The Love that Never Really Dies (Sasha and Sebastian)

“Vivian, we're counting on you this time!”

“That's right. Princess Vivian, if we manage to strike a deal with Elysium, you will not only be the tribe's benefactor, but you will also be making a huge contribution to Yorksland. When that happens, we will definitely get the Ministry of Commerce to commend you.”

“Umm...”

Vivian blushed when she heard that as no one had ever complimented her that way before.

To her, she was just doing what she was supposed to do.

Leading the group consisting of a dozen of overseas merchants, Vivian, who had already settled her emotions, set off for the mysterious tribe that had remained largely unknown to the outside world.

“Ms. Hayes, we heard that the fashion show was your idea. Is that true?”

As the journey would take quite a while, boredom arose and the merchants started chatting in the vehicle halfway to their destination.

When Vivian, who was in the front seat, heard the question being directed to her, she turned around at once and replied, “Yes, that's right.”

“Wow, that's really impressive. By the way, Ms. Hayes, you're really fluent in foreign languages. Are you local?”

“Exactly! That fashion show was really interesting and the visuals were stunning. I love the way it was designed as well. Ms. Hayes, did you major in fashion in school?”

There were a few merchants within the group who were more familiar with the industry, and it was obvious to them that the fashion show was definitely not the work of an amateur.

Vivian shook her head and replied, “I'm not local. I'm just here to visit some relatives. Regarding my course of study, I'm a student of the Royal Academy in Yartran, majoring in fashion and jewelry design. Currently, I'm also the exclusive designer of Princess Odette.”

“Oh my God!”

Everyone was dumbstruck when they heard that, letting out gasps of astonishment.

After learning that fact, the merchants finally understood why the fashion show was presented in such a unique and refreshing manner. It turned out that it was planned and executed by a student of the world-famous art academy, who was also the exclusive designer for the royal family of Yartran.

That greatly increased the merchants' trust in Vivian. Because of that, they had also decided to give the girl full autonomy in the design of the upcoming products of their collaboration.

After some time, the group finally arrived at Elysium.

“Vivian, you're here!”

When they arrived at the destination, Matteo was the first to welcome them.

Vivian was delighted to hear her brother's voice when she got out of the car.

However, the light in her eyes dimmed shortly after when she scanned her surroundings and noticed that Kurt was not among the Elysians who had gathered to welcome them, despite the fact that there were some royal representatives present.

“Princess Vivian, our king and Prince Kurt are waiting for you at the palace. We are very grateful to you for introducing such esteemed overseas guests to us. Please allow me to lead the way to the palace.”

The representative sent by the Elysium royalty was the palace chief who had served the king for many years.

When he saw Vivian and the dozen of overseas merchants, he greeted them enthusiastically and invited them back to the palace, informing them that a banquet had already been prepared to welcome them.

As such, Vivian and the merchants followed the palace chief back to the palace.

As for Matteo, since he was temporarily in charge of the tribe's security matters, he went with Vivian and the overseas guests.

“Don't worry, in order to ensure that the business deal will be carried out smoothly, I've made special arrangements to keep the troublemakers out of the way,” he said.

“Huh?” Vivian was confused.

“Oh, by the way, don't be scared when you're in the palace later. Even though that stubborn king was quite against this collaboration with the overseas merchants at first, that rascal somehow managed to convince him. He seems to be quite cooperative now,” Matteo told his sister.

Vivian heaved a sigh of relief after hearing that.

Indeed, that was her biggest worry. In fact, the current king was the reason Elysium had been isolated from the rest of the world.

As such, Vivian was rather concerned that there might be a chance that the obstinate king would change his mind upon the arrival of the overseas merchants.

Matteo's words had given her the assurance she needed.

At the same time, Vivian's thoughts drifted to Kurt again.

When the group of them arrived at the lake near the palace, they saw the royal honor guards who were in charge of receiving guests. They also noticed that trees on both sides of the lake had been decorated with colorful ribbons and feathers.

“What are these?”

“This is the tribe's way of welcoming guests. It's a royal treatment that's only reserved for their most distinguished guests. The feathers attached to the trees are from extremely rare birds and beasts in the region. And those ribbons are hand-sewn by the people of the tribe.”

After accepting the task, Vivian had spent two days scouring the internet for information about the tribe and its entire history.

As such, she had no problem answering the questions posed by the merchants.

After listening to her explanation and knowing that they were being accorded the royal treatment, the overseas guests were delighted. They had wide smiles on their faces all the way until they were escorted into the palace by the honor guards.

It was the same for Vivian, who had a jovial expression on her face until she finally saw the young man who was awaiting their arrival in the palace.

Kurt...

She called out to him silently in her heart.

However, she noticed that Kurt still had a frosty expression on his face, and he did not even look at her.

After sweeping a glance at the overseas merchants, Kurt turned his gaze toward his father, the current king of Elysium.q