The first day of classes passed by in a flash. By the time the honors student, who had been engrossed in her studies, snapped out of it, it was already evening.
Erika rubbed her slightly aching thighs and walked with a hint of skepticism toward the Temple balcony, the place where she had first encountered Vivian Drake.
She had a nagging feeling that she might be stood up. Perhaps the other girl had forgotten their promise, or maybe it was just something she had said offhand to smooth over an awkward situation.
When she was only a few steps away from the platform and the meeting spot, a sound came from the direction of the balcony around the corner.
*Rustle.* Erika quietly leaned her head out and saw a person already standing on the balcony.
Because the girl was wearing a hood over her uniform, Erika couldn’t see her face and thus couldn’t confirm her identity. However, judging by her silhouette, she looked very similar to the Miss Drake she had encountered earlier.
Erika put her hands behind her back and slowly walked toward her, offering a greeting. “Um…”
“Isn’t it a bit late, commoner? The moon has already risen to the middle of the sky. You dare to make a lady of the Drake family wait for you? That is a grave sin.”
“Wait, what!”
*Whoosh.* The unexpected reaction startled Erika, but soon, as the other girl pulled off her hood, silver hair unfurled in the moonlight. Erika’s gaze was instantly captivated.
Emerging from the shadows, those dark red eyes were now curved like crescent moons, shimmering with laughter. “Pfft! Hahaha! Just kidding! How was it? Was I exactly like my sister? Hmm?”
“Ugh.”
Exactly like her?
‘Scaring people with the same face and the same voice… how could someone like me, who has only met her a few times, tell the difference? I’m not your girlfriend.’
Before Erika could pout and complain, Vivian continued brightly, “Sometimes I imitate my sister and wander around! It would be bad if she found out… but she’s sleeping right now, so it should be fine.”
“Is your sister sleeping?”
“Mhm! Didn’t we have early classes this morning? My sister loves to sleep in. If she wakes up too early in the morning, she can’t help but go to bed early at night!” Vivian’s cheerful and lively words contained quite a bit of information.
‘So that Great Lady always arrives after the classroom is full because she loves to sleep in and oversleeps…’
However, the person and the situation in front of her were more important. Erika was pleasantly surprised to find that the one who appeared here was indeed the innocent younger sister of the twins — Lady Vivian Drake.
This face had maintained a high, cold, and aloof “do not approach” expression until they parted this morning, but now she was talking to Erika with a beaming smile, like an amnesiac heroine in a soap opera. To be honest, even though Erika knew it was a different person, the contrast was striking.
While Erika was wondering if “one body, two souls” counted as a contrast charm, Vivian glanced around the balcony and lowered her voice, whispering, “So, Erika, how did it go…?”
“How did what go?”
Erika feigned ignorance and asked back, making Vivian as anxious as an ant on a hot griddle. Vivian struggled to suppress her burning curiosity. “You know, from last time! Didn’t you say things were unpleasant with Miss Lyonesse? You even gave her your first kiss! What happened after? Did you make up?”
“Well…” Erika slowed her speech as she pondered how to explain, preparing to be vague, while Vivian Drake’s attention seemed to be drawn to the girl’s cherry-blossom-colored lips.
“Although we eventually reconciled, I still feel a bit awkward.”
“Is that so? Are there still problems? And what do you mean by awkward!”
Vivian acted as if she were the one falling in love, showing immense interest. She was clearly just a young girl who loved listening to romance stories — that much was obvious.
For her sake, Erika decided to mix truth with fiction and weave an interesting story that met her romantic expectations.
“After all, the semester has started, and our schedules don’t overlap. So, there isn’t much chance to meet, and getting closer has become difficult.”
“That won’t do! I’ve heard that if the distance grows, the hearts will grow apart too!”
“Really?”
“Of course!”
“As expected, Lady Vivian is quite an expert on love.”
“T-That’s for sure!”
‘It’s really amusing how she’s trying so hard to keep up appearances. Vivian really is a pure and kind girl.’
If Erika could choose not to be Erika and instead become a maid or an attendant to an ordinary noble lady, serving a girl like Vivian, with whom there was no pressure, seemed like it wouldn’t be bad.
At that thought, Erika recalled the fear of being dominated by Evelyn and Emil. Her thighs, which were already a bit numb from crouching earlier, trembled involuntarily — Vivian’s sister, who was the same type as them, would not be easy to deal with either.
Vivian held her cheeks in her hands and said entranced, “It’s best to meet often! You must meet often! So, have you had any further contact? Like holding hands, or kissing…?”
“Further contact…?”
Faced with Vivian’s question, Erika thought of several experiences of physical and mental union with Emil. If she told her the truth, she didn’t know what kind of mental shock it would deal to this young, innocent girl.
If she could make the innocent daughter of the Drake family — the Traitor Family — show an embarrassed expression because of this, it would be a different kind of revenge.
But it was just a thought. ‘I need to maintain my persona in front of this little girl.’
“We… well…”
“Well…?”
“Actually, there were opportunities, but I was afraid… If I act clumsy again and fail to please my loved one, will I really be abandoned like this…? So, I couldn’t muster the courage…” Erika looked delicate and timid, acting as if she were hesitating to speak.
“Mmm… that really is a big deal. You actually shrank back?” Vivian let out a long sigh, looking like a master truly disappointed in an underperforming disciple.
But for some reason, a blush gradually crept onto her face. Thus, Erika said to Vivian, “So, was what you said before about telling me true?”
“Telling…?”
“Didn’t you say you would teach me the correct way to kiss?”
“Ah… r-right! I thought you forgot. You have a good memory!” Vivian suddenly started playing dumb. Was it because her weak spot had been hit, making her finally feel flustered?
This meeting was originally arranged because Vivian said she would teach the girl the correct way to kiss. Since Vivian had come to the appointment, did it mean she was somewhat mentally prepared?
Erika’s eyes flickered, her face showing an extremely earnest expression, and her tone was laced with the hesitating thoughts of a young girl. “Mistress Vivian, please, you must agree. If this continues, Miss Lyonesse might get tired of me. I-I’m really so afraid…”
*Patter, patter.*
“Hey, wait—!”
The girl clasped her hands together, her eyes like those of a wounded little animal, as she took light steps toward Vivian. Looking at Erika, whose hair was fluttering over her lips and who radiated a fragile, glass-like aura, the silver-haired girl couldn’t find any words to refuse.
In her panic, she retreated one step, then another… Finally, Vivian’s back hit the wall behind her. This was the same spot where Erika had been pressed against the wall and bullied by Emil.
Erika took the opportunity to brace both hands on either side of Vivian, blocking her escape route. Her voice, ethereal as moonlight, reached the bewildered girl. “Lady Vivian is a love expert; you must have kissed many times, right?”
“Uh, well? You could say so, or you could say no…”
“Since that’s the case, you wouldn’t mind sharing a kiss with poor Erika, would you?”
Vivian’s dark red eyes darted rapidly left and right, her cheeks already as red as a tomato, and her breathing became rapid.
‘Although it feels a bit like toyed with an innocent girl, this is indeed the first step to controlling the Drake family.’ Erika suppressed the guilt rising in her heart and slowly brought her head closer to Vivian. Her height was only slightly shorter than Vivian’s, making the movement appear exceptionally natural.
A light touch — in that moment, something soft pressed against her lips. That was, of course, Vivian’s lips, and in a way, it was also the lips of her sister, Miona Drake.
Feeling Vivian’s body go stiff in her arms, Erika made no other moves. She let time stand still as black and silver strands of hair were ruffled and intertwined by the gentle evening breeze. Her brown skirt fluttered, turning into petals that complemented the black rose and white tulip blooming simultaneously under the moonlight.