Chapter 4

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“Who are you talking about? Oh, is it Lord Orpheus?”

“Yes? Oh, Sir Orpheus?”

Vivian was surprised when she had met him in her dream once, and now, again at the unexpected situation. Count Lector vaguely understood his daughter’s fussy reaction.

“It’s your first time seeing him.”

“I, that … that just….”

Vivian was so surprised that she couldn’t speak well.

Orpheus was such a famous name that it was strange enough not to know it. He had been the guy who made Mosbana shake for a while.

A man who was a humble commoner, survived the harsh hardships, and eventually gained a title and took the side of the emperor. A man who bled and stabbed everywhere he went.

He was Lord Orpheus.

“Lady Lecktor, the award ceremony is going to start soon, so you must go.”

At that time, a servant came when she was unaware and said quietly.  

Already? Vivian was surprised and flustered.

As she took a step, she was already in front of the top seats. As soon as Vivian stepped on the red carpet, her eyes fell from place to place. The eyes of the emperor, who had been looking at the banquet with his grave eyes all the time.

There was a procedure about the ceremony of awarding. Sitting on one knee in front of the emperor, then the emperor would come and hang a gold plaque around her neck.

The plaque, which was forced into her grasp when she had no achievement, was quite burdensome to receive. But, it was a felony to refuse to accept the emperor’s offer. Vivian calmly put her hands together with a mind that could not do this or that.

“Long time no see, lady Lecktor.”

“I greet Your Majesty, the wise Emperor.”

Vivian calmly responded to the emperor’s insinuation. However, unlike her appearance, Vivian’s mind was very confused. A decoration or an award was not important to her now.

Why was the man in my dreams here?!

Moreover, I wonder why he had a name that makes my hair stand out just by listening to it.

That was the most important thing to be prioritized.

‘······Am I mistaken?’

Unable to believe the existence of  the man, Vivian gradually raised her head. At that moment, Vivian’s eyes met the man standing in the shadow.

The man’s eyes in the dark were so fierce that she was reminded of the fangs of a carnivorous animal automatically. But that’s why those eyes were so familiar. It was the eyes she saw countless times in her dream.

Vivian’s eyes shook with conviction and confusion when she realized that he was really the man in her dreams.

But she couldn’t afford to think of anything else. It was because she felt the emperor’s gaze on her.

“I really care about you. You don’t know how much I congratulate you on your safe return.”

The emperor, who spoke loudly so others would listen, calmly raised himself. As he stepped on the golden stairs, a knight standing in the distance came with a shoulder-width velvet cushion. It was not the cushion that mattered, but the gold plaque on it.

The emperor grabbed the gold medal with a relaxed touch. Then he personally leaned his upper body and hung the gold plaque on Vivian’s neck. The flashing plaque was so colorful that it felt excessive.

“As of today, Vivian Lector is an official knight.”

Applaud flowed from all over the place at the emperor’s shout. Count Lector was clapping harder than anyone else in that corner, but Vivian couldn’t turn her gaze to it. As she lowered her gaze, her mind was full of untimely thoughts.

“Lady Lecktor.”

“………”

“Lady Lecktor?!”

“Oh, yes, Your Majesty.”

Vivian came to her senses at the voice of the emperor calling her. In the meantime however, she was concerned about the man beyond the Emperor’s shoulder. No matter what the magnet’s N pole did, it couldn’t escape the S pole. His presence raised her nerves as if Vivian’s blood was seething.

“Come see me tomorrow. All by yourself, of course.”

The emperor neatly instructed her then turned around. Vivian looked puzzled at the unexpected order.

Then, she made eye contact with the man who was looking at her. The man had never turned his eyes away and was looking at her with clear eyes. Vivian’s shoulders were flabbergasted by the deep eyes that seemed to be sucking her in.

“Sir Lector, you may stand up now.”

A servant, who was waiting on one side, came to her and raised her up. Just like when he appeared, he quickly relegated to one side. At the end of the ceremony, the banquet hall was lively again, as if nothing had happened.

Vivian tilted her glass of wine with a distraught face.

“Nice to meet you, young lady.”

Then, someone approached Vivian and started conversing with her. Vivian turned her head, taking the glass out of her mouth. It was a young man, who had shiny blonde hair.

“I’m Hewson, Baron of Audney.”

The young man introduced himself with a nice smile.

“Oh, yes… What are you doing here?”

Vivian was at a banquet for the first time, so she didn’t know Hewson’s intentions, who approached her with his tail bent. Hewson gulped as he looked at Vivian who was puzzled by him. Five years after his social debut, it was his first time to have seen such a beautiful young lady.

“I came because I thought you’d be lonely.”

Vivian looked back and forth at her wine glass. As Hewson said, everyone was now talking in pairs. Originally, Vivian was with Earl Lecter, but he was away for a while because of business.

“I appreciate your kindness, but I’m fine.”

Vivian thought Hewson was bored, so she smiled back. Despite all the splendor in front of him, Hewson became dizzy from the smile and swallowed his saliva.

It was the moment Vivian raised her head after refusing moderately.

“Lady Lecktor.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Is this your first time to attend a banquet?”

Vivian was stunned and almost dropped her wine glass. Without warning, a group of men came in. Young masters, who had been looking for opportunities to meet in the distance, moved their feet under the cover of Hewson’s approach.

Hewson frowned at the sudden increase in competition but could not make it obvious. Social circles were a  place where one’s character was determined by how well they hid their true feelings and how cultured one was.

Vivian stepped back in bewilderment. But, the young masters who were eyeing her greedily, didn’t miss a chance and narrowed the distance from her.

‘You have to be careful of men.’

Vivian now realized what Hamel’s warning meant. It was quite difficult. There was no way to deal with this situation in Vivian’s mind.

If this was the outside, she would have used her ability and taken herself away, but unfortunately, it was a blocked room everywhere. Of course, that didn’t mean she couldn’t use her powers indoors.

But maybe…….

‘The banquet’s gonna be a mess, right?’

The idea left Vivian no room for power. She didn’t want to ruin her first social debut prematurely, and moreover, the host and protagonist of the banquet was the emperor. The thought alone strongly disappeared.

The men surrounding her spilled their words without giving each other a break. Vivian was at a loss as to how to overcome this difficulty.

“Lady Lecktor.”

Then, a familiar yet unfamiliar voice pierced Vivian’s ears. Vivian’s pupils shook and her hands holding the glass hardened.

Vivian didn’t check with her eyes, but she could tell. The fact that he was behind her now, with a body so large that his size could not be compared to any other men.

“Your Majesty is looking for you.”

The added few words were lower than when he called my name. It was as if he wanted me to know that he was in a bad mood.

While Vivian gulped, the surrounding men took a step back with a ‘hik’. With the sound in the background, Vivian turned her body slowly.

He was so tall that the light was hidden for a moment by his statue covering the ceiling. His face, which was not visible due to the backlight, was revealed as soon as he blinked.

A detection with passion like a blazing fire.

Sand-colored eyes that calm down without any agitation, reminiscent of a swamp.

Dark facial features as if drawn after a famous painting.

A chin filled with strength as if he was offended.

“Ah…..”

It was him.

The man who was looking down at Vivian, who had a bewildered face, turned around. His back was so wide that her vision was completely obscured. Vivian scurried to find out that he meant to follow implicitly.

A lot of Young men had their appetite after her, but they couldn’t come forward because their opponent was so intimidating. Perhaps there was no one here who could handle the man’s eyes that would come at them.

With a height of over 190 cm, he stomped to take the lead. Vivian managed to follow in his footsteps, holding on to her long skirt.

As they passed through a door other than the one they used to enter, a green garden opened up next to the hallway. The lights installed at regular intervals created a plausible atmosphere. However, she could not afford to enjoy the atmosphere due to the situation.

For a while, only the sound of footsteps continued between the two.

Suddenly Vivian became curious. The emperor said he was looking for her, but the way the man was taking her was not a place where the emperor could be. There was not a single person on the road, let alone the emperor.

“I…..”

When Vivian carefully opened her mouth, the man who was swirling stopped. A faint light lit up the surrounding area clearly revealing his back.

“His Majesty is looking for me?”

‘But, where are we going?’

Vivian’s words did not continue to the end, but it wasn’t difficult to understand.

After a while, the man slowly looked back at Vivian. The face that was revealed was completely consistent with the one in her dreams. If she had to make a difference, then he was just sweating a lot in her dream.

The wind blew through the constant distance between Vivian and the man.

“……I think you were in trouble.”

The words that soon popped out were short as if they had completely forgotten politeness or courtesy. But that’s why it was even more intense. He was always talking down to Vivian in her dreams like that.

The atmosphere between the two, which was the first time to see each other in person, quickly became awkward.

Vivian wanted to make sure he was really in front of her, and not in her dreams, but there was no way.

It was too personal to ask, “Have you ever had sex with me in your dream?” and if I asked and he denied it, it would only end up embarrassing her.