Chapter 137: Small conversation

Chapter 137: Chapter 137: Small conversation

The Ashford Foundation had grown noticeably quieter by the time Anthony stepped into the lobby.

Most of the students had already returned from their assigned townships and dispersed for the evening. A pair of volunteers carried several boxes of documents toward the records office while a few Foundation staff exchanged quiet conversations near the reception desk. Beyond the tall windows, the streets of Saint Albion were still alive with activity. Shops remained open, students wandered leisurely between cafés, and the golden light of the late afternoon cast long shadows across the stone-paved streets.

Anthony spotted Vivienne almost immediately.

She stood near one of the windows with her satchel resting against her side. Rather than looking inside the building, her attention seemed fixed on the town beyond the glass.

For a brief moment, he simply watched her.

Perhaps sensing his presence, Vivienne turned.

Their eyes met.

She offered him a small, polite smile.

"Anthony."

He inclined his head.

"Lady Beaumont."

Neither of them moved immediately.

Anthony glanced around the lobby before looking back at her.

"I hope I didn’t keep you waiting."

"You didn’t," Vivienne replied. "I only sent the message after we returned from East Junction."

"I see."

Another brief silence settled between them.

There was nothing awkward about it.

Only... restrained.

Anthony looked toward the entrance.

"It might be better if we walked."

Vivienne followed his gaze. The Foundation was never truly empty, and the lobby was hardly the place for a conversation that deserved privacy.

She nodded once.

"I think so too."

Together, they stepped outside.

The warm afternoon breeze greeted them as they left the Foundation behind.

Saint Albion possessed a rhythm unlike most towns. It had grown around the university over generations, and the influence of the institution could be seen almost everywhere. Bookshops stood beside family bakeries, cafés overflowed with students discussing lectures, and professors could occasionally be seen strolling through the streets with stacks of books tucked beneath one arm.

Neither hurried.

They simply walked side by side along the broad stone pavement.

For the first minute, neither spoke.

Both of them understood why they had arranged to meet.

Neither seemed eager to be the first to steer the conversation toward it.

Anthony broke the silence.

"How is the Community Resource Partnership progressing?"

Vivienne glanced toward him, almost surprised by the question.

"It has progressed rather well."

"I think we’ve finally found the community the proposal was written for."

"East Junction?"

She nodded.

"Our first visit helped us understand how the township functions."

"This week’s visit was different."

"We wanted to determine whether the community actually possesses a sustainable surplus."

Anthony listened quietly.

"And?"

"I believe it does."

She looked ahead as they continued walking.

"The proposal only works if a community consistently produces more than it consumes."

"If the surplus only exists because local residents cannot afford the goods..."

She shook her head.

"...then there isn’t truly a surplus at all."

"We’d simply be moving scarcity from one place to another."

Anthony nodded thoughtfully.

"So the community itself must first have enough."

"Exactly."

Her voice remained calm, almost analytical.

"Today’s observations focused less on the people and more on the local economy."

"The businesses maintained steady customer traffic throughout the afternoon."

"Several establishments already distribute their products outside East Junction."

"The township isn’t merely supporting itself."

"It contributes to the surrounding region."

Anthony found himself considering her conclusion.

"So your proposal may actually work."

"I think so."

"There are still details that need refinement."

"Transportation."

"Storage."

"Coordinating participating businesses."

"But the underlying conditions are there."

Anthony nodded slowly.

"That’s encouraging."

"I thought you’d say that."

A faint smile touched Vivienne’s lips before fading almost as quickly as it had appeared.

The conversation continued naturally after that.

Anthony asked about transportation routes.

Whether seasonal production might affect donations.

How businesses could participate without creating unnecessary costs for themselves.

Vivienne answered each question thoughtfully, explaining not only the conclusions she had reached but also the reasoning that had led her there.

"The partnership has to remain beneficial for everyone involved," she said. "Otherwise it won’t survive beyond its initial enthusiasm."

Anthony found himself agreeing.

"Most charitable projects fail because they rely entirely on goodwill."

She nodded.

"Exactly."

"Good intentions are important."

"But systems endure."

Anthony glanced toward her.

He had expected her proposal to be idealistic.

Instead...

Every answer she gave seemed remarkably practical.

There was very little sentiment in the way she explained it.

Only careful observation.

Logical conclusions.

Measured optimism.

He had always known Lady Beaumont was intelligent.

She had earned her place at Saint Albion without relying upon her family’s name.

Still...

Listening to her explain something she had built herself felt unexpectedly different.

He found himself asking another question.

Then another.

Not because he wished to prolong the conversation.

Perhaps...

Because discussing the Foundation was easier than speaking about the reason they had come.

Vivienne noticed it too.

She answered each question patiently, her attention remaining on the proposal rather than on the man walking beside her.

It was strangely easier this way.

Perhaps because she was no longer searching his expression for something that had never been there.

They were simply discussing work.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

Oddly enough...

It made speaking with Anthony far easier than she had expected.

For a while, neither of them mentioned anything beyond the Foundation.

They crossed another intersection before the streets gradually became quieter.

The cafés gave way to rows of old maple trees, their branches swaying gently in the afternoon breeze. Ahead, a small public garden stretched between two quiet streets, its winding paths bordered by flowering shrubs and neatly maintained hedges. A stone fountain stood at its center, its gentle sound carrying faintly through the still air.

Anthony slowed his pace.

"This should be quiet enough."

Vivienne followed his gaze.

Only a handful of people occupied the garden. An elderly couple sat together beneath one of the trees while a mother watched her young son chase pigeons near the fountain.

She nodded.

"Yes."

Together, they stepped onto the garden path.

The conversation about the Foundation slowly faded away.

Not because they had exhausted the subject.

But because both of them had quietly remembered why they had come.

Anthony’s gaze drifted toward Vivienne.

The breeze lifted a few loose strands of her golden hair before she tucked them absentmindedly behind one ear.

He had noticed after the Founders’ Ball that Lady Beaumont had become a remarkably beautiful young woman.

The thought returned now.

Quieter this time.

Less unexpected.

Almost familiar.

He looked away before it had the chance to linger.

For reasons he couldn’t quite explain...

That only made the silence between them feel heavier.