Vivienne's heart raced as she paced back and forth in front of Milo's room. They had agreed to meet up to discuss what had happened while they were apart. Initially, she hadn't given it much thought, but now the idea of being alone with Milo in his room was both exciting and made her nervous.
She felt a mix of emotions. On the one hand, she was glad to have this opportunity to spend time with Milo in a more intimate setting. But on the other hand, she couldn't help but feel a bit anxious about flirting with him.
Taking a deep breath, Vivienne finally mustered the courage to knock on the door. Startled by the unexpected sight of the Northern Duke opening the door instead of Milo, Vivienne's heart skipped a beat. She quickly checked the door number to confirm that it was indeed Milo's room. Doubt crept into her mind, wondering if she had made a mistake or if something had changed.
"Welcome, Vivienne, to Milo's room!" the Northern Duke greeted with a cheerful smile, guiding her to a seat. "Milo will be back shortly with all the snacks."
"Thank you for the warm welcome," Vivienne said to the Northern Duke, her confusion slowly increasing as she entered the room.
"I heard from Milo that you two will be having an interesting conversation, so I wanted to join too," the Northern Duke said with a smile.
Vivienne then understood why the Northern Duke was here. Vivienne felt a twinge of disappointment, but she quickly realized that the chance to be alone with Milo was too good to be true.
As they waited for Milo, the Northern Duke engaged Vivienne in light-hearted conversation, sharing amusing anecdotes and making her laugh. Despite her initial confusion about his presence, she found herself enjoying their time together.
Just as they were immersed in their laughter-filled exchange, Milo returned with a tray of delicious snacks. He grinned upon seeing Vivienne and the Northern Duke getting along so well.
"Snacks are here!" Milo announced, setting the tray on the table.
"These look lovely," Vivienne commented as she took a piece and happily savored it.
"Now, Vivienne, would you like to tell us who that man in the white attire is?" the Northern Duke asked while Milo had barely settled into his seat.
"Your Grace, the man in white attire is His Holiness, the High Priest Raphael, so we must regard him with high respect and give him very warm hospitality," Vivienne said.
"Why is he getting all cozy with Ava?" the Northern Duke went straight to the point.
"You're making it very obvious, Your Grace," Milo commented with a hint of amusement.
"I'm not the only one curious. I know you are as well," the Northern Duke defended himself.
Vivienne could see the curiosity in both the Northern Duke and Milo's expressions as they eagerly awaited her explanation.
"Okay, okay, I'll spill the beans," Vivienne said, enjoying their enthusiasm. "It all started when the High Priest discovered Ava's magical power. He believed that if he and Ava were to be married, their powers would combine and bring forth a world of profound peace."
"Wait, magic is real?!" Milo interrupted, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Wait, the High Priest wants to marry Ava?!" the Northern Duke exclaimed, equally taken aback by the revelation.
Vivienne nodded, confirming both of their reactions. "Yes, it's all quite extraordinary. Magic is real, and the High Priest truly believes that marrying Ava would bring about a world of profound peace."
Milo and the Northern Duke exchanged incredulous glances before turning their attention back to Vivienne, eager for more details. Vivienne couldn't help but smile at their curiosity.
"I know it sounds like something out of a fairy tale," she continued, "but that's exactly how the High Priest sees it. He's convinced that their combined powers would be a force for good."
"I can't believe it," Milo said, still trying to wrap his head around the idea of magic.
"I agree," the Northern Duke added. "It's quite an ambitious plan, to say the least."
"Indeed," Vivienne agreed. "But Ava declined the High Priest's proposal. She's determined to follow her own path and fulfill her own destiny."
"And what about the crown prince's reaction?" the Northern Duke asked, leaning in with interest, "Oh, how I wish I were there to witness his reaction. He must be livid."
"Oh, the crown prince was not happy at all," Vivienne replied, chuckling. "He tried everything to keep Ava away from the High Priest during her training. But in the end, Ava insisted on going through with it."
"That must have been quite the showdown," Milo commented with a grin.
"It was," Vivienne said, shaking her head. "But Ava stood her ground, and she completed her training successfully. Now, with her newfound power, she's already making a difference, like ending the drought in the Eastern lands."
Both the Northern Duke and Milo looked impressed by Ava's achievements.
"Well, it's clear that Ava is no ordinary woman," the Northern Duke said.
"That's for sure," Milo added with a smile.
"And she's just getting started," Vivienne said, her voice filled with pride for her friend. "Also, remember we must call her Goddess Ava now."
"Ava will always be Ava," the Northern Duke stubbornly answered.
"Understood," Milo answered with a nod.
"Now, it's my turn to ask some questions. Your Grace, how long can you stay here? Don't you have work in the north?" Vivienne inquired, curious about the Northern Duke's stay at the royal palace.
"I've cleared my schedule for at least two months, as I assumed you'd be gone for a while. So, I came here to help Milo and keep him company," the Northern Duke answered with a warm smile.
'Why is he smiling like that? Did I change the Northern Duke's character that much, or is there something more going on?' Vivienne's mind raced with a flurry of internal questions as she observed the interaction between Milo and the Northern Duke. 'Wait, did the Northern Duke just call Milo by his name? They seem so comfortable with each other. Have they progressed their relationship faster than mine with Milo? Is the Northern Duke interested in Milo? Oh no, do I have a rival for his affections?' Vivienne couldn't help but feel a pang of unease.
"I appreciate your kind offer to help, Your Grace," Milo said with a polite smile, "but now that Vivienne is here, I believe we can manage just fine. You don't need to trouble yourself any further."
The Northern Duke chuckled and shook his head. "Nonsense! I've come all this way to keep you company, and that's precisely what I intend to do," he replied, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
Vivienne couldn't help but find the Northern Duke's persistence endearing. She glanced at Milo, who seemed to be torn between annoyance and amusement.
"Alright, if you insist," Milo finally relented, "but you better not cause any trouble."
The Northern Duke raised his hands in mock surrender. "I promise to be on my best behavior," he said with a playful wink.
Vivienne's thoughts quieted as she observed the conversation, and she decided to join in with a playful exclamation, "Yay! Another slave!"
Vivienne's playful remark earned a chuckle from Milo and a raised eyebrow from the Northern Duke.
"Oh, I see how it is," the Northern Duke said with a smirk, "Am I to be your servant now?"
Vivienne grinned mischievously. "Of course! I shall keep you very busy with my endless requests."
As they continued to banter and joke, Vivienne felt a warmth in her heart. She realized how much she had missed them and how glad she was to be back home with her friends.
The next day...
'Why am I here just to suffer?' Vivienne thought, feeling caught in the middle of the two handsome men who were arguing with each other over her head. On one side was the cold Duke of the North, and on the other side was the angelic High Priest.
"You must address her as Goddess Ava. You can't address a goddess so casually," the High Priest scolded the Northern Duke.
"I'll call Ava however I want. It is none of your business," the Northern Duke retorted defiantly.
"No, you cannot. You are disrespecting her," the High Priest continued firmly.
"No, it is not necessary. I met Ava before you, and we are very close friends," the Northern Duke responded.
The two men continued to glare at each other while Vivienne found herself in the middle of this ridiculous argument.
"Er... I have work to do," Vivienne said, attempting to excuse herself from the awkward situation.
"NO!" Both handsome men exclaimed at the same time, insisting that she stay.
"Why do I have to be stuck in the middle of this?" Vivienne complained, her tone filled with frustration.
"You are here to mediate the situation," the High Priest explained, emphasizing the importance of her role.
"Enough with the arguing, both of you and get back to your duties!" Vivienne said firmly, but the two men continued to ignore her, much to her dismay. 'So much for mediating the situation,' she thought, feeling exasperated.
Vivienne didn't think the situation could get any worse, but just as the two handsome men continued their argument, a third one decided to appear.
"What are you two doing?" The crown prince questioned, his tone laced with irritation.
'Oh no,' Vivienne thought when she noticed the crown prince approaching. The last thing she wanted was to get caught in the middle of their bickering.
The Northern Duke summarized, "This dude insists that we call her Goddess Ava."
The High Priest firmly defended his stance, saying, "Goddess Ava deserves to be addressed with a great title."
The crown prince, not one to back down, countered, "No, Ava deserves to be called Empress Ava since she'll become one in the future."
Vivienne sighed inwardly, feeling like she was stuck in the middle of a never-ending argument.
"You know, instead of arguing among yourselves, why not just ask Ava what she prefers?" Vivienne spoke up, feeling fed up with the never-ending discussion.
The three men paused for a moment, considering Vivienne's suggestion. The crown prince nodded thoughtfully, "You're right. We should let Ava decide for herself."
The High Priest nodded in agreement, "Indeed, it's only fair to respect her wishes."
The Northern Duke, reluctantly conceding, added, "Fine, we'll leave it to Ava then."
With that, they all agreed to approach Ava and have an open and honest conversation about how she would prefer to be addressed. Vivienne felt relieved that her words were taken seriously, and she hoped that they could resolve the matter peacefully.
'I need to deal with these three and the wedding. I feel like I'm going to have a headache,' Vivienne thought to herself, feeling the weight of her responsibilities. She let out a sigh, straightened her shoulders, and returned to her tasks.