Chapter 158: sunday afternoon tea XV

Chapter 158: Chapter 158: sunday afternoon tea XV

Damian was quiet for a moment.

Then...

"...What is it, then?"

Vivienne tilted her head.

"What is?"

He hesitated.

"The kind of future you wanted."

"...What was missing?"

"...What are you looking for?"

Vivienne blinked.

Then smiled.

"Oh."

She laughed softly.

"I suppose..."

"I’m looking for someone who’s hopelessly in love with me."

Damian remained silent.

"The kind who waits outside my classroom after lectures."

...

Waiting wasn’t so bad.

He supposed...

He could do that.

"And then he’d insist on carrying my books."

"Even after I tell him they’re not heavy."

...

Reasonable enough.

"He’d walk me back to my dormitory."

"...Even if it was completely out of his way."

...

Damian looked away.

...

That sounded...

Perfectly manageable.

His confidence quietly recovered.

Perhaps...

Her standards weren’t actually that high.

Then—

"And every now and then..."

"He’d suddenly appear with flowers."

Damian blinked.

Flowers?

...Just because?

Vivienne clasped her hands together.

"Not because it’s my birthday."

"Just because he happened to see them..."

"And thought I’d like them."

...

Damian’s brows slowly drew together.

Flowers...

For no occasion whatsoever?

That seemed...

Wildly inefficient.

Still, that wasn’t particularly difficult.

He could buy an entire flower shop if necessary.

Vivienne continued blissfully unaware.

"And if we passed a bakery..."

"He’d remember my favorite cake without me reminding him."

Damian paused.

...

He already knew she liked strawberry shortcake.

...

Wait.

He knew that?

...

No.

That wasn’t the point.

She continued.

"And if I casually mentioned wanting to visit somewhere..."

"He’d remember."

"Even months later."

"And take me there."

Damian stared.

Months?

He was expected to remember conversations from months ago?

Vivienne nodded happily.

"And..."

"I’d love handwritten letters."

His thoughts stopped.

...

Letters?

People still wrote those?

"Not messages."

"Actual letters."

"The kind you keep forever."

Damian felt an inexplicable headache forming.

"And of course..."

"He’d tell me he missed me."

Damian nearly choked.

Out loud?

People actually...

Said things like that?

Vivienne nodded to herself.

"I think that’s terribly romantic."

Then Vivienne smiled almost sheepishly.

"Oh."

"And if he proposed someday..."

Damian looked at her.

"I’d love something grand."

"...Not because I need everyone watching."

"But because..."

She smiled dreamily.

"I’d like him to be so proud of loving me..."

"That he’d want the whole world to know."

Damian’s expression froze.

Vivienne continued, completely sincere.

"Maybe fireworks."

"A beautiful garden."

"Everyone important to us there."

"And then..."

She clasped her hands together.

"He’d tell me..."

"’Vivienne Beaumont.’"

"’I’ve loved you for longer than I knew.’"

"’Will you marry me?’"

Silence.

Damian simply stood there.

Very still.

...

Fireworks?

Before an audience?

Confessing his love...

In public?

His soul quietly considered leaving his body.

He imagined himself standing in front of hundreds of people.

Speaking those words aloud.

...

Impossible.

He would rather face an entire Parliament determined to remove the Blackwood family from office.

A quiet sigh escaped him.

Perhaps...

He had underestimated Lady Beaumont’s standards.

A little.

No.

Quite a lot.

He had been confident only moments ago.

Now...

He wasn’t entirely certain he possessed the qualifications for the position.

He imagined himself standing outside a lecture hall.

Acceptable.

Carrying books.

Reasonable.

Walking her back to her dorm.

Manageable.

Buying flowers for absolutely no reason.

...

Questionable

Possibly managable.

Hiding handwritten letters inside textbooks.

...

Absolutely not.

Confessing he missed someone.

...

Mortifying

And the proposal...

...

His imagination politely refused to continue.

He had overestimated himself.

Just a little.

No...

Quite a lot.

His pride as the son of a marquess...

Could only endure so much.

Perhaps...

He had been...

Slightly overconfident.

Vivienne looked at him curiously.

"...Damian?"

He immediately straightened.

"...Nothing."

She smiled.

"Good."

"Because I wanted to ask you something."

Damian nodded.

"Of course."

"Since you and Senior Archibald are both fourth-year Political Governance students..."

"Could you tell me a little more about him?"

...

Damian’s soul, which had only just returned...

Quietly packed its bags and left again.

--

For several long seconds...

He simply stared at her.

Vivienne tilted her head.

"...Damian?"

He blinked.

"...What?"

She smiled.

"I said..."

"Can you tell me more about him?"

He stared another moment.

Then, almost before he realized it, the words escaped.

"...I highly doubt he’d do all those things."

Vivienne blinked.

"...Hm?"

"The flowers."

"The letters."

"The..."

He hesitated.

"...Fireworks."

For a heartbeat...

She simply stared at him.

Then she burst into laughter.

"Oh, Damian."

She covered her mouth, trying to stop herself from laughing.

"I never said he had to."

He frowned.

"...You didn’t?"

She shook her head, still smiling.

"No."

"I only said..."

"I think it would be really nice."

A small smile lingered on her lips.

"I’ve always liked those grand romantic stories."

"The ridiculous confessions."

"The dramatic gestures."

"The kind that make everyone else think..."

"’How embarrassing.’"

"I think they’re wonderful."

She placed her hands behind her back.

"Of course..."

"I know real life doesn’t always work that way."

"So if the person I end up with isn’t quite that romantic..."

She smiled.

"I can compromise."

A playful glimmer entered her eyes.

"...Although I’d still appreciate the flowers."

Damian looked at her.

...

Of course she would.

Vivienne laughed again.

"In any case..."

"That’s not really what I was asking."

He blinked.

"...No?"

"I meant..."

She smiled.

"Can you tell me more about him?"

"His personality."

"His attitude."

"Any rumors?"

She counted on her fingers.

"Does he have a terrible temper?"

"A secret girlfriend?"

"An ex-girlfriend?"

She looked back at Damian.

"Or perhaps..."

"...About him and me?"

Damian was quiet for a moment.

His thoughts gradually settled.

Christopher Archibald.

He had never imagined...

That one day he would be introducing another man to the woman he liked.

"...His personality?"

Vivienne nodded.

"Mhm."

"What kind of person is he?"

Damian thought for a few moments.

"He’s capable."

"The Student Council wouldn’t function nearly as smoothly without him."

"He’s easy to talk to."

"He gets along with almost everyone."

"Professors."

"Students."

"First-years."

"People just seem comfortable around him."

Vivienne smiled.

"I noticed."

"He makes talking feel easy."

...

Damian rather wished she hadn’t noticed so quickly.

"What about rumors?"

She tilted her head.

"Anything I should know?"

"Terrible temper?"

"Arrogant?"

"Secret fiancée?"

Damian shook his head.

"As far as I know..."

"His reputation is remarkably clean."

"I’ve never heard any serious rumors about him."

Vivienne looked genuinely impressed.

"That’s rare."

"It is."

She nodded thoughtfully.

"What about girls?"

Damian sighed almost imperceptibly.

"...What about them?"

She smiled.

"Has half the university confessed to him already?"

"...Probably."

"I’ve never counted."

Vivienne laughed.

"I thought as much."

"He is rather handsome."

Damian immediately replied,

"...I’ve seen better."

Vivienne slowly turned to look at him.

"...Oh?"

"Where?"

Damian answered with a perfectly straight face.

"...Whenever I look in a mirror."

Silence.

Vivienne stared at him.

Then...

She burst into laughter.

A genuine, delighted laugh that echoed softly through the corridor.

"Oh, Damian."

She lightly slapped his arm.

"I walked right into that one."

Damian’s lips curved ever so slightly.

"I believe you did."

Vivienne was still smiling.

"I didn’t know you could be this shameless."

"I wouldn’t call it shameless."

"No?"

"No."

"It happens to be true."

She laughed again.

"I think your confidence just increased by several hundred percent."

"It hasn’t."

"It simply appeared at a strategically appropriate moment."

Vivienne shook her head, unable to stop smiling.

"I stand corrected."

Vivienne looked back at him.

"Still..."

She smiled.

"Jokes aside."

"What do you honestly think?"

"About him and me?"