Chapter 233

Chapter 233

“In my opinion, Lord Elliot is truly a good person.”

Vivian spoke with rare conviction, trying to persuade her mother. The countess, leaning against the long sofa and flipping through pages of a book, listened with one ear and let the words of her daughter pass through the other, so Vivian’s voice grew louder as time went on.

“His concern for the child and he willingly paid such a large sum without hesitation when it seemed difficult for me to afford it. I wonder how thoughtful and kind he must have been.”

“Well, that’s only natural. The one who brought relief supplies under the Emperor’s order must understand our situation.”

“But still, it’s not easy to give away such a large sum so readily.”

“So you’re trying to tell me you like him, or that you’re feeling something close to it?

“It’s not like that, but…” Vivian blushed, but as she was leaning against the sofa, trying to fix her disheveled hair. Her mother went to sit near the dressing table, following after the maid to tidy up her hair.

“I don’t want to say that I have a crush on Lord Elliot. But I do want to say that Father’s decision to exclude me entirely from the restoration project this time is a bit too much. After all, charity work has always been the responsibility of the ladies in our family. I’m just worried that Mother seems to be overworking herself.”

It was a series of excuses, but the Marquise quickly saw through them.

“So, what you mean is that you want to spend some time guiding Lord Elliot in charity work together?”

“It’s not exactly that, but…”

“It sounds like that to my ears.”

The marquise checked her reflection in the mirror, making sure her hair wasn’t out of place. Meanwhile, as the maid stood with her hands together and eyes lowered, she sneakily stole a glance at the young lady who was sighing lazily.

Vivian’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and her eyes gazed into the distance. She sighed frequently, and there were many stories circulating among the servants that she couldn’t sleep until late at night.

Already, rumors were spreading among the staff that Miss Vivian had fallen in love. And the object of her affection? It was none other than Lucius Elliot, who had once swept through the lower floors, or rather, was still causing quite a stir.

After examining everything to her satisfaction, the marquise gestured for the maid. Then, she reached out lightly towards her daughter, and Vivian, with a flushed face, took her mother’s hand.

“I have no intention of taking your place. I know you’ve been mostly responsible for the charity work. So guiding Lord Elliot tomorrow will be your responsibility. But, Vivian, he’s a married man, and whether his marriage is annulled or not is uncertain. Even if it is annulled, there’s no guarantee he’ll propose to you. So, if you truly consider me at all, promise me you won’t rashly give him your heart. Do you understand?”

“Of course, Mother.”

As Vivian solemnly met her mother’s eyes and made her vow, a moment of relief washed over her. But as she kissed her daughter’s cheek and left the room, she once again elicited a sigh from the marquise.

“Vivian, you mustn’t be reckless!”

Ignoring her mother’s exclamation, Vivian hurried back to her room to select her outfit for the outing. A maid, witnessing her deliberations over the most splendid clothes and ribbons, remarked,

“Miss, are you going to visit the slums? Wouldn’t it be better not to wear such fine clothes and risk getting them dirty?”

Though it was meant to convey, ‘Hey, I’ll have to wash those later!’, Vivian, with a face that said, ‘Oh, right!’, thanked the maid even going as far as to kiss her cheek.

“You’re right! Wearing fancy clothes for charity work would make us look empty-headed, wouldn’t it? So, please choose something modest yet elegant for me.”

The eyes of the other maids standing behind fixated on the maid who spoke, silently condemning her for uttering nonsense that resulted in such an absurd request.

The maids who knew of Vivian’s infatuation did their best to adorn her beautifully. With her hair tied up high with a blue ribbon, Vivian looked fresh and clean in a comfortable dress with similar blue stripes. Despite urging herself to appear more cautious, she eventually emerged as time pressed on.

Upon stepping outside the front door, Lucius, who had been waiting by the carriage, nodded in greeting. Vivian couldn’t suppress a faint smile as she lowered her head upon seeing Lucius’s face.

With a slight bend of her knees in greeting, Vivian struggled to suppress her joy, then raised her head.

“Are you well, Vivian? You seem to be doing well. You look good.”

Even with his stoic response, her cheeks couldn’t help but flush slightly. Vivian awkwardly clasped her hands together, trying not to show her smile, then raised and lowered her heels.

“Nonsense, if anything, I’m a mess, I can’t even sleep at night because I’m worried about the kid that got hurt last time, how is he doing?”

Vivian asked cheerfully, not really worried about the child, but surely this would make Lucius smile warmly and say something like, “He’s much better,” or “He’s back to his normal routine.”

But instead, Lucius looked at Vivian like she was asking him why he was asking her.

“He’s been treated by a priest, so he’s probably doing well. Is it you who’s doing the ushering today?”

“I know more about charity work in the house than my mother does.”

Vivian skillfully replied, yet she couldn’t shake off her foolish mistake of asking such a question. Silly Vivian. Lucius must be busy; he probably forgot about the child already.

But then Lucius gave a slight smile. It could have been just a meaningless habitual smile, but to Vivian, it felt like a gentle comfort, reassuring her that she didn’t need to blame herself.

Regaining her energy, Vivian began her guidance with vigor.