Chapter 10
Chapter 10
And so, Vivian came to a conclusion.
‘I need to escape this insane mansion right now. This instant!’
The cure wasn’t the issue now. Aslan’s burning obsession with maintaining secrecy had put her own neck on the line.
She hadn’t expected Aslan to be this adamant.
‘The travel expenses are in a separate account, so I shouldn’t take anything and just leave with my body. I’ll bid farewell to this place as refreshingly and cleanly as a spring breeze!’
She could just think of it as a minor accident that delayed her plans.
She would change her identity as originally planned and hide in a luxurious resort in the south, spending her remaining years in leisure.
A paradise without surveillance, where she wouldn’t have to be mindful of anyone, and where she wouldn’t feel her life threatened!
Vivian, who was quickly throwing off her dress to move more comfortably, suddenly stopped. An ominous premonition crept up her neck.
‘But if I disappear right now, won’t Aslan suspect me even more? That I found out his secret and ran away…….’
The refreshing and clean farewell subtly backstepped. Vivian groaned painfully and ruffled her hair.
‘But even if I stay by Aslan’s side like this, the ending will be the same.’
If she ran away, she would turn his suspicion into certainty, leading to a death ending. If she stayed by his side, she would be monitored and eventually caught by him, leading to a death ending.
No matter which direction she looked, the ending was always a death ending.
‘Is this really the end? No, there must be a way.’
Vivian recalled the grace period she had been given. The one-year grace period before the marriage.
‘If I can pretend to die of Consumption before the promised year is up and escape…….’
There was no doubt that ‘death’ was the most effective way to escape Aslan’s surveillance.
But since she couldn’t actually die, the main point of the plan was to fake it as closely as possible.
After escaping the mansion, she would receive the completed cure from Aslan’s colleague, whom she had already won over, and then go her own way refreshingly and cleanly.
‘That’s it, that’s it!’
Vivian, who was jumping up and down excitedly, suddenly caught sight of herself in the mirror.
Having thrown off all her dresses and wearing only a thin negligee, her leaping figure looked beautifully insane…….
“Ahem.”
It was right then, as Vivian awkwardly touched her neck.
“Vivian, since there’s no answer…….”
“Kyaa!”
The door burst open.
Aslan, who was striding inside, blushed and quickly turned around. It was faster than Vivian’s scream.
“W-W-What is it! Why so suddenly!”
“Sorry, I thought you had collapsed.”
“Since when did you say that!”
“More importantly, shouldn’t you put on some clothes first.”
Aslan’s voice, turned away, was subtly cracking. Only then did Vivian check her attire and quickly hid behind the full-length mirror.
Then she realized.
Aslan had reached the highest level of Swordmaster and possessed rapid dynamic visual acuity. No matter how quickly he had turned his head, he must have seen the chaotic state of the bedroom.
Sure enough, the atmosphere emanating from Aslan became quite unpleasant.
“By the way, why is the bedroom in this state?”
“…….”
“It looks just like someone trying to run away.”
Cold sweat streamed down Vivian’s back.
She should have refuted him immediately, but she had been hit too close to home, and her weak brain had gone on strike again.
She had to dispel his suspicion immediately. Vivian mumbled inadvertently.
“The weather is nice, so I wanted to take a walk with Your Excellency…….”
Ah, no. She had to answer firmly and maturely, but her tongue was twisted, and her voice stretched out as if she were acting cute.
Vivian wiped her sweaty palms on her negligee and continued.
“I’m too unattractive and gaunt, so I wanted to look pretty…….”
“…….”
“So, so…….”
To make matters worse, her breathing became erratic. Her voice trembled as if she were holding back tears.
She was just doomed. Everything was doomed.
‘Please, just say something.’
She waited with her head against the wall, but no answer came from Aslan. Only heavy silence continued endlessly.
Vivian, who was only fidgeting with her hands, finally couldn’t resist her curiosity and peeked out from behind the full-length mirror.
‘Huh?’
Aslan was aimlessly wandering around the messy bedroom. He was running his hands over his face and combing back his hair, and biting his lip from time to time.
Then, as if sensing Vivian’s gaze behind the mirror, he suddenly looked up.
“Vivian, you are not unattractive.”
“Yes……?”
“So don’t have such ridiculous thoughts in the future. Unnecessary worries are not good for your health.”
He clenched and unclenched his fists in the air, and then strode closer as if he couldn’t stand it. His long, thick fingers roughly swept back Vivian’s bangs.
“Of course, you are very beautiful. Unbearably beautiful. The thought that other men might see you like this makes me want to go crazy.”
“…….”
“But whether you dress up or not, it’s all the same to me. I want you to be comfortable by my side.”
Aslan carefully draped a linen gown, which was hanging on a nearby chair, over Vivian’s shoulders. The item, which looked like doll clothes in his hands, was a little loose on Vivian.
A heated, unusual light flickered in Aslan’s eyes as he looked at his fiancée.
“If there’s anything you want, tell me. Don’t be afraid.”
“Then…….”
Aslan’s expression was warm and caring, as if he would grant anything. So Vivian almost mumbled without realizing it.
Could you break off our engagement?
But Aslan was faster to continue.
“We’ll go for a walk as you wished. The weather is warm today, so it might be nice to go down to the city.”
“Oh, um, yes?”
“Still, wear something warm just in case, Vivian.”
Aslan nodded in satisfaction, kissed Vivian’s hand as if branding it, and then left the bedroom.
And so, Vivian, left alone, thought.
‘Ah, I’m doomed.’
＊ ＊ ＊
“Wow, look over there!”
Vivian’s face, which had looked like she was being dragged to a pig slaughterhouse when she left the mansion, had brightened up considerably.
Everything she saw was fascinating. As Vivian excitedly wandered around, Aslan followed behind, smiling as if he were even happier.
At the same time, he didn’t forget to worry about Vivian’s condition.
“Be careful not to get swept away since there are many people.”
“Then you’ll protect me, right?”
“That’s true. I’m your fiancé, so just do as you please.”
The guide had given permission. She looked around even more excitedly.
In fact, when Vivian lived in Duchess Eleonora’s mansion, she had been isolated in the Separate Residence, as if they were worried that Consumption would be contagious.
Since the setting in this world was that Consumption was not contagious, it was a little strange, but Vivian still understood.
‘Who in the world would like to catch an incurable disease? Besides, even the Separate Residence was as big and luxurious as a hotel, and even had a vast garden attached to it, so no complaints.’
Moreover, after writing her will and running away from home, she had literally gone through all sorts of hardships.
She was preemptively afraid that pursuers would come after her, so she even disguised herself as a commoner and went around taking back roads.
Thus, this was almost the first time Vivian had properly faced the outside world of this world.
“Wow, what is this?”
Vivian picked up a fist-sized stone. It was roughly shaped, but the center was faintly glowing.
“That’s a Magic Stone. The higher the quality of the Magic Stone, the stronger the light it emits.”
“Ah, so this is that Magic Stone.”
Vivian recalled what she had seen in the original work.
Magic Stones were so hard that they couldn’t be cut, so they couldn’t be used as jewels or ornaments. Moreover, they could only be handled by magicians, so they were very unfamiliar to ordinary people.
At that moment, a merchant who had been listening to their conversation chimed in.
“Wow, Madam has a really discerning husband!”
“Yes? Husband?”
“Yes, yes! I’ve never seen such a well-matched couple! A match made in heaven!”
The merchant, who had thumbs up, showed off his fluent flattery like a fly’s foot.
Aslan’s eyes softened slightly, but Vivian, unaware of this, ignored the compliment and turned the Magic Stone this way and that.
It looked like an ordinary stone on the outside, but it glowed in the center, so she felt it was amazing even if she didn’t know the principle.
“Is there any way that ordinary people like me can use this usefully?”
“I’m afraid that’s difficult. Magic Stones are tools that amplify the power of magicians.”
“I see. Then there’s no choice…….”
“I’ll buy them all.”
It was the moment Vivian lowered her gaze. Aslan handed dozens of gold coins to the merchant.
The merchant, his eyes wide, bowed to the two of them several times.
Aslan, who had paid the price, gently wrapped the hand in which Vivian was holding the Magic Stone. As if responding to his magic power, the light of the Magic Stone flickered.
“From now on, it’s yours.”
“Are you sure? I heard that ordinary people can’t handle it. And the quality is too low for you to handle…….”
Aslan was one of the most outstanding Swordmasters. Most Magic Stones would break as soon as he touched them because they couldn’t withstand his magic power, so it would be inconvenient for him.
Above all, he was the owner of the only two Magic Stone mines on the continent. He could get the highest quality Magic Stones whenever he wanted.
Although the fact that he owned the mines was not yet known.
But despite Vivian’s worries, Aslan shrugged as if it were no big deal.
“It’s worth it just to make you happy. Above all, we’re engaged.”
Aslan, who emphasized ‘marriage’ with particular force, picked up a few Magic Stones and ordered the rest to be sent to the mansion.
Vivian wondered why he was making unnecessary purchases, but she decided not to think about it deeply.
‘Well, it’s not my money.’
After that, the two of them walked around the city.
The next place Vivian was interested in was the blacksmith’s shop. It was because she had lost all the long sword and two daggers she had been using in the forest.
However, borrowing Aslan’s would not fit her physique.
The length of the greatsword he used was almost as tall as Vivian, and the weight was similar to her weight.
‘You have to buy a good sword and use it for a long time.’
It happened to be a shop run by the most skilled blacksmith in the south. Even to Vivian, the light that permeated the blade looked clearly different.
It was right then, as she was looking at a sleek, long longsword in the sunlight, recommended by the clerk.
“Kyaa, thief! Help me!”
A woman’s piercing scream was heard nearby.
Aslan, who had Vivian in his arms in the blink of an eye, met her gaze as if checking her safety.
“Are you okay?!”
“It’s just a little noisy. I’m fine.”
Vivian didn’t pay much attention to it. They were moving while hiding their identities anyway, and she thought the security forces would soon take care of the thief’s business.
But…….
“I have my mother’s keepsake! Please help me!”
Ah, she couldn’t stand her mother’s keepsake.
Vivian turned her body in an instant. Then she knocked down the running thief at once.
