Emberlain.
An involuntary shudder clutched Vivia's shoulders. Her fingers grazed the edges of her lavender pendant as she gazed out through the tall glass windows. The distant setting sun, surrounded by a flurry of golden clouds, brought an ache to her chest.
What must Zerath be doing right now?
"Clairette! How dare your attention wander when I am speaking?"
Rosrell's outburst dragged her roughly back to the present. Just as she had expected, aiding Audreya's escape and fueling chaos against Raffert had earned her the King's full ire.
Sneaking another glance at the fluffy golden clouds, she desired nothing more than to bury herself in Zerath's embrace. She wished he were looking at her with those beautiful golden eyes, glimmering with calm and tranquil. The warmth of his embrace against her skin, his soft voice reassuring her with a gentle echo to it and his all-too-cheeky smile that never failed to make her heart skip a beat.
"I'm listening," Vivia lied, worried whether Audreya safely escaped the Grisbane residence. Furious over Raffert's shamelessness. Stung by Walterce's betrayal.
Her thoughts then drifted gradually to Clairette's memories, searching the image of that man she often met in the Realm of Harmony - an effort that only brought upon immense pain and dizziness rather than relief and answers.
"Your audacity has only been growing ever since your return," Rosrell said through gritted teeth.
Vivia stood undeterred. "I understand my actions may have shocked everyone. But I don't regret any of it because I don't believe in Audreya's guilt."
The strike of Elvin's palm against his chair's armrest rumbled like a storm through the room.
"You don't believe in the guilt of the woman who tried to kill you? Are you being intentionally dense or just plain stupid!"
"Stupidity is to not question her claim that she saw a noblewoman handing gold to the assassin who killed Vivia Mariel. And not just any noblewoman - but me."
"Are you deaf as well? Her own master confessed that Audreya was a jealous woman and wanted Vivia out of her way. It's all just her own concocted story!"
"But she dragged me into it, and I had nothing to do with her friend's death. She could've easily framed some other woman in Stras. Why me, when it's completely pointless? Why the royal princess of all? To the point that she even came all the way to Orseth just to take her revenge. Brother might feel this is too stupid enough to not question - but not me."
Elvin's expression was indescribable.
"Neither do I believe Mr. Lowe. Leaving Stras around the same time as Vivia's death, him suddenly acquiring enough money to settle lavishly in Orseth and then marrying a fine noblewoman like Lady Claudia? This smells far more like fleeing a past rather than building a new future."
"I wonder why the Princess remains so fixated on this woman's death…" Priscilla's nails dug into her clenched palm.
The more she wanted Vivia's death buried and forgotten, the more Clairette unearthed it incessantly - so much so that her hatred towards Clairette only grew tenfold.
Vivia raised her brow, her eyes locked at Priscilla's. "What would you do, if you were the one accused of her death?"
Her earlier hatred now dissolved into full-blown panic and fear, almost as if the earth cracked open beneath her feet.
"W-What nonsense! Why'd I ever be accused of murder!"
Vivia blinked. "Strange. Even the mere possibility of an accusation makes Lady Priscilla panic this hard. So can you stand in my shoes now and imagine for a moment how I must be feeling, being the one who's actually accused?"
She froze, her countenance uncomfortably contorting like Elvin's mirror image.
Rosrell sharply intervened. "No matter what you think or feel, you crossed the limits the moment you helped a prisoner escape! Do you even imagine the word spreading that a princess aided a criminal? This is absolutely unacceptable!"
Regina tried to mediate. "I'll talk to Clairette-"
"There's no time for explanations, only punishment. I've had enough of Clairette's rebellion. It's a good time to get her married off. There've been talks already underway with Elder Valemont. He's happy to welcome Clairette as his son, Duke Aldric's, wife. I'll announce their engagement soon."
A flash of relief lit across Priscilla's eyes, rejoicing that her future married life would deter her from digging into Vivia's case.
Vivia's eyes squinted. "I don't accept this marriage. Or engagement. Or this proposal altogether."
The shaft of Rosrell's stick banged so hard against the floor that even thunder would flinch once from its menace. "Your consent isn't asked for!"
A steep silence followed, making Vivia clench her fists. As she faced Regina, a pang of guilt filled her chest. Never did she wish to see her suffer in all this mess.
I need to think of a way out of this damn engagement! You'll never win Rosrell Emberlain-
"What is it, Aeren?" Rosrell frowned.
Aeren rose promptly, gaze neutral and impassive as ever. "Clairette must complete her scholarship from the Covenant before any engagement is announced."
Ah...Scholarship.
Clairette's deep love for literature and history had led the Human Realm's central church - The Fourfold Covenant - to recommend her for scholarship at the church. She not only studied under the priest, assisting with archiving historical texts and scrolls, but was also training to become a tutor for noble and commoner girls, teaching etiquettes, poetry, literature and languages. Given her own personal library, Vivia believed her desire to venture into this field of study wasn't unfounded, after all.
Clairette was as passionate about history as Vivia was about dancing.
Aeren continued, his tone flat, yet his steely gaze was pressed upon Vivia. "It's unbecoming for Clairette to marry into the Duke's family without first earning the Covenant's certification. Her education must serve the Duke family's welfare - and, in turn, to ours. Otherwise she's useless."
—
Vivia collapsed onto her bed the first moment she could, her face still red with indignation.
First there was Rosrell, hell bent on getting her married off without her consent and then Aeren, who called her downright useless without the Covenant's approval.
Well…he did call me useless, but at the very least, the engagement got postponed. A sliver of hope to look at, she thought with a grimace.
That was the only reason she controlled her violent urges to strangle Aeren. Despite his attitude, his argument did manage to convince Rosrell.
Ah, I just want to sleep now…
Something poked at her from under the blanket. Vivia ruffled beneath the sheets and found a slip of a note. Puzzled, she unfolded it - the words etched upon it making her blood freeze as cold as ice.
'You're not Clairette Emberlain. You're someone else in the royal princess's body.'