Free Web NovelChapter 13: Vivienne D’Arc
Countess Vivienne D’Arc stepped into the ballroom.
The silence in the ballroom remained unbroken.
While all eyes were on her, she slowly walked towards the Crown Princess, moving past the Prince and his knights.
She did not greet anyone, nor did anyone dare to greet her.
"Your Highness, I thought this was a masquerade ball." Vivienne said with a slight smile. "So then, why has my dear boy’s identity been compromised?"
Agnes glanced up at the Countess, her gaze calm and neutral.
She took a moment to collect her words and said, "My apologies, Countess, but his identity was compromised long before."
"Hm?" Vivienne slightly raised her eyebrow.
"I can only state what happened after my arrival. Regarding the event leading to it, I’m afraid only the Duke can answer that." Agnes answered.
Vivienne’s eyes glanced at Duke Leurox, the man supposedly higher in ranking than her and the one hosting the ball.
Duke Leurox stepped towards Countess D’Arc and said, "It was a misunderstanding among youngsters, Countess. I’m sure we can all let it slip."
"How exactly was it a misunderstanding, Duke?" Vivienne kept the slight smile on her face and asked with an interested look on her face.
Any man would think the Countess was being flirtatious with such a tone and body language, but to Duke Leurox, it felt as if a snake was gently coiling against his neck, strengthening its hold ever so slightly.
"I was attending to my daughter at the time. I’m sure the Countess can understand how difficult children can be during their special days. Nevertheless, in my absence, the youngsters had a verbal dispute which escalated unnecessarily."
The Duke maintained eye contact as he spoke, though peering into the Countess’s blue eyes for long made him feel as if he was sinking deeper into a bottomless ocean.
"Is that so?" Vivienne asked in a gentle tone, making the Duke feel that she was softening up.
The Countess loved her children dearly. It was known to all.
The Duke tried to bank on it, and his strategy seemed to be working.
Vivienne took half a step closer to the Duke.
"Then I suppose the Duke also understands how protective a parent can become when their child is publicly humiliated."
Duke Leurox’s expression stiffened.
Vivienne’s smile remained.
"After all, if my son had suffered any harm tonight..."
She lightly adjusted her gloves.
"...it would have been difficult for me to remain reasonable."
A white snake reappeared in the Duke’s vision, tightly coiling around his neck while baring its fangs.
It was merely an illusion, yet the Duke felt his breathing grow heavier.
Standing nearby, the Prince had a neutral expression but his fists clenched hard as he watched the Countess take control of the ballroom.
She did not acknowledge his presence in the slightest, treating him as if he was air.
’Father won’t be happy if I don’t bring the Countess’s son to him. Thankfully for me, the death of the Royal Hounds is a major tragedy tied directly to the Crown.’
’Countess or not, defying this means going against the Crown itself.’
The Prince steadied his breathing and slowly loosened his clenched fists.
He stepped forward and looked right at the Countess.
"Countess D’Arc, the matter regarding the Royal Hounds remains unresolved."
Getting interrupted in her conversation with the Duke, Vivienne slowly turned to look at the Prince.
The smile on her face faded.
Her expression turned to one of confusion and wonder.
"I wonder how that’s relevant to my conversation with the Duke, Your Highness."
The Prince took a step closer to Vivienne, staring right into her eyes.
"Countess D’Arc, several Royal Hounds have lost their lives under suspicious circumstances, and your son was present at the center of the incident."
His tone remained calm and courteous.
"As things stand, he may be the only witness capable of clarifying what truly transpired. So I ask for your cooperation and hope this matter will not be made more difficult than it already is."
Vivienne slightly raised an eyebrow.
For the first time since her arrival, she properly looked at the Prince.
Agnes felt a faint throb form near her temples.
The Countess was no longer speaking to Duke Leurox and her attention was fully onto the Prince.
"Clarifying what had transpired?" Vivienne repeated softly, her tone carrying neither anger nor mockery.
"Your Highness, my son attended a masquerade ball and returned involved in the deaths of the Royal Hounds."
She paused briefly.
"And your first instinct is to drag him to the palace in the middle of the night?"
The ballroom grew quieter.
"How fascinating."
The Prince was a few inches shorter than the Countess. Despite her tall figure, he wasn’t intimidated and stared right into her eyes, not backing away.
"Countess D’Arc, your own words have the answer you’re looking for. The Royal Hounds, our most elite group, met a catastrophic fate but your son emerged unscathed. I believe—"
"Prince Soren Falkner."
Vivienne tilted her head slightly.
Her gaze was locked with his, and within those deep blue eyes, Prince Soren did not see intimidation.
No, it was something much simpler.
It was as if the Countess was not staring at a Prince but something closer to a child making a mistake.
A soft smile returned to the Countess’s lips.
"Your Highness..."
Vivienne’s tone was calm.
Almost polite.
"...you are standing my way."
A pause.
The ballroom did not dare breathe.
The Prince’s legs almost threatened to move on their own.
The Countess spoke again, this time much slower with a warm smile.
"A coup d’etat hasn’t happened yet because your sister is competent."
Her eyes drifted briefly toward Agnes.
"I look forward to her becoming Queen."
Then back to him.
"As for you..."
Vivienne’s smile turned faint.
"You should worry less about dragging my son into your palace..." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
She took a slight step forward, almost casting a shadow.
"...and more about your father’s declining health."
The Prince heard it well and clear.
The room did too.
That comment landed.
Not loudly.
But precisely.
The Prince’s expression didn’t change but someone behind his eyes tightened. freēwēbnovel.com
"..My father’s health is not declining."
Vivienne’s smile deepened.
She didn’t answer.
She didn’t need to.
Instead—
"Vincent."
The name dropped into the ballroom like the gong of a morning bell, alerting everyone.
From the back rows, Vincent’s body moved swiftly, ignoring the knights around him and going past them.
He internally thought as he moved past the crowd, ’Shit, I better hurry...’
Every noble instinctively avoided looking at him or the Countess.
Anastasia followed half a step behind Vincent with the same swiftness.
For the first time since her arrival in the ballroom, Vivienne’s eyes turned soft as she gazed at her young man hurrying towards her with his dear life.
He was so short that even after standing up from his chair, he seemed the same height.
Vivienne chuckled internally but didn’t express it on her face.
When Vincent arrived by her side, she didn’t say a word and only held his wrist, moving past the Prince and waving her other hand up in the air.
"A pleasant night to all. I hope all your dreams come true."
House D’Arc left the ballroom.
The masquerade ball officially came to an end.
