n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âYou. You need to get ready as well.â
âPardon?â
âDid you not hear me? You need to get ready as well.â
âBut, Iâ¦â
As she heard hesitation in Vivianâs tone, Alexiaâs expression immediately turned ferocious.
âShouldnât you be by my sideâso that when I bump into the Grand Duke, you can at least tell me what you usually talk about?â
It was precisely at the moment when Alexia began raising her hand to land a hit on Vivian, who had been making her feel all frustrated.
Vivian instinctively shut her eyes while her body flinched as usual, but then, that particular hand hadnât flown towards her. So, she pried her eyes openâever so carefully.
For some unknown reason, Alexia had suddenly ceased to assault Vivian. Instead, she was just boring a hole into herâwith such menacing eyes.
âYouâd better think carefully whether or not that head of yours will still be stuck on your body at the moment you said something against my orderâlike how you donât want to accompany me to that gathering.â
ââ¦Iâll prepare right away, My Lady.â
âAh, ah, thatâs right.â
As if she had suddenly remembered something, she turned back once again before rummaging through the drawer.
âItâd definitely be better to prepare thoroughly. What if someone recognizes that face of yours?â
She held out a vialâforcefully trying to make Vivian consume the content. The liquid that was in that quite flashy vial appeared to have an odd yet subtle color.
âItâs a medicine that covers your hair in magic for a few days. It has such an absurd price attached that you canât ever lay a single finger on it for the rest of your life. So, itâs better for you to use it with utmost care. Try changing that red color to something else that youâve never even imagined before.â
âUnderstood, My Lady.â
Only after listening to Vivianâs obedient answer did Alexiaâs unpleasant expression finally loosen. It was rather obvious to see that she didnât really find this matter to be severe at all.
âI like your prompt answer. Then, go and get ready now. I still get terribly irritated whenever I see your face.â
Vivian finally heaved a sigh as she had managed to escape from the clutches of Alexiaâs fierce hands.
Between the vial in her hand and attending as a maid for the Young Lady during the hunting competitionâshe was at a loss as to where she should start preparing herself for work.
âVivi, are you okay?â
Amanda quickly approached her as if she had been waiting for her return from the Young Ladyâs room. Seeing how anxious Amandaâs expression had gotten, she immediately felt like she wanted to make that one person happyâat least.
Vivian then put away the vial into her skirtâs pocket before holding onto Amandaâs hands.
âAmanda, you need to get ready as well.â
âHuh? What for?â
âIn preparation to accompany the Young Lady.â
âWhat? Sheâs also taking me along?â
âYeah. She said that she would allow us to go together.â
Amandaâs face was brimming with smiles at Vivianâs words.
âIâm so excited! When we reach there, most of the work must have already been done by those maids at that place, right?â
She had been expressing her desire to accompany the Young Lady since a few days ago. Just like her wish had come true, she grinned brightly before swinging along with Vivianâs arms.
âLetâs go and have a lot of fun over there!â
Despite Amandaâs enthusiasm, it was terribly hard for Vivian to even part her lips in response. She couldnât tell her something like, âletâs have funâârecklessly. Vivian immediately scrunched her face up at the frustration that was curbing her chest, but she soon expunged that feeling of hers.
Time flew by rather quickly.
The event was going to take place in less than a month after Alexia had received the letter. Thanks to that, she was under a lot of pressure during the preparation and therefore, making the house appear to be treading on thin ice for every single day.
When they had finally managed to finish preparing Alexiaâs dress and some other items, the event was just around the corner already. Alexia suddenly stopped in front of Vivian while she was still commanding the other servants to carry her luggage.