Chapter 38: Silly Viviana.

On an afternoon when the sunlight gently poured in, there was a table adorned with bright floral patterns, vases carefully arranged with various flowers, and sweet fruits and pastries placed on plates. And amidst it all, with the laughter of the beautiful young ladies echoing around, this was a tea party hosted by Sharione.

However, for some reason, this familiar place felt strangely unfamiliar today. Despite having attended several times before, the tranquility was shattered by the presence of just one person.

“Lady Viviana, are you not interested in the refreshments?”

“Well… I’m not particularly fond of sweet things.”

The woman with jet-black hair, reminiscent of the deep night sky, lifted her teacup slightly and quietly answered. It was simply the act of drinking tea, yet her elegance and noble demeanor naturally drew the attention of everyone in the room.

‘Ugh… Viviana.’

If there was one thing different from the usual tea party, it was just that. Viviana was present. With just one more member added to the usual group, the atmosphere of the tea party had completely shifted.

Until now, the conversation had always revolved around Sharione and me, but now, all the attention was solely focused on Viviana.

And I found this situation extremely uncomfortable.

‘Could she really be trying to stand in my way?’

Today was supposed to be an event to comfort me, and if Viviana hadn’t been here, there would have been numerous gifts prepared just for me… But now, everything was ruined.

‘…There’s no helping it.’

If I couldn’t receive gifts, the next best option was to increase Sharione’s affection towards me. While the young ladies were chattering away and Viviana was warmly responding to them, I cautiously leaned my head on Sharione’s shoulder.

“Oh my, are you tired, Tina?”

“No, I just wanted to be close to you, Sharione.”

“Hehe… Tina, really.”

An affectionate smile spread across Sharione’s face. With a faint blush on her cheeks, she gently patted my head. The warmth of her touch made me feel content, and I rubbed my face against Sharione’s shoulder.

“Oh, by the way, are you using the gift I gave you?”

“Oh… Do you mean that beautiful crystal orb?”

It was a magical item that emitted a soft light and played gentle music. It seemed like something that would help with sleep and bring peace of mind.

“Yes, I heard it has a special effect if used before bed, did you know that?”

“Oh, uh… really?”

A special effect? I had no idea. In fact, right after receiving that gift, I hadn’t even opened it and had just shoved it into my closet.

Momentarily flustered by the unexpected comment, I quickly gathered my thoughts. Rather than pretending to know and getting caught, it was better to be honest. I looked up at Sharione with the most tender gaze I could muster.

“Actually… I haven’t unwrapped it yet because I wanted to cherish the gift you gave me. It’s such a precious gift to me.”

“Oh, oh my, Tina…”

Sharione, moved, hugged me tightly. I was buried so deeply in her embrace that it became hard to breathe, but I didn’t show any discomfort and remained in her arms.

“Don’t worry about that, and use it as much as you like! If it’s for you, Tina, I could buy hundreds of such magical items.”

“No, just the thought alone is enough for me, Sharione.”

Upon hearing my words, Sharione’s eyebrows seemed to twitch slightly. She pulled away from me with a slightly displeased expression and spoke in a low voice.

“Why do you think it’s just talk?”

“Ah, I-I might not be very smart, but I do know how expensive magical tools are in the market. Hundreds of them, I can’t even imagine their worth, and I don’t want to see Lady Sharione overexert herself just because of me.”

“Overexert?”

The cautious words seemed to have touched Sharione’s pride. Her face, always gentle, twisted slightly. Sharione, who had been staring at me for a long time, smiled again and patted my head.

“Tina, you don’t seem to know much about our Rodain family. That’s my fault, isn’t it?”

“What? Ah, no… I do know.”

“I guess I’ll have to show you. Just how great our family’s wealth is.”

“What?! Ah, you don’t have to…! I think I said something unnecessary. I’m sorry, Lady Sharione.”

“Shh. This is a matter of my pride, Tina.”

Her serious tone made me look at her with a flustered expression. But inwardly, I was secretly pleased with Sharione’s reaction.

As expected, I was right.

The three women who hold the center of the social circle: Mardian, Versha , and finally, Sharione. Mardian was luxurious, but her twisted personality was a problem, and Versha had the issue of gifting the latest trendy teas instead of expensive jewels.

But Sharione was different. She was the one I could use to my greatest advantage. She appeared gentle on the outside, but she had a strong pride, and a little bit of flattery would easily open her heart.

“It might be difficult to find time by tomorrow… Set aside a day next week, Tina.”

“You really don’t have to….”

It seemed she was planning to flaunt her noble wealth grandly next week. Of course, she wouldn’t be spending money for my sake, but even if I just played along, I’d get a share of the spoils, which was more than enough.

I suppressed the smile rising within me and looked up at Sharione weakly.

“Since you say so, Lady Sharione, I understa—mmph?”

Just as I was about to accept Sharione’s offer, Viviana suddenly grabbed both of my cheeks with her hands. Startled, I turned my gaze to see her cold, violet eyes staring at me frostily.

“I’m sorry, but Lady Tina doesn’t seem to have time next week.”

“What? What do you mean by that?”

Sharione looked at Viviana with surprised eyes. I also glared at her in disbelief, but Viviana simply smiled sweetly and looked at me.

“Lady Tina, did you forget that you promised to visit our mansion next week?”

“Ah… did you, Tina?”

Sharione looked at me with a regretful expression. I was so bewildered that I just blinked blankly. What on earth is this? I hadn’t promised to visit any mansion, nor did I remember having such a conversation with Viviana.

“Don’t you remember, Lady Tina?”

Viviana’s smile held a sharp warning instead of warmth, as if to say, ‘You know what will happen if you don’t agree.’ In the end, unable to oppose her, I suppressed the boiling anger inside and spoke to Sharione in a subdued voice.

“…I’m sorry. I got so excited about being with you that I completely forgot.”

“That can happen, don’t worry.”

Fortunately, Sharione graciously accepted my apology. I forced a smile at Viviana while swallowing down the irritation that rose in my throat.

“Viviana, could we talk for a moment?”

After being interrupted like this several times, I couldn’t stand it anymore. This was clearly a deliberate interference.

Whether she noticed my rising anger or not, Viviana responded gently with a carefree smile.

“As much as you’d like.”

After leaving the main gate of the Rodine Count’s estate, we walked to a secluded spot deep in the garden. Once I had confirmed multiple times that we were alone, I glared at Viviana with a gaze full of resentment.

“Viviana… What on earth are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

Her nonchalant tone only fueled my anger further. Pretending not to know at this point was utterly outrageous.

“Are you… seriously asking because you don’t know? You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? You keep getting in the way!”

“What exactly have I done to interfere?”

“Well, that…!”

Though frustration surged up to my throat, I found myself unable to speak plainly. I couldn’t just come out and say, ‘You’re interfering with my plan to swindle love and money from a rich fool!’

As I hesitated, unsure of what to say, Viviana sharply jabbed her finger into my forehead with a stern look.

“What on earth is wrong with you? Do you have no learning ability?”

“…What? No, wait. Are you mad at me?”

I was the one who should be annoyed, but I couldn’t understand why Viviana was the one getting angry.

“Even after what happened with Mardian, have you still not come to your senses? Do you need to go through that again to learn your lesson?”

I blinked in confusion at the unexpected mention of Mardian. Why was she suddenly bringing her up? What was she trying to say?

“What on earth do you mean? Why are you bringing up Mardian?”

“Weren’t you kidnapped by Mardian after you tried to act cute with her? And now you’re pulling the same stunt with another woman?”

“Hh…?”

I was utterly dumbfounded. Her words seemed to imply that Mardian kidnapping me was somehow my fault, which was no different from a sexual predator blaming the victim for ‘tempting’ them.

“No way, that’s not going to happen again!”

“Why not? Judging by your behavior…”

“Of course not! That incident happened because Mardian is a despicable pervert who preys on women.”

“A, a pervert?”

For a brief moment, Viviana’s usually calm eyes seemed to tremble.

“Unlike Mardian, who is driven by such twisted desires, the other young ladies simply adore me as if I were a pet. There’s no way that could happen again.”

Who would harbor sexual desires toward their pet? No one, except for Mardian, the deranged villain in the game. No one else would do something so insane.

“Or, could it be that you’re looking at me, your pet, in a sexual way, Viviana?”

Viviana took a step back, seemingly flustered. She must have realized how ridiculous her thoughts were.

“Of course not.”

“See? Then what exactly is the problem?”

“Well, obviously…!”

Viviana started to respond with an irritated voice, but she couldn’t come up with a single rebuttal. Or more precisely, she couldn’t because she knew I was right.

In the game, she was portrayed as a perfect character in every way, but in reality, she was just a fool.

‘Silly Viviana.’