Special Story 7

It was while Vivian was deeply immersed in her book that a maid entered the room and handed her a letter.

“Lady Vivian, a letter from Lady Florin.”

Vivian straightened her posture. As she tore open the envelope, a delighted smile spread across her face.

“Did something good happen, my Lady?”

“Yes. She’s inviting me on a trip. To the royal villa of House Gellang.”

“Wow, really?”

The letter was filled with kind words expressing Florin’s wish to travel with Vivian. It also mentioned that the villa, located in the warm southern region, had tropical fruits available year-round. Though it wasn’t explicitly stated, Vivian could sense that Florin was concerned about her recent loss of appetite.

“What will you do?”

“Of course I’m going.”

Vivian replied without hesitation.

“But Lord Armin has the Noble Council assembly coming up, doesn’t he?”

Armin had recently begun attending the council in place of the Duke and would leave the house every morning before Vivian was even awake. She nodded.

“Yeah. Armin is busy. So?”

“So? What do you mean, so?”

“He’s not coming. It’ll just be us.”

“Us…?”

“Princess Florin, Michelle, and me. Just the three of us.”

Since it was a royal villa, there was no need to bring servants. Vivian’s eyes sparkled with anticipation—she had so few friends that she had never gone on a trip like this before.

“But Lord Armin will be disappointed.”

The maid’s words hit her like a dagger. She was right. He would be disappointed. Ever since their wedding trip, Vivian had constantly sung the praises of home, declaring the mansion to be the best place in the world.

‘Our house is the best. Friends, gather at my place~’

She had once cheerfully sung a famous song featuring a penguin, even improvising variations, proclaiming her love for staying home. Because of that, Armin had postponed all the wonderful destinations he had hoped to visit with Vivian.

“Still, wouldn’t it be good to at least talk to him about it?” the maid suggested.

But Vivian remained resolute. Shaking her head firmly, she muttered to herself,

“If I get pestered even there, I’ll just wither away and die.”

She couldn’t even remember the last time she had gotten a proper night’s sleep. Unlike Armin, whose stamina seemed endless, she was at the point where she needed real rest.

“This is perfect!”

Nodding to herself, Vivian steeled her resolve. It was the perfect excuse—one that would allow her to preserve her body without hurting her husband’s feelings.

***

Before going to bed, Vivian told Armin about the letter Florin had sent.

As the maid had predicted, Armin immediately frowned with displeasure.

“A trip?”

“Yes. She’s inviting me to the Gellang royal family’s villa. She says it’s full of delicious fruit, so it’ll be easier for me to eat.”

The mention of fruit softened Armin’s expression slightly. It was because he felt bad seeing his wife unable to eat properly.

But that was a separate matter altogether.

In this sweet honeymoon phase, Armin couldn’t even imagine the bedroom without Vivian anymore.

“You can get fruit here too, as much as you want.”

With a gentle tone, Armin began to persuade her. Through Andre’s merchant group, he was constantly bringing in fresh fruit.

“If there’s anything you want, I’ll get it for you.”

No one could’ve imagined that Armin Grey himself would end up making two or three late-night trips to the dining hall just because his wife suddenly craved orange juice.

“How about we take a trip together next time? I’ll make time for it as soon as the noble council meetings are over.”

Armin was desperate to hold on to her. But Vivian responded firmly.

“I’ve already gotten permission from your parents.”

“What?”

“They even gave me pocket money and told me to have a good time. Don’t be stingy about it—just send me off with a smile, Armin.”

“Stingy…? How am I being stingy?”

“I’ll go this time, and then I’ll go on another trip with you later, okay?”

She hadn’t known him for that long, but Vivian already understood that Armin was weak when it came to her.

‘I do feel bad, but if I can use that, I should.’

The problem was that she was just too cunning. Vivian cast her gaze downward with a pitiful expression, appealing to his sympathy.

“I heard during the last gathering that everyone else has gone on trips with their friends.”

“What?”

“But I never have. I didn’t have friends as a child, so I’ve never gone on a trip with them.”

Strictly speaking, that was a lie. She hadn’t had any female friends, that’s all.

She had tagged along on a few trips with her brother Sasha and his friends, and technically speaking, the vacations with the Andre family and the Roha household also counted as trips with friends.

Just as Vivian expected, Armin’s expression began to waver noticeably.

This was the classic ‘I’m the only one left out’ tactic.

She’d used it countless times on her parents, and the Viscount and Viscountess Roha had fallen for it every time. Her acting skills had only improved after years of practice.

“If I end up pregnant, I probably won’t be able to travel so freely anymore.”

“What?”

For the second time, Vivian brought up the idea of a child. Armin’s expression faltered again.

“Think about it. Once I get pregnant, I’ll have to rest at home for a whole year. And after that, we won’t be able to travel until the baby grows up a bit.”

She glanced up at him, gauging his reaction.

“I could always travel with you again, Armin, but what if Princess Florin or Michelle ends up getting pregnant?”

“Well…”

“And what if they take turns every year? We won’t be able to go on a trip until, what, ten or twenty years from now?”

Vivian let out a deep sigh.

“Then I guess I’ll be stuck with the title of ‘the girl who never went on a trip with friends’ for the next twenty years. What if people laugh at me for not having any friends…?”

In truth, Vivian didn’t care in the slightest about her reputation—and no one bold enough to mock a decorated young duchess likely existed.

Still, her words clearly unsettled Armin.

“Sigh…”

“I’ll be careful and come back safe, okay?”

Vivian clung to Armin’s arm, whining softly.

It was cunning, even a bit foxlike, how she always acted this way when she wanted something—but that was also one of the things Armin found most charming about her.

He told himself not to give in, and yet, bit by bit, his resolve was starting to crumble.

“You really want to go, huh?”

“I told you I do.”

Vivian nodded enthusiastically. Without warning, Armin scooped her into his arms.

Startled, she flailed as he set her down on the bed, then silently began drawing the blackout curtains.

“Ah—Armin?”

“Yeah.”

“Why the curtains…?”

“Vivian. You know I train in swordsmanship every day, right?”

“Yes… but why bring that up?”

“You also know what I do if I miss a session because of rain or something else, right?”

“Well, you usually make up for the missed training by…”

Sensing danger, Vivian’s voice trailed off. Armin looked down at her with a slight smile.

“You never know how plans will change later, so I think it’s better to fill up the schedule now rather than trying to make up for it later.”

Just as Vivian understood Armin, Armin understood her inside and out.

If he let her go now, she’d come back with another excuse—she’d be tired, or she’d need time to adjust back to routine.

Give and take. If she wanted something, he’d give it—but only if he got something in return.

If her body were truly in bad shape, Armin would be the first to know.

But he knew better. His foxlike wife wasn’t in such terrible condition after all.

It was worrisome that she’d barely been eating. But here and there, she would suddenly crave something, and when she did, she ate it.

Just today, he’d heard from the head chef that she’d suddenly said she wanted steak and had eaten it with gusto late in the afternoon.

“W-Well… Ah! Must be all the fruit today… I’m feeling a little faint again…? Don’t worry about me, Armin. I’ll be fine soon…”

She pressed a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes dramatically. Armin stared at her in disbelief.

“I heard you ate two plates of steak today. Since when is beef considered fruit?”

“Ah! How did you…”

Embarrassed, Vivian peeked open one eye and slowly lowered her hand.

Her face had a healthy glow, likely from eating properly for once.

“Good.”

At Armin’s cryptic remark, Vivian flinched.

“W-What’s good?”

“Just… that you finally ate a real meal.”

“And why is that a good thing…?”

“Because it means your strength must be coming back. Right?”

“No! Just because I ate some steak doesn’t mean I’ve suddenly grown muscles or anything! I didn’t even work out—how could I be stronger?”

Armin grinned broadly at her words.

“That’s why we’re going to.”

“…What?”

“Exercise.”

He finished drawing the curtains.

Darkness enveloped the room.