Vivid | Lee Minho

•Scene 8•

"The Countess asks about you often. Have you been well?" Lord Seo Changbin, the heir of Slaede, asked after you settled under the generous shade of the gazebo.

"I have. Please send her my warm regards, Lord Seo." you offered him a polite smile as your butler placed filled teacups before the two of you.

Slaede and Lurmuse were neighbors, the friendship between their nobles ancient yet eternally strong. Being fellow border forces had also made your fiefdoms the perfect strategic partners, befitting the long history of peace shared between you.

If there was anyone in this lifetime you would consider a friend, it would be Changbin. You had known him nearly all your life, having had to see him often due to the closeness of your families. Your parents liked to organize play dates and study sessions for the two of you as children, and as you matured, you would attend banquets and balls together—on the rare occasion the Crown Prince was not hoarding you all to himself.

Changbin was one of the candidates you had considered for the execution of your plan. He had the status, reputation, and military power to stand against the royal family if he wished. He would have made a perfect aide, if not for the one fault that deterred you from choosing him.

You had seen enough lifetimes to recognize an infatuation upon sight, and even though you could not pinpoint when he started to, you knew that Changbin liked you. That sentiment was a double-edged sword. It would provide enough reason for Changbin to lend you his power, but it would then prevent you from achieving the resolution you desired.

You would not allow yourself to hurt him as such.

The partner you had sought had to have no prior attachments to you or reason to develop any. It was the only way you could succeed.

"To be honest with you, we could hardly believe the wedding invitation that had reached us," Changbin remarked lightly, reaching for the milk jug to pour some into his tea. "It was a surprise. I can only regrettably imagine how the Prince's banquet unfolded."

"He had been upset," you recalled dully, and he chuckled at your tone.

"Understandably so. I don't presume he had expected a rejection, let alone the hundred guests present."

You shrugged, a shadow of a smile on your lips. There was no denying that rejecting the Crown Prince had brought you an inexplicable sense of pleasure. "That is more so his fault than mine."

"You aren't mistaken," he agreed.

Though he tried to hide it, you still caught the hint of regret and apprehension in his voice. A fleeting bitterness. He had been at the border when the banquet was held, overseeing the forces that helped protect the kingdom, and could not attend as a result.

Your deal with Minho had consequently shattered his hopes of ever asking for your hand. There was no rectifying that truth. As cruel as it was, pretending that you were still unaware of his feelings was the best you could do for his sake.

"What of you?" you prompted after a sip of your tea. "I hear that Her Excellency has set her eyes on the eldest Lady Gaele."

"Ah, well," he laughed, awkwardly stirring his drink. "I have not yet discussed anything with her."

You had met said Lady Gaele once before, and she was a lovely, sophisticated young woman. You were sure that your friend would direct his affections toward her in due time. All he needed was a push.

"Perhaps you should, lest your youth be wasted at the border."

That seemed to cheer him up a little, and he joked, "Worry not. I will not rot away in the garrisons."