History at the Library
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chapter-5
Vivian pointed at the gold ring on her left ring finger and shouted in sorrowful frustration. Around the jewel, the impression of the imperial seal had been neatly imprinted. She had taken a vow of chastity, and the ring was proof that she had become the possession of the imperial family.
Vivian had once been the only daughter of the Marten Family. However, it was prettily put, an earl, and an aristocrat by title only. Just as she had learned to walk, the household’s strength started to decline, debt had continued to pile on. When she turned ten, her parents had passed away and the title of an Earl was naturally handed to her uncle.
At fourteen, Vivian, who had been living on edge at her relative’s, had no choice but to throw away her fate. That is, she decided to never marry.
She had already anticipated that once she became an adult, she would be sold away in the marriage market at a high price. The value of Vivian, as per what her relatives told her, was only her outstandingly beautiful looks that she had earned from her mother’s genes. As a result, Vivian decided to throw away her worth, according to her family, as fast possible.To become a nun.
In the Royal Palace, there was a contract for average servants and a separate life contract. Once she signed the ‘Employee Life Contract’, she gave up her right to marry and after she took a vow of chastity, Vivian had worked all throughout her youth.
However, Vivian had gladly signed the life contract. It was because once she became a servant in the Royal Palace, her name would no longer remain in the household records of the Marten Family. Then, at the very least, Vivian wouldn’t become a victim of the marriage market.
It was Vivian’s chance of a lifetime.
“There is a limit to how many times these incidents can serve as material, because I can’t go experience it myself.”
Should the owner of this ring be unable to keep their vow of chastity, the magic cast on the ring would cause the jewel in the middle to shatter and alert the authorities.
“Well, I too understand your circumstances….”Thatcher, like Vivian, glanced down at the ring and looked sincerely regrettable. After all, her extraordinary abilities and limitless potential decayed behind a single contract.
In reality, her feats were incredible as a person who didn’t even have the experience of dating. Everything was the result of Vivian’s blood and sweat, as she sold her legwork to surrounding acquaintances with diligence, to earn material for the novel.
“How about at least dating?”
“Are you telling me to die?”
No matter how the era progressed, the Royal Palace was still a living, breathing, conservative temple of sorts. Be it maids or slaves, if one had signed a life contract and lost their chastity, that was their end. It was a death sentence for scorning the Royal Palace.
Only
Vivian molded into the sofa as she let the nonsensical proposition slip through one ear and out the other while she wagged her head. Thatcher forcefully emphasized his words towards her who carelessly replied.
“Even if you can’t have sex, everyone’s still probably sneakily dating, you know?”
“It’s not something you need to do to understand.”
“However there are things you have to do, in order to understand.”
“F…….”
Thatcher was saying ‘You wouldn’t understand even if I told you. After all, you don’t have any experience’ with his eyes.
This time, Vivian’s pride cracked. In her own way, she held pride and stubbornness over her works, and she had never faced failure even once before. All three of her previous works had sold out the moment they had started selling, and there were continuous requests to publish more. Even now, the fire of the revolution that Vivian started had yet to run low on fuel – in fact, it burned even brighter and hotter.
