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I couldn't think of a way through this, I couldn't think of a way in, I couldn't think of a way out, and I couldn't think what would happen if I rushed down that path.
Something terrible happened in the academy and I am sure the truth about the matter is deeper than what I can deal with by my current abilities.
Before I got on the carriage with Edith and headed home, I stopped to see Professor Amos who seemed like he had been through the worst day of his life. He expressed his regret and told me that until the truth is revealed, he is no longer qualified to be a teacher.
That was a sad ending I don't think I want to go through ever again.
"I can't help but feel something was done wrong in this investigation, senior."
"Just one thing?"
"You are right. The whole matter from the start was ugly."
"Such as life… sometimes at least. It can all get real ugly real quickly."
"So you still think Reginald was innocent."
"I knew him for an hour, what do I know?"
"I will trust your instincts then. You are a good person, senior. Your judgment should be on point."
"For a Black, you are really trusting, Edith."
"What I am sure about is that I have a good sense for people. Despite my initial prejudice against you, our first encounter changed my perspective. Seeing the unfairness you endured and witnessing your admirable approach to challenges left me with a newfound admiration."
"Thank you, Edith. Alas, I am not the good person you think I am. I have done things I am not proud of."
"Aren't we all, senior? I am an Inquisitor at the end of the day."
"An inquisitor?"
"It's… a rank in my house. Those who inquire about people's loyalty and look for spies among nobles, an inquisitor. It's the main role of my family after all."
"Inquisition, huh? And all that time I thought your family worked at espionage."
"Counter espionage, actually. We catch spies and assassins, not train them. The Committee of Secret Correspondence is our Empire's spy organization that operates directly under His Majesty, the King."
"Nineteen years a noble and it is my first time knowing this."
"It's actually uncommon to know that. The scarier we appear, the better it is for our reputation to make rowdy aristocrats get in line. That's how the Black Family Inquisitors work."
"Black Family Inquisitors, huh? Don't tell me you call yourself the BFI by any chance?"
"No."
"Well, consider switching the name to the Family Black Inquisition and see how people will fear you by then."
"I feel like I am understanding you less and less."
"Heh! At least that lightened my mood… and it seemed that we arrived. Thanks for the ride, Edith."
"You're welcome, senior." Edith said as I descended from the carriage.
"Hey. Cut it out with the senior this and senior that already."
"How can I?"
"Just call me Vivian."
Edith couldn't keep a straight face and smiled.
"Alright, Vivian."
"See you later, Edith."
Talking to someone like Edith fills me with great energy even after what happened on that terrible night.
For now, I don't want to think about it.
As I stepped off the carriage, I could see that Logan was waiting for me as he got off his horse first, and with the remainder of my security detail, they escorted me to the doorstep of the house.
"You doing alright now, Logan?"
"You're worrying about me, Princess? You're the one who has been through another murder house without security again."
"What do you mean without security? I got Romeo and Juliet by my side." I said while making two finger guns.
"Hah! I bet you had fun waving them around."
My smile widened, and Logan shook his head wryly as he opened the door for me.
"Welcome home, Princess."
As I stepped in, I could see a score of footmen and maids standing left and right as if it was some sort of ceremony and waiting for… well, me.
"Congratulations, Lady Vivian, for your graduation."
Amidst the oppressive atmosphere in the entrance hall, I was unexpectedly met with a burst of applause and congratulations for my efforts. A smile involuntarily spread across my face, despite the lingering gloom of the day. However, I was aware that half of the servants present held no genuine regard for me.
I assume Father wanted me to feel congratulated in the house.
"Thank you, everyone. You're all too kind." I accepted the flowers given to me by the youngest maids, I handed the flowers to Esmeralda and then turned to Old Theo, "I would like to speak to my father."
"The Lord wants to see you too. Please, head to the study." Old Theo pointed me to head further into the mansion.
After a minute of walking to the study, I could see many items lying around the place, most of which were exquisite new curtains and fancy carpets. The silverware and the candlesticks also seemed to be getting replaced as well and the whole place was getting all new decorations.
As I entered the study, I faced my father who stood up to see me.
"Congratulations, Vivian. I didn't want to take you away from your friends during the party but your performance was nothing short of amazing."
"Thanks, Daddy."
"Ah… ehem!"
Father walked up to me and offered me to sit down at the chair facing his desk. I followed what he wanted and he stood behind me with hands over my shoulders.
"Though I am a bit concerned. Are you feeling alright?"
"I am alright, Father. Thank you." I tilted my head, touching his right hand over my shoulder with my face.
"I know it has been a stressful day in the Academy but what made me concerned was the song you performed."
"Wasn't it to your liking?"
"It was to my liking, of course. But you called your mother while singing, multiple times… you said you… wished you hadn't been born and…"
"Father!" I turned to face him and held both his hands with mine, "That's not how I truly feel. It is just a song I heard before."
"A song you heard? It is not how you truly felt?"
"Well I can't take credit for such a song but it was the closest thing to what I felt. Still, I am grateful I was born as your daughter. Many people in the world can't be as lucky as I."
"That's… reassuring."
Somehow, that father of mine was showing more emotions than usual. Just what was life like for him if he had such a warm side hidden under a mountain of cold?
Vivian from before was like most teenage girls with her head up in her —and excuse me for saying— ass. She had her own dreams about a life in the palace and so she stayed distant from her father to an extent, dreaming all day of her future life and the accomplishments she should make as queen.
Of course things didn't turn out that way but from the perspective of Nadia, who was older than Vivian and had a different way of looking at life, Vivian missed out on a lot.
The first person the new Vivian won in this world was her father. Nadia had many regrets, one of which is her family whom she remembers so little about. If she was given a second chance, she would do all she could to hold them close and never let them go. This was reflected in the current Vivian's behavior and how she started by gathering people around her.
Count Julian Moore took a seat from the side and sat closer to Vivian rather than sitting farther from her behind his desk.
"Sir Theodore Nightingale has shown a great interest in you. By any chance, are you considering music as your future career?"
"While it is a tempting endeavor, I am aiming for something more impactful."
"I see. What field are you interested in?"
"Technological R&D… Research and Development, I mean."
Father looked at me and scratched the area between his brows to hide his frown.
"That's a very advanced field. You'd be stepping directly in the battle between the big pockets." He said.
"I am not particularly afraid and even though I am going to do my own thing, I would like to negotiate something with you."
"Oh… alright."
"In exchange for your future support, I would like to offer all the achievements I bring to the Moore Conglomerate."
"But we have our own development branch. They are some of the best engineers and technicians on Albion."
"I don't doubt it one bit. However, I have taken a look at their achievements in the past few years and I understand that the focus of their efforts is on the ongoing projects in our factories. They don't branch off to other fields at all."
"I see. This is indeed our approach. So, what are you offering?"
"ViTech, which is the name I am going for, will boldly pioneer through the new and the unknown, and the spoils of our effort will be sold directly to the Moore Conglomerate. We will focus on new fields and try to come up with new things to manufacture. Rather than relying on individual inventors, we will sponsor a bulk of young and eager technicians and consolidate their efforts in a big array of chain projects."
"ViTech, huh? Your words are promising but as an individual yourself, you have no history of leading companies let alone developing any ongoing projects. How can I trust your words and offer you support?"
"You are right. That is why I am going to use this month I was promised before to start gathering enough talents and prove myself. Of course, I was promised a million pounds as well as professional advisors from the Conglomerate. So with all that, I intend to prove myself in a month."
"I understand. But still, let's talk about the possibility of you failing to deliver."
"I am all ears."
"While your social status has improved significantly, you are still 19 with no marriage prospects. As you have to marry sooner or later, I won't rush you if you were to succeed in your venture but if the opposite happens…"
"I understand. I find it completely logical to find me a groom since this is the way of the world. Alas, we will have to look for a groom outside Elgard to avoid complications."
While it seemed that my father was the one bringing up the bitter subject, I deliberately beat him to it. If I were to have a good marriage by today's standards, staying in Elgard is out of the question. Nobody would want to go against the Crown Prince who has made clear attempts to sabotage.
Father seemed a bit sad when I mentioned leaving Elgard but hey, you're the one who used the marriage card first.
"Very well. That was a… refreshing conversation. Remember that a month from now we will host a party here in the mansion where I managed to invite Sir Morris de Brosa himself as well as Sir Theodore Nightingale. I will review the results of your accomplishments by then."
"Thank you for the opportunity, Father."
"You can begin tomorrow. Visit the main headquarters and select the individuals you see fit for your endeavors."
"I will."
"You may leave now."
Father stood up and walked behind his desk while I stood up and walked out of the study.
Planning, planning, planning.
I merely revealed to him the things I am going to do, not how I will do them. Of course I have more than one thing I plan on doing and starting from tomorrow but I have already begun moving from tonight.
***
As Vivian headed to her chambers, she found Logan standing at her door with a boy by his side and Esmeralda talking to them.
"Princess." "My Lady." "Y-Your grace!"
While the knight and the maid greeted her casually, the boy bowed his head deeply while holding his cap in his hands tightly. This nervous wreck brown-haired tall commoner boy with an innocent baby face was Oliver, the new apprentice of the gardener.
"That's the one you found?" Vivian asked Logan.
"Yes, Princess. He's just a young gardener." Logan replied.
"Is that so? Thank you then, young gardener, for keeping our gardens this lovely and beautiful. I do enjoy spending my afternoon between these beautiful hedges and flowerbeds."
As Vivian said so, the boy looked her right in the eye and his face blushed greatly. He stuttered and couldn't keep one thought after the other in his head.
"It's… an immense honor… your grace."
Vivian was not just a common beauty, she was someone who could captivate many souls.
In olden times, powerful aristocratic men would take many wives from the prettiest women of their subjects. This resulted in many generations of nobility getting blessed with good genes. Even after the traditions of aristocrats became more sophisticated and the marriages rarely involved commoners, young people were always drawn to youth and beauty and so the genetics kept on improving.
Vivian was the result of such refined genetics. Her father was head over heels for her mother if the tales were true and based on what was known, he was quite the ladies' man back in his day. Aside from Vivian's mother, there was Professor Sophie Dubois, who —to this day— still holds lingering emotions for him, and Saskia Moore, formerly known as Saskia Ivanovich, whom he married to fulfill his father's promise. As well as many other surprising names on the list of his admirers.
All in all, it may have not been the first time that the gardener boy would see Vivian, but being this close to her and having her speak kindly to him, the boy's heart was pounding a symphony dedicated only to Vivian.
"Address Lady Vivian with "My Lady". Only Lord Julian is the one to address with "Your Grace" or "The Right Honorable Count Moore" if it is an official meeting. Understood?" Logan said.
"Understood, Sir." Oliver responded in complete respect.
"Alright. Let's continue this conversation inside."
Vivian walked ahead and Esmeralda opened the door for her. Inside her chambers, which was enough to encompass two houses from the one Oliver grew up in, Vivian sat on an armchair and the others stood in front of her.
"Well, this was a stressful day." She said as she retrieved a piece of paper from the small table beside her chair.
"Despite that, I heard you have amazed the entire audience, my Lady. Congratulations on your results and your performance." Esmeralda spoke.
"Thank you very much, Esmeralda. You have been a lot of help too. I wouldn't have survived without you."
"All I did was pour tea, my Lady."
"These gears in my mind function on tea, my dear, it is an established fact by now. Anyway…"
Vivian turned to Oliver.
"I suppose that Knight Logan has told you what I require of you." She said.
"Yes, my Lady… but I am not sure how… I can be of help." Oliver replied.
"Don't worry about that. How good are you at keeping secrets?" Vivian asked.
"I… haven't really experienced being entrusted with secrets… really."
"Good. I don't want you to keep secrets. All I want you to do is try not to know them."
"I can do that, my Lady."
"Splendid. Esmeralda, put this letter in an envelope and seal it. Oliver, I want you to take that letter to a certain Jane Smith-Waters in an address I shall provide. Meet up with Miss Jane and give her the letter then do what she tells you. All you need to do is go to the places I tell you, deliver my letters, get a written response, and try not to get involved. I am saying this for your sake, not mine." Vivian said.
"I understand. I'll deliver whatever you wish, my lady."
"And the pay you receive as a gardener, you will receive its double while doing me errands. But there is one crucial thing I want you to keep in mind…"
"…"
"Never let anyone know that you work for me."
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Please show some Love ❤️, Comment 💬, and Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
You can also read the early chapters on P🅰️treon & Join Discord! 🔗 https://linktr.ee/donovel