VBFSOCL 05

Episode 5: Farewell and Reunion with His Fiancée

The two of them exchanged their engagement greetings with a faint, embarrassed awkwardness.

“Goodness! What a perfect match you two make!”

“Yes, indeed,” the duke and the countess replied with warm smiles, watching the pair seated together on the sofa.

With the engagement now formally established, the adults decided to leave the two alone so they could quietly get to know each other over tea. One by one, the guests filed out of the room.

As they were leaving, the countess leaned in close to Fiene and whispered into her ear.

“Win over the future duke by any means necessary. Fail me, and you won’t be eating dinner tonight.”

“Yes… understood.”

After receiving her answer—carefully ensuring Os couldn’t hear—the countess hid her mouth behind her fan, gave Os a polite bow, and left the room.

Now, only the two of them remained.

It was Os who spoke first.

“I’m glad we could meet again, Fiene.”

“Yes.”

“From now on, I look forward to being with you.”

“Yes… I look forward to it as well.”

Fiene delivered her response exactly as she had been taught by her etiquette tutor—perfectly by the book.

The way she lightly lifted the hem of her dress in a small curtsy was charming… though still faintly stiff, as if she didn’t quite belong in the motion yet.

Once she sat down, Os took a sip of tea and continued.

“I’ll come see you at least once a week from now on.”

“Thank you very much.”

“If it feels difficult at first, you can think of me as an older brother.”

“…My older brother?”

“Mm. It’s fine if you just tell me what you like, or what you dislike.”

Something unfamiliar stirred in Fiene’s chest.

He was smiling. He sounded kind. And yet… there was a loneliness in him that she couldn’t quite understand.

“Lonely?”

“Eh?”

Realizing she had spoken out loud, Fiene hurriedly covered her mouth with both hands.

“I-I apologize. It was nothing.”

“It’s alright.” Os smiled gently. “I’m not lonely. Because you’re here with me.”

And with that, their first meeting came to an end.

From that day on, Os began visiting Fiene every week.

Little by little, the distance between them shrank. And before long, Fiene found herself able to speak with him without hesitation.

“Os!”

“Fiene, I’ve been waiting. Shall we read something today?”

“Yes!”

At first, she had been uneasy—about the boy who didn’t seem to truly see her, whose gaze always felt as if it was directed somewhere far away.

But gradually, that boy’s expression softened. And Fiene began to find comfort in that warmth.

Just thinking about the days he would come made the hardships she endured bearable. And more than anything, something inside her began to take shape.

Fiene fell in love with the boy named Os.

But a turning point soon came.

“My lady! It’s a boy!”

“Oh, how wonderful! Now we have an heir!”

A legitimate heir had been born into the count’s household.

From that moment, Fiene’s treatment grew even harsher. And eventually, her fate changed completely.

“You’re no longer needed.”

Those were the last words she heard before she lost consciousness.

When she came to, she was outside in the freezing cold, snow falling softly around her. Barefoot.

“Where… am I?”

A landscape she had never seen stretched out before her. In the distance stood a massive iron gate.

It was there that she was taken in by a nun… and came to live in the church.

And just like that, she could no longer meet Os.

◇◆◇

Back in the present, Fiene wept inside the carriage as she looked at the man sitting across from her—the one with milk-tea-colored hair.

She never could have imagined that the boy from her memories would grow into such a refined man. Her emotions swelled so intensely that she didn’t know what to do with them.

“After that… I was told by the countess that you had died,” Os said quietly. “I was devastated.”

“I see…”

“I felt something was off, so I kept investigating. And then I heard rumors in social circles that there was a holy maiden in the church who resembled you.”

Os gently took both of Fiene’s hands in his large ones.

“I finally found you. It took ten years… but will you stay with me again?”

Fiene tightened her grip on his hands. And for the first time in a long while, she smiled through her tears.

“Yes!”

Thank you very much for reading!!

We’ll be continuing with “Os” as his name for now—
His full name is “Oswald,” and he will appear as such in formal settings.

Author’s notes:

Fiene was abandoned at the church at age seven.

They reunited at ages seventeen and twenty-three.

You might wonder—does age matter for a vampire? That will be explained later!

Next, I’m planning to write a short section from Os’s perspective about the past.