Chapter 10
“The Man’s Situation”
Mrs. Mayfield let out a short sigh as she tried to understand Vivian’s meaning.
“No, Miss. Mr. Lindemann won’t like it.”
Her heavily furrowed face looked extremely troubled.
“We can keep it a secret. Who would know at night? No one will find out. I promise.”
From experience, the mansion was surprisingly unguarded at night.
Night was the time when all the servants had finished their work. Even Mrs. Mayfield, who had spent all day following Vivian, stayed locked in her room at that hour.
No rumors had spread yet about the future Grand Duchess secretly visiting the kitchen at night, so none of the maids were sneaking into the kitchen either.
It was the perfect opportunity to feed Mrs. Mayfield.
Vivian said it confidently, but…
“You’re being unreasonable, Miss. If you cause any more trouble, I might really get fired.”
Mrs. Mayfield’s face was still tightly wrinkled.
Vivian gently reassured her.
“I’m not trying to trouble you, Mrs. Mayfield. I’m trying to help.”
Mrs. Mayfield hesitated but could not step out of Zygmunt’s shadow. She didn’t want to anger the real power in the house, which was understandable—but Vivian wished she would take just one small risk.
Finally, she shook her head firmly.
“It’s better not to. If you want me to do something for you, please say so now.”
“It’ll only take a moment. I’ll help so you don’t go hungry.”
“The mansion’s ingredients are strictly controlled by Mr. Lindemann. If I secretly take even one potato, I will be punished for dereliction of duty. I appreciate your thought, but that method isn’t right.”
Mrs. Mayfield rejected Vivian once more and quickly walked ahead.
Vivian ran after her and blocked her path again.
“We can eat without touching the mansion’s ingredients. You don’t really think I’ve been starving all this time, do you?”
“…Excuse me?”
“There’s always a way. So just listen to me.”
“I’m sorry, Miss. I can’t. The Grand Duke is waiting. You must go.”
Mrs. Mayfield turned sharply again.
Vivian recalled Zygmunt’s harsh expression when he had scolded her earlier.
‘How mean. What’s so wrong about me going to the kitchen?’
It was easy to imagine why Mrs. Mayfield was so frightened.
While they argued, they eventually reached Leon’s study, located at the back of the second floor.
“Grand Duke, Miss Vivian has arrived.”
Mrs. Mayfield lightly knocked on the door, and a short reply from Leon followed.
“Tell her to come in.”
The door opened to reveal walls full of books. Except for a large window, every space was covered with books.
Vivian looked around with her large, gentle eyes. Her small, curled-up figure seemed even tinier in the spacious study.
Leon sat at the desk by the window, staring at Vivian with an indifferent gaze.
He didn’t greet her or show any sign of welcome—he simply gestured to the chair in front of him.
Vivian pouted slightly at the gesture.
Leon watched her without reaction. His pale eyes seemed even lighter in the sunlight.
When Vivian met his gaze, she remembered what had happened in the dining room before—standing proudly and shouting at him.
It had been a terrifying moment.
While Leon drifted into his thoughts, Vivian was also lost in hers.
She recalled yelling at the Grand Duke and regretted it. She should have kept her head down, yet she had spoken recklessly.
Her emotions had caused her mistake.
“Sit there then.”
“I was going to anyway,” Vivian said, lowering her head as she pulled out a chair.
The plush armchair was very comfortable, but her mind felt like it was sitting on a hard stone floor.
It was the first time she had faced him directly since the dining room incident.
Leon quietly folded his hands under the desk. He still remembered her wild, yelling expression vividly.
He hadn’t really intended to throw away the food—he only wanted to scare her briefly, but the situation had escalated.
In the end, she had overpowered him, but Leon didn’t know how else to end it, so it was actually fortunate.
He hated her, but he had no intention of treating her harshly. He just wanted to ignore her.
The marriage had been commanded by the Emperor, his father.
Leon knew that maintaining the marriage properly was a way of showing loyalty to the Emperor.
But today, Zygmunt had reported that Vivian had been found in the kitchen.
At that moment, Leon seriously questioned whether he even had to go through with this marriage.
He had no choice in the matter anyway.
He was already tired of constantly scolding his future wife, who caused new troubles every day.
Was she protesting?
Vivian, who caused incidents almost every day, was completely incomprehensible to him.
“Zygmunt said… she entered the kitchen today.”
Zygmunt Lindemann—surprisingly talkative.
Vivian answered casually.
“I wanted to watch the cooking.”
“Does she realize how much trouble she is causing?”
She did. She knew.
Vivian turned her gaze, pretending not to hear him.
Her violet-tinged silver hair swayed slightly as she turned her head.
“I don’t know what the Duchy’s customs were. But here, you must follow the law. Remember what I say if you don’t want to be left in a forest full of monsters.”
His disgust-filled eyes made her lower her head automatically.
She had to go through this marriage.
‘Vivian’s fate is really pitiful.’
She wanted to run away, but she had nowhere to go.
Returning to the Marquis, who had plotted her death, was the same as committing suicide.
Staying here wouldn’t make everything okay either.
Finding someone who might poison her food was not easy. She could do nothing for now.
And if she were kicked out, leaving Leon and having no connection?
‘I’d be killed for sure.’
The Marquis of Kihis would find a way to have his daughter die in Imperial territory.
Even while avoiding death, Vivian wondered—what would happen if she escaped poisoning?
Would the Marquis accept reality, or would he find another way to finally take his daughter’s life?
The Marquis had two lines of power: the Empire and the Eastern Kingdom.
The Duchy of Kihis was a strategic middle country, closer to the Empire geographically.
The Empire and the Eastern Kingdom were technically allies, but in reality, they watched each other closely. Kihis’ position was strategically important.
The Marquis used this situation to play both sides.
The Empire, using geography, arranged this marriage to tie him down, and the Emperor chose Leon as the sacrificial pawn to control Kihis.
The Emperor and citizens didn’t know, but the marriage was also an opportunity for the Marquis.
If his daughter died mysteriously in the Empire, he would have a perfect excuse to ally with the Eastern Kingdom.
It was a marriage born from politics, not goodwill.
Vivian could expect nothing from Leon, but to be protected from the Marquis, she could not fall into his disfavor.
Thus, she had to solve the food issue first.
It was not easy.
“Please allow me. Let me cook as a light hobby.”
“Isn’t there already enough for a hobby? Do you have to act so vulgar?”
“Why is cooking vulgar? Eating is important.”
“Someone who knows that well can go days without eating? Looks like you’ve been well-fed in the Duchy so far.”
“I can prepare my own food.”
“In the Empire, follow Imperial law. In the mansion, follow mansion rules. I didn’t call you to hear whining, so stop it.”
“It’s not whining. It’s a request.”
“I refuse.”
With that, Leon tossed a document onto Vivian’s desk.
“It’s the guest list for the wedding. It lists which families, who they are, and their rank. Study it carefully.”
Vivian’s eyes scanned the list and stopped at one name.
‘…Lara Claudia.’
The heroine from the story she had possessed. Lara’s name was right there on the wedding guest list.
