Forget Vivian

Eve stepped inside the premises with the leaflet on her hand. She spotted Arianne and called out to the older woman.

“Arianne, shall we put this up in the shop? I picked it up outside.”

Arianne, who was holding a mug of warm tea, hastily wrapped Eve’s hands around it and took the paper from her.

“What is this?”

As she fixed her eyes on the words written on the parchment, Estella’s jolly steps could be heard all around them. The young girl kept shouting gleefully, and could be heard ever so often saying the word “Wow!”.

“It’s a flyer that is looking for someone, isn’t it?” Eve asked.

Arianne’s face turned pale as she finished reading it. She briefly wondered how such a piece of information found its way on their doorsteps, ‘Is this leaflet still circulating all the way to the outskirts of the Capital?’

She thought the issue about finding the Crown Princess who mysteriously disappeared had long since faded in everyone’s memories. Back then, when the news of her disappearance was still fresh, people had speculated that Princess Vivian had fallen in love with an escort Knight and ran away.

There were also talks that said that she had died or been kidnapped. But now, the fact that Vivian Endless Rubentas had mysteriously disappeared, is all but forgotten by everyone in the Island.

Still despite this, it seems flyers searching for her were still circulating.

When Arianne first came to the Island, she made sure that there were no longer people looking for Vivian.

Shifting her gaze, her eyes landed at the bottom part of the leaflet and read; ‘…Samuel Rubentas.’ It was the name of the one who was looking for Vivian.

“Arianne, Arianne!” Eve shook Arianne when the latter did not answer her.

Arianne, who had been silent and deep in thought, stirred and shook her head, “Yes?”

“What’s the matter? I was asking you if we can put this on?” Eve reminded Arianne and gestured at the piece of paper the latter had in her hands.

“Oh, maybe later? I think it would be better not to stick this old paper up when we have just opened our business.”

“Is that so? I guess you are right.” Eve agreed without a second thought and tucked the flyer in a safe place.

* * *

Samuel woke up from his long nap in cold sweat. 

A small breeze permeated Samuel’s bedside from an opened window and the two rings on Samuel’s fingers glimmered under the faint light. It was a small flicker of light that disappeared in a split second.

Samuel groggily stood up and made his way to a nearby chair and sat uncomfortably in it. A frown appeared on his face as he thought back on his dream, “Vivian…”

Samuel called out Vivian’s name with an earnest voice.

It was the first time…

The first time he had dreamed of Vivian in the past seven years.

Samuel’s lips trembled as he recalled Vivian’s face in his dream, she did not seem very happy.

* * *

Samuel stood in the middle of Vivian’s empty room.

Everything in her room was what he had prepared and picked out specifically for Vivian.

The sofas, blankets, curtains and the carpets were made from the most expensive and softest fabric which he chose. He did this to avoid the material from wounding her delicate skin. All the corners of her furniture were also rounded, in case she bumps into it.

He did his best to keep Vivian safe and comfortable. He honestly thought he did his best for her.

He believed that even if he did not say it, Vivian would know his heart.

He thought she felt his sincerity especially when she usually just tells him, ‘Thank you, Samuel. For me… It fits perfectly.’

He remembered Vivian saying those words clearly but…he does not remember the expression on her face. Maybe he should have paid her more attention. He didn’t because he thought that she was naturally a happy person. Since he also made sure that her room resembled her own room back at the Endless Estate, he assumed that she did like it and was happy living in it. 

Samuel sat down on the chair at the tea table the owner had left behind and rested his hands on it.

‘Creek-’

His gaze turned downward at the sound of his feet colliding at something hard and solid that was buried underneath the carpet. He reached down and pulled up from the floor his and Vivian’s wedding rings. The two delicate pieces were rolling on the floor…

The small ring barely even fit his little finger, “Hah…”

Samuel sighed and palmed the ring in his right hand. He then called out in a slightly exasperated voice, “Noah!”

“Your majesty, did you call?” Noah asked nervously as he opened the door and entered.

When he raised his eyes up, he met with Samuel’s blue eyes and he involuntarily swallowed as he waited for the Emperor’s command.

“Get Lucia Pond, right now.”

At Samuel’s words, Noah nodded his head and left to do his bidding.

* * *

“Your Majesty, I have brought you Lucia Pond.” It took no more than ten minutes for Noah to bring Lucia Pond to the emperor.

Samuel glanced at Lucia who had turned visibly pale and glanced nervously at Noah. She then unconsciously grabbed Noah, just as he bowed his head and was about to leave the room. She couldn’t help but ask him worriedly, “Are you leaving me?”

Lucia worked as a secretary, and she had served Vivian for a long time.

Of course, Noah didn’t even pretend he saw her clinging on to him, and unceremoniously, pushed her away.

As soon as she was left alone, Lucia curled up like a ball and looked like a corned mouse. But Samuel did not care how nervous he made her feel, “Lucia Pond.”

At the sound of Samuel’s voice falling over her head, Lucia trembled in response, “Y-yes, your majesty!”

“By any chance, did Vivian have another man?”

Lucia raised her head and shook her head, “What?”

She then proceeded to wrinkle her eyes at him, groaned and grabbed the hem of her skirt with both her hands, “Her highness would never do that!”

Until now, she still couldn’t believe that Vivian was gone.

Lucia cleared her throat and spoke again, “She’s not that kind of person.”

Samuel glared at Lucia with his cold eyes and spat out, “Your memory of her may be wrong.”

Lucia was stunned for a moment and then asked, “Are you really suspicious of Lady Vivian?”

Lucia’s eyes filled with crystal-like tears as she raised her head. She then stared intently at the emperor and broke down.

“Hey, this is why she left! Because she can’t stay comfortably by your side until the end! Why are you in doubt? What’s so bad about her? Do you think Lady Vivian was playing around with my whole memory? Or everyone who is living in this palace?”

Samuel’s breath hitched, while his hand which was holding Vivian’s ring tightly, lost its strength. He continued to stare at Lucia who was now bursting in tears.

‘Doubt…’ Samuel dropped his hand on his thigh.

“…Because she has always been kind and understanding, everyone thought that she was alright and left her alone. Every time I looked at her, I couldn’t even breathe. She had a nice house, nice clothes, and nice food. But what does those things matter? When she is locked up! That’s why Lady Vivian left…”

“Stop!” Samuel spoke with a cold and firm expression on his face.

However, it wasn’t as menacing as before, so Lucia only gasped, shut her mouth and wiped away her tears.

‘This is my country isn’t it…?’

Samuel’s lips began to tremble, ‘I did everything for Vivian’s sake, didn’t I?’

Lucia opened her mouth, and with a quivering voice, she spat out, “Lady Vivian was right…”

Samuel’s still face followed Lucia as the latter added, “…that the ability to be a memory magician is not a blessing, but a curse.” After saying this, she buried her face into her palms and let out a weeping sound.

Samuel dropped the ring and his heart fell with it…

* * *

‘Tuk!’

Samuel stirred awake because of the ring that came off of his finger. With a nonchalant expression, he picked it up and put it back on his finger.

After washing his face, Samuel straightened up and took a deep breath, ‘At least…’

He finally saw her again for the first time since she left. The truth was, he had never seen Vivian, even in his dreams during the last seven years. Seeing her now must mean something, because he never dreams of her.

Even though seeing her made him feel as though his heart was going to break, he still wanted to see her face, ‘Did you hate being with me that much?’

Samuel’s purple eyes darkened as he thought about the past years and how they did not find a single clue about Vivian’s whereabouts.

It was as if she had truly become a bird and soared into the sky. He was so lost in thought, that he failed to notice that the sun had begun to set in the sky.

He ruffled his hair in frustration as a trail of cold sweat pooled at his back. He vaguely wondered if Vivian was wandering somewhere, out there, at a place Samuel does not know of. Or perhaps, she was lost and doesn’t know the way back?

A futile hope engulfed Samuel, and he wavered like a tide, ‘Vivian, do you think of me, still?’

Samuel thought of Vivian at every moment.

Without missing a day.

‘I miss you, Vivian.’

 He sighed, ‘I’m dying without you.’

* * *

Eve laid her body down on her bed. As soon as her back collided against the mattress, she felt as though Arianne was wrapping her in a gentle embrace. She could tell the older woman, picked the bed with great care. Eve’s pink eyes gleamed as she stared across the darkened room.

“… You can do well.” She told herself as her heart pounded with anticipation.

‘Tomorrow is your first day at Rembrandt.’ She reminded herself.

She was nervous. 

The last time she felt like this was when she first opened a restaurant in Vibraze.

Eve shook these thoughts away, ‘I came this far with Arianne through countless trials and errors.’

She came to Rembrandt in order to prepare for her last days, for Estella’s sake.

Eve let out a soft sigh as he stared at the scene outside that was engulfed by the night’s embrace, “Where are you?”

She heard that her daughter’s biological father is somewhere on this island.

They should find him sooner or later. Suddenly, she was flooded with feelings of nostalgia, of dreams, she dreamt every night but forgotten when morning came.

* * *

Eve had a dream.

There she became a woman named Vivian.

It also seems as though she had dreamed of a happy time with her husband and she was called Vivian.

Even though she knew that the possibility of being Vivian was as strong as a building made of froth, somehow she couldn’t help but hope for it, every so often.

Today was one of those days…