There Is No Paradise Where I Ran Away To (14 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 61

If Preston’s royal palace, the Golden Bay Palace, was a noble sunflower that had bloomed through endless restraint and introspection, then Newway’s royal palace was a resplendent rose, flourishing amid humanity’s indulgence, pleasure, and decadent revelry.

Among the lavish interior decorations—utterly removed from any notion of austerity—were paintings that made Vivian blush and sculptures so scandalous she could barely bear to look at them, yet they naturally held their place without question.

As Vivian, who had just walked through such corridors, approached her audience with the royal couple, tension surged within her. It only worsened when members of high society—who had recently turned the ballroom incident into gossip—glanced at her furtively and tittered amongst themselves, leaving her mind in utter disarray.

Her stomach churned. She pressed a hand repeatedly against her chest, voicing her discomfort.

“I’m here as your partner. So do your best.”

At the low, firm voice, she shut her complaining mouth tightly. She hadn’t expected him to worry—but she did wish he wouldn’t force such a role onto her so insistently, especially since Vivian had never wanted to attend Her Majesty the Queen’s birthday celebration in the first place.

“Smile, Vivian.”

A man who seemed close, yet never truly drew near.

The lips that had whispered into her ear pulled away. If there was a fool who ever harbored such expectations from a man who could never truly be close, it would surely be the woman standing here right now—escorted by Edwin.

Soon, it was Edwin and Vivian’s turn. Even without Edwin’s insistence, she had already resolved to do her utmost, now that she stood here. After all, this directly reflected upon her parents’ reputation—therefore, mistakes were unacceptable.

The two stood before the King and Queen. The audience chamber filled with Edwin’s clear, pristine voice. Every time she witnessed this side of him, she was reminded of the day they first met.

After exchanging brief pleasantries with Edwin, the royal couple’s attention naturally turned to Vivian. She immediately realized she wasn’t welcomed—especially not by the Queen’s hostile, piercing gaze. The reason surfaced effortlessly in her mind, as obvious as a buoy bobbing to the surface.

Vivian responded calmly, satisfying the royal couple’s curiosity to a reasonable extent,

explaining, in a rather formal manner, that she’d lost contact with her parents and had narrowly averted disaster thanks to Duke Beitnes’s generous magnanimity.

When the seemingly interminable audience finally ended and she turned away, beads of cold sweat dotted her forehead. Vivian carefully pressed her damp brow with the back of her hand.

Read full content of this chapter on r e d c a t t y . c o m