Chapter 1 – Part 10

Lottie had become increasingly agitated lately. The sound of her setting her teacup down echoed through the room.

Olivia Charbert’s survival. Just that alone had extinguished the last remnants of Lottie’s sympathy and humanity. She had only pitied Olivia because she thought she had been murdered.

“Who is this letter addressed to?”

“It’s a letter to Marchioness Charbert.”

With Olivia’s return, Gael sought her out, only to be rejected. And he didn’t stop there; he kept sending letters despite his fiancée being pregnant.

What happened next was even more surprising. Upon receiving the letters, Olivia simply said:

“Tear them up.”

Lottie couldn’t even muster a sarcastic laugh. How could Olivia act so high and mighty now after being so pathetic over Gael before? She’d probably cling to him again if he pushed her away.

Olivia Charbert was just that kind of woman. Lottie clenched her fist.

‘Why doesn’t Marsden see that!’

It was frustrating. Though Marsden had secluded himself after Olivia went missing, Lottie believed he would eventually marry her for the sake of lineage.

But Olivia returned to her original place as if nothing had happened, appearing in her bedroom in her nightgown.

“My Lady, news has arrived.”

“Come in.”

At Lottie’s response, the maid quietly entered.

“Did they come?”

“Yes, they are expected at the mansion today.”

“Good.”

Lottie sipped her tea, a smile spreading across her lips.

She hated Olivia Charbert. She loathed her. So, she decided to get rid of her once and for all.

Harry Palmer. He was Lottie’s soon-to-arrive guest and the man who had spent his life controlling Olivia by exploiting her weaknesses.

***

Olivia began to question whether the original portrayal of her as a typical second female protagonist was accurate. More precisely, she started to doubt if the original work had truly captured her essence.

To put it bluntly, Olivia liked her body. As odd as it sounded, it wasn’t because of anything perverse. Her body was agile and light, making her excellent at horseback riding.

She also had great stamina. Even after hours of continuous riding, she didn’t feel tired. The sunlight changed color as time passed, but Olivia didn’t slow down.

Since the Charbert estate was near the border, the journey to the capital was through rural areas. The knights looked bored, but Olivia felt the happiest she had since her possession.

‘This is truly amazing.’

The sunlight pouring down on the vast land filled Olivia’s heart with light.

For the first time, Olivia genuinely liked ‘the real Olivia.’ Not because she was a noble who only loved dresses and tedious jewelry. Despite living in fear, she didn’t give up on what she liked. It would have been perfect if she hadn’t indulged in pointless romantic pursuits.

“Marchioness! How about we take a short break nearby?”

As Olivia briefly slowed down, captivated by the scenery, Marsden spoke up. At that moment, smoke was visible at the entrance of the village.

Olivia pulled a map from her pocket. They were close to the capital, but it wouldn’t hurt to show some mercy to the weakened knights.

Under Olivia’s command, the group entered the village. Even on horseback, their attire unmistakably marked them as nobles, causing the villagers to emerge from all directions, clearly surprised by the noble visit.

“It’s Marchioness Charbert and Duke Marsden!”

The villagers exchanged glances.

“The Marchioness? She’s really alive?”

“Is it really the Marchioness? I heard she was dead.”

As the villagers murmured, Marsden signaled to a knight, who summoned the village leader and secured the largest house. The owner, the wealthiest man in the village, recognized Olivia and Marsden.

“My goodness! The Duke and the Marchioness! And especially the Marchioness…”

Isle Fore ran towards Olivia with a delighted expression, clasping her hands before she could refuse.

“I’m truly glad you’re alive.”

“Th… thank you, Mr. Fore. But I’m sorry, my memory hasn’t fully returned.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s enough that you’re safe.”

Fore’s sincerity eased Olivia’s wariness. Fore efficiently instructed his servants to treat the knights.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Fore.”

“An honor to serve you, Your Grace. You must have endured much grief since the Marchioness disappeared.”

“Yes, indeed.”

Marsden awkwardly averted his gaze, a detail Olivia didn’t miss.

“How is your injury, Marchioness?”

“Injury?”

“I heard you lost a lot of blood.”

Marsden’s fingers twitched. As Olivia glanced at him, he turned away, hiding his expression.

What’s going on? Olivia furrowed her brow but didn’t press further.

“I think so, but I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.”

“We must catch the culprit soon. If only I had listened when you talked about the prison…”

“Prison?”

“Yes, you mentioned that if the royal family had a prison, why shouldn’t each noble family have one to manage crimes within their domains.”

‘Imprisonment’ That’s interesting.

Olivia’s eyes sparkled, and Fore chuckled.

“People said you were blinded by love and couldn’t see straight, but you were actually pondering how to handle the insolent vassals…”

‘So, you had quite a temper back then too.’

Everyone must have been gossiping about her being blinded by love. Olivia’s lips twisted into a wry smile.

“Well… maybe I was hit in the head.”

“Pardon?”

“I was just saying it was a phase.”

Olivia suppressed her murderous intent toward those barbaric knights and tried to compose her expression.

“Please, continue about the prison. What exactly did I say?”

“Let’s take our time. How about some tea first?”

“Tea? Don’t you have any alcohol?”

Olivia sharply turned her head, noticing Marsden trying to stifle a laugh. ‘Alcohol is funny?’

“Hahaha, your preference for alcohol over tea hasn’t changed. We have some wine left; how about a drink while we walk?”

‘Approved’ Olivia smiled contentedly as Fore instructed a servant to bring the wine and led them through the back door.

“There’s a lake nearby, which I believe the Marchioness used to enjoy visiting.”

“Did I come here often?”

“You’d come when you were emotionally drained. Your eyes were always red.”

‘Those bastards must have really tormented her.’ Olivia’s blood boiled silently while Marsden followed in silence.

“Did you notice anything unusual around the time I disappeared? Even something small?”

Despite feeling like a detective in a mystery novel, Olivia had to ask. She trusted Fore enough to be the first to ask this question.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you much around that time.”

Well, it was around the time she was preoccupied with Gael. Maybe there’s only one person who would know. Olivia glanced at Marsden.

His dark eyes still held many emotions, but it was hard to decipher exactly what they were. The one certainty was that his gaze was filled with affection, which only confused Olivia more.

“About that prison… what exactly did I say?”

“About the prison… hey! Why is he bringing that alone!”

Fore, about to speak, jumped as he spotted a servant approaching with three glasses of wine.

“Please, wait a moment!”

Fore dashed towards the servant, sounding like a waiter.

“……”

“……”

Even though it wasn’t their first time alone, Olivia couldn’t bring herself to look directly at Marsden, so she stared at the lake. He approached.

“You liked this place. You once said you wanted to live somewhere with a view of the water after stepping down as the head of the family.”

Now alone, Marsden spoke casually. His gaze never left Olivia.

“After small battles or disputes with vassals, you’d often come here. You joked about being afraid to go home.”

His tone was different from when he joked in front of others. Olivia slowly turned her head.

“Even when you were hurt by me…”

“…”

“You would come here.”

Olivia’s wild nature seemed to calm down in front of Marsden. So the specific details of when they witnessed her death and the reason for Charbert’s family’s interest, the questions she was truly curious about remained unspoken.

“What exactly were we to each other?”

“As I mentioned before, the relationship of a teacher and student, a guardian and ward.”

Olivia waited, hoping he would say more, but Marsden’s answer ended there.

Now she seemed to understand a bit. The reason he confessed his love so passionately, as if making a confession, was because she had returned alive.

“I used to like you, didn’t I?”

“Yes.”

“And you knew that?”

“That’s right.”

Sigh. Olivia felt a vague sense of emptiness. Her heart sank coldly.

“But you didn’t reciprocate my feelings.”

“Yes.”

“And then, when I came back, you hastily confessed.”

Olivia stood facing Marsden, looking him straight in the eye.

“Did you do something you regret towards me, Your Grace?”

“That…”

“If it was simply rejecting my feelings, you wouldn’t have such a guilty expression.”

Olivia’s mind was racing.

“What did you do to me?”

She didn’t intend to scold Marsden. She needed his power right now, and turning him into an enemy would be detrimental. She had to find out who she was to him. That’s the only way she could survive.

“I did something terrible.”

That wasn’t the answer she had wanted to hear. Before Olivia could change the subject, Marsden spoke first.

“Ronae Bartram used magic to make Gael Abyss fall in love with her.”

“Surely not…”

“I did the same thing.”

Marsden’s face contorted in agony.

“To push you away from me…”

“…”

“I used the same magic.”

That’s why he made Gael fall in love. Marsden added quietly.