Early the next morning, Vivien was sweeping the front yard of their shop. Just then, her dad, having just finished tidying up inside, walked over with a rare, teasing smile.
"Vivy's up early these days. What happened to our little sleeping beauty, huh?"
She had woken up early because she was planning to sneak off to the villa later. If her dad found out she'd snuck over there a few days ago, he'd definitely react just like last time, nagging her through meals, while washing up, and even right before bed, until her ears practically bled from it.
"I decided that from now on, I'm going to be a good, hardworking little Vivien."
Just then, her dad, who was struggling with the heavy signboard, accidentally bumped into the wall. His glasses flew off from the impact. Vivien quickly rushed over, frantically asking if he was hurt, but her dad just carefully picked up his glasses.
"Thank goodness they didn't break."
As far as she knew, her dad wasn't even nearsighted. Wearing them just got in the way of running the shop. Yet he insisted on wearing those clunky glasses, especially when dealing with customers. It was such a shame. The moment he put them on, his incredibly handsome face was completely hidden.
To be completely honest, her dad's baking skills were absolutely terrible. Couldn't he just mix the ingredients following the recipe? But despite his awful baking, customers still flocked to the bakery, and it was all thanks to that handsome face of his.
Aunt Lauren from the grocery store and Aunt Karen from the fruit stand — they were his absolute biggest fans. They came by every single morning just to admire him.
Such a shame, really. If he just took off those stupid glasses, the shop's daily sales would definitely skyrocket.
The father-daughter duo was just getting ready to open for the day when, shortly after, the sound of approaching hooves echoed through the street, and a luxurious carriage pulled up right in front of the bakery. The crest emblazoned on the carriage belonged to none other than the Duke of Edwin.
A butler stepped down from the carriage and strode directly over to her dad.
"Hi, Vivien."
"Oh, hello, Mr. Butler."
Watching the two of them, her dad's eyes narrowed, his suspicious gaze landing heavily on his daughter. How on earth does the Duke of Edwin's butler know you?
She completely pretended not to notice his glaring look and cheerfully greeted the man. "Mr. Butler, what brings you here? You here to buy some bread?"
"Actually, I'm here on a different matter."
"A different matter?"
The butler didn't respond to her right away. Instead, he shifted his gaze to her dad and formally introduced himself.
"I am Owen, the head butler of the Duke of Edwin. And you must be Vivien's father, Mr. Diaz Hassan, I presume. I'll get straight to the point. His Grace wishes for your daughter to become the young miss's official playmate."
Hearing this, Vivien's head snapped up in sheer excitement. This is my chance.
"Yesterday, when His Grace met Miss Vivien, he thought very highly of her potential."
Her dad, suddenly realizing she had secretly met the Duke, looked down at her and hissed. "The Duke met with you yesterday?"
Vivien broke out in a cold sweat. Oh god, my dad is staring at me like he's about to commit murder.
She nervously avoided eye contact and tightly hugged her dad's waist to appease him.
The butler continued smoothly. "Miss Vivien will attend classes and study alongside our young miss. And should you need anything at all, the house of Edwin will fully support you."
She totally expected her dad to jump at the offer. But instead, he coldly replied, "Thank you for the generous offer. But my daughter still has much to learn. She is completely unfit to be the young miss's playmate."
Watching her dad mercilessly reject the golden opportunity, Vivien let out an agonizing, silent scream. No way. This is my chance.
She squeezed her dad's arm and called out, "Dad, we need to talk."
Then she pulled him into a nearby alley.
"Vivien, why do you want to go there?" His voice was cold, stripping away his usual warmth.
Seeing that acting cute and throwing a tantrum wouldn't work, she changed her strategy. "I was just curious about what the Duke's estate looks like. I only meant to peek from the outside, but then I bumped into the Duke himself."
Her dad let out a heavy sigh. "I'll have a proper talk with the butler. Let's just forget about going to the estate, okay?"
She frantically grabbed the front of his shirt. "No, Dad. I have to go there."
Why was she so insistent? She couldn't exactly tell him about Rachel's special condition. It was kept a strict secret to avoid the emperor's interference, after all. So she decided to borrow the plot from the original story and be blunt.
"I want to cure my illness."
But that seemed to backfire. Her dad's already pale face instantly drained of color.
"Why the sudden urgency? Has it been hurting a lot lately? Are you hiding something from me?"
"No, it's not like that. I'm fine. Please calm down, Dad. I just want to get better as soon as possible. I want us to live a long, happy life together, and I don't want you to worry about me anymore. The Duke knows brilliant doctors and mages. If we just ask him, I'm sure he'd help."
Her dad looked into her eyes. For some reason, he looked incredibly heartbroken. He stared at her for a long, heavy moment. Finally, he threw his hands up in defeat.
"All right. You'll ask the Duke for help."
She finally heard the answer she was desperate for. Vivien breathed a sigh of relief and beamed. "Thank you, Dad."