Special Story 5

Since it was an unused room, Vivian thought the furniture would be covered in cloth to prevent dust from collecting. But her expectation was completely off.

“…What is this?”

The moment she opened the door, the first thing she noticed was the sweet fragrance of flowers. Flowers in a color that couldn’t quite be called white or yellow—something in between—filled vases throughout the room.

The curtains and antique furniture were all a deep shade of blue. Vivian instantly remembered where she had seen this scene before.

“Isn’t this the scene from that novel you’ve been really into lately?”

At Armin’s words, Vivian blinked slowly. He was right. It was a scene from the newest novel by the author she’d been most interested in.

The flowers were a rare species that only bloomed in foreign lands. She had casually remarked that she couldn’t imagine their scent just from reading about them in the book—and Armin had remembered.

Vivian, who was now suspicious, asked Armin, who was avoiding her gaze as if embarrassed:

“Then that letter…”

“Of course it was a letter to Andre. Who else would I send something like that to?”

The flowers Vivian saw had arrived after she had gone out. This room was part of a surprise gift Armin had been preparing for her. The flowers had arrived before the letter, due to a shipping error—and one of the items he’d ordered hadn’t even come.

“I wrote that letter without thinking much. I never imagined someone else would read it.”

He truly hadn’t expected Vivian to cry over it. But ironically, seeing her so emotional had helped ease the frustration he’d been holding inside.

Even if it made him a small man, he couldn’t deny he’d felt a bit resentful—after all, Vivian had been slow to adjust to their sweet newlywed life.

“Do you like it?”

Changing out the large furniture had taken time. He’d gone to great lengths to keep it hidden from his sharp-eyed wife, but all that effort was for nothing. Just one more day, and the surprise would’ve been complete.

Vivian nodded. Just like Armin had said, the flowers hadn’t fully bloomed yet. Their buds, soaking up the water, looked ready to burst open into perfect blossoms by morning.

“So the misunderstanding is cleared up now, right?”

Armin leaned in close, but Vivian avoided his gaze and gave a small nod.

Just then, the butler came upstairs to deliver a message.

“Lord Armin, you have guests waiting downstairs.”

“Guests?”

The butler nodded.

“Yes, Master Andre and Madam’s friends.”

Michelle and Princess Florin had come too. At that, Vivian’s face flushed red. She realized that in her fit of fury and misunderstanding over the letter, she’d caused them unnecessary concern.

“There’s nothing left to hide anymore—shall I tell them to come up?”

Armin asked playfully, and Vivian managed a nod. She couldn’t let her friends see her tear-streaked face, so she slipped away while Armin went down to greet them.

Soon after Andre and the others arrived at House Grey, the Duke and Duchess also returned. By the time they arrived, the tearful and distraught Vivian from earlier had vanished, replaced by the bright, cheerful woman they knew so well.

Over tea, the Duke and Duchess learned what had happened. The Duchess, after reading the infamous letter, couldn’t help but laugh.

“Vivian must have been so shocked.”

As she observed her adorable daughter-in-law and her son gazing at her with so much love, a new idea sparked in the Duchess’s mind—perhaps inspiration for her next story. Watching them, the tangled threads of her imagination finally seemed to unravel.

***

The cheerful gathering continued late into the night. Even Sasha joined them at House Grey after finishing his work, and the growing number of guests made it difficult for the evening to come to a close.

Late at night, after seeing off the guests in place of the Duke and Duchess who had already gone to bed, Vivian and Armin finally returned to their room. The awkwardness of the morning and the stormy afternoon had passed, and a peaceful atmosphere now filled the room.

As usual, Armin went to sit at the table. He brought over the chessboard they had been playing on the previous day and placed it on the table.

“Come here, Vivi. Let’s play chess.”

He figured Vivian would still need a bit more time to fully adjust to life at House Grey. But the events of the day had already cleared away any lingering resentment in Armin’s heart. He intended to use the game to apologize for his immature behavior that morning.

But Vivian didn’t come to him. Turning away suddenly, she said,

“Do you even know what time it is? It’s way too late.”

“Vivi?”

Armin checked the clock. It was indeed deep into the night, but compared to the hour Vivian usually went to sleep—closer to dawn—this barely even counted as late.

“I’m going to wash up. I’m tired, so I’m going to sleep early tonight.”

As she scurried off to the bathroom, Armin raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t a fan of romance novels like Sasha was, but when it came to Vivian’s behavior, he knew her inside and out.

Right now, she was embarrassed. But it wasn’t the same kind of embarrassment he was used to seeing.

“…She came around sooner than I expected.”

Watching her disappear into the bathroom, Armin murmured to himself.

When Vivian returned to the room in her pajamas, the lighting was dim, with only a single soft lamp left on.

“Armin?”

Vivian’s face, fresh from her shower, was smooth and glowing like a white egg. Armin had also just showered—his hair still damp. He had rushed to bathe in the room he used before their marriage, worried that Vivian might fall asleep before he returned.

Only then did Vivian realize: just like her, Armin was tense in the moment too. He had always seemed composed, but in truth, he was just as nervous. Her vision, once narrowed by tension, suddenly widened. Now she could see everything that had been hidden—his flickering gaze, the faint flush on his face, and…

“Did you put on cologne?”

“No.”

Armin answered immediately, but the small bottle of cologne sitting on the table was too obvious to miss. Suppressing a smile slipping through her lips, Vivian walked over to the bed and sat down.

“I’m not really a fan of cologne. I like your scent better.”

“…Should I go shower again?”

“No, I’ll let it slide tonight. But don’t do it again from tomorrow.”

The playful tone, back to her usual self, brought a quiet smile to Armin’s lips too.

“I’ll let it slide, but you have to give me your arm to sleep on.”

At her deliberately casual remark, Armin immediately offered his arm. Vivian laid her small head on his firm arm, and he felt the weight of her presence. He turned his body slightly, as if it was nothing. When he wrapped his arm around her petite frame, he could feel her body tense up.

Maybe he’d gotten ahead of himself. Even this small step was already more than he expected, but still, he’d gotten greedy.

Just then, as Armin hesitated and began to shift away in embarrassment, his body froze. Vivian had snuggled into him, burying herself in his arms.

“What is this…”

Her muttered grumble tickled against his chest.

“So you were nervous too.”

“…How could I not be?”

“I thought it was just me.”

Before her quiet chuckle even reached his ears, Armin already knew she was smiling. He could feel her cheek muscles move against his chest.

He gently pressed a kiss to her round forehead and murmured,

“Today was such a long day. You cried so much—aren’t you tired? Go to sleep.”

She was tired. But her eyes were beginning to shine with alertness.

“Armin.”

Vivian whispered his name softly, and Armin shifted again.

“I can’t fall asleep.”

For this young couple, who were used to staying up until dawn, it was still far too early for sleep.

The light on the table cast their shadows against the wall, tangled together into a single shape.

***

The next morning, Armin and Vivian had a late breakfast.

While it was nothing new for Vivian to sleep in, it was unusual for Armin not to wake up early. Unlike the innocent maids, who simply went about their tasks, the Duchess wore a knowing smile and gave specific instructions not to wake the couple.

That day, Armin cancelled all his appointments. His body felt languid, but more than that, he simply didn’t want to be apart from Vivian. He looked at her with affection as she slept, sprawled out in a strange position, completely owning the bed as if she had never known tension.

Though she was sound asleep, her fingers remained interlaced with his—still holding on tightly, as if to keep him from ever getting away. Armin recalled the previous night.

As he gently tucked her messy hair behind her ear, his violet eyes were filled with satisfaction and love.