Chapter 273: Proposal Ceremony

Chapter 273: Chapter 273: Proposal Ceremony

Julian had a manor abroad?

Vivian had absolutely no idea about this!

At least, Julian hadn’t mentioned it to her before they came to Provencia.

Thinking about it, Vivian mumbled, "Is it the kind of manor that looks like a castle? Julian, why didn’t you tell me earlier?

"If you had told me earlier, why would we even stay in a hotel? Couldn’t we have just stayed in the manor?"

Vivian had watched her fair share of foreign horror movies and played foreign horror games, and the backgrounds of those stories were always set in manors!

Rumor had it that centuries-old manors like those were very prone to being haunted!

Vivian really liked those things, so naturally, she was very interested in the manor. It was definitely not because she liked the idea of farming in the manor’s private fields or anything like that!

Seeing Vivian’s aggrieved expression, Julian said, "It’s my fault. I should have told you earlier.

"It’s just that the manor is primarily used for production, so if you’re looking for a place to stay... it’s not the most suitable. But if you want to, I’ll figure out a way to arrange it."

Vivian didn’t know much about foreign manors anyway.

Now that Julian mentioned it, it sounded more like a domestic workshop or factory. She said, "It’s fine. If it’s not that convenient, let’s just stick with the hotel!"

The couple chatted for a while before Vance Wyatt drove an MPV over, picking up their entire group and taking them to the manor.

The manor was quite a distance from the town of Provencia. Not long after they drove out, the number of people on the streets dwindled significantly, leaving only a scattering of low-rise houses.

Vivian still really liked this kind of foreign atmosphere.

Everyone had their own little courtyard, a small garden at home, and they could even grow some vegetables.

Ahem, she was getting sidetracked again.

Vivian hastily pulled back her wandering thoughts. Looking at the lush green grass outside, and the small hills further in the distance, she couldn’t help but feel envious.

Aethelburg was actually quite nice too.

Life was very convenient, and the medical facilities were highly advanced. It was just that if you wanted to climb a mountain on a regular day, you could only go to Briarmont. Going any further out would be a bit far.

As she was thinking, the MPV gradually slowed down. They had arrived at Julian’s manor.

Upon entering the manor, Vivian was shocked by the scene before her!

It was mid-June, and the grapes were gradually reaching maturity. Vivian saw quite a few workers standing by the trellises, holding buckets and picking grapes.

As for the manor, although it didn’t stand tall like a castle, it was still much larger compared to the Faulkner family villa.

"This is your manor? It’s so big!"

Vivian marveled, suddenly beginning to entertain the thought that living abroad might actually be quite nice!

Hmm, aside from growing grapes, what else would be good to plant?

Vivian didn’t have any ideas for the time being. She watched as the MPV came to a stop beside the manor; they could head inside to rest first.

"Let’s get out of the car first. I’m going over to chat with the person in charge, and I’ll be back in a bit. For lunch, do you guys want to eat at the manor, or go back to town?" Julian asked.

"We can have a barbecue here at the manor, or we can have French food if we go back to town."

"Let’s eat at the manor."

Vivian didn’t want to move around anymore.

She didn’t know if her eyes were playing tricks on her earlier, but she had the distinct feeling that on the way here, behind a patch of grapevines, she had seen flowers!

Because they were a bit far away and there were some obstructions, Vivian hadn’t gotten a clear look. She wanted to stay here so she could at least go out for a stroll later.

"Alright, then just tell Vance what you want to eat, and let him arrange it."

Having agreed with Julian, Vivian headed back into the manor.

Inside the manor, although it was said to be for winemaking, most of the place actually looked quite similar to a residential home. The wine needed to be stored in the cellar.

It couldn’t be exposed to the sun, nor could it be kept at too high a temperature!

Just like Julian himself—his wine collection was all kept in specialized storage cabinets that maintained a constant temperature and humidity, which was the only way to maximally preserve the wine’s original aroma.

A large portion of the rooms here were used as storage, while others served as dormitories. Vivian and the rest settled under a section of awnings at the back of the manor.

This place was like a sunshade, complete with a swing set and a barbecue grill. It was evident that the people who worked here had quite enriching everyday lives.

With Julian gone, Mr. Drake and Grandma Faulkner kept a close watch on Vivian. When Vivian wanted to play on the swing, the two elders hesitated, fraught with worry. They considered it for a long time before finally agreeing.

"Eleanor, go play with Vivian! Vance, come over here and guard Vivian from the front!"

Grandma Faulkner was very uneasy.

After she spoke, Mr. Drake chimed in, "Yes, Vivian, I’ll help push the swing for you both. If you feel dizzy, get off immediately. Don’t force yourself, understand?"

Both elders were terrified that Vivian might fall!

Vivian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but since she was allowed to play at all, she agreed.

With the blue sky and white clouds above, and a gentle breeze brushing her face, Vivian seemed to be able to smell the fragrance of grapes. There seemed to be another scent mixed in, but Vivian wasn’t quite sure what it was.

She felt like her sense of smell was acting a bit strange today. Mainly, ever since she arrived at this manor, she felt like she could constantly smell the fragrance of roses!

This was strange. This was a wine manor, not a rose manor!

Soon, it was noon.

Vance specifically ordered French cuisine from a nearby restaurant and had it delivered to the manor. They could sit at the wooden table, bask in the gentle June sunshine of Vespera, enjoy the mild breeze, and eat together!

"Provencal ratatouille, bouillabaisse, foie gras, beef tartare..."

Vance recited the names of the dishes from the side, placing the food on the table one by one as he spoke.

French cuisine, especially haute cuisine, placed a heavy emphasis on plating.

Looking at the exquisite dishes on the plates, Vivian felt her appetite greatly improve!

After the array of French dishes was served, Vance also brought out a specially prepared Iberian Ham for Vivian.

"President Faulkner purchased an entire leg of ham this time. He said that since you like it, Madam, you should eat more. It doesn’t matter if you finish the whole thing; in fact, President Faulkner would be even happier!"

Vivian fell silent for a moment. Looking at the entire leg of ham being served, she couldn’t help but be startled.

She had looked up the information last night.

It was said that authentic Iberian oak-fed ham was incredibly expensive. Just eating one thin slice would cost over a hundred Veridian dollars!

An entire leg?

She wondered if drawing a design right here and now would earn her enough to afford this ham.

She felt it was highly unlikely.

Of everyone present, Vivian figured that apart from the worldly and experienced Mr. Drake, who probably knew a thing or two about oak-fed ham, no one else had a clue.

Eleanor was one of them.

She only cared about delicious food. Seeing the ham Vance brought over, she exclaimed, "Wow, it looks really good! I’ve had Golden Ham and Ham before, but I’ve never tried this one. Is it good?"

Eleanor wished she could just bite right into it, but she was afraid the ham might be too salty! After all, most hams in Veridia were cured with salt, and if too much salt was rubbed on, they could easily become overly salty.

"It’s delicious, very delicious."

Vivian hurriedly asked Vance to carve some off. Then she asked, "By the way, you’re back, but where is Julian?"

Just as she finished speaking, Julian walked over from another direction. With a smile on his lips, he approached Vivian with brisk steps and said, "I’m done with work. I’m back to have lunch with you now."

"Mhm."

Vivian agreed softly. She considerately served Julian a piece of beef tartare, signaling him to hurry up and join them for lunch!

After lunch, the sun grew more intense.

Vivian was feeling a bit drowsy, so Julian took her back to her room to rest first. After returning to the specially prepared lounge, Vivian asked, "Isn’t it a bit of a waste to take a nap when we’re out on a trip?

"Are we going back to Pariden tomorrow? Thank goodness Fashion Week will keep us here for a few days, otherwise, we wouldn’t have any time to play on this perfectly good vacation!"

Vivian felt it was a real pity!

Hearing this, Julian said softly, "It’s alright. There isn’t actually that much to do during these few days of Fashion Week. Although we have to stay in Pariden the whole time, there are still plenty of places nearby we can visit.

"You can go wherever you want, as long as you pay attention to safety. Alright, hurry up and take your nap. There’s no such thing as a waste; your health is the most important thing, isn’t it?"

Vivian was noncommittal. Her stamina was already quite short since she got pregnant, and now she was so exhausted she felt like she could fall asleep the moment she closed her eyes!

Vivian slept very soundly during this nap.

In her dreams, she seemed to dream of Julian. He took her out to play, and they went shopping. There were many flowers on the street, and she wandered in a sea of flowers, feeling incredibly blissful.

Vivian woke up.

When she awoke, Julian was also by her side. However, he hadn’t taken a nap. Instead, he was sitting at a desk not far away, working on his computer. It seemed he was still busy with work.

"Julian."

Vivian called out to him. Julian immediately set aside what he was doing and turned around, asking, "You’re awake? You only slept for an hour. Do you want to sleep a little longer?"

Only an hour? Vivian couldn’t help but mutter to herself.

When she was at the company, her nap time was actually about an hour anyway. Now that it had been the same amount of time, it was actually quite enough.

"I’m not sleepy anymore. Didn’t you sleep?" Vivian asked, worried that Julian was working too hard.

Julian heard this and replied, "I slept for half an hour. After I woke up, I couldn’t fall back asleep, and remembering that I still had work to do, I decided to handle it for a while. Because this afternoon...

"I’ve arranged something for you."

Hmm? Arranged something for her?

Vivian was a bit surprised. Just as she was about to ask, Julian had already guessed her thoughts and said, "Don’t ask yet. You’ll find out in a bit."

He was actually keeping her in suspense!

Vivian pursed her lips but didn’t say anything. She knew Julian was always reliable, so naturally, she had nothing to worry about.

After her nap, Vivian got up. Julian led her out of the manor, seemingly intending to head outside.

Seeing that it was just the two of them, Vivian asked, "Are just the two of us going out? What about Grandma and Eleanor? And Mr. Drake!"

"They are already there."

After Julian spoke, he led Vivian through a patch of grapevines in the manor. Then, the view suddenly opened up before them, revealing a vast expanse of roses.

The roses weren’t just planted in the ground. There was a staircase ahead, and the steps were covered in roses as well—in all kinds of colors.

And indeed, just as Julian had said, Grandma Faulkner, Mr. Drake, Eleanor, Finn, and Vance were already there. They were standing in the rose field, waiting for Vivian and Julian.

Vivian almost thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.

The sea of roses before her was truly immense; there were almost more of them than the grapevines from earlier. Was it really appropriate for so many roses to exist inside a wine manor?

Thinking this, Vivian looked over at Julian.

Julian was exceptionally calm. He simply embraced Vivian and said, "Back then, you said you liked roses. When I publicly announced our relationship online, I prepared roses for you too.

"An entire office full of roses. I’m not sure if you still remember. Anyway... I felt that even those weren’t enough.

"You deserve the best things in this world. Vivian, you are the true love of my heart. Therefore, no matter what you like, I will definitely make it happen for you.

"I promised you back then that I would prepare a massive field of roses for you, and then, amidst this sea of roses, I would propose to you. This is the proposal ceremony I owe you.

"Although we are already married, this is an essential step, and I should give it to you."

After Julian finished speaking, he got down on one knee in front of Vivian and, like magic, pulled a box out of nowhere.

When he opened it, there was a diamond ring inside. He looked incredibly serious as he said, "Vivian, will you marry me?"

Vivian stood frozen in place, her nose slowly beginning to sting.

She had been beautiful since she was young, and there were always boys around who liked her. There was no shortage of romantic ones who would give her gifts and try to win her favor.

Vivian wasn’t someone completely devoid of feelings either.

It was just that before these feelings could even bud, most of the boys who liked Vivian were driven away by the interference of Robert Lowell and Sharon Galahad.

The Lowell Family did not allow Vivian to date other boys.

So much so that when Vivian met Eleanor in college, and listened to Eleanor describe the boy she liked as, ’My sweetheart is an unparalleled hero, and one day he will step on colorful auspicious clouds to come and marry me’... Vivian’s mind was completely blank, devoid of any such thoughts.

As for Mason Grant, Vivian couldn’t really say she liked him.

Perhaps it was because Mason wasn’t her destined one. She had treated Mason just like a friend. Even later, Mason’s actions proved that he wasn’t even worthy of being treated like a friend by Vivian!

But Julian was different.

They had only married because of Grandma Faulkner’s request. Initially, Vivian’s only thought was to reach a cooperative agreement with Julian to gradually break free from the Lowell family.

But in the end...

Was this destiny?

Destiny had led him to treat her so solemnly, and it had caused their love to gradually become deeply passionate and profound.

At the very least, he had put a great deal of thought and effort into preparing a rose field like this for her.

No wonder. Vivian suddenly understood. No wonder Julian had offered to bring Grandma Faulkner along to Gallia. It turned out he had already prepared everything in Provencia long ago.

Today, he was giving Vivian a grand ceremony!

A myriad of emotions surged within Vivian’s heart.

At that moment, Grandma Faulkner, Mr. Drake, and the others walked over.

Grandma Faulkner’s eyes were rimmed red. She brought out a pair of bracelets she had prepared long ago and slipped them onto Vivian’s wrists one by one, saying, "Vivian, these are for you.

"This pair of bracelets was a gift from Julian’s grandfather when he proposed to me. They’re treasures from the Qing Dynasty. Back then, I gave them to Julian’s mother.

"Now, I’m giving them to you. Actually, I’ve wanted to give them to you for a long time, but Julian told me he was preparing a day like this for you, so I saved them until now.

"Vivian, you are my granddaughter-in-law, my favorite granddaughter-in-law. I believe that if Julian’s mother could see this from heaven, she would be very happy too.

"Vivian, wear them well. Jade is a good thing; it’s good for your health."

Looking at the crystal-clear pair of bracelets, Vivian couldn’t help but feel her eyes well up with tears.

Grandma Faulkner had always been so good to her.

She had never had a grandmother of her own. But now, all the things Grandma Faulkner did for her made Vivian feel deeply that if she had a grandmother who loved her very much, it would probably be exactly like this.

"I will, Grandma."

Vivian choked up a little.

To the side, Mr. Drake also said, "Vivian, seeing you happy makes me very glad. I... there are some things I know I shouldn’t say, but I still want to say them.

"In my heart, you are just like my own granddaughter. Rest assured, this old man will definitely protect you from now on! If Julian ever dares to bully you, you tell me!

"I’ll grab my cane and help you beat him! Don’t you worry, with me backing you up from now on, your days in the Faulkner family will absolutely never be difficult!"

Mr. Drake was also choking back tears.

There were some words he actually hadn’t said out loud. What he was thinking in his heart was that if Julian treated her poorly, even getting a divorce would be fine!

In his heart, nothing was more important than Vivian’s own happiness. Who gave a damn about worldly conventions? Could they make a person’s life any better!?

If they couldn’t, then what was the point of caring about them!

However, Mr. Drake didn’t say it.

He thought to himself, Julian was probably still someone she could rely on, right?

If not, he would still have chances to tell Vivian these things eventually. Of course, the best-case scenario was that he’d never have a reason to say them.

Then there was Eleanor.

She hugged Vivian, embracing her gently, afraid of hurting Vivian’s baby. She whispered softly, "Vivian, I’m very envious of you, but I’m also very happy for you.

"You are my best friend, and I truly want you to be happy. Julian is a good man, at least he is right now. Just like Mr. Drake, I will always be your most solid backup."

Then there was Vance.

Vance even declared that Vivian was the one and only boss’s wife, the kind that would never change!

It was as if, for the current Vance, being loyal to the boss’s wife was even more important than being loyal to the boss himself!

Vivian felt incredibly happy.

She knew she had obtained what so many people dreamed of: pure, unadulterated love.