Vivian¡¯s POV ¡°A hunting competition?¡± Something heavy thumped onto my shoulder. It was Edmund. While he whined about being tired, he placed his chin onto my shoulder from behind. As the hair around my neck was itchy, I grabbed Edmund¡¯s hair. With my fingers, I gestured for him to stand up, and his slicked back hair became a little messy in my hands. ¡°¡­His Highness wants me to participate in the hunting competition.¡± ¡°You?¡± So there¡¯s still a hunting competition here. It was surprising that it remained even after 200 years, especially since it was also a product of the olden era during my time. Edmund shook his head, and pointed once towards me, and another time towards himself. ¡°You and I. Both of us.¡± ¡°Why? I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to either, but this time the Imperial family had simply just sent the both of us invitations, so we can¡¯t. We have to participate.¡± With a look of genuine unwillingness, he leaned onto me again. The instant I started to wobble under his weight, Edmund pulled me into a tight embrace. ¡°Originally, I participated during the fall, and not the summer hunting competition. I¡¯m not sure why the people who¡¯re aware are doing this.¡± All of a sudden, the small war of nerves I had with the crown prince came to mind. When I said that I didn¡¯t want to prove my existence, the crown prince warned that I would regret it. The remark suddenly weighed on my mind. I wondered if that would have any connection with the hunting competition, but there wasn¡¯t sufficient reason for him to pay attention to me by doing so. His concern wasn¡¯t purely because I¡¯m an impersonator pestering Edmund, but held some discomfort. ¡°By the way, Mr. Deer. If it¡¯s the hunting competition, isn¡¯t it during mid-June?¡± ¡°To be exact, it¡¯s held in the third week of June.¡± ¡°¡­There¡¯s just under a month¡¯s time left.¡± When I mentioned that it¡¯s alright for me to wear Morgan Summer¡¯s clothes after the hunting competition, Alice shook her head and said that she couldn¡¯t allow that to happen. It was an Imperial hunting competition, which seemed to mean that she couldn¡¯t let such a good opportunity be taken away by someone else. She seemed to have toiled greatly in order to make my dress in a short period of time, but now, she¡¯ll have to work hard for another month. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that you¡¯re satisfied this time too.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡± ¡°From the moment I first saw you, the number of things I wanted to make have overflowed.¡± I tried my best to give a faint smile to Alice, who spoke triumphantly, before letting out a sigh. How am I to participate in the Imperial hunting competition, when such a short party has left me so tired? I wanted to take back my words that it was frustrating to stay in the mansion only right away. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T There were many draining incidents today. It was tiring to watch the auction in an anxious state throughout, and I was absent minded from the alcohol that I drank in small sips as I craved for something. I unintentionally used magic there, and met many people. Right. It¡¯s no wonder that my body is so exhausted right now. While the fact that Edmund purchased my sister¡¯s portrait or that painting simply because I whispered it was something I had to revisit, my day today wasn¡¯t so bad. It would be great to return back to the mansion in this satisfied mood. From the beginning, Edmund kept saying to leave after the first dance, worried about the noise, and fussed even more after I used magic. ¡°Rest for a while. I¡¯ll just greet His Highness and return.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t I have to go?¡± I took a breather on a seat in the VIP lounge that was located upstairs. Blisters seem to have formed on my feet as I have been wearing these heels for quite a while, and Edmund rested my toes on a new pair of shoes that he had ordered someone to purchase. ¡°Why would you have to greet him? You don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°Very well then.¡± Since Imperial power had fallen to the floor, it was comfortable and great for aristocrats. Of course, I wasn¡¯t sure if my current status is that of an aristocrat. As I leaned on the couch¡¯s cushion instantly, Edmund laughed and approached me. He tucked the hair that fell out while I was walking around the party hall behind my ear, and placed his hand on my forehead like he was checking for a fever. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to have a fever¨C¡± Muah. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll be back.¡± Leaving me, who was stiff, Edmund waved as if nothing had happened and disappeared from my view. Of course, I remained stiff for a long time, even after he disappeared. ¡°¡­W, what¡­¡± He had only placed his hand onto my forehead and kissed the back of his hand. But, but. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± That¡¯s why it¡¯s weird. The only thing that touched my forehead was his finger, but strangely enough my forehead was hot. I recalled my sister¡¯s portrait that I saw a while ago. Soon after, the moment I called his name, Edmund, who offered astronomical money, came to mind. I remembered Edmund¡¯s gaze at me and the portrait, before my thoughts returned to the sensation that didn¡¯t touch my forehead again. I swallowed dryly. What should I do? What in the world should I do? I slowly lowered my hand to the couch and closed my eyes while laying onto my side. I had many thoughts in my mind, but they weren¡¯t organised, and nothing was left as a result. Knock, knock. Just then, a knock could be heard on the door before the door opened. He returned that quickly? He couldn¡¯t have called the crown prince, who¡¯s at furthest end from him, and waved his hand once, could he? ¡°You¡¯re already back?¡± I had just settled into a comfortable posture, so I spoke from my position in that cozy spot. Edmund stood at the door for a moment without answering, before striding towards me. My eyes were closing out of weariness, and I stared at Edmund, who was trudging towards me, with some effort. As my visibility was low, I couldn¡¯t see his face and didn¡¯t notice anything strange at first. However, the thought that he was someone else appeared as he was approaching me. It was just the slight mana that vibrated along with his movements. It seems that there¡¯s nothing special¡­? Wait, magical power? ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Edmund doesn¡¯t have mana. I got up immediately upon realising that fact. I hastily pulled mana from my mana heart in order to use magic. But the opponent grabbed my wrist to stop my actions. Just like that, the mana that I had pulled was blocked, and my breathing was stopped all of a sudden. This opponent was someone that could move mana freely. ¡°Heob.¡± I couldn¡¯t catch my breath, and my vision flickered. Along with tinnitus, hot liquid drenched under my nose. The mana I pulled was suddenly cut off in the middle, and I could feel that it was tangled inside. Mana kept fluctuating, causing my breathing to be uneven. I coughed, unable to breath, and in that instant, all my senses stopped working. I tried to reach my hand to my mouth in order to catch a breath, but my hand was blocked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I made a mistake. I¡¯ll straighten out your magic. Breathe in.¡± ¡°Keuh, what¡ª¡± In the midst of the chaos, weak mana entered through the hand that was cupping my chin. Just that amount of mana gave me a breather. As the mana in my heart was still tangled, I kept reaching a hand towards my neck, but such a hand was forcibly grabbed by the opponent. I coughed and took a deep breath, holding onto that breath for a little more. Although my darkened vision was returning gradually, my heart pounded violently under the situation where I had no idea who the other person was. Currently, magic has vanished to the point where people would be full of admiration just with raining flowers. But there¡¯s someone that can use mana to overpower me like this? There was a voice humming beyond the tinnitus, as if I was hearing it while underwater. One of my hands was held tightly to the seat of my chair, and the other hand¡­¡­ I¡¯m not sure. My body doesn¡¯t feel like it¡¯s mine at the moment. I could only open my mouth to speak after I calmed down a little. My heart was still pounding though, like it was about to explode. ¡°You, who are you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Of course, he didn¡¯t answer. It¡¯s obvious that he¡¯s a mage. Putting me aside, if Edmund would be in danger if he returns like this. Can I even use magic? My head hurts. As I blinked anxiously, my vision became even more blurry than before. I was startled by the figure of a human right in front of me. I leaned backwards without realising it, but of course, the only thing that my back touched was the backrest. The firm hand remained motionless. I couldn¡¯t exert strength in my body, perhaps because of the fluctuation and impact due to the mana. My vision was blurry, but my stinging nose began to function properly. It was a scent that¡¯s both familiar and nostalgic. As soon as my longing feelings began to surge, I stilled. My heart pounded. A field covered in snow and a black horse that¡¯s galloping over it. And when the long robe was discarded, faded, wheat-colored hair appeared. Sasha Summers, the Young Lord of the Summers. What¡¯s it? The instant its scent entered my nose, I opened my eyes, which had closed without my realisation. I could only discern the shape in front of me, but I couldn¡¯t recognize who it was. I could only assume that he¡¯s a man, from his gripping power and his distant voice. However, perhaps due to the strange anticipation and slight longing that bloomed in my mind, I was reminded of a scent I smelled before falling here. I closed my eyes again, and he slowly began to take shape as soon as I opened them. Black hair and a pure white mask. My eyes met the blue pupils that could be seen through the eyeholes on his pure white mask. It surprised me, causing me to scream inadvertently, but his hand was faster than my voice. The other hand that wasn¡¯t pressing to the chair, gently pressed against my lips. My heart throbbed. If he had black hair and a white mask that covered the entire face, it would be the person that I saw during the auction earlier. He also happened to be the person that bidded fiercely over my sister¡¯s portrait. When he let up his hand that pressed on my mouth, I uttered an idea that came to mind. ¡°¡­¡­Painting?¡± Was he attacking me because of the painting? Well, if he grabs me and threatens Edmund, he might be able to gain the painting. But I immediately retracted that thought. It was too much to say that he acted solely because of the painting. The fact that he managed to overpower me meant that this person is a mage. What¡¯s the reason behind a mage spending an astronomical amount of money to purchase my sister¡¯s portrait? I could acutely feel the throbbing of my pulse at my neck throughout my body. It felt like a bug was crawling around. I wanted to scratch it away with my fingertips immediately. The old habit that I thought I had fixed suddenly appeared in this manner. ¡°Seriously, who are you?¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re quick at asking questions.¡± The man in front of me spoke in a mild voice. Oh. My heart raced. Earlier, I was so distracted, but now I could clearly hear the voice that I couldn¡¯t properly hear previously. Yurision. ¡°Vivian.¡± No, Yuriel. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Chapter 21 ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Vivian¡¯s POV ¡°You, you.¡± Thoughts filled my mind to the point of overflowing, and in the end, nothing remained. My words came out haltingly, and in the end I couldn¡¯t continue my words. That¡¯s my current condition. Yurision River. I was convinced the moment I heard his voice. I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s Yurision River, who had treated me the other day. I was already aware that he looked a lot like Yuriel Jewell from 200 years ago. I was bewildered and called out the name ¡®Yuriel¡¯ that day. But we had already confirmed that he wasn¡¯t Yuriel that day. Yuriel, who didn¡¯t have to pretend that he doesn¡¯t know me, looked at me without making a response. But Yuriel, why do I think of you? A whisper appeared inside me, that in actual fact, my suspicions were right. ¡°Yuri¡­¡± Although I opened my mouth to speak, the only thing I could day was ¡®Yuri¡¯. I opened my mouth a few times after that, but the only thing that came out were silent exhales. As I coughed and gasped for air, blood dripped from her mouth. Whether it¡¯s on the white dress, or onto the jewels that hung on it, droplets of blood fell onto them. When he looked at my current appearance, he finally let out a sigh and relaxed his grip. He then took off the white mask he was wearing and threw it aside. The face underneath the mask was a refined face, one that I knew very well. I swallowed dryly. It was Yurision River, as I¡¯d expected. ¡°Yurision River. What are you doing?¡± My voice trembled due to my nervousness. Yurision didn¡¯t respond to my question. He was extremely adept at managing his expressions that trying to read them was of no use. His uniquely expressionless face looked tired, and he wiped his dry face. He stood with his hands on both of my sides so that I couldn¡¯t escape. Flustered at the situation of being trapped in his arms, I tried to stand up, but that action only narrowed the distance between us. I couldn¡¯t move an inch as I was blocked by his upper body. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± As he leaned his upper body, his white face drew closer to me. His blue eyes were cold to the point of freezing. It felt as though every detail was being disassembled by that gaze. I stopped wiping at the area underneath my nose with the back of my hand and stared blankly at Yurision. How could this not be Yuriel. Of all things, I found myself 200 years in the future. But there¡¯s a mage that looked exactly like Yuriel Jewell. How could I not doubt this kind of situation? Still suffering from the after effects of my magic power, my wheezing breaths definitely touched Yurision¡¯s face, but he remained in place for a long while. He slowly opened his mouth. After hesitating several times, a small gap appeared through his lips, and the words that I had been waiting for quite a while flowed out. ¡°¡­¡­How is it that there¡¯s no change?¡± My heart beated a little faster. ¡°Close your eyes.¡± ¡°What, I should believe you, me?¡± Uncaring of that, Yurision placed his hand on my forehead. When his index and middle finger touched my forehead, my wheezing finally calmed down. Soon after, the tangled magic in my heart gradually began to unravel. ¡°Huu.¡± ¡°Slowly, manipulate the magical power. You¡¯re capable of it.¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± ¡°There you go, you¡¯re doing well.¡± As he skillfully took the right of control over the magical power, I manipulated the mana without realising it and he gathered it. He then released the magic deftly. My breathing became smooth and the dimmed vision returned completely. ¡°¡­¡­Yuriel Jewell.¡± He was definitely Yuriel. One of the things that I had left behind 200 years ago was living and breathing in front of me. The fact that I met someone who lived in the same era as I did caused the tension to dissipate and relief to surge. Perhaps I thought that I was fine, but I kept feeling uneasy here. However, before I could express the feeling of happiness, questions arose first. Why was he here? How was he living here with a decent name like ¡®Yurision River¡¯? What will happen from now on? I swallowed dryly. The questions started from ¡®why?¡¯ and ended with ¡®how is it that¡­¡¯ If it really wasn¡¯t just a coincidence that I fell here, if there was a reason¡­ Perhaps because he was pressured by Edmund¡¯s impending arrival, Yuriel straightened out the magical power faster than he would usually. Though it wasn¡¯t perfect, it was at a decent enough level. Yuriel tidied up my dishevelled hair gently. ¡°You¡¯re Yuri, right? Yuriel Jewell, the one that I know, am I right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Explanation. I need an explanation. Why? What in the world is going on? What happened? Why am I here¡ª!¡± ¡°Lower your voice.¡± The volume of my voice rose as I became impatient. He pressed my swaying body downwards and pressed a finger to my lips. He then pressed his sleeve under my nose. The sleeves of the black suit and the white shirt inside became stained with blood. This manner of wiping wouldn¡¯t clean my face, but Yuriel still continued to wipe away my blood as he opened his mouth to speak. ¡°Right now, there¡¯s no time.¡± ¡°Then!¡± Yuriel turned his head towards the door suddenly. I couldn¡¯t hear him, but it seemed that Edmund was about to return. Yuriel clicked his tongue and messed up his hair. A white forehead that contrasted against his black hair appeared. ¡°Vivi.¡± His expression was desperate, unlike the voice that called me without inflexions in his tone. His dark blue eyes that contrasted with his black hair were shaking uneasily, like the sea that would be blanketed by waves instantly. The Yuriel that I remembered was always relaxed, so I kept thinking about what could have happened to him. He held my hand imploringly. It was my first time seeing Yuriel Jewell, a predator who¡¯s always easygoing, like this. ¡°There¡¯s so many stories, so many things that remain.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes.¡± ¡°So, come and find me.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°To the place I¡¯m at.¡± Why must you fall in front of that d*mned Edmund Deer? AshHe recited Edmund¡¯s name a few times with abusive language, he rubbed my blood-specked chin with his finger as he spoke. ¡°I really have to go now. Come and find me. You must find me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± How should I respond to that? What happened to Yuriel? Just what in the world happened? I was at my wits¡¯ end when he spoke with a desperate tone. When I didn¡¯t answer him, a sobbing sound burst out. ¡°Please, don¡¯t make me come to you. I¡¯ve been waiting for over a decade already.¡± Yuriel pressed against the corners of my eyes with the hand that wasn¡¯t stained with blood. Whenever I wanted to cry, he would always pretend to be tired like that, and press his palm against my eyes. He rose from his seat and stroked my hair once. His face was still pale. The mana is perfectly calm now, but it was strangely suffocating. He walked behind me and opened the window wide. He seemed intent on jumping out of the window. I followed him to the window. Yuriel seemed to be hesitating about something. Eventually, he grabbed the window frame and made a gesture towards me. When I moved a little closer to him, he gave a faint smile and whispered, ¡®A little more.¡¯ More towards here? As I stretched my upper body towards him, he lowered his head. ¡°Vivian.¡± His hair touched my cheek. He whispered in my ear. ¡°Be careful of Edmund.¡± ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Yuriel jumped out of the window. I couldn¡¯t see him even when I looked down, so it seems that he had just used magic to change his location. I tried to calm down my thumping heart, and reached out to close the window. The ground was filled with extravagant lights, contrasting greatly to the dark sky. There were quite a number of people, too. This entire street seemed to be noisy because of the party. Just a while ago, I had felt that this place, which I was unfamiliar with, was still a world where people lived in, but it suddenly became something completely different in nature. The feeling that I was a foreign matter that was brought here mistakenly washed over me like a wave. There was a knock on the door. It was Edmund. When I didn¡¯t answer, he waited outside for a moment, before carefully opening the door. When I heard the door open and the sound of him entering, I tried to organise my complicated thoughts. ¡°Vivi, I¡¯m back.¡± Should I tell him about Yuriel, and the news that might be able to return? ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere.¡± A determined voice came to mind. Right, I can¡¯t. He can¡¯t find out about it. Rather, it¡¯ll be a disaster if it was discovered. I wanted to make it look like nothing happened in this place, but that would be impossible as I¡¯d already spilled blood. It seems that I can only explain this by saying that I had pushed myself too much today. With the thought that I should close the window and return to my original seat immediately, I stretched out my hand. The opened window was too far away for me to grab it. As I became anxious, things didn¡¯t unfold as planned anymore. Edmund looked at me, who was standing in front of the window, and called my name puzzledly. ¡°Vivi?¡± The voice calling my name caused me, who was reaching out for the window, to stiffen. Edmund seemed to understand the situation, and headed towards my back quietly. He then reached an arm out from behind me silently. The window that I tried hard to grab was easily caught in Edmund¡¯s hand. The window closed with a click, and silence enveloped the both of us as the outside noise was completely cut off. I breathed in quietly as blood slowly dripped down my dress. What should I do?. My heart was pounding nervously, and Edmund called me from behind. I wiped underneath my nose with the back of my hand and the only thought that ran through my head was, ¡®I¡¯m doomed,¡¯ as I surveyed the bloodstains. ¡°Vivian.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Perhaps finding it odd, he grabbed me by the shoulder. I slowly moved my body along with the force that was carefully turning me around. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Edmund, who met eyes with me, stopped in place and stared at me intently while remaining silent. At the sight of his pale face, I opened my mouth to make an excuse, but I had only said meaningless words, before eventually closing it again. ¡°About this.¡± I knew that he¡¯d be angry right away. However, he turned frigid instead. Just like he had been submerged in a lake in the middle of winter, Edmund paled. He finally broke this suffocating silence by calling my name. ¡°Vivi.¡± ¡°This was just a mistake. I made a mistake while using magic¡­¡± He cut off my excuse and asked fiercely. ¡°¡ªWhich b*stard was it?¡± [T/N: ahhhh Vivian got caught instantly >. Chapter 22 ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Vivian¡¯s POV The words that I uttered as an excuse were interrupted by a single sentence of Edmund¡¯s that was laced with fury. My heart sank with a thud. I looked at him anxiously, thinking that it was fortunate that Yuriel had already left, before turning my gaze out of the window. Edmund took a step closer to me. It was only a single step, but the pressure it brought was greater than I expected. Though I could only be considered a half, I¡¯m still a mage, and Edmund was an ordinary man that couldn¡¯t use magic. However, what¡¯s with this pressure that I¡¯m under? I took a step back in order to escape from the pressure, but Edmund laughed as if he found it ridiculous. Laughter¡­? I looked up blankly. The deep anger that flashed past his silver gray eyes was as if someone had pounded on my heart. That sound went into my ear gruesomely. ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell me who it is?¡± ¡°¡­¡­there wasn¡¯t anything, so who am I supposed to say?¡± Edmund¡¯s lips curled up gently. He gave a picturesque smile. The sweetest smile in the world was on Edmund¡¯s statuesque face, as he reached out to rub my chin. His fingers became stained with dried blood. He looked down at the blood quietly, before turning his eyes to stare at me. At the sight of the faint smile that formed on his face slowly, I stiffened, as if I was facing a wild beast. ¡°You can¡¯t be this, Vivi. I don¡¯t want to be even more angered.¡± ¡°But¡­you¡¯re already infuriated.¡± My voice quivered. Edmund only blinked once. As his eyes closed gently before opening, his long lashes were as graceful as a butterfly flapping its wings. Contrary to the current situation, the breathtaking beautiful sight made me hold my breath. ¡°I¡¯m holding it in, but what should I do if I lose my temper here, Vivian.¡± He didn¡¯t shout, and only whispered quietly while gritting his teeth, but why was it so scary? Goosebumps rose from my back, while a shiver travelled from my neck down to my spine. It was as if I was standing in front of my sister. I felt like I was being scolded by my sister again in front of Edmund. Sorrow welled up along with that feeling. Why did I have to be afraid of Edmund, and not anyone else? Did I have to feel this way for someone that wasn¡¯t even my sister? Bitterness and sorrow began to surge from within, as I burst into tears along with the rise of heat. ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± The sound of my voice was tear-filled, and it trembled pitifully. It was at that moment when Edmund¡¯s expression crumbled. ¡°Vivi.¡± ¡°Why, why are you treating me like that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Warmth permeated his frigid face, as if he had lost his reason for a moment. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have been like that. I¡¯m sorry.¡± He panicked and was at a loss of what to do, taking out his handkerchief. He tried to dab the corners of my eyes several times, but he couldn¡¯t bear to touch it and kept going back and forth. Eventually, he placed the handkerchief in my hand and took a few steps back. Just like that, Edmund and I returned back to the mansion on that day after some time. Edmund didn¡¯t ask me anything, throughout the entire carriage journey, until I entered my room. He had only checked my mood constantly while being on tenterhooks. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T <3. An atelier> I woke up very late today. It was already past lunch when I woke up. My eyes were very dry, perhaps because I cried my eyes out during the bath yesterday. When I got out of bed while rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand, the ladies-in-waiting dissuaded me, and placed ice on my eyelids instead. With their help, I finished my simple preparations and dressed in an indoor dress. The dress made of luxurious green cloth was very light, and the fabric rustled pleasantly against my ankles with every step taken. ¡°Many things happened yesterday¡­¡± When I returned to the mansion, the ladies-in-waiting caused an uproar at the sight of my messy state. Edmund escorted me to my room, but he wasn¡¯t allowed any closer. The ladies-in-waiting, who found me still sniffling, practically kicked Edmund out, saying that I needed stability. Still, just like how tears are water soluble, I felt better after washing up and sleeping like that. I could only sigh after thinking about yesterday¡¯s events for a moment. Well, he could have been angry because I was hurt. Although it was odd that he¡¯d get mad at me. He can get angry. Even so, I don¡¯t think that I should have cried though. ¡°¡­¡­How am I supposed to face Eddie?¡± Just because I called out for my sister when I saw her portrait, Edmund paid a hefty sum to purchase that painting, and I met Yuriel in that situation. The fact that I realised once again this world was too unfamiliar, and the fact that a foreign matter like me was trapped here, as well as the fact that I could feel the dislike that I¡¯ve always felt from my sister coming from Edmund. The culmination of all these became entangled and caused me to burst into tears. After taking off my indoor slippers, I placed my feet in low-heeled shoes and left the room. WIth my eyes half-closed, I walked through the spacious mansion resolutely towards a certain location while relying on my body¡¯s memory. ¡°You came just in time.¡± I entered the drawing room that I would usually go to, and inhaled sharply at the sight of Edmund, who was right before my eyes. He blinked a few times and smiled softly. ¡°Did you just come?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes.¡± ¡°The painting has arrived. Come in and sit down.¡± In a momentary daze, I sat next to Edmund on the sofa and tried to grasp the situation blankly. Edmund was acting as if nothing had happened yesterday. At a glance, he was dressed comfortably. And there were people dressed in suits taking out a canvas from its packagings beside the sofa. ¡°What are you doing presently?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ascertaining that the painting is in order, before signing.¡± ¡°Aha.¡± Under the meticulous hands of the experts, the careful packaging was peeled off, and my sister¡¯s portrait was revealed. The framed picture was carefully placed on a thick cloth that was laid on the floor by two men in suits, and was leaned against the wall delicately. My heart started to pound again for no reason. Just then, Edmund¡¯s cold fingertips touched the corners of my eyes. ¡°Hm?¡± As I looked back at him questioningly, he was staring at me with a sombre look on his face. But the painting that he purchased using an astronomical amount of money was over there though. He whispered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about yesterday.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I, really¡­¡­¡± He gave a bitter smile and smoothened the hair that¡¯s out of place. He then rose from his seat and reached a hand out towards me. When I looked at him blankly, he bowed politely. ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take a closer look?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t look at it properly yesterday. I bought it for you.¡± I hesitated for a moment before grabbing his hand, and he linked our fingers together firmly. As I stood in front of the painting with him, a strange feeling overtook me at the sight of my sister¡¯s steadfast appearance. I slowly lowered myself in order to look at the painting that was placed on the floor due to the risk of breakage. I was practically sitting on the floor. I could only keep eye contact with my sister like that. I stared at my sister, who was right in front of me, blankly without being disturbed by others. My sister was posing in the painting, at the period of time when the sun was at its most intense before setting. My sister was very young. She¡¯s about my age? Regardless of her age, there was the charisma of a leader that flowed in my older sister¡¯s appearance. I remember that my sister¡¯s hair was the colour of a faded wheat field. It wasn¡¯t pink like my hair, and neither was it an eye-catching gold like Edmund¡¯s. However, just as it wasn¡¯t eye-catching, it was a colour that¡¯s well-known in fairy tales. It was as if the evening glow was being poured over my sister¡¯s head. Every spot that the light touched was dyed by the sunset and turned a flaming red. I remember the place where my sister was at. The backgrounds of the portraits were painted in a cursory manner, so it was hard to recognize it properly, but my memories were still vivid, as if I had been there a few days ago. As I was fiddling with the props one day, I found a painting hidden behind them, and it was as if I became enchanted. Oh, seriously, Sister. I don¡¯t know what are the feelings that I possess for my sister. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Do I love her? Who knows. Though I say that I love her, the number of nails that she has stuck in my heart were too many. ¡°I¡­¡± ¡®You know, Sister, I¡­¡¯ ¡°If only I had been a little stronger.¡± If only I was someone that wouldn¡¯t be hurt by words that didn¡¯t matter. It was currently in the middle of the day, but I seemed to have been enchanted by this painting. It was precisely because of that that the odd atmosphere of the sunset seemed to be sweeping me away. I felt nauseous. My vision flickered. It felt as though the sunset that was flowing over my sister¡¯s head was moving in waves. I barely managed to surface from the painting when I heard the sound of a thud beside me. I found Edmund when I slowly turned my head. Edmund sat next to me with his chin propped up, with his gaze on me instead of the painting. When my gaze met with his silver-gray eyes, he reached out with a gentle smile. As I blinked, a fat drop soon fell onto my cheek. Just as though that was the last drop of sloshing dam, tears started to fall without stopping. Tears cascaded down my eyes. There wasn¡¯t any sound of sobbing from my lips. I¡¯m really fine, but it was too saddening. I also didn¡¯t know why I¡¯m crying. Edmund reached a hand out with an affectionate face that was completely different from yesterday. A cold hand wrapped around my cheek, and was stained with tears. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T When I managed to stop the tears with difficulty and while I was struggling with the lingering emotions, Edmund left me on the sofa and called for someone. The ladies-in-waiting tidied up my face skillfully and started to press a cold pack on my eyes. In the meantime, Edmund returned after signing off on the payment. ¡°Even so, isn¡¯t 500 million zulang too much?¡± ¡°No one would believe you if you cry like that.¡± ¡°My tears are only worth 100 million zulang.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll buy a painting that¡¯s worth 100 million zulang next time.¡± Edmund rebutted with a laughter filled voice, and I couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter. This was a joke that could only be made because it¡¯s Deer, right¡­ That was a joke, right? I suddenly felt uneasy. I lowered the cold pack from my eyes and looked at Edmund. He was standing in front of the painting and looking down at my sister. He was staring blankly at the painting with a large mug in his hand, and he seemed to have been entranced by it instantly, just like me. ¡°¡­¡­Sasha is a genius.¡± ¡°Where are you going to put the painting?¡± ¡°Where should I put it? That¡¯s a consumption I didn¡¯t consider. There isn¡¯t a particular place to put it.¡± ¡°I know the location of my sister¡¯s atelier.¡± I stood next to Edmund, and looked down at my sister¡¯s painting again. I took a deep breath to expel this strange feeling, and continued to inhale and exhale. ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°On the fifth floor. To be precise, it¡¯s hidden on the sixth floor.¡± Edmund tilted his head slightly at my words, and nodded while in deep thought. He then looked back at me and gave an amicable smile. Instead of saying that there¡¯s no sixth floor, he asked to head there. ¡°Then, shall we go? If that room wasn¡¯t demolished and is still remaining, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to recreate Sasha¡¯s atelier.¡± He spoke with a smile and reached out his elbow, approaching slowly. He then tucked my arm into his carefully. He¡¯s a kind person. There are times when I become uneasy that the things he presented to me weren¡¯t actually mine. Can he really distinguish between me and the ¡®Vivian¡¯ from the portrait? I wanted to ask him a few times, but I didn¡¯t, perhaps because I was afraid of the transparent answer that would be returned. I just wanted to bury it just like this. Nevertheless, Edmund. Whenever moments where his kindness was like water occurs, I would be swayed inadvertently. How can I not be swayed? I wanted to pretend that I didn¡¯t know anything, and live in peace with him, but there¡¯s a whisper that I have to return. I wanted to be drawn into his endless kindness like this without any doubts. ¡°Be careful of Edmund.¡± Yuriel, who grabbed me desperately and asked me to find him, who had waited for too long, and warned me to be careful of Edmund, came to mind. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Chapter 23 ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Vivian¡¯s POV In fact, I would rarely go to the fifth floor when I lived in such a luxurious mansion. Just like everywhere else in the mansion, the fifth floor that¡¯s before my eyes was also unfamiliar. As such, I had stopped for a moment, confused as to where my sister¡¯s atelier was. However, I tried to believe in my body¡¯s memory as much as possible, and blurry memories slowly started to surface as I walked along the hallway. ¡°My sister¡¯s atelier is hidden.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really come up to the 5th floor often either. I¡¯m a little curious about where it¡¯s located.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure why my sister¡¯s atelier was located in such a strange place. It¡¯s not like my sister was painting in secret. On second thought, however, that place seemed to fit my sister the best, more than any other place in the mansion. We walked along a hallway lined with paintings of artists that we¡¯re seeing for the first-time, and Edmund tilted his head when we reached the end. ¡°Is it this room?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m not certain, but it seems to be here.¡± If it isn¡¯t, we¡¯ll just look back and forth for it! I unlinked our arms and reached out to pull the door open, and a very small room came into view. It was a small room that didn¡¯t have any windows as it was located at the far end. The room, which was small enough that it was the length of five steps from end to end, must have been cleaned regularly as there wasn¡¯t even a speck of dust within. However, it was empty as it was vague to arrange furniture within the room. Light entered the pitch-black room dimly from the window in the hallway. I entered the room and looked around using that light. It should be hidden around here. While I continued to sweep the wall with my fingers. I discovered a small groove. ¡°Found it.¡± Follow along the groove all the way down to the floor. Right, the sophisticatedly erected inner wall would be turned inside out after pressing here, and the space inside the wall would be accessible. But Edmund still remained outside, like something was wrong. ¡°Eddie, aren¡¯t you coming?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± He was standing at the door against the light, so I couldn¡¯t see his face clearly. Normally, he would stand close to me immediately and chatter about whether there would be an atelier in a place like this, but he just stood there quietly. Finding it puzzling, I called for him. ¡°Edmund.¡± ¡°¡­Is there a secret door?¡± ¡°The space between the inner and outer walls can be entered if this location is pushed.¡± What¡¯s wrong with him? His fingers were holding the door frame tightly, to the point where his veins popped out obviously. Just as I was about to ask if he was alright, he opened his mouth stutteringly. ¡°Is the atelier spacious?¡± ¡°Not that much, it¡¯s a little smaller than my room.¡± ¡°Does it take a long time to get there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite close by. Why?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Alright.¡± He let out a deep sigh like he had made up his mind, and slowly entered the room. I was a little bewildered as it was my first time seeing Edmund like this. Could it be that he hates this kind of space? Perhaps he left the door open on purpose, as light entered the room through a window in the hallway. Does he hate the dark? Even so, to say that¡­ ¡°So, what¡¯s next?¡± His pestering wasn¡¯t out of curiosity, but nervousness, as Edmund placed both of his hands on the wall. Looking at Edmund, he put his hands on the wall as if he were being chased rather than being curious. ¡°Stay right next to me. Pushing this will cause the wall to turn over.¡± After pressing on the wall with force, it slowly turned over and we were eventually thrown into the darkness. I fell onto the cold floor with a small shriek. However, my body wasn¡¯t in that much pain, probably because of Edmund, who had grabbed me. As it¡¯s been a while, I forgot that the wall has a harsh recoil. I became frazzled due to the sudden fall to the ground. My vision couldn¡¯t adjust to the darkness, and I couldn¡¯t move because of how Edmund tightly held me. Eventually, I gave up on struggling to get out of his arms and asked. ¡°Eddie, are you alright?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Edmund was practically hugging me tightly. From the way his body trembled so faintly that I wouldn¡¯t have noticed it if it was not for our close proximity, I realised that the reason he grabbed me wasn¡¯t just to protect me. He was scared. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d be so surprised.¡± Edmund¡¯s faint scent enveloped my nose familiarly. My heart, which was pounding due to the unexpected thrill and concern, calmed down strangely. I waited in the dark for my vision to adjust. My cheeks tickled. Perhaps because Edmund was hugging me from behind, I was completely enveloped in his arms. He was clutching me tightly, as if I were a lifeline, and his head was hung low onto my shoulder. As such, his soft blond hair was touching my cheek and it tickled me. ¡°If I had known that you¡¯d be so surprised, I would¡¯ve looked for another way.¡± ¡°¡­¡­No, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯ll get better with time.¡± Edmund buried his face in my shoulder while saying that it¡¯s okay, but he spoke in a way that was completely not okay. A small smile formed at his mumbling voice. My vision adjusted slightly, and I managed to vaguely scan the dim surroundings. This was a narrow gap between the inner and outer walls. Apparently, this place was created a thousand years ago, where there were many wars between territories. Spaces like this were probably hidden all over the mansion, but it¡¯s unfortunate that I¡¯m not privy to such information. When I looked around, I spotted a very old magic lamp at a far end. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen a magic item. Would it still work? As I quickly flicked my finger with a joyful heart, it flickered several times uneasily, before turning yellow. Even when the lamp was lit, the strength of the arm that was hugging me tightly still remained. ¡°Eddie, I¡¯m sorry. Shall we just leave?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I was just a little surprised.¡± He spoke calmly, pretending to be alright, but his face was still on my shoulder. I reached out and stroked his hair. His soft blond hair wrinkled in my hand. Only then did I feel the arm around me loosen slightly. He held my wrist tightly before getting to his feet. ¡°I¡¯m fine now.¡± I couldn¡¯t observe his expression clearly due to the shadow on his face, but there was a faint smile. When I looked at him, doubtful of whether he was really alright, he shook his head slightly and pulled on my wrist. ¡°Really.¡± With a chuckle, he relaxed his grip on my wrist and held my hand again. He laughed dryly as he tangled his cold fingers with mine. ¡°It gets better when I hold your hand.¡± ¡°Stop trying to fool me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true though.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah, hold it as much as you want.¡± I tugged him towards the stairs that lead to the inner wall, and he followed behind obediently. I climbed up the old and creaking wooden stairs. While he was fascinated by this space, Edmund didn¡¯t think about straying from my side. I climbed through the hole in the ceiling first. The first thing that was captured in my gaze was the skylight and the blue sky that could be seen through it. My sister used the empty space between the mansion¡¯s roof and the fifth floor as an atelier. I don¡¯t know how it was used in the distant past, but from a certain point forth in my memory, my sister¡¯s atelier was in this place. ¡°There¡¯s nothing here.¡± Unfortunately, this place was completely empty. The place from my memories was always cluttered and all over the place, so I had momentarily thought that I was in the wrong place. Despite being neglected for almost 200 years, there wasn¡¯t any dust. It seems that my sister had cast a spell. It wouldn¡¯t have been so clean otherwise. ¡°So this is Sasha¡¯s atelier¡­¡­.¡± This place looked empty, as if it was a sheet of white drawing paper. As I stood in front of the stairs, staring dazedly at this wide space, a low exclamation came from beside her. The grip on my arm slowly loosened. Edmund gave me, who has stilled, a glance, before climbing up the stairs. As the roof was directly above us, the high ceiling that was tilted diagonally, as well as the sunlight that poured through it made this place seem as though it was secluded from worldly affairs. As dust that wasn¡¯t preventable by magic had accumulated over the years, Edmund coughed and walked past me to head towards the window. After caressing the old-fashioned arch window frame for a moment, Edmund opened the windows one by one to ventilate the room. He continued to check outside each window. He soon stopped at a corner. He pressed his upper body close to the window frame, and seemed to be looking outside. He undid the old lock and opened the window widely. ¡°I think this is where Sasha painted.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. My sister would sit there frequently. She would paint and read books there.¡± This point of view was probably higher than the scenery that he has been seeing so far. A breeze brushed past his head, and he closed his eyes reflexively. His face with closed eyes, hair dishevelled by the wind, and sunlight shining down, was as though time had reversed and this place returned back to my memories of it from 200 years ago. I remembered that I looked outside like that at that very spot once. It was the highest window in this mansion, so the wind was much stronger than anywhere else. I sat on my sister¡¯s chair that was in front of me, and looked outside with my chin propped up in my hand. I moved my feet and stood beside him. We looked out the window together. It was only a level higher, but the difference when approaching was vastly different. I could see Deer¡¯s beautiful garden, and the well-made road that forms a tranquil path that leads to the wealthy Deer could be spotted beyond the high wall. Immersed in the mysterious mood, I whispered quietly. ¡°It¡¯s really beautiful here when the sun sets.¡± ¡°It seems to be the case.¡± ¡°The light of the sun would enter from the skylight, and the entire space looked like it fell into the sunset.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯d like to see that.¡± Edmund whispered as he looked out of the window that¡¯s right next to him. His fearful countenance from before seems to have disappeared, and he looked completely immersed in this moment. ¡°As you¡¯d probably know from how we entered here, but it¡¯s hard to reach this place, and Sister didn¡¯t really like me being in here, so I didn¡¯t really come over. But whenever I came, this place was always very hectic. It¡¯s full of canvases and a few easels. Her rough drafts were all set up on the floor.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But strangely enough, I¡¯d be in a good mood. From the smell of paint that can be detected from the stairs, to the scent of new paper.¡± Isn¡¯t it weird? My sister was scary, suffocating, and I¡¯d avoid her if I could, but when I think of the name ¡®Sasha¡¯, I¡¯m overwhelmed with indescribable emotions. Yearning. Wanting to be loved. Not wanting to hate my sister. Whenever I sat here, no matter what I was thinking about, in the end my thoughts would always lead to my sister. As such, I¡¯d occasionally come here, only when my sister would be away for a long period of time. The butler also doesn¡¯t like it when I¡¯m here, but I had only put up with his mood momentarily. My sister also knows about my occasional visits to this place, but she didn¡¯t impose any restrictions, so I thought it would be okay. ¡°It would be nice to decorate this place like Sasha¡¯s atelier.¡± Edmund said, as he rubbed his toe against the traces of paint that¡¯s on the floor. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to maintain its previous appearance, rather than leaving it empty?¡± ¡°¡­¡­but I don¡¯t really remember what this place used to be like.¡± ¡°Anything would be fine, so just tell me whatever that comes to your mind.¡± Whatever that came to mind. I ruminated over his words slowly. I leaned against the window frame lightly and gave the spacious and empty atelier a sweeping glance. Sunlight entered through the window and landed deeply in the room. I fell under the illusion that oil and paint permeated the room. The scenery I had once witnessed was slowly drawn out, of the day when the shadows were particularly long just as the sun was about to set. It was as if I had gone back in time. With a blink, there was a bookshelf filled with papers. When I turned my head back, there were numerous works leaning against a wall. There was a canvas placed backwards on the easel in the corner, so that others wouldn¡¯t see it. ¡°Over here¡­¡± With a strange mood, I spoke hazily. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T Hi guys, as you know we are a free to read website and we only survive on ads. However, ads is not able to help us much longer and we are on the verge of disbanding. If you like what we do and have any spare, please consider supporting us to keep us alive. ¨T¨T¨T¡ã¡ã?¡ã¡ã¨T¨T¨T