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Eve tilted her head and looked back and forth at what was in Arianne’s and Estella’s hands, “Hmm.”
“Because this cup is prettier!” Arianne had earlier insisted.
While her daughter pouted, “No, Mom. Isn’t this prettier? Right?”
She didn’t know how long they have been arguing over replacement cups, perhaps it has been hours…
Estella and Arianne, who had their cheeks puffed up, stared at each other fiercely.
“Huh!”
“This tiny crab! It’s pretty too!”
Eve sighed and shook her head and then smiled softly.
In Eve’s opinion, Arianne’s chosen cup with a dainty pink border surrounding it and Estella’s chosen cup which was filled with stars were all pretty.
Besides, it was not wise buying just one or two because it’s a cup for their restaurant business anyway. So she stuck her head out and said to the shopkeeper, who was looking at the situation with interest.
“We’ll take ten pieces of this cup, as well as ten pieces of the other cup. Please wrap them up for us, thank you.”
The store owner smiled brightly at Eve’s wise decision and replied, “I will do that, miss.”
Arianne and Estella, who lost their fighting power due to Eve’s decision, glanced at each other’s cups.
“Hey, that’s pretty, too!” Estella was the first to reach out for a reconciliation.
“Little one’s aren’t bad either.” The older woman relented.
Now the two were saying they’re both pretty…
Eve chuckled inwardly at the pair and spoke with a smile, “Would you two like to go to lunch now? You must be hungry.”
Her daughter exclaimed, “Let’s go! Mom, eat whatever you want!”
“Shall we go? Eve, what do you want to eat?” Arriane added.
It seemed that in this case, both of them were perfectly in agreement.
Eve was silent for a while and just stared at their eager faces, before bursting into laughter.
‘Aww, it’s really cute…both of them are cute.’ She thought fondly as their purchases were being handed to her.
“Come back next time, Miss!” The store owner told them and thereafter, the three of them started to walk away and looked for a shop to eat in.
Earlier that day, Eve had told them that she wanted to eat seafood and olive pasta and so the group decided that as the lunch menu of the day.
As they were walking, Estella was holding onto Eve’s arm and chattering happily, while Arianne was engaged in a light argument with the young girl.
People’s eyes were drawn to them as they did not seem to fit into the noisy market.
All the while, a man who was watching Eve at the market, perfectly hid himself in the alley.
He gasped for breath and sat down in disbelief as soon as the three of them passed by him, ‘Lady…Vivian?’
The imperial coat of arms embroidered on the cloak he wore glimmered slightly in the dark.
***
Arianne, Eve, and Estella entered the restaurant with a private room.
Eve, who sat on the chair and glanced at the menu board, lifted her eyes at the prices, “Private rooms cost two gold?” Eve muttered with a tired face.
That’s why people on the island say that they opened their eyes when they left the island.
Eve hesitated placing an order when she stared at the costs which to her were unusually high for food.
“We have already come here, and as your sister, I have enough money to treat you and Estella here.” Arianne reassured her.
Still, Eve’s expressions clouded, “However….”
The truth was Arianne is not ignorant of Eve’s concerns. She knew that the latter had always been worried about finances, mostly because she was anxious about Estella and Arianne when her time finally comes to leave.
From the day she was diagnosed of having a terminal illness and was told she did not have much time left, Eve constantly thought about the distant future.
Arianne pretended not to notice the anguish on Eve’s face when she thought about the money they were currently spending.
“Eat delicious food, eat a lot. That way you’ll get better soon. Let’s eat and take some medicine, it’s already time for you to take them. Doctors said it’s important to take those medicines on time.”
Finally, Eve smiled a little, “Is that so?”
‘Eat delicious food, eat a lot. Isn’t that the same thing?’
Occasionally, Arianne gives out such strange advice.
Estella interrupted the conversation between the two older women and showed them something.
In her small hands, she held a small handbag which she cherished like a treasure, “Mom, eat two bowls!”
“You eat it.”
“Mom, have two bowls!” Arianne corrected Estella’s words.
Estella, who had been looking at the two of them gloomily earlier, now seemed to have regained her energy.
“Eating a lot and growing up, mom needs to be healthy too.”
“Yes?”
“Every time my mom got sick, Estella did. She said that she needs to eat a lot to grow tall and healthy. That’s right, Arianne!”
Arianne looked through the menu and smiled, “Good job, kid.”
Eve, who looked at Estella blankly then broke into laughter as well.
Encouraged by Arianne’s praise, Estella shrugged her shoulders and held out her handbag to Eve while saying, “Estella is going to buy mom food! Estella has a lot of money.”
Estella wrinkled her nose and opened the handbag.
The coins that Estella had been working hard on and earned through running errands for a long time gleamed and shone brightly at them.
“Are you sure, kid?” Arianne asked as she peeked at her bag.
“Arianne will buy her own food for Arianne and eat! Estella will only buy mom food!” Estella glared at Arianne with a fresh face. She seems very determined to buy her mom her food and now she’s slouching at the thought that her hard earned money would be spent on anyone else.
Estella pursed her lips and shook her head.
Arianne had a face that said she wanted to argue with the young girl, but Eve was so moved that she covered her lips with both hands.
‘When did you get so big?’ She thought to herself.
The night Estella was born felt like it happened only yesterday, but now she is old enough to tell her mother that she will buy her food.
Estella was growing up so fast that if she took her eyes off her even for a moment, she would grow up quickly and miss it.
“Will Estella buy mom food?” Eve carefully asked her.
“Yes! Yes! In Vibraze, Uncle Hans said that mother should eat a lot, a lot of rice. That way it won’t hurt.”
Hans is the doctor who gave Eve medicine in Vibraze.
He was also the first to give Eve a life sentence.
Estella counted something as she folded her short fingers one by one and smiled broadly.
Arianne, who was looking at the menu, smiled wryly, “So you saved this much without me knowing it! Estella, you are rich now!” She wanted to say something more, but when she saw Eve’s expression, she held her tongue back.
‘It’s such an impressive thing, isn’t it? After seven years of pampering you, you are now at the age to do something like this.’
Seeing Eve’s same pink eyes as Estella’s twinkling, Arianne clicked her tongue.
From her facial expression to her actions, Estella is just like Eve. She thought it was a blessing, ‘I’m rather glad that she doesn’t resemble that man.’
If Estella had resembled the Emperor a lot, it is impossible to say whether she would have been able to fully love the child.
Rather, she may even feel resentfulness and hatred towards the child.
Of course, such messed up thoughts only came to her mind occasionally, but when she saw Eve and Estella smiling, it would completely disappear.
Estella is looking at Eve with her eyes twinkling brightly and without knowing the concept of money, she has been collecting money from doing small errands with the sole purpose of buying something delicious for mother.
‘Estella is definitely an angel!’
Eve was moved and hid her trembling hands under the table.
“Then Estella is buying me today, so I’ll eat a lot and take the medicine. Then mom will get well soon, right?”
Estella nodded her head proudly.
For a few days, she wasn’t even allowed to touch the bag which the young girl carried around with her, she did not expect that there was such a secret.
‘How did I have a daughter like that? Does she take after her father?’
Sometimes she wondered whenever she found a side of Estella that Eve didn’t know, what kind of person is Estella’s father.
Obviously, Eve wasn’t such a bad person herself because she even made the decision to have a baby.
‘Was he a player? A broiler? Or, a thief?’
What kind of person was he, that Arianne even keeps her mouth shut and refuses to talk about him?
When she came to the island, her curiosity just seemed to grow bigger and bigger.
Arianne was in favor of their coming to the Islands, but was against sending Estella to her father.
‘It shouldn’t be too late to know more about him… I don’t have much time left. How do I convince Arianne to let us meet him?’
Arianne, feeling Eve’s gaze, bowed her head at the menu board and pretended not to notice her intense staring. Her eyelashes trembled as she bit her lip slightly before opening them once more to speak, “Did you choose? Do you want me to call the waitress?”
“Oh, wait!” Eve, distracted, hurriedly lifted the menu board.
Eve tilted her head to Estella and whispered softly, “Can I really have two?”
“You can have three.” Her daughter proudly answered.
Arianne patted Estella’s head.
Still, it’s strange to make Eve laugh because it’s expensive.
“Huh! But Arianne, I won’t buy for you!”
Arianne clicked her tongue like it was ridiculous.
She thinks that this disgusting appearance resembles Samuel completely.
***
The man who followed Arianne, Eve, and Estella to the front of the restaurant wandered around the premises for a bit. He was hesitating whether or not to follow them in, ‘It must have been Lady Vivian….’
If it was indeed her, his head is bound to get more confused, and if it is not, it means he has completely lost his mind and is now seeing ghosts.
‘But who is that child?’ He could feel his heart sinking with fear.
The child’s aqua-colored hair pierced his heart.
‘Hah. Did I just find Lady Vivian?’
The man scratched his head and looked at the restaurant with troubled eyes.
His name was Daniel, the knight who used to escort the Crown Princess Vivian.
He had protected her since she was the daughter of the Duke of Endless.
So there’s no way Daniel didn’t recognize Vivian.
Daniel was chasing after the three of them to make sure he sees her face completely before making any more moves for her face was earlier covered in the bonnet.
However, as he pursued her, he wondered whether he should inform the Imperial Palace of Vivian’s whereabouts if it indeed turns out to be her.
Vivian at the Imperial Palace seemed to have forgotten how to smile brightly, but now, this Vivian looked quite content.
She smiles brighter and looks happier than anyone else he has ever seen.
He has changed his mind more than a dozen times on whether or not to report her whereabouts.
Still, wouldn’t it be better to let someone else know? Perhaps if someone else knew he would be able to solve his indecisiveness.
Daniel scratched his head once more.
He was lost in his thoughts as he glanced inside.
So engrossed was he in his own predicament that he didn’t notice that the restaurant’s waitress called the Island’s guards and reported him as a suspicious person who lurked around the restaurant’s entrance.
“There…” She told the guards pointing at his troubled figure.