Special Story 2

Hearing her apologize only made him feel worse. Armin’s expression was just as conflicted.

Matters of the heart couldn’t be resolved by force. Vivian watched with troubled eyes as Armin silently changed into his shirt.

Still huddled under the blankets, she remained unmoving as he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. He forced a small smile.

“I’ve got some work to take care of. I’ll be heading out now.”

He added that, since he started his day late in the afternoon, he’d probably be home late tonight. Hearing that only made Vivian feel guiltier—everything seemed to be her fault.

“Don’t wait up. Go to sleep first.”

Without waiting for a response, Armin turned and left the room. Vivian’s shoulders slumped.

***

After finishing a late meal, Vivian reluctantly climbed into the carriage. She wasn’t in the mood, but she couldn’t cancel the long-awaited appointment to meet Michelle. Today, she was supposed to see both Michelle and Princess Florin.

Michelle, now the wife of a merchant guild master, had become far busier assisting André with his work.

“My Lady!”

“My Lady, really.”

Michelle caught herself addressing Vivian with the familiar term and gave a sheepish smile. Though Vivian was no longer a young lady and Michelle no longer a maid, old habits die hard.

“Michelle, how have you been? Is Princess Florin here yet?”

“She hasn’t arrived yet. But more importantly, my Lady—no, Lady Vivian—what’s wrong with your face?”

“What do you mean, my face?”

Michelle hadn’t served as Vivian’s personal maid for nothing. She could read her former mistress’ moods with a single glance. The usually lively and bubbly Vivian was visibly down—there had to be a reason.

“What’s going on?”

“What do you mean? Nothing’s wrong with me.”

“Please don’t lie to me.”

Despite Michelle’s gentle prodding, Vivian still couldn’t bring herself to share her worries. Perhaps it was because Michelle had also gotten married around the same time. That only made it harder to talk.

Having known Vivian for years, Michelle was well aware of how stubborn she could be. Forcing her to open up would only backfire, so Michelle opted to steer the conversation elsewhere to ease her friend’s heart.

“My Lady.”

“There it is again—‘my Lady.’”

“Sorry, it’s hard to shake the habit, haha. Anyway…”

Michelle began speaking casually, as though the topic were no big deal.

“This is something I heard during a guild leaders’ gathering I attended with André. I thought it might make an interesting story for one of your novels, so I made sure to listen closely.”

“A story? What kind of story?”

Vivian’s ears perked up despite herself. Michelle feigned indifference and nodded.

“Well, the merchants travel around quite a bit, so they hear all sorts of things.”

The tale came from the wife of a guild leader who traded primarily in the north.

“It supposedly happened up north, though I’m not sure exactly when.”

Michelle’s story was about a married nobleman who had an affair.

An affair? That was certainly something society would condemn. Not the kind of topic one could write lightly about—unless it was for a villain.

Vivian’s interest fizzled out immediately at the unappealing subject.

“What’s so interesting about that?”

“Well, normally, an affair is with someone secret and unknown, right?”

“And?”

“And this bold man’s affair partner was actually a close friend of his wife.”

Vivian’s mouth dropped open. Reality truly was stranger—and more scandalous—than fiction.

Michelle chuckled at her reaction. As expected, Vivian was hooked.

“Guess how he got caught.”

“I have no idea. How?”

“The moment his wife left the house, he sent a letter to the other woman.”

“He sent a letter? But how did he get caught?”

“Because the place his wife went was none other than that woman’s house. They were having a tea party at the time.”

The wife had spotted a boy from her household and, taking the letter, read the contents written in her husband’s unmistakable handwriting. According to Michelle, the tea party quickly descended into chaos.

“They say the noblewomen ended up pulling each other’s hair out. Isn’t that man just a complete fool?”

“No kidding.”

Now intrigued, Vivian leaned in curiously.

“So what did the letter say?”

Michelle giggled.

“It said, ‘My wife’s gone. Come quickly.’”

Just then, a knock came from outside the room, followed by a maid’s voice.

“My Lady, your guest has arrived.”

The guest, of course, was Princess Florin. Michelle and Vivian stood up at once. With a bright voice, Michelle called out to the maid.

“Please, show her in.”

The door opened, and with a radiant smile, Princess Florin rushed in.

“What were you talking about that was so funny?”

“Oh, it wasn’t anything special. Curious?”

“Of course I am. Huh? But Vivi, what’s with that look on your face? Did something happen?”

Princess Florin, too, immediately noticed the change in Vivian’s expression and voiced her concern. But Vivian brushed it off with a vague smile.

“I’m fine. More importantly, Michelle, tell the Princess the story you just told me.”

“Ah, that one.”

Having reunited after a long time, they had plenty to talk about. Michelle repeated the story she had just shared with Vivian for Princess Florin.

It had seemed like a simple piece of gossip, but Florin’s reaction was one of surprise. She turned to Michelle and asked,

“That story’s already spread this far?”

“What? You’ve heard it too, Your Highness?”

“Of course. That happened in our kingdom.”

“What?”

“The merchant lord’s wife must’ve gotten the source wrong. That didn’t happen in the north—it happened in Gellang.”

Unlike the vague version Michelle had heard, Princess Florin knew more precise details. Her sister-in-law, the Crown Princess married to her brother Garbo, was well-versed in high society gossip. Florin had clearly picked up the story while visiting home and chatting with her sister-in-law.

“In the end, the couple divorced.”

“Was it the wife who said she couldn’t live with him anymore?”

“They said it was a mutual fault.”

Vivian frowned and asked sharply,

“Mutual fault? But the husband was the one unfaithful, wasn’t he?”

“Well… it seems their marriage hadn’t been smooth from the start.”

“Not smooth?”

“They say the wife had been avoiding the husband entirely, even before that. But I don’t know the full details.”

Avoiding him entirely. At Florin’s words, Vivian felt her chest drop.

Unaware of her reaction, the princess added with a sheepish smile that she should’ve asked the Crown Princess for more details.

“They’d only been married for a month at the time. Maybe it turned out for the best, honestly.”

Michelle nodded in agreement.

“Hmm, I think so too. If the wife was completely avoiding the husband just a month into marriage… that’s a bit…”

Each time Florin or Michelle spoke, Vivian flinched slightly. She turned to Michelle with an awkward voice and asked,

“A bit… what?”

“That’s a bit much. Maybe they were never a good match to begin with.”

“No, that wasn’t the case. I heard they had been engaged since they were very young. They were childhood friends and were incredibly close.”

“Ah, then… maybe they mistook friendship for love?”

“Still, the man must’ve been hurt in his own way.”

Each word from her friends pierced Vivian like an arrow.

No. Sure, her actions might resemble that woman in the rumor—but! She truly loved Armin. It was just that, unlike holding hands or sharing a kiss, sharing a bed felt too awkward and embarrassing. All the romance novels she’d read only ever showed modest affection, and she simply hadn’t been prepared for real married life!

Frustration welled up, and tears stung her eyes. Why did Armin’s face from that morning flash in her mind when they mentioned the man might’ve been hurt too?

Vivian suddenly shot up from her seat. Florin and Michelle stared at her, startled.

“I think I need to go.”

“What? Already?”

“Vivi, you just got here! Why are you leaving so soon?”

“I need to talk to Armin. Right away. If I don’t speak to him now…”

Hurriedly, Vivian gathered her things. Startled but quick to act, Michelle rang the bell cord and called for a maid.

“Yes, my Lady.”

“Contact the coachman from the Grey household. The Young Duchess needs to return urgently.”

“Yes, understood, my Lady.”

It was only then that Vivian realized how foolish she’d been. This was exactly the kind of conversation she should’ve had with Armin. Just because she’d been embarrassed, she’d kept her distance and now deeply regretted it.

The bitter expression Armin had worn that morning haunted her. That wasn’t what she’d meant. That wasn’t how she felt.

“I… I’ll wait outside for the carriage.”

She had to see Armin immediately. Florin and Michelle stood as well, taken aback by Vivian’s sudden change.

“We’ll go with you. Whatever’s going on, Vivi, try to calm down a little.”

“I really have to see Armin now.”

Was it a marital spat? Michelle and Florin exchanged glances. From the moment Vivian arrived, her expression had been off—it seemed clear now that something had happened between her and the Young Duke.

As they waited for the carriage, they began offering whatever comfort they could. They told her it was probably nothing serious, trying to reassure her, but Vivian’s expression remained gravely troubled.

And then it happened.

“Huh?”

Vivian spotted a familiar figure. It was a boy often sent on errands by the Grey household. He recognized her, too, and bowed his head politely.

A strange sense of déjà vu. This situation suddenly felt eerily similar to the story Michelle had just told. Vivian’s hands trembled as she gestured the boy over.

“What brings you here?”

“I’m running an errand for the Young Duke, my Lady.”

“For Armin?”

“Yes. He asked me to deliver a letter to the merchant guild.”

The boy grinned brightly as he answered.