There Is No Paradise Where You Escaped - Chapter 63

“Since Rodinia is a city closer to the south, it will be a difficult journey for you, Miss Chadwick. If I knew a musician there, I might’ve been able to make a recommendation, but unfortunately, today is the first time I’ve ever set foot outside of Rodinia.”

Vivianne responded cheekily in her own defense. The way she subtly implied that Sarah would never step foot in the Duke’s manor in Rodinia was something Alice quite enjoyed. Now that she no longer needed to intervene, Alice closed her lips and watched the tug-of-war between the two.

“It will be a difficult journey, no doubt. But I give my all when something is worth it. If I think about starting every morning with Miss Aveline’s cello performance, where wouldn’t I go? Even through fire.”

Vivianne didn’t respond but smiled in silence. Her eyelids, steady and unflinching, slowly closed and opened again as she gazed at Sarah Chadwick. Sarah, as if celebrating her victory in this verbal duel, lifted the teacup in front of her.

“To think you’d travel all the way to Rodinia just to hear my cello… how very touching.”

Vivianne deliberately gave a delayed response, with a smile that was just the right mix of politeness, veiled hostility, and friendly charm. Behind her words was also a subtle attempt to keep Lady Danvers from adding anything to Sarah’s statement. If this escalated beyond a personal spat, the table would soon become a breeding ground for accusations.

Contrary to previous testimony that she was distant from the social world, Vivianne had adapted quickly to the unseen blades wielded by those around her.

“I’m not going to Rodinia just to hear the cello. Like Miss Aveline, who’s giving her all for what the Duke has given her, I too will go as part of a formal arrangement. It just so happens that Miss Aveline will be there.”

“Thank you for recognizing the effort I’m putting in.”

“It’s only natural. If I don’t acknowledge it, who else will?”

“Do you also think the Duke cherishes me deeply?”

“Now that’s another natural question. Of course, he should cherish Miss Aveline more than anyone. That’s your role, isn’t it? To win the Duke’s love and to make him happy.”

The tense battle of wits was nearing its end. No matter how quick to adapt Aveline might have been, she couldn’t help but falter before the brazen Sarah Chadwick. Vivianne simply didn’t have the nerve to out-brazen her.

“Isn’t that right?”

At this point, Alice thought she really ought to step in. She had placed her bet on Vivianne and couldn’t let this entertaining match escalate to the point where it became a scandal that the noble ladies around them would feast on.

“Then I suppose I’ll have to ask the Duke myself.”

Alice’s attempt to put a barricade between the two was crushed. Vivianne, unwilling to give in so easily, remained persistent and unrelenting.

“He’s the kind of man who would pluck a star from the sky if I asked him. No matter how life-altering this marriage may be, if I asked him to call it off, he would. That’s how much he cares for me.”

Alice’s judgment of Vivianne had clearly missed the mark. She hadn’t thought Vivianne could be as shameless as Sarah Chadwick—if anything, she was worse. She delivered a devastating blow to Sarah and sent a ripple of unease through the ladies present.

This time, Lady Danvers swiftly intervened between the two.

“Unrestrained emotions can often lead to foolish decisions.”

Now that her niece had just debuted and was in talks with the most eligible bachelor in Neway, she couldn’t allow her to be dragged through the mud.

“But the Duke is not a man who lacks discernment. It would be a waste of effort. No matter how dearly he might care for his mistress, would he truly ruin his life for just a mistress?”

It was as powerful a blow as Vivianne’s own. There was an unspoken rule in society that crude words should never be uttered aloud. The fact that Lady Danvers had broken that rule betrayed just how rattled she truly was.

One might have expected Vivianne to have been deeply shocked, but Alice’s concern proved unfounded—Vivianne remained calm and composed, unfazed. In an instant, the scales of victory tipped clearly in her favor.

“Since you say that, my lady, I feel compelled to find out for myself. Shall I try ruining the Duke’s life, then? What do you think? Isn’t it worth testing?”

Vivianne’s confidence shook Sarah Chadwick for the first time; her pupils visibly wavered.

With the Queen acting as the matchmaker, the marriage was highly likely to go through. Edwin, who had turned down every previous match, was likely considering this one seriously because of the Queen’s involvement.

Still, that didn’t mean he couldn’t refuse it. The Queen hadn’t made it official yet, and Edwin’s own wishes mattered to her. If the Duke broke off the engagement on his own, it would damage the Queen’s dignity just as much.

“… Miss Aveline, you truly have no shame. The Duke would be appalled by such an outrageous request.”

Lady Danvers scolded her as if reprimanding an ill-mannered young lady.

“Which is precisely why I want to test it. Just as Miss Chadwick said, I deserve to be repaid for my efforts—as the Duke’s heart desires. I’ll accept it by getting him to listen to me.”

Perhaps the winner of this suffocating battle of nerves had been decided from the start. In every situation, it was Vivianne Aveline who held the upper hand. She was the only woman the Duke had ever kept by his side, turning away all others. Even when rumors spread of her being the future Duchess, he hadn’t bothered to deny them.

So even if she’d made a scandalous declaration in the ballroom, her words wouldn’t have had much impact.

Meanwhile, Sarah Chadwick was nothing to the Duke of Baytness. They weren’t even engaged—she was simply a woman involved in marriage talks. There was no way Sarah could defeat Vivianne.

Of course, that might change if Sarah were to marry the Duke. But that hadn’t happened—yet.

Having secured her victory, Vivianne stood with a radiant smile. With a posture as straight and graceful as ever, she left no opening for the other noblewomen to criticize.

“I’ll take my leave now—I have an afternoon appointment with the Duke.”

And with that, Vivianne exited.

The moment she left the tearoom, the remaining ladies immediately began murmuring among themselves. Alarmed by the development, they swarmed Alice, pressing her with questions. Lifting her chin with newfound pride, Alice glanced sideways at Sarah, now visibly sunken.

While all eyes were fixed on Alice, Sarah Chadwick quietly rose from her seat.

After hurrying out of the tearoom, Sarah quickened her steps when she caught sight of Vivianne’s back in the distance.

 “Miss Aveline.”

At the sound of her name, Vivianne stopped and turned to see who had called. Facing Sarah, her expression was a little more honest than it had been in the tearoom.

“What is it?”

Despite the thorns in her voice, Sarah remained calm.

“I acted thoughtlessly. I’ve come to apologize.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Miss Chadwick.”

But of course, she did. It wasn’t enough that Sarah had publicly treated her like a mistress—her chaperone had even uttered open words of condemnation. The responsibility for that fell rightly on Sarah, which was why she had to win Vivianne over.

Why hadn’t I realized it was premature? Breaking Vivianne’s spirit could wait until after the engagement—no, even after the wedding.

“As you may have heard, talks of marriage between the Duke and me are underway. Nothing has been formally announced yet, but I’m hopeful, as he hasn’t shown any signs of rejecting the match.”

Having chosen to fight head-on, Sarah laid her cards bare.

“Because of my jealousy, I humiliated you in front of others. I want to offer you a formal apology.”

Until the moment Sarah Chadwick admitted her fault, Vivianne had been weighed down by a thousand worries.

There was nothing more miserable than hearing such things from the woman Edwin might marry.

That was why she had stubbornly resisted and fought back—even going so far as to cowardly use the Duke of Baytness’s name.

She had even boldly declared that she would stop the Duke’s marriage. Pretending she could prevent something that wasn’t even official, that might not even happen.

Now, after all that posturing, she was trying to think of a way to salvage it all.

If Sarah Chadwick hadn’t been honest and taken responsibility, Vivianne might have run straight to the Duke—begging him not to let them call her a mistress, pleading with him not to marry another.

Grateful that everything had stayed within the realm of imagination, she was prepared to accept Sarah’s apology.

“So I only ask one thing of you, Miss Aveline.”

Her voice sounded gracious as if bestowing mercy. And Vivianne, sensing something was shifting, felt her heart drop.

“Please don’t aspire to anything beyond the role of a mistress.”

“…”

“For example… don’t think of bearing an illegitimate child.”

Vivianne’s face went cold. Sarah quickly added:

“I won’t interfere with the Duke’s affection for you. But I do ask that you show me the same courtesy. That’s the only way we can coexist. So I, too, would like an apology for what happened today.”

Sarah’s words held no mockery or contempt—just earnest sincerity.

Vivianne, tired of it all, let out a shallow sigh that quickly faded.

“I have nothing to apologize for.”

Vivianne withdrew into the sturdy wall of pride she refused to let crumble.

Sarah looked genuinely puzzled as if she couldn’t understand why Vivianne would respond with hostility to such a generous offer.

“I’m sorry, Miss Chadwick, but you’re in no position to ask anything of me.”

“Miss Aveline… if you’ve misunderstood what I meant—”

“I am no one’s mistress, Miss Chadwick. I have no intention of ever becoming one.”

“But if the Duke does go through with this marriage, I’ll be a cookie—easy to bite into and chew on. A scandal for you both to enjoy. And when that time comes, I’ll only have one choice left.”

Sarah tried several times to cut Vivianne off mid-sentence, but there was no opening in the fury-laced wall Vivianne had built. In the end, with the upper hand completely lost, Sarah quietly listened.

“I will do everything in my power to ruin your marriage.”

Vivianne turned away without a hint of hesitation. The afternoon sunlight flooding the corridor lit up her ashen-gray eyes with fierce brilliance.

────── ✾ ──────

Edwin set his newspaper down and opened his pocket watch to check the time. Still no word from Roarke, whom he had sent to fetch Vivianne. Just as his nerves began to twitch, a knock sounded and Roarke entered the room—but he was alone. 

Edwin frowned slightly and asked about Vivianne’s whereabouts, a faint trace of irritation in his voice.

“Where is Vivianne?”

“Miss Vivianne attended a tea party with the Countess of Thurston. I went there to collect her, but she had already left. Apparently, there was… a minor clash between Miss Chadwick and Miss Aveline.”

At the unexpected news, Edwin’s eyes lit up with intrigue.

“A clash? With Chadwick?”

“Yes, well… Miss Chadwick publicly criticized Miss Aveline. In response, Miss Vivianne declared she’d ruin your marriage—”

Roarke trailed off awkwardly when Edwin suddenly burst out laughing.

“Vivianne? And how exactly would she do that?”

“I’m… not certain. She’s currently taking a walk in the garden with Sophie. Shall I fetch her?”

“No, it’s fine. You may go.”

With a refreshing smile on his face, Edwin gave a small nod to dismiss Roarke. He made no move to summon Vivianne. Resting his fingers on the folded newspaper, he sank into thought.

      Ruin my marriage? You? Really?

He couldn’t help but wonder what Vivianne’s face had looked like when she said something so unexpected.

Had she lashed out like she did in the carriage, unable to hold back her anger and spewing whatever came to mind?

All because she’d been triggered by the word mistress, throwing a tantrum and ranting that she should’ve just stayed Mayr’s mistress instead.

Edwin even humored the ridiculous idea of arranging the meeting between Sarah Chadwick and himself.

That was why he had agreed to dance with Sarah at the ball in the first place. Had he known Vivianne would show up on Benjamin Quinlan’s arm, he never would’ve done it.

Still, he didn’t regret it—not after seeing Vivianne’s response today.

For someone like Edwin, who had never once entertained the idea of marriage, this had turned out to be an unexpected amusement.

      So, how exactly do you plan to ruin it?

The clearer Vivianne’s face became in his mind, the wider Edwin’s smile grew.

Today, his curiosity about Vivianne’s next moves intrigued him so much, it left him restless and impatient.