Please Take A Step Out Of The Portrait

Chapter 19

═══∘°❈°∘═══

Vivian’s POV

With a yelp, I was dragged to the middle of the dance floor. Edmund was at a distance, not concealing his displeased expression, while Rovelyn clicked her tongue while watching Edmund. 

Up till a while ago, there were quite a number of people on the dance floor. As there were too many, they were even changing partners while dancing. Why was it suddenly emptied? Was it emptied because the crown prince made his appearance? 

After all, the Imperial family is the existence that would gain the most attention, so the floor would be emptied like this. The d*mned Imperial Family. 

Even so…!

“What’s with your expression?”

“…Why are we the only ones on the dance floor?”

It’s too burdensome!

“The only people that know the steps to this dance are the members of the Imperial family and Edmund, who’s standing over there with a dissatisfied face. Who else are you going to dance with?”

…The dance floor was empty as we were the only ones who knew how to dance. 

Perhaps it was because he noted my expression, but the crown prince burst into laughter.

“I had only asked for a dance to tease Edmund, so don’t feel too pressured.”

“Yes.”

I had thought that the crown prince asked me to dance because he had something important to say to me.

As the song began, the sounds made by the stringed instruments rang out peacefully. Along with the dreamy melody, the crown prince gave a slight bow in greeting. 

While he was walking past and to stand behind me, I lifted the hem of my skirt that was embroidered with jewels slightly and bent my knees. After I straightened up, I kept my gaze forward and reached out my right hand to the side, and the crown prince’s hand held mine. 

The dance began, and the crown prince revealed his inner thoughts in earnest.

“I hope you’ll understand that I have no choice but to ask you this, no matter how you feel about it.”

“…Please speak.”

“Are you really the Vivian Summers in Sasha Summers’s portrait?”

He mentioned that he knew the dance, but the crown prince was really adept at dancing.

Under his lead, I stepped out and twirled in a circle once. As the hem of my skirt fanned out in a wide arc, exclamations burst out everywhere. 

“Yes, that’s right.”

My body was floating all of a sudden. Without a change in expression, the crown prince placed me down lightly and asked with the rational voice he used in front of Edmund earlier. 

“What’s your proof?”

The crown prince has a unique way of speaking.

While he was technically using honorifics, it wasn’t used to respect the other party or lower himself. It seemed to be respectful of the other party, but ultimately, their difference in station wasn’t forgotten.  

Perhaps that’s precisely why his short and simple words weren’t awkward at all. 

After finishing the steps of the dance, I opened my mouth after twirling in another circle.

“…Do I need to prove it?”

“You don’t have to prove it.”

“Then I won’t do it. It doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not. While the world’s rotation is a matter of course, not everyone wants to prove its reasoning.”

Also, isn’t it weird that I had to stand up and say that I’m Vivian Summers, even though I don’t have to be recognised? My existence itself is already Vivian Summers.

The crown prince didn’t talk for a while, perhaps he understood what I was saying. So I said the rest after that.

“If I am recognised by someone, I’ll become ‘Vivian of the Summers Family’, but can’t I be ‘her’ if I’m not recognised by someone?”

“……”

“As long as I have confidence in myself, there wouldn’t be a need for something meaningless and ugly such as proving myself.”

While they held such a meaningless conversation, the dance had unknowingly reached its ending. 

After completing the final move, I took a step back and slowly bent my knees in greeting. He too placed a hand near his chest and bowed gracefully. 

Lively applause poured out from the surroundings.

The crown prince stared at me without responding.

“As such, the only way I can prove myself is to not prove it, Your Highness.”

“I hope that you’ll remember that that choice isn’t very good.”

I lowered my head at the level that wasn’t deemed rude and turned, the shattered jewels that embroidered the hem of my skirt brushed against each other and let out a lively sound. 

“Is it advice or intimidation?”

“It’s a notification.”

A faint hint of displeasure flashed across the crown prince’s face. He stared at me without blinking, before turning to leave first. I also followed in his footsteps and left. It seems that the crown prince’s dislike of me grew further. 

I managed to offend the Imperial Family as soon as I got here. The reassuring protection of the Summers Family wasn’t here to protect me, so was it really alright? 

“…Since I’m going to return anyway, it’ll work out somehow.”

As I was trying to shake off the prickly displeasure, Edmund caught me. He spoke playfully, unable to erase the slight displeasure he was feeling on the inside.

“Hello, Vivi. You’re pretty even when you dance with His Highness.”

“Thank you.”

“What did you talk about with His Highness?”

Something like proving, although there were quite a lot of words exchanged, I didn’t feel like explaining it all, and it felt miserable to delve deeper. As such, I carelessly spoke words that were completely different. 

“He told me to not flirt with you. I’m so envious that you have such a good cousin.”

“What?”

“I’m going to play with my designer, so don’t follow me.”

I left Edmund, who seemed to be frozen with embarrassment, and approached Morgan Summer’s chief designer, Alice Stella, who had just entered the party venue. 

═══∘°❈°∘═══

The place where all the wealthy in the world flocked to. The capital of the Empire, Marie-Franzit. 

Everything in Marie-Franzit was extravagant. If it was art, it’s art, and if it was music, it’s music. And amongst the new culture, movies and photographs, architecture, fashion… The place where everything glitters was Marie-Franzit, the capital of the Empire. 

If the question of the most famous party in the capital of the Empire was raised, everyone would mention these five. 

The eve of the anniversary of the Empire’s founding, where only the nobles of the Empire are eligible to participate.

The year-end ball hosted by the Imperial Family, with those that had the greatest influence on the Empire throughout the year on their invite list.

The charity party that’s hosted by the wealthiest family, the position that’s occupied by the Deer Family. 

The mage federation ball, which is hosted by the families of mages, their head being the River Family.

And…

Chervanni’s Art Auction Finale Party.

Of course, there are definitely parties that are more famous than this. There weren’t only one or two parties that were held by the Deer Family, and in the case of unofficial balls, situations where the participants were lavish and outstanding was commonplace. 

However, aside from all of these, the reason that the aforementioned five parties are even more famous than those closed parties is because they are events that experience extensive media coverage. 

Backtracking, if the first four parties mentioned previously were lofty parties enjoyed by aristocratic families, then Chervanni’s Art Auction Finale Party would fall into the category where the world’s most famous people would gather without care for status. 

There were especially numerous people that were involved in the art industry, such as leading actors, designers, and writers alike.

As such, various kinds of magazines and newspapers would discuss the clothings, their partners, their purchases, the happenings in the party and so on.  

Naturally, reporters flocked to the front of Chervanni’s party hall in time for the second part of the art auction’s finale, the charity party.

Morgan Summer’s chief designer, Alice Didi Stella, spoke in reply to a reporter that was interviewing her.

“Vivian Summer? She will most certainly bring a completely different trend to the high society of the Sierra Empire that has been dying for the past decades.”

“Is that why you made a proposal for her to be your muse?”

“The focal point isn’t right. It isn’t that ‘Morgan’s Alice made a proposal for Vivian Summers to be her muse’, but that ‘Vivian Summers chose me amongst the many others.’”

It was the first time that Alice waited for the second part of the party to begin after the auction like this.

She appeared like a comet and went up faster than anyone else with the sounds of genius trailing behind, eventually becoming the chief designer of Morgan Summer at the age of twenty eight. Therefore, it was a matter of course that under her lead, Morgan Summer reigned at the top of the Empire’s fashion world faster than anyone else.

Such an Alice has been suffering from boredom in recent years. When she was about to come to the conclusion that she couldn’t continue to work in this state, Vivian Summers appeared. 

These were the words that the Deer family had separately relayed to her when they entrusted her to complete Vivian’s dress for the finale. 

“She will become the main character of the finale, so make the dress as extravagant as possible, but without losing the dignity of the olden aristocrats.”

Alice had immediately booked a train and visited Toyo, the city dominated by mages hundreds of years ago. 

She was so busy that she couldn’t even stop by her hometown. She rushed to the art museum to look at Sasha Summers’ paintings for a while, before immediately boarding the train to return. 

The completed work by condensing the time of so many craftsmen was the dress worn by Vivian Summers, who was currently dancing with the crown prince in front of her.

Amongst Sasha’s series of seasons in , the dress Vivian wore was inspired by the roses blooming freshly in May, coupled with Vivian’s unique atmosphere like she was about to disappear, made her seem as beautiful as the blooming flowers. 

With each step she takes, the fluttering skirt seemed to enhance her unique atmosphere, and everyone turned to look back at her, entranced. 

Finding Alice quietly covering her mouth, Vivian headed straight towards her with a bright smile.

“Alice!”

═══∘°❈°∘═══

Vivian’s POV

“Alice!”

I ran over to show off the dress, but she didn’t respond much with her eyes wide open. What’s this? She doesn’t like it? I like it though! That’s why I came over thinking about being her muse.

Alice seemed to be mumbling something to herself. 

“…God, I’m afraid of my talent.”

“……”

It seems like she likes it very much. 

“…You’re so beautiful, Vivian.”

“That’s thanks to you, It’s very much to my liking.”

“Have you, perhaps, considered my offer?”

At her carefully asked question, I nodded slowly. 

“Let’s quickly set a date. I expect that I’ll be quite busy for a while.”

“In that case, is it alright for me to see it as you positively considering to be Morgan Summer’s muse?”

Her slightly trembling voice quivered. What’s a muse? I thought that I had to do something extraordinary, but apparently that wasn’t it. 

All I had to do was live my life zealously and wear the clothes Morgan Summer makes diligently. 

I don’t know how long I’ll remain here, but I decided that since I’m already here, it wouldn’t be that bad to spend the time here pleasantly, so I made up my mind. 

“Yes.”

“Thank you. I guarantee it. Vivian Summers, you are already an image representing the golden age of the past, but at the same time, you will become an icon that penetrates today’s Sierra.”

“……”

I didn’t want it to be to that extent, but I nodded my head at the confidence of Alice, who spoke firmly. The other unknown people that were listening by the side started to greet and congratulate me. 

“Congratulations!”

“In that case, will Vivian Summers be the main muse for next year’s collection? Or will it still be based on Sasha’s paintings?”

“It should be alright if Sasha’s painting is used as the motif.”

“Right. Everyone always feels nostalgia for that era.”

To those that asked all kinds of questions, Alice shook her hand and dismissed them, saying she would slowly decide those things one by one. 

“We’ll have to proceed with the details after the contract, but what’s the most urgent thing…”

“The hunting competition in summer is coming up soon.”

It was Edmund, not me, who answered Alice, who seemed to be in a flurry. 

═══∘°❈°∘═══