Chapter 56: the first step

Chapter 56: Chapter 56: the first step

The four girls walked leisurely along the tree-lined path leading back toward the academy.

The afternoon sun had already begun to soften.

For the first few minutes...

No one spoke.

Then Claire suddenly clapped her hands together.

"I still can’t believe it."

Vivienne looked at her.

"What?"

"Lord Ashford."

"He actually questioned your proposal."

Vivienne laughed softly.

"I thought I was going to embarrass myself."

"You?"

Claire scoffed dramatically.

"You answered perfectly."

Amelia smiled.

"You did."

"I don’t think anyone expected you to answer so calmly."

Vivienne lowered her eyes.

"...I was nervous."

Claire grinned.

"We could tell."

"When he called your name..."

"I thought your heart was going to jump out of your chest."

Vivienne felt her cheeks warm.

"...Perhaps a little."

The four of them laughed together.

After a comfortable silence...

Eleanor spoke.

"...Actually."

The others turned toward her.

"I’ve been thinking about something else."

Claire tilted her head.

"What?"

"Damian."

The conversation fell quiet.

Claire nodded slowly.

"He didn’t just ask a question."

"He asked your question."

Vivienne gave a small nod.

"He admitted he overheard us."

Amelia smiled thoughtfully.

"...That was awfully sweet of him."

The words lingered in the air.

Claire looked at Vivienne.

"He didn’t have to ask."

"But he did."

"He made sure your concern was answered."

Vivienne was silent.

She had never looked at it that way.

She had simply been relieved that someone had asked the question she herself hadn’t been able to ask.

Claire tilted her head.

"So..."

"Do you think he agreed with you?"

Vivienne thought for a moment before smiling.

"I think..."

"...he believed it was a fair question."

Eleanor nodded.

"Whether he agreed or not..."

"He made sure your voice was heard."

For a brief moment...

No one spoke.

Vivienne remembered Damian’s quiet reply.

"It was a good question."

"I thought it deserved an answer."

"...I’m grateful to him."

Claire watched her for another second.

Then she waved both hands dramatically.

"Enough."

"If we keep talking about Foundation proposals, my brain is going to melt."

Amelia laughed.

"So what’s your solution?"

"Dinner."

Claire answered without the slightest hesitation.

"I vote dinner."

Eleanor smiled.

"I don’t believe anyone is going to oppose that."

Vivienne laughed.

"I certainly won’t."

Together, they turned toward the avenue leading to the student district.

--

The restaurants were already beginning to fill with students finishing their Saturday activities.

As they walked...

The conversation drifted naturally away from proposals and presentations.

Claire stretched her arms.

"I almost forgot."

"Tomorrow’s Sunday."

"No Foundation."

"No classes."

She sighed dramatically.

"I’m going to sleep until noon."

"You wish," Amelia replied with a laugh.

"We already have readings for next week."

"And Professor Harrington assigned two Chapters before Monday."

Claire groaned.

"I was trying very hard to forget that."

Eleanor smiled faintly.

"The third week begins on Monday."

"The workload is only going to increase."

Amelia nodded.

"And after that..."

"Preliminary examinations."

"We’ll barely have time to breathe."

Claire looked as though she had just remembered something dreadful.

"...Don’t remind me."

Vivienne listened quietly.

It had only been two weeks since the semester began.

Yet somehow...

It felt much longer.

Between classes...

The Foundation...

And everything else...

The days had slipped by almost unnoticed.

Claire suddenly stopped walking.

"...Wait."

The others turned toward her.

"The Founders’ Ball."

Amelia blinked.

"Oh."

"That’s only two weeks away."

Claire pointed dramatically at each of them.

"Tell me none of you have forgotten."

Eleanor shook her head.

"I haven’t."

"I’ve simply been too busy to think about it."

Amelia smiled.

"My dress is already being finished."

"My mother asked the tailor to start before I even left home."

Claire sighed dramatically.

"I envy organized families."

Then she turned toward Vivienne.

"What about you?"

Vivienne hesitated.

"My dress..."

"...Mother has already arranged for one."

Claire blinked.

"Then what’s the problem?"

Vivienne smiled sheepishly.

"...I haven’t chosen the color."

Claire frowned.

"Why?"

Vivienne looked away.

"...I’d like it to match."

"...Match?"

Claire repeated.

Amelia’s eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh..."

"Lord Ashford."

Vivienne’s cheeks immediately warmed.

Claire stared at her for three full seconds.

Then a grin slowly spread across her face.

"So that’s what you’ve been waiting for."

"You wanted to know what he’d be wearing first."

Vivienne’s silence was answer enough.

Claire laughed so loudly that several passing students glanced in their direction.

"I knew it!"

Amelia laughed along with her.

"I think that’s adorable."

Even Eleanor smiled.

"It makes sense."

"You’ll be arriving together."

Vivienne tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"I simply thought..."

"...it would look nicer."

Claire folded her arms.

"Mmm."

"Of course."

"Purely for appearances." ℯ

Vivienne laughed despite herself.

"You three are impossible."

Claire leaned closer.

"So..."

"Have you asked him yet?"

Vivienne shook her head.

"...Not yet."

"Why not?"

This time...

Vivienne didn’t answer immediately.

Her thoughts drifted back to yesterday.

Anthony.

Evelyn beside him.

The two of them talking so naturally together.

That quiet scene had stayed with her far longer than she wanted to admit.

At the time...

She had made herself a promise.

If I keep waiting...

Nothing will ever change.

The memory returned with surprising clarity.

Then another thought followed.

In the novel...

Anthony had escorted the original Vivienne to the Founders’ Ball.

She remembered that much.

But...

She could no longer remember how it had come about.

Had Anthony invited her?

Or had the original Vivienne approached him first?

She honestly couldn’t remember.

Vivienne let out a small breath.

It didn’t matter.

Not anymore.

Whether it had happened naturally in the novel...

Or because someone had taken the first step...

She wasn’t the original Vivienne.

If she wanted something to happen...

She couldn’t simply wait for fate to carry her there.

They were already engaged.

Asking about the Ball wasn’t strange.

If anything...

It would be perfectly natural.

And if she wanted their outfits to match...

Someone had to ask first.

A quiet determination settled in her heart.

Then...

I’ll ask him.

Not because the novel said it would happen.

But because...

This time...

She wanted to take the first step herself.

Claire immediately noticed the tiny change in her expression.

"Oh?"

"That look."

Vivienne blinked.

"What look?"

"The one that says you’ve just made up your mind."

Vivienne laughed, trying to hide the blush creeping across her cheeks.

"...Maybe."

Claire smiled triumphantly.

"I knew it."

Amelia shook her head with a fond smile.

"Just remember..."

"The Founders’ Ball comes after preliminaries."

Claire groaned dramatically.

"Why must you ruin such a romantic moment?"

"Because," Amelia replied with a laugh, "none of us will enjoy the Ball if we’re worrying about our examination results."

Eleanor nodded.

"The next two weeks are going to be very busy."

Claire sighed.

"So tomorrow..."

She looked at each of them in turn.

"We study."

Amelia nodded.

"We study."

Eleanor smiled faintly.

"We study."

Claire looked hopefully toward Vivienne.

"...After dinner tonight and sleeping in tomorrow morning?"

Vivienne laughed.

"I think that’s a much more realistic plan."

The four girls continued toward the restaurant together, their conversation drifting naturally toward professors, assignments, and the demanding weeks ahead.

Yet beneath all those ordinary conversations...

One quiet resolve remained in Vivienne’s heart.

This time...

She wouldn’t wait for the story to move her forward.

She would write the next step herself.