Xu Yi had enjoyed his conversation with Count Samo so much that it ran rather long. By the time he returned home, the moon was high and it was late at night.
When he opened the door, Vivian was not waiting inside as she usually did. The house was dark and silent, without the slightest sound.
She probably couldn't wait any longer and went to bed, Xu Yi thought.
But after taking off his shoes and entering the house, he was startled to discover someone slumped over the table in the living room.
He looked closer in the moonlight. Who else could it be but Vivian?
Judging by the covered, untouched dishes on the table, she had probably prepared dinner long ago and waited for Xu Yi to return. When he failed to arrive, she had fallen asleep waiting.
Looking at Vivian's sleeping face, Xu Yi felt a pang of guilt.
He had only decided to attend the banquet at the City Lord's Manor after Viscount Leslie notified him at short notice that day. He had not had time to come home and tell Vivian, leaving the girl waiting for hours.
"I keep talking to Leslie and Count Samo about freeing up productive forces, yet here I am, keeping a young girl in the prime of her youth confined to this little house. That's hardly right." Xu Yi shook his head with a sigh, then bent down and gently picked Vivian up.
Compared to how painfully thin she had been when Xu Yi first bought her, Vivian was still slender, but she had clearly gained considerable weight. Holding her was actually a little strenuous for him.
For one thing, Vivian was at an age when she was growing rapidly. For another, her living conditions with Xu Yi were far better