You're a rich girl, and you've gone too far

In spite of Nick’s initial anxiety about sleeping in the same bed as Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin while his stepmother slept in the bed right next to his, he actually managed to have a decent night’s rest. While he wasn’t certain that the mute assassin wouldn’t do anything to him in his sleep, the silent assurance she gave him was enough to quell his wariness, and the next thing he knew he was engulfed in one of the most peaceful dreams he’d ever had.

When his eyes opened and he awoke on a mattress softer than air, for a second he thought he was still dreaming.

“Huh…?” Nick raised his hand to shield himself from the sunlight streaming through the window. “What’s going on…?”

He turned over to look for his silent bedmate, only to find himself alone beneath the luxurious silk covers. As his body adjusted to being awake, he took stock of his surroundings and realized that this was not the Master’s Suite, even though it was no less ornately decorated.

Wherever he was, it was fancy. Instead of the gaudy golden décor that surrounded his usual sleeping arrangements, everything here was crafted in exquisite detail. It reminded him of the photographs his stepmother had shown him of her old family home, and that’s when he fully recognized that he was no longer on the island.

But I know I’m not dreaming, so what’s going on? Nick didn’t bother pinching himself to check. That was an old wives’ tale; no, you could feel pain in dreams. He had several times.

So with that out of the way, the only possibility was something cooked up by Dakota. Am I in Dream Alley? That’s the logical assumption. But my next day was Vivian’s day, and last I checked, she didn’t have the BP to afford a trip to Dream Alley. …Actually, knowing her, she probably borrowed the money from someone, like Rose.

Just as Nick finished putting the pieces together, the door of the fancy bedroom opened and his assumptions were immediately confirmed.

“Lord Nicholas, good morning.” Octavia greeted him with a hand over the breast of her jacket and a slight bow. “How may I serve you?”

“Eh? Uh… O-Octavia, right?” Nick blushed with shame that he’d momentarily forgotten the name of Vivian’s butler. But then again, he hadn’t exactly exchanged many conversations with the statuesque woman.

Octavia herself didn’t seem to mind. She nodded slightly again. “That is correct, sir. How may I be of assistance?”

“…This is Vivian’s doing, isn’t it?” Nick climbed out of bed, relieved that he was wearing clothes, even if they were fancy silk pajamas he doubted he’d ever be able to afford in a million years. “Did she put you up to this?”

Octavia nodded again. “Lady Carrington sent me up to attend you,” she obediently answered. “In case you needed help waking up or getting dressed.”

Nick turned red. “G-getting dressed?!”

“Indeed. I have a great deal of experience dressing the young lady back when she was a child,” Octavia said. Her normally emotionless voice carried a dull echo of pride, he thought he picked up on.

More importantly though…

“I-I’m not a child!” Nick pointed out.

Octavia raised one of her eyebrows, but otherwise her expression did not change. “As you say.”

…Well, if one of Octavia’s jobs as a butler was to prevent the occurrence of awkward silences, she was doing a very poor job of it.

Nick’s face was still red as he crossed the room, not comfortable talking to a woman standing so far away from him. There was a lot about this situation he was uncomfortable with, namely the fact that Vivian seemed to have slotted him into the place of a lord.

He had a vague recollection of his last trip to Dream Alley with Rose, and how she’d crafted a fantasy of their married life together. A shiver went down his spine as he considered this could be Vivian’s attempt at doing the same thing.

No, I should go into this with an open mind. If this is Vivian trying to give me a perfect date, then the least I can do is go along with it. Even if this is a kind of lifestyle I have absolutely zero affinity for.

“Octavia, you’re e-excused,” Nick said, trying to put on the air of a noble and take charge. “I have no need for your services at this time. Please allow me to, ahum, err… attend to myself.”

Octavia blinked. “As you wish,” she replied. “I shall leave you to dress yourself.”

Nick’s face burned as the butler turned and exited the room. The click of the shutting door was a great relief to him, and he trudged his way over to another set of doors that he hoped was a closet.

Boy did he not know what he was getting into!

I really should have expected this much, Nick thought as he stared in open-mouthed shock at the massive sea of clothes laid out before his eyes. The walk-in closet looked like it was bigger than the bedroom itself, and it was stacked floor to ceiling in outfits pre-arranged and ready to go. He half expected to see one of those clothing conveyer belts like they had the dry cleaners cycling through the outfits, but apparently Vivian was more hands-on when choosing what she wanted to wear.

Nick half-expected to arrive in another world when he stepped into what was, essentially, a wardrobe, but no all he saw were clothes and more clothes. He laid eyes on a row of dress shirts that he initially thought were identical, but upon closer inspection of the tags he observed…

ALABASTER – LACE WHITE – CLOUD WHITE – PURE WHITE – MARBLE – EXTRA WHITE – PEARL WHITE

Why color code to this ****?! How much does this woman love her clothes!? Nick couldn’t handle this. He was being overwhelmed with decision paralysis, and he decided that if Vivian didn’t care enough about what he wore to put him in clothes herself, he didn’t need to care about it either. I don’t know if she’s trying to test me or what, but screw that! I’m just going to throw something on!

This was another reason Nick would probably never fit in with the high society types he suspected the heiress spent her company with. While Nick had begun to care more about his hygiene and state of dress since coming to the island (it was hard to care less than he had back in his seclusion) that ended at making sure what he was wearing wasn’t stained or wrinkled.

Whatever Vivian was doing, it was way too much.

Remember, you’re giving her the benefit of the doubt. This is her date. Maybe she’s just trying to share one of her interests with you. I mean, it’s better than if she were right here picking out your clothes and watching you try them on, right?

Nick shivered at the thought. He liked Vivian just fine, but that was definitely pushing it considering he couldn’t even begin to define what kind of relationship they had.

We never really talked either about what happened between us when she spent the night with Carly and I, did we? They’d just kind of moved past it even though the two of them had gone a lot farther than he’d expected.

An uncomfortable feeling welled up in Nick’s chest as he looked at himself in the mirror. What he was wearing wasn’t anything fancy, even though the clothes felt nicer than anything he personally owned. Maybe… maybe I’m not giving her as much of a chance as I said I would.

He sighed and shook his head. Well, nothing I can do about it. I doubt she wants me to spend the whole day up here going through this closet. I should probably find her.

If this was Vivian’s estate, she was probably hiding somewhere around here. Or dangling out the window from a sheet again, he thought with an amused smile, recalling the last time he set foot in the Dream Alley construction of her mansion.

Still, he was dressed now, at least.

Nick stepped out of the room and found that Octavia had not gone so far after all. She waited right outside the door like the dutiful butler she was, looking impeccable as always.

“Greetings, Lord Nicholas,” she addressed him. Odd, is that normal? I always assumed the servants didn’t speak unless they were spoken to. Not that I would want something like that, of course.

“Ah, yes, um, good-good morning,” Nick greeted her awkwardly.

The silver-haired woman remained unfazed. “Have you finished… attending to your own needs?” She inquired. “I apologize for prying, but you took quite a lot longer than I expected to dress yourself.”

“Uh… no, I… I’m fine…” Nick said, squinting at her. Is she implying what I think she is…? …What, did she think that I was-?!

His face burned as he considered the meaning he was inferring from her words, even though Octavia had given no such implication. Or had she?

The woman was inscrutable.

“Lady Carrington is waiting for you in the dining room,” Octavia said, placing a hand over her breast. “I shall escort you there.”

“Eh? Oh, um, that won’t be…”

“You do not know your way around the mansion, Lord Nicholas. I would request you not make light of my duties to the young lady.”

“…Rghk.” Nick couldn’t really argue with that, he had no damn idea whatsoever about the layout of Vivian’s mansion. Even if this was Dream Alley, and in theory he could just teleport there with a thought.

So he accepted Octavia’s offer, and followed her down the wide hallway.

Walking through Vivian’s mansion served as a stark reminder of just how rich the heiress really was. The hallway was big enough to drive a car through, or ride through on a horse! …Actually, knowing Vivian, she may have done just that before.

Nick passed room after room, descended a spiral staircase, and passed through several more open rooms on the way to his date for the day. If this was an endeavor on Vivian’s part to once again rub her wealth in his face, it was certainly working, though to what end Nick couldn’t rightly say.

Then Octavia stopped before a pair of double doors, and stepped through them.

“Presenting, Lord Nicholas Reynolds,” she declared in a surprisingly loud voice as she stepped aside to make way for Nick’s entrance.

Heart pounding with awkward discomfort, Nick slowly trudged through the open doors and arrived at a dining room whose luxury was only matched by the fancy Banquet Hall of Harem Hotel. And even then, that room was really only superior in terms of size. The dining room before him was grand and beautiful with a long and elegant table hand-carved from the finest wood, and accented with a silk covering that shined in the light of the brilliant crystal chandelier hanging overhead. The wide windows that lined the walls of the room cast yet more light over the elegant designs on the plush rug beneath Nick’s feet, just one of many priceless works of art to add to the majesty of the beautiful room.

Nick remembered he should be breathing right now.

Then he saw Vivian, sitting at the head of the table. She was quite a distance away from him due to the length of the table, but Nick could still make her out clear as day. She was…

…Not what he’d been expecting.

After a buildup like this, Nick had anticipated something akin to a fancy ball gown, but no, that wasn’t Vivian’s style. The minute he saw her in that casual silk blouse, with her hair freshly styled and those high riding boots clinging to her tight pants, he knew that she wouldn’t be putting on any airs with him today.

“Come on in!” Vivian greeted him with a beaming smile, beckoning him closer. “Octavia was just getting ready to serve us breakfast, isn’t that right?”

“As you say, Lady Carrington,” Octavia politely replied from Vivian’s side.

Nick did a double-take. He snapped his head to look at where he could swear Octavia had just been standing a second ago, only to see nothing but empty space.

Geez.

“Uh, okay, um… breakfast, then?” Nick stepped up to the other end of the table, facing Vivian, and pulled back the chair to sit down.

Her face immediately soured before her smile quickly recaptured it. “No, no, don’t sit all the way over there!” She urged him, placing her hand on a spot diagonal to hers. “It would be a waste if you didn’t sit next to me!”

“I-I guess that makes sense,” Nick admitted, hastily circling around the table and sitting down beside her. “Sorry, I was kind of on autopilot for a second there. I wasn’t expecting today to go like this, you know?”

Vivian laughed. “Well, that’s fair,” she admitted in that singsong voice of hers. “I wasn’t expecting it either.”

That was a curious admission. Nick raised his eyebrow and looked at her, wondering what she meant by that. “You… weren’t?”

Vivian shook her head. “I didn’t even plan to bring you here today, in fact,” she informed him. “Dakota sort of sprung it on me at the last minute.”

Nick’s heart sank. Dakota? Is this one of her plans?

“What did she do?” He asked warily. “You didn’t make some sort of deal with her, did you?”

Vivian’s lips curled up into a sly smile and she impolitely rested her elbows on the table, leaning her chin on the crest of her interlocked fingers. “Come now Nick, do you really think I’m the kind of woman who would make a deal?”

“…Don’t you run your own company?” Nick asked incredulously.

“Ah but that’s work. This is… not work,” she said, hastily changing her words at the last second. “No, no deals or anything like that. You might say… you’re my prize!”

“…Prize?” Nick wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that any better!

The heiress giggled. “Silly boy… not like that at all! No, last night, at the slumber party, we all won various boons for our hard work in the pillow fight… mm, and it was quite fun, too! You should have been there! I never got to do anything like that growing up!” She said with another giggle.

Again, Nick found himself surprised. “Wait, so… your boon was…”

“An all-expenses paid trip to Dream Alley, that’s right!” Vivian said with a snap of her fingers, pointing right at him. “Good for one day only, sadly. So… here we are.”

Nick had to pause to run this through his head. “Wait, so… let me, let me just get this straight, you got this boon… what, this morning? Is that right?”

Vivian nodded. “Correct!” She chirped. “Specifically, about… oh, five minutes before you woke up, or so?”

So much for all those plans Nick had assumed Vivian came up with. So wait… is she just making this up as she goes along, then?

“Ah-ha! I know what that face means!” Vivian let out another giggle and poked Nick in the cheek. “You were just thinking ‘is she making this up as she goes along?’ weren’t you?”

“Eh? Uh…”

Damn, she was right on the money.

“You can’t hide your secrets from me,” Vivian said with a smirk, leaning back triumphantly in her seat and steepling her fingers together. “Like an open book!”

“Right, sure, whatever you say,” Nick said, rolling his eyes and smiling in exasperation. “I don’t think you should be acting so high and mighty, though, when you admitted you brought us here without planning anything out. …Not that there’s anything wrong with that!” Nick quickly shifted his tone when he realized that this might be a little too critical. “I mean, coming up with something on the fly, that’s-”

“Don’t worry, it’s fine,” Vivian interrupted him, shaking her head. “You’re right, I did throw myself into the deep end here… but that’s fine.”

She stretched her arms over her head, causing her wide sleeves to slide down her arms, exposing more skin to Nick’s eyes. He doubted it was on purpose, but you could never tell with her.

“I know you think I’m some scheming planner, but… I’m so much more than that!” Vivian assured him, not denying her scheming in the slightest. “As I’m sure you know, I do just fine with improvising as well.”

The twinkle in her eyes concerned Nick greatly.

“…Right, well… okay, I’ll follow your lead, then,” he agreed with a nod. Nick had no idea how Vivian planned to handle things, but if she said she knew what she was doing, he would put his trust in her. It was the least he could do seeing as how she’d taken a chance coming here in the first place.

He didn’t miss the look of relief that crossed her face when he said that. She smiled gratefully at him and nodded.

“Good, I’m glad,” she murmured. “Now then, how should we start our day? With breakfast, naturally! Octavia, if you would?”

“As you wish, Lady Carrington,” Octavia dutifully replied.

“What would you like, Nick?” Vivian turned to him, her eyes shining. “Octavia can cook just about anything! And since it’s Dream Alley, that means she can really cook just about anything, isn’t that right, Octavia?”

“It as you say, yes.”

“Well… I guess, in that case…” Nick wasn’t really sure what he wanted; he wasn’t even that hungry. Honestly, he was more curious than anything. “Um, Vivian…”

“Hmm?”

“Is that… really Octavia? Like, the real one?” That had been bugging him all morning. Had Vivian somehow brought her butler with her into Dream Alley? Or was this just a copy of her created with the room’s magic?

Vivian laughed. “Ah, you caught me… no, it’s not the real Octavia. I wanted to bring her, but… don’t think it works that way.”

She turned to her butler, her eyes twinkling with delight. “Besides, this is much better! Since this is Dream Alley, I get to do whatever I want, right?”

Octavia had no response to that, which Vivian took as a yes.

“Okay then! First order! Octavia, I want dessert for breakfast!”

“As you wish, Lady Carrington.”

“And then I want you to push back all my appointments. I’m going to spend all day with Nick!”

“Of course, Lady Carrington.”

“And then… I want you to pat me on the head and tell me I’m a good girl!”

“I will not do that, Lady Carrington.”

Vivian froze. “Eh!? Why not!? You’re supposed to follow my orders, right!?” She demanded like a petulant child. “This is Dream Alley, so I get whatever I want!”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Then I want headpats.”

“No.”

“Octavia!” Vivian puffed up her cheeks in frustration. “How come you’re even more stubborn than the real one?!”

Octavia was quick to answer. “Dream Alley can grant any wish you request, Lady Carrington. But to call you a good girl would take a miracle that not even this place could grant.”

Vivian gave her a sour look in response, glaring at her butler with her arms crossed over her chest. Then she sighed and turned back to Nick. “You see what I gotta deal with? No respect at all over here!”

“It as you say, Lady Carrington.”

With a huff Vivian wadded up a napkin and threw it at Octavia. The butler elegantly sidestepped the attack and bowed her head.

“I shall begin preparing breakfast. Lord Nicholas, what do you wish me to prepare?”

“Um… just… some pancakes would be nice, I guess,” Nick stammered, very confused by the dynamic between the two of them. “…Oh, and hash browns, and some bacon, and an omelet with cheese, ham, and mushrooms, and…”

His voice trailed off and his cheeks reddened as he realized he was a lot hungrier than he’d thought.

“J-just that, that should be enough,” he said, hastily halting his order. “And some orange juice to drink.”

“As you wish,” Octavia confirmed. Then to Nick’s bewilderment, the butler reached out and patted him on the head. “Good boy,” she said with the faintest of smiles.

Nick could hardly even appreciate it, thanks to the stink-eye Vivian was giving him.

“Octavia!” Vivian snapped. “I want orange juice too!”

“You can have tap water,” Octavia coldly replied, giving Vivian an icy stare that the heiress returned.

Nick really hoped that the rest of their date would go better than this.