There Is No Paradise Where I Ran Away To (14 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 20

It was the second time walking with Charlotte. Vivian still vividly remembered that early morning stroll, when Charlotte had smiled and offered to embroider a scarf for her. Recalling that moment stirred a gentle warmth in her heart, like finding a longed-for campfire amid a harsh world battered by a furious snowstorm.

And that wasn’t all. From the day she realized the Duke’s true identity until his return to Rodinia, it was Charlotte who had stood by Vivian as she writhed in agony.

Yet, overnight, that relationship had been utterly shattered. Yesterday, they had glared at each other, filled with hostility. The memory of it weighed heavily on Vivian’s heart.

“I’m… sorry about yesterday, Miss Windler.”

Vivian offered an apology without hesitation, regretful over her behavior toward Charlotte the day before.

“I never held any ill will toward you, Miss Windler.”

She added this reassurance while stealing glances, yet her expression remained cold and dry. When Vivian, growing impatient, halted her steps, Charlotte’s mocking gaze met hers.

“Why are you still staying in this mansion?”

Vivian’s lips, ready once more to apologize for yesterday’s incident, snapped shut. Under the piercing sunlight pressing against her back, Charlotte’s sharp question stole her breath away. Vivian understood precisely what Charlotte’s gaze conveyed—she didn’t need words to feel the raw truth slicing into her heart.

“Your friend tried to kill the Duke, and you made a scene in front of him. And now you’re asking why you’re still staying here?”

Vivian’s lips trembled with injustice before closing tightly. If only she could, she wished to explain everything—tracing back even fourteen years—to justify why she had no choice but to remain here. But she didn’t want others to learn about the issue she needed to resolve solely with Edwin.

“I fully understand why you’re upset, Miss Windler. I misunderstood. To me, there’s only Theo, and the Duke… forced Theo into the hunting grounds…”

Vivian, stumbling over her words, glanced at Charlotte and corrected herself.

“When you said you’d go to the hunting grounds with Theo, I grew worried—afraid something terrible might happen to him. When I finally saw my friend in the woods, I lost all reason.”

Despite her rambling excuses, Charlotte’s icy gaze remained utterly unchanged.

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