Vivian’s plan had fallen apart. After Sophie disappeared, saying she would go ask for permission, Vivian had tried to hurriedly leave the mansion, but Theo stubbornly insisted on waiting for the maid, standing stiffly. Vivian tried to persuade him fervently, but for some reason, he wouldn’t budge.
She imagined what would happen if Theo, who believed the incident in the carriage was the Duke’s doing, happened to encounter him. She feared that Theo, who occasionally couldn’t control his temper despite his innocent-looking face, might not be able to hold back this time and ask about that day’s events. So it was best to avoid running into Edwin if possible.
But would that go according to her wishes?
“Oh, miss. You look so lovely. How can you be so beautiful?”
What Theo had brought as a gift was a dress. The pale green color and the embroidered gold thread, without any decorative jewels, played their role more than sufficiently, making it mysterious.
She had granted Theo’s request to wear the gift since the Duke had been so considerate, but the dress, which was clearly expensive at first glance, felt heavy. Awkwardly touching the voluminous skirt, she asked Sophie in the mirror.
“…But isn’t it too fancy for me?”
“Oh, miss. How can you say it’s fancy? If you look at the noble ladies in the capital, they wear even fancier clothes. Just look at Miss Windler. She’s always so glamorous. And how can it sparkle so much without any jewels? I wonder what they did to this dress?”
She stood straight, instinctively tensing her back muscles to keep from slouching.
“I would believe it if you said your friend was a royal tailor. And what about this color? They must have spun this themselves. I’ve never seen such a color in my life. It really suits you perfectly, miss.”
Vivian agreed with the praise for Theo. Theo, who was said to have inherited his father’s skills entirely, was leading the fashion in Rodinia with his innate talent, and as word spread to nearby cities, the number of people seeking Theo grew day by day.
But as he frequently left the clothing shop unattended, his popularity waned accordingly. Thinking that all of this was because of her made it impossible for her to feel at ease about receiving the gift.
“Let’s go out and show your friend. He’ll be so pleased.”
Is it really right for me to accept this dress?
As Vivian left the room, wearing the most beautiful dress yet unable to smile brightly, different worries clouded her vision.
Duke Baitness had shown unexpected generosity once again.
What could be the Duke’s true intentions? He had threatened to kill her, choking her and threatening to devour her. Yet when her guest rudely visited, he not only didn’t show any displeasure but even offered the garden.
He shows kindness while being closer to hostility. He acts cruelly but then shows loose kindness.
However, Vivian suspected that there must be another true intention behind the Duke’s generosity.
Her trust in the Duke had been broken long ago.
On the day she realized she had swallowed a poisoned cake, didn’t she learn that she should never carelessly eat a cake offered by the Duke? So it was clear that there must be a hidden intention behind this show of generosity as well.
As she passed through the entrance, intense sunlight poured down. While heading towards the garden where Theo would be waiting, she looked at the pale green dress fluttering at her feet.
This dress, which she now dared not covet, distorted Vivian’s reality. The ominous stone rolling around in her chest gradually grew in size.
“Miss.”
At the call, she lifted her head to see Theo waving his hand, standing in the shadow of the pergola. The corners of Theo’s mouth were raised in a wide smile.
“Did you wait long? Theo, the dress…”
Until she saw the table spread out, she had planned exactly how to compliment the dress.
Chocolate cookies and pudding, strawberry cake and apple pie, bread topped with lots of candy and cream. And Theo standing tall among them. This scene Vivian was looking at blanched her mind, rendering her prepared words useless.
She looked back at Sophie, seeing an amount that the two of them could never finish.
“Did the Duke order all of this?”
When Vivian’s voice rose, Sophie nodded with eyes wide like a frightened cat. Since this wasn’t something to blame Sophie for, she turned her eyes away again.
“Miss. The dress really suits you well.”
Vivian’s consciousness, which had been stolen by the tea table, found its place again at Theo’s admiring voice. Theo, unable to take his eyes off the dress, was sparkling.
If she had become a suitable mannequin for the carefully made dress, Vivian was satisfied with that. Putting aside Edwin’s eccentric behavior for a moment, she focused on Theo.
“It’s so fancy and beautiful that I wonder if it’s right for me.”
“If it doesn’t suit you, it wouldn’t suit anyone. This is a dress made solely for you, miss.”
She should have chosen her words more carefully, but she had put too much sincerity into her earlier feelings. Theo, as if afraid his feelings might have been revealed, hurriedly pulled out a chair for her.
“Please sit.”
“Thank you, Theo.”
Sitting down, Vivian once again became dazed at the sight of the unreasonable amount of food.
Is this a sophisticated way of scolding the rudeness of bringing a guest? Or is this his way of telling her to eat and gain weight?
If it was the former, she couldn’t understand it, and if it was the latter, she could calmly accept it.
When had the Duke ever asked for her opinion? It wasn’t the first or second time he had brought food in front of her without asking.
“Theo. But you know.”
“Yes.”
Theo calmly lifted his teacup even among the desserts that seemed about to bury them.
“The dress is really beautiful, but I’m not sure if I should accept something like this… It must have cost a lot to make. If it’s alright, I’d like to pay for the materials at least. Of course, I can’t pay right away, but when I have the means…”
“Do you think I spent months making this to receive payment for materials?”
“But Theo. This dress is too expensive for me to receive as a gift.”
“Miss.”
Theo did not nicely package or wrap his disappointment. He showed his hurt feelings to Vivian as they were, without holding back. Reading this, Vivian was precariously hanging on amidst a tangle of complex emotions.
“Even if it’s just once, please just rely on me.”
“…”
“It’s just a dress. I didn’t ask for much, did I? Can’t a friend who was always saddened to see you living with just one set of clothes give you this much of a gift?”
Even after uttering the word ‘friend’, his mouth felt stiff.
Are we really friends? Can we be?
Vivian was a noble of high standing in Preston, and even after coming to Newway, everyone treated her as a noble. The idea of a mere tailor being friends with such a noble lady was preposterous.
“Actually, there’s another reason why I came to see you, miss.”
Vivian’s lips, which were about to say something, gently closed.
“How about leaving the mansion now?”
It seemed closer to a plea than a suggestion, and closer to coercion than a plea. Theo’s eyes, looking into Vivian’s ashen eyes, held such resolve.
“I’m planning to buy a house in the village. It’s a small cottage, but it’s enough for me to live with my mother and siblings.”
“Theo…”
“You can stay at our house, miss. Just to let you know, my mother and siblings have given their permission. It might not be as spacious as the mansion, but it won’t be too cramped for you to use alone.”
A bleak and complicated feeling choked her throat. Self-loathing and humiliation, becoming shadows, reduced her to a worthless human being.
She bit the soft flesh inside her mouth hard, and a tangy taste pooled on the tip of her tongue. Averting her gaze, Vivian looked at Edwin’s needlessly extravagant intentions spread out on the tea table.
Right now, Edwin’s malice seemed more hopeful than Theo’s goodwill.
“I really appreciate your intentions, but how can I take away the house your father left you? And a house where your family lives together. No matter what, I can’t do that. I’ll accept this dress instead.”
“My mother has also given her permission. My siblings also want you to stay in a comfortable place. I hope you don’t feel burdened, miss. And I want you to be safe.”
Without someone’s help, without sacrifice, she always becomes precarious. She hated the pathetically crumbling weak appearance due to such powerlessness.
The idea of being an existence that could only stand by stepping on others was terribly embarrassing. It was shameful to be breathing in this ridiculous state.
When she reached a point where she couldn’t give any answer, she reflexively looked up at the sound of horse hooves disturbing the air. When her eyes met Edwin’s, who was on horseback in the distance, a strong fear pushed at her back.
She was afraid that her contemptible weakness would end up taking away someone’s home. Just one entanglement of gazes with the Duke led her thoughts that far.
Vivian hurriedly avoided Edwin’s eyes and looked at the slice of cake topped with strawberries.
Is this a bit better?
She couldn’t be sure of that either. After all, this strawberry cake might be poisoned.
[This is the timeline separator]As the horse’s steps drew closer to the pergola, the desserts filling the table like spring flowers in full bloom and the man and woman facing each other in front of it became clearer.
Vivian, whose eyes met his first, averted her gaze.
Vivian needed to learn. That when you avoid someone in an annoying way, it makes them want to approach more.
Theo Evans turned to look this way a beat late. It wouldn’t hurt to remember about Theo Evans too. That when someone’s very existence is cumbersome, you want to uproot them.
Edwin stopped his horse, unable to pass by them. The two people under the pergola stood up from their seats and showed respect to Edwin.
Vivian, who had stood up beyond the shrubs separating the garden and the path, was vivid. How could he know if the sparkling dress in pale green and gold had belonged to Charlotte? But seeing that it wasn’t overly frilly, it wasn’t Charlotte’s dress.
Then.
“It’s been a while, Mr. Theo Evans.”
“How do you know my name?”
That dress was probably the work of Theo Evans, who made no attempt to hide his hostility.
“You’re Miss Eveline’s only friend.”
Theo Evans’ eyes, reacting sharply, were stubborn. He wouldn’t yield, and thus there was no flexibility to be found. His youthful eyes burned as if ready to pounce at any moment.
“Is Miss Eveline having a good time?”
“…I’m grateful for your concern.”
“Sophie.”
Edwin beckoned to Sophie, who was waiting at a distance.
“Bring out more desserts. Miss Eveline says it’s not enough.”
“Your Grace, I’m fine. I haven’t even finished eating yet.”
“Eat a lot. That’s how you’ll gain weight.”
The dress Vivian was wearing, which seemed too much for her, fit perfectly in the length of the skirt, the waist that barely clung to her frame, and her shoulders and arms that were just skin and bones. He looked down at Evans, who couldn’t possibly have any extra, past Vivian’s sullen face with tightly pressed lips.
“Do you know how to handle a gun, by any chance?”
Today felt like a day for hunting. A day to indulge in the smell of blood, achieve a sense of accomplishment, and shake off all the thoughts filling his head.
The more hunters there were to see the desired bloody result, the better.
“Yes, I know how to handle one.”
However, Vivian, unable to endure this situation, turned pale. Her desperate and pleading eyes shone brilliantly in the sunlight.
“That’s good. I was wondering if you’d like to join us for a gathering to promote friendship, if that’s alright.”
“Isn’t the difference in our social status too great for you to promote friendship with me?”
“Given that you’re friends with Miss Eveline, that’s not the case.”
Edwin’s mouth corners deepened. Unable to stand by any longer, Vivian blocked the large Theo. It was a defiant attitude, as if trying to protect Theo even though she couldn’t fully cover him. This foolish and reckless attitude caused Edwin’s brow to furrow slightly.
“No, Your Grace. Theo has no talent for hunting at all. He would be a hindrance to you enjoying the hunt with your guest. Moreover, he left his clothing shop unattended, so Theo needs to return soon.”
The sudden situation flowed in an unexpected direction.
The reason why his invitation to Theo for hunting was unsettling lay in the sweet things filling the table. Just when she was certain that his shown generosity was malice, Theo was in danger of being dragged to the hunting grounds as a sacrificial lamb.
There was no reason for Duke Baitness to take Theo Evans to the hunting grounds. But if it was meant to torment her, there were sufficient reasons to take him to the hunting grounds.
He had even made her lie about her status to his mother and borrow money, putting her in great debt. If it was revenge against Eveline, what couldn’t Duke Baitness, who had no sense of shame, do to Theo?
The blue eyes that cruelly passed by Vivian, who was speaking on his behalf, reached Theo. As he wanted to hear the answer from the person in question, Vivian had to persuade Theo.
Please don’t go. Stay here. Don’t follow. Don’t fall for the provocation.
Vivian tightly grasped Theo’s collar. But the look in his eyes, already made up his mind, pierced Vivian’s heart.
“Then please include me as well. If it’s about socializing with high-ranking individuals, I’d like to do that too.”
“Theo, you…”
“I learned how to hunt from my father when I was young. I handle guns well, so you don’t need to worry.”
Vivian despaired.
Bait disguised as generosity. A trap disguised as goodwill.
When it was directed not at herself but at Theo, Vivian had to face a pain worse than death.
“Prepare a horse and equipment for Mr. Evans.”
As Edwin instructed the servant, a frightened Vivian came down from the pergola. Despairing once again at being blocked by the shrubs, she pleaded.
“But Your Grace, Theo is…”
“Miss Eveline.”
Unlike Vivian, who was stomping her feet, the alien timbre with no discernible pitch and cold eyes sent chills throughout her body.
“What exactly are you worried about?”
The smile he wore, as if there was no particular meaning behind it, instilled an even greater fear.
Cold, frosty eyes looking down from a high place. A lion waiting for Eveline’s downfall somewhere between hostility and goodwill. Such things were planted in the smile he wore.
Choking her and threatening to devour her in the carriage was merely a prelude. The main performance was about to begin.
It was probably the act of taking away the things she cherished and loved most in the world. Thus, it was an act that would inflict a pain worse than death.
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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