Chapter 153: sunday afternoon tea X

Chapter 153: Chapter 153: sunday afternoon tea X

The bright chime of the brass bell echoed throughout the Student Union Hall.

Fifteen minutes...

Had somehow passed without anyone realizing it.

Almost immediately, chairs slid back.

Tea cups were set down.

"It’s been a pleasure."

"Likewise."

"I hope we’ll meet again."

Leon and Matthew exchanged polite farewells with the ladies before stepping away from the table.

Christopher inclined his head courteously.

"Ladies."

"Enjoy the rest of your afternoon."

"You as well, Senior Archibald," Mary replied warmly.

Rebecca offered a composed smile.

"Thank you."

One by one...

Everyone began dispersing.

Students who had spent the afternoon exchanging polite introductions now began approaching those they wished to know better.

Meanwhile...

Damian remained seated.

The conversation had ended.

Yet his thoughts had not.

The engagement... ended.

The words continued echoing inside his head.

He barely noticed the growing bustle around him.

Until...

A familiar figure stepped around the table.

Vivienne stopped in front of him.

She looked down at him for a moment.

Then...

A smile slowly spread across her face.

"Damian."

He looked up.

She bit back a laugh.

"You’ve been making that face ever since I mentioned Anthony."

Another quiet laugh escaped her.

"Did my engagement ending really surprise you that much?"

Damian blinked once.

Then again.

"...Are you serious?"

Vivienne tilted her head.

"Hm?"

He looked at her almost searchingly.

"...Why?"

For the briefest moment...

Vivienne simply stared.

Then realization dawned.

Oh...

So that’s why he’s been making that face.

The corners of her lips curled upward.

A mischievous sparkle appeared in her eyes.

She clasped both hands behind her back before leaning forward ever so slightly.

"You really want to know?"

Damian nodded almost instinctively.

Vivienne let out an exaggerated sigh.

"...It’s because of you."

Damian froze.

"...Me?"

She nodded with remarkable seriousness.

"Mhm."

"All those rumors."

She lowered her voice as though sharing an enormous secret.

"Anthony probably believed every single one of them."

She spread her hands helplessly.

"So..."

"My engagement ended."

Silence.

Damian stared at her.

His expression gradually shifted...

From confusion...

To disbelief...

To absolute horror.

Vivienne held the solemn expression for exactly three seconds.

Then—

"Pfft..."

She covered her mouth.

Her shoulders shook.

"I’m sorry..."

"I can’t..."

A laugh escaped despite her best efforts.

"I’m just teasing."

She waved one hand dismissively.

"It was a mutual decision."

"So don’t look like you’re about to confess to a crime."

Damian remained speechless.

He honestly couldn’t tell whether he wanted to laugh...

Or cry.

Vivienne laughed once more.

"I haven’t even teased you for attending the Sunday Afternoon Tea yet."

"And somehow..."

"You’ve managed to embarrass yourself already."

Before Damian could think of a reply—

"Vivienne!"

She turned.

Amelia, Eleanor, and Claire were making their way toward them through the crowd.

"There you are," Amelia called with a smile.

"We’ve been looking for you."

Vivienne smiled apologetically at Damian.

"I suppose my rescue has arrived."

She laughed softly.

"I’ll see you around."

Before leaving, she glanced at him one last time.

"...And stop making that face."

"It really is quite funny."

Still smiling...

She turned and joined her friends.

Damian watched them disappear into the crowd.

--

Only after they had put a little distance between themselves and Damian...

Claire smiled.

"...Well."

Vivienne looked at her.

"What?"

Claire tilted her head.

"This morning..."

"Weren’t we just talking about Damian?"

Vivienne blinked.

"...We were."

Eleanor laughed softly.

"And then..."

"The very first thing you did after the bell rang..."

"...was walk over to him."

Vivienne waved a dismissive hand.

"Oh, that?"

"He’d just found out about the engagement."

"I couldn’t exactly leave him sitting there looking like that."

Claire smiled.

"So you went to check on him?"

Vivienne laughed.

"No."

"I went to tease him."

The three girls laughed.

Amelia folded her arms with a grin.

"You know..."

"This morning..."

"I thought Damian would eventually hear about today."

Claire nodded.

"I imagined someone would tell him."

"That you’d attended the Sunday Afternoon Tea."

"That other men had been asking for your number."

Eleanor smiled.

"And that would finally be his wake-up call."

Amelia laughed.

"I wasn’t expecting him to attend in person."

Claire covered her mouth, laughing.

"Later, he won’t even have to hear about it second-hand."

"He will see it himself."

Vivienne couldn’t help laughing.

"You three really are impossible."

"I keep telling you."

"Nothing like that is going to happen."

Amelia gave her a teasing smile.

"If you say so..."

The four girls continued walking through the hall together.

After a comfortable silence...

Claire looked around the room.

"So..."

"How did everyone find today’s event?"

Amelia smiled.

"Anyone interesting?"

Eleanor tilted her head.

"Didn’t we only come for the tea?"

The four of them laughed.

Claire answered first.

"I had a pleasant conversation with someone from Engineering."

"I wouldn’t mind talking to him again."

Amelia nodded.

"There was a Law student I quite liked."

"I’ll see if he approaches later."

Eleanor smiled into her teacup.

"I’m still deciding."

Then...

Three pairs of eyes turned toward Vivienne.

"...Well?"

Vivienne blinked.

"Me?"

Claire grinned.

"Of course you."

Vivienne thought for a moment.

Faces passed quietly through her mind.

Then...

Almost without warning...

One face remained.

Silver hair.

Clear grey eyes.

A calm smile.

Christopher Archibald.

She found herself looking across the hall almost unconsciously.

Searching.

"...Vivienne?"

She blinked, returning to herself.

"Oh..."

A faint smile touched her lips.

"I think..."

"There might have been one."

The three girls immediately leaned closer.

"Oh?"

Vivienne raised one hand and pointed discreetly across the hall.

"What do you think of..."

"...him?"

The three girls followed her gaze.

For a heartbeat...

No one spoke.

Then—

Amelia’s eyes widened.

"...Christopher Archibald?"

Claire blinked twice.

"The Student Council Vice President?"

Eleanor looked again, just to be certain.

"...He actually came today?"

Vivienne looked at them curiously.

"...You all know him?"

Amelia laughed.

"Know him?"

"Vivienne..."

"Half the university knows Christopher Archibald."

Claire smiled.

"He’s one of Saint Albion’s most respected seniors."

"The Student Council Vice President."

Eleanor nodded.

"And the son of the Prime Minister."

Vivienne blinked.

"...Really?"

"Really."

Amelia nodded matter-of-factly.

"His family may not hold a noble title..."

"But in terms of influence..."

She shrugged.

"They’re hardly any less prominent."

Claire smiled.

"He’s also graduating this year."

"I’ve never heard a professor say a bad word about him."

"Top of his year."

"Student council vice president"

"And somehow still manages to be super handsome, hot, and smexy..."

The girls looked at each other and Amelia shrugged "what? Top of the year guys tend to be... well, not all that?"

The girls laughed.

Claire cleared her throat and added, "and he’s one of the nicest people on campus."

Eleanor laughed softly.

"Quite unfair, really."

Vivienne found herself glancing toward Christopher once more.

"...I didn’t know any of that."

Amelia looked at her for a long moment.

Then a grin slowly spread across her face.

"You really do have a type."

Vivienne looked back.

"...What?"

Amelia began counting on her fingers.

"Anthony Ashford."

She raised another finger.

"Damian Blackwood."

"And now..."

She pointed discreetly across the hall.

"Christopher Archibald."

Claire immediately burst into laughter.

Vivienne stared at them.

"...Damian?"

Amelia nodded as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"One’s the heir of a ducal house, another an heir of a marquess, and now, the prime minister’s son."

She folded her arms.

"Vivienne Beaumont..."

"Your standards are absolutely impossible."

Even Eleanor laughed.

"I don’t think she’s doing it intentionally."

Claire smiled.

"I think she simply notices people who stand out."

Vivienne covered her face, laughing.

"I don’t choose people based on their family."

"I didn’t even know who Christopher was."

Amelia grinned.

"We know."

"Which somehow makes it even funnier."

Vivienne shook her head, still smiling.

"...Well."

"I still think I’d like to get to know him."

The three girls immediately looked at one another.

Then back at Vivienne.

A slow smile spread across Amelia’s face.

"...Seriously?"

Vivienne nodded.

"He’s pleasant to talk to."

"I enjoyed our conversation."

"And..."

She glanced across the hall once more.

"I’d like to know him a little better."

Claire smiled warmly.

"So..."

"Are you going to wait for him to come over?"

Vivienne looked toward Christopher.

Only for a moment.

Then...

A small but unmistakably determined smile appeared.

"...No."

The three girls blinked.

Vivienne laughed softly.

"I think..."

"I’ll go say hello myself."

--