20 Her First Meeting

"What are you doing here?"

Strutting her way closer to the person leisurely sitting on the ground, Vivienne had the shock of her life when she saw who was under the sun hat.

Valentine, her enigmatic older sister, casually turned her head and stared directly at Vivienne, causing her to stagger. She took a few steps back as Valentine got up from the ground, completely unbothered by Vivienne's presence.

Vivienne's initial intention was to tell off the intruder who had dared to enter the Rose Sanctuary. Other than the Head Gardener, it was an unspoken rule that the Rose Sanctuary was forbidden to all.

Being overwhelmed with the tea party preparations, she had half a mind to vent her frustrations towards the offender.

But everything changed when Vivienne saw her.

Secretly pinching herself to make sure it wasn't a dream, Vivienne managed to swallow her words, all the while trying to regain her composure.

After all, this was the first time she had seen her up close.

If it were not for her older brother, Vivienne wouldn't have been aware of her presence around the house.

The most that Vivienne had seen all this time was just her shadow in the background or traces of bread crumbs on the floor.

Even during mealtimes, when the whole family made it a point to eat together despite their hectic schedules, she was hardly seen at all.

From the stories that her older brother had told her, Vivienne had pictured a rather distinct image of the person standing in front of her.

Truthfully, Vivienne felt a little bit intimidated by her, probably because she was far taller than she imagined.

Not only that, everything that Vivienne had presumed about her was completely different from her original belief.

As opposed to their distinguished blonde hair and greyish-silver eyes, Valentine had piercing eyes the color of a thousand hues of blue and the darkest midnight hair, which stood out even more under the dazzling sun.

There wasn't a single trace of similarity between them, yet as Vivienne looked at her as a whole, she knew the reason why.

Why, even after the endless searching and futile attempts, despite everything, she was brought back home.

The answer was simple, but the question was harder.

She had seen the answer before in the form of a portrait hanging above her father's fireplace in his study.

And today, that portrait had come back to life.

For the portrait was of her dearly departed mother, Lady Eleanor.

And her older sister, Valentine Hargreaves. 😲

Valentine's gaze remained unwavering as she looked at Vivienne, who was struggling to piece together her thoughts.

"Just pruning the roses," Valentine replied casually, not a hint of awkwardness in her voice.

"Who...who gave you permission to touch these roses?" Vivienne demanded, trying to get closer to her.

"Mr. Garrison." She answered. "He asked me to help out."

'Why did Mr. Garrison ask her to do such a thing? Doesn't he know the significance of these roses?' Vivienne thought.

"This section of the garden is off-limits to you."

"Why?" Valentine asked, her calm demeanor unshaken.

There were so many things that Vivienne wanted to say out loud, but her thoughts were so jumbled that she just snapped at her.

"Because I said so," she snapped. "These roses are special. They don't need your meddling."

"I was just trying to help."

Vivienne didn't mean to say it in such a way, but it was already too late. Although she had no intention of addressing her sister harshly, the words had already been spoken.

"If you really want to help, stay out of my way."

Valentine's expression didn't change, but something in her eyes flickered—a mix of understanding and sadness.

"Fine. I'll stay out of your way," she said softly, turning back to the roses.

Vivienne watched her for a moment longer, torn between her snobbish facade and the concern she felt deep down. She wanted to reach out, to bridge the gap that had always existed between them, but her pride held her back.

With a huff, she turned on her heel and walked away, her heart heavy with unspoken words and unexpressed emotions.

As she rejoined the preparations for the tea party, Vivienne couldn't help but glance back at Valentine, who was already walking away. A part of her had hoped that Valentine would turn back, maybe spare her a glimpse, but all she saw was her hat, growing smaller as the distance between them widened.