"I wonder what he'll look like tomorrow. Will the bodyguards cut him off?"
Eugene returned to his lodgings, took a shower, and then lay down to sleep.
There is no specific schedule for tomorrow, but there is a basic meeting.
A meeting attended by Vivian, her bodyguard himself, Antonio and Davis of the Knights of the Iron Cross, and Jeanne and Ivan of the Red Fox Mercenaries.
At that meeting, Eugene was half-expecting and half-hoping to see what Vivian, who had suffered such a terrible humiliation today, would do.
"Honestly, it seems highly unlikely, but there's bound to be some noise. I wonder if she'll actually be able to attend the meeting properly. Even though Vivian is a seasoned veteran, it seems unlikely."
But Eugene's expression looked more than relaxed; it was comfortable.
I don't know about anything else, but Vivian's thorough position on him has already been confirmed.
But I think there will be aftereffects no matter what.
With those thoughts in mind, Eugene eventually fell asleep.
“Huhh ...
Vivian also sat there in a daze for a while before returning to her room.
Vivian, who barely managed to take a shower and then lay down on her bed,
Vivian sobbed continuously while naked.
Her lying position was like a shrimp, so her appearance was truly pitiful.
‘I thought I had finally seen the light... the light I had lost... I thought it had come back to me...’
As expected, Vivian was crying over what Eugene had done to her.
Vivian's entire life came to a standstill when she lost her father, Alexis.
Even the upper part of the Pieta, which seems to have little to do with the figure, is ultimately connected to it.
Because I want to be a daughter that my father can be proud of,
Because I want to be a daughter who follows in my father's footsteps,
And it was a path I chose because I wanted to constantly remember my father.
That weakness,
Vivian had tried desperately to hide the painful wounds filled with all kinds of trauma and obsession.
The appearance of the broken upper body can be seen as a mask created to avoid being swept up in that trauma that is driving one crazy.
In fact, the image of Vivian sobbing naked in bed right now is her true self.
"He was truly different... He had a completely different look in his eyes and way of speaking than other barbarians," Eugene said.
As Eugene Schneider speculated, Vivian struggled to find solace in someone who resembled her father.
In the process, the things that Vivian was particularly obsessed with were black hair and a large physique.
Because it was the physical characteristic that defined Alexis, his father, more than anyone else.
So honestly, I had high expectations for the barbarians as I wandered through the western desert.
So, as Eugene saw, he even indulged in novels that dealt with the pure love between a barbarian and the duke's daughter.
But Alexis's physical appearance was different from that rough body, full of warmth and consideration.
Vivian must have been so satisfied with novels because she could never find the essence of them in reality.
But Eugene Schneider made it a reality.
"It was so warm. Eugene's eyes when she saw Joan of Arc... and her tone of voice..."
Of course, Eugene had never shown Vivian that much warmth directly.
Just the humanity of the moment we first met?
Furthermore, the business-like manners I felt while receiving security were all there was.
Although she had not experienced it directly, Vivian had clearly seen it.
I really enjoyed watching Eugene and Jeanne together.
Eugene Schneider was so good to Jeanne that it made you wonder if he was really a mercenary from the macho culture.
Basically, honey was dripping from the look in his eyes as he looked at her.
‘My father was so businesslike, but whenever he saw me, he would smile happily and show his love…’
On the contrary, if he had shown that side of himself to Vivian, who had little connection with him, from the beginning, it might have been less profound.
What really matters to Vivian is what reminds her of her father.
That's why Vivian couldn't help but fall madly in love with Eugene, who seemed indifferent on a normal day but became a warm-hearted husband when he was with Jeanne.
Alexis possessed charisma and political power that made him worthy of being mentioned as the next emperor.
It was simply because whenever his only daughter Vivian came to him yearning for love, he became the most foolish and foolish daughter in the world.
So, Eugene, who was responding to Vivian in a businesslike manner,
Whenever he flirted with his beloved Jeanne, Vivian's heart would race like a mad cow, showing off her unexpected charm.
Truly, the happiest times in Vivian's life were reflected in the images of her father and herself, right there in the two of them.
‘I want a tree too... I want to enjoy it again...’
I couldn't stand it.
How could a person who was on the verge of death from thirst not run towards an oasis far away?
It was possible to raise the top to this point because Vivian's public service history was clear.
But the moment she recognized the light that Eugene possessed, her judgment became filled with selfishness.
I know he has a lover, but I have a selfish desire to possess him.
And it was my selfish desire to push through, ignoring my sense of betrayal, because I thought that the lover was someone Vivian herself had a good reason to reject.
‘That was Eugene... Hehehehehe...!’
The result of abandoning one's conscience and making a choice was being treated like a dog.
And that wasn't all.
I threw away all my pride and took off my clothes, but the way I was treated was nothing more or less than a toilet.
Sticky...!
Kook...!
Vivian squeezed her eyes shut, trying to shake off the tears that had welled up in her eyes.
At the same time, her hand was also squeezed tightly.
And there was something in her hand.
It was none other than Eugene Schneider's handkerchief.
**********
"Hmm. That's a strange situation. For the Lord of the Upper House to be late to a meeting? I don't know about anything else, but he's always been punctual at meetings."
It was noon the next day.
Secret Trade Quest Delegation meetings are held every two days.
In fact, it could be said to be the most important meeting.
Because the meeting is held here and the decisions made are simply notified to the general meeting.
It was such an important meeting, but Vivian, the owner of the top seat of the Pieta, was not there yet.
So Antonio spoke to Davis next to him in a tone that seemed slightly worried about Vivian.
"I don't think you have anything to worry about. I've already been there, and he told me to go ahead. As I've heard, it seems like it's due to extremely personal circumstances."
When Antonio, who had been with Vivian for quite some time, had such a question, Eugene told him what he knew.
Eugene's Vivian bodyguard is a hybrid.
For example, when Vivian meets with an outsider, he provides close protection to her.
At times, Eugene also has the authority to block Vivian's movements.
But inside the camp, the story is different.
Here, Eugene's security can be seen as passive.
So I only provide security when Vivian requests it.
It's just positioned close enough to be able to quickly recognize the request.
So Eugene had a basic morning interview with Vivian before the meeting started.
What I heard during that process is being relayed to Antonio.
"Personal! Hmm... It's nice to hear that again. It's been a while since I've felt a human side to you, Lord Sangdae."
Blink!
Antonio gave a subtle smile as Eugene reminded him of the situation again.
The tough life of a top executive at a huge company that doesn't suit the young age of 25.
Antonio, while supporting Vivian's life, was filled with regret inside.
In other words, I wonder if Vivian now has the mental space to take care of some personal time.
It was a smile filled with a bitter feeling that even he was projecting a sharp image onto Vivian.
"You're really mentally drained. Honestly, I thought you were going to cancel today's meeting. I thought that's why you called me this morning. From what I've seen, it looks like your eyes are swollen and need some time to cool down."
On the other hand, Eugene, who had no choice but to know the situation in great detail, expressed a different kind of admiration.
That's Vivian's amazing resilience.
Even Eugene himself thought that his actions last night were undeserved.
I thought her mentality would be quite shattered.
So, I thought the aftereffects would be quite long, and before I went to sleep, I even thought about the possibility of quitting my bodyguard job.
But Vivian's attitude remained unchanged. She just cried all night and her eyes were swollen.
Glance...?
At that moment, Jeanne, who was next to Eugene, glanced at him.
To be exact, Jeanne is in the middle of the Red Fox Mercenary Corps.
And he looked at Ivan and Eugene on either side.
Eugene, you seem to be thinking a lot today. You've seemed surprisingly thoughtless since you started your security duties, so I was wondering if things were okay...
Although she left everything to Eugene, Jeanne naturally continued to closely check Eugene's condition for several days.
As a result, today looks different than the past few days.
“The Lord of the Upper World is coming!”
At that moment, the sentry at the main tent of the Knights of the Iron Cross announced the position of Vivian, the head of the Pieta.
"I read so many documents yesterday. I was so sleep-deprived that my face looked like it was going to explode. I had to deal with it, so I'm a little late. Thank you, everyone, for your understanding."
Vivian, who was sitting at the conference table like that,
He bowed briefly to the quest representatives and apologized for his late arrival.
Before Eugene knew it, Vivian's puffy eyes that he had seen in the morning had completely disappeared.
She had a collection of elixirs that she had obtained from various places outside the city.
Through that leap, the puffy eyes were instantly reduced.
"Fortunately, the persuasion work at the top went well. Everyone re-signed the contract and made it clear that there would be no deviation."
At the meeting that began shortly after, Vivian told the Quest delegation about the achievements of her activities over the past few days.
"So, we plan to begin transport within a few days. The human mind is like a reed, and even after reconfirming things like this, it can still waver, right? I believe now is the perfect time to push ahead."
The performance itself was very good.
But Vivian, who began leading the top in her late teens, knows how quickly promises can change in a crisis like this.
The current contract is just an anesthetic,
The surgery must be completed before the anesthesia wears off.
“If things are going as they have so far, Tyranos must have been expecting it too.”
When the main game was about to begin, Antonio responded in a rather serious tone.
The Knights of the Iron Cross still don't understand how Tyranos knows their internal situation so well.
In other words, we must respond on the assumption that Vivian's negotiation situation has reached their ears.
"I guess so. And with that in mind, I spoke of a quick resolution, Commander Antonio. Then I will immediately send a letter to the local authorities."
Swish...!
Vivian, having received the full message, stood up.
As she said, we are about to start moving large quantities of goods.
Slurp...!
As Vivian stood up, something fell from inside her sleeve.
'huh?'
Eugene, who was watching the meeting closely as a representative, saw something fall from inside Vivian's sleeve and his eyes widened slightly.