Chapter 3 – Part 2

“Don’t you remember anything?”

Olivia remained silent, visibly shaken at the mention of Troy Marsden’s name. Harry toyed with the ends of her hair, his face coming closer to hers, reveling in the anticipation of her despair.

“Shall I tell you?” Harry’s tone dripped with condescension as he closed the distance between them. The thought of Olivia’s impending hopelessness filled him with sadistic glee.

“Despair, Olivia. Become the useless woman you once were.”

“The Duke is under a curse,” Harry revealed, watching as Olivia’s breath hitched.

This was it. The humiliation, the despair of Olivia—it always gave him an exhilarating thrill.

“It’s a particularly nasty curse. We needed a surefire way to ensure our survival. Only I know how to lift it. But if you continue like this…”

“…What?”

“What did you say?” Harry asked, smugly expecting a plea for mercy. He leaned in closer, but Olivia’s response was unexpected.

“Is that so?” Her calmness was almost deflating. What was this?

“That’s your response?”

“What else should I say?” Olivia shoved Harry’s face away with her hand, her disdain evident. A vein pulsed angrily on Harry’s forehead.

“It’s disgusting. The likes of you, a parasite in this family, bragging about cursing Marsden to control me like a puppet—what an accomplishment.”

Olivia picked up a wooden training sword and pointed it at Harry’s neck.

“It’s time to deal with Mr. Palmer too. What punishment should I give you? Maybe have you mop the mansion floors?”

“You b*tch!” Harry couldn’t hold back any longer, his hand flying towards Olivia’s cheek.

At least, that was what Harry expected to happen.

* * *

This time, it was the wrist!

Olivia was thrilled. After his ankle, she now had a legitimate reason to break Harry’s wrist. Although she would have preferred to end his life to conserve air for the world, Olivia restrained herself. She was inwardly satisfied.

Her patience was unrivaled. Just as she was about to bend Harry’s wrist backward, a voice interrupted.

“Good morning, Buddy.”

A cheerful greeting and a cry of pain echoed simultaneously. Olivia remained unfazed, observing the scene.

“You’re early. The distance from the Duke’s mansion to here isn’t short.”

“I was eager to see you. I might have pushed the coachman a bit.”

Marsden’s voice was light, but his eyes bore into Harry with murderous intent. Harry, with his wrist firmly in Marsden’s grip, writhed in pain. Marsden ignored his struggles, maintaining his hold.

Marsden had sent a telegram before dawn. The man who brought it, a contact from the Duke’s house, was armed for protection. He had insisted that Olivia check the message immediately.

The telegram stated that they had found the man Olivia was looking for. She had sent a response, agreeing to meet, just a couple of hours ago. Olivia couldn’t help but be impressed by Marsden’s swift action.

“But buddy. No, Marchioness.”

“Yes?”

Marsden shook Harry effortlessly. With one broken ankle, Harry dangled in Marsden’s grasp.

“I anticipated this situation, but seeing it in person is revolting. Marchioness, if it’s not too much trouble…”

Marsden’s eyes crinkled in a smile, but it was far from friendly. Instead, it was chilling.

“May I personally crush Palmer’s hand?”

“Go ahead.”

“Are you insane!” Harry trembled as Olivia readily agreed. Like a fruit fly about to be squashed, he looked pitiful to Olivia, who smirked. Marsden’s grip tightened, causing Harry to scream.

“So… this will be our first matching item,” Marsden said, blushing suddenly.

“Pardon?”

“One side for the Marchioness. One side for me. It’s unfortunate that the symbol is this scum’s body…”

“……”

“If I can share it with you, I don’t mind, even if it’s trash.”

This lunatic again.

Olivia refrained from commenting. At this moment, Troy Marsden seemed crazier than the writhing Harry Palmer. Hearing such nonsense, Olivia’s anger naturally dissipated.

“I think this qualifies as sufficient self-defense, Duke.”

“Ah… but his bones are still intact.”

“Why are you disappointed?” Olivia was taken aback. She was even more baffled because the reason for the disappointment was not being able to share some kind of token.

Meanwhile, Harry’s face turned pale when he realized that the ‘bone’ Marsden mentioned was his own. He looked utterly humble, a stark contrast to his previous arrogance.

“F-First, Your Grace, please put that down…!”

“Harry’s not pleasant to look at, so you can stop, Your Grace.”

Olivia waved her hand dismissively, as if granting a favor. Harry’s eyes filled with shame. Marsden, sensing Olivia’s disdain, looked Harry up and down with a sinister gleam in his eyes.

“Sir Miles!”

Marsden’s voice, which had been gentle with Olivia, turned icy cold when he called for Glenn. Glenn entered the training grounds as if he had been waiting.

“Take this away.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Despite Harry’s considerable size, Marsden easily tossed him to Glenn. Harry, barely able to stand on one leg, fell face-first into the dirt.

Glenn, though startled by the series of events, couldn’t deny the excitement he felt. Olivia, his mistress, no longer bowed her head before Harry Palmer. She no longer acknowledged his wrongful authority.

Maybe things really have changed. Glenn looked at Olivia for confirmation, and she nodded. He then hoisted Harry Palmer onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“I-Is this…!”

“Shall we detain him until the trial, Marchioness?”

Harry struggled, but the sturdy Glenn didn’t budge. Olivia puckered her lips in surprise.

Is he being this proactive?

Despite her surprise, Olivia was glad about Glenn’s attitude.

When Olivia gave her consent, Glenn saluted her crisply. Harry flailed like a fish out of water as the blood rushed to his head, but Glenn left the tent with light steps, unaffected.

“Life is never boring with Harry Palmer around. We’ll never have a dull day.”

“Hmm? What about me? Don’t I keep things exciting, Buddy? I can make every day thrilling.”

Olivia had meant to insult Harry, but Marsden seemed to misunderstand her intention. Seeing the fire in his eyes, she realized she needed to defuse the situation.

“Don’t get me wrong. That was sarcasm. What’s the point of keeping a wild animal at home if it won’t be tamed?”

“Good thinking. Why keep someone who doesn’t listen around? Your obedient beast is right here…”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Olivia cut him off, exasperated. With things as they were, morning training seemed out of the question. She regretted missing the opportunity to spar with Glenn.

“By the way, Buddy.”

As she was about to put down her wooden sword, Marsden approached her quietly. His demeanor was no longer playful, and Olivia tilted her head in curiosity. Marsden spoke.

“What did you talk about with Harry Palmer?”

His eyes were determined, as if he was finally going to get an answer.

In his stiff posture, Olivia glimpsed the man he used to be. She flexed her hand around the wooden sword, as if familiarizing herself with it.

“What did I say last time you asked me that?”

“…That it was a family matter and to mind my own business.”

Marsden’s gaze deepened. Olivia began to understand the situation. If the original Olivia had valued Troy Marsden, she would have trembled at Harry’s vile threats. After all, she had been mentally manipulated by Harry since childhood.

However, Olivia couldn’t truly empathize with the former Olivia. Despite being in her body, Olivia had lived a different life. She didn’t know if the original had been weak enough to succumb to such threats. Moreover, she didn’t know how much she had loved Marsden.

“Mas, I want to know about question number one.”

“…Number one?”

Marsden showed a fleeting look of surprise at the use of the nickname. For a moment, both excitement and anxiety flickered in his eyes.

He was clearly pleased to have a longer conversation with her, yet he was fearful of revealing the truth.

“My question from the palace.”

“…Ah.”

Marsden’s chest rose and fell as if bracing himself. Olivia recalled the question she had written.

1. Why did you cast a spell on me to make me love someone else? Did I cling to you like a leech and make things difficult for you, Your Grace?

“Why bring that up now?”

Marsden’s gaze sharpened as if he were trying to discern Olivia’s intentions. She realized this serious demeanor was his true self. Her eyes fell on the leather gloves tightly wrapped around his hands.

“Because what Harry Palmer just said involves you.”

“……”

Olivia wanted to unmask Marsden. If she had expected his hidden nature to be only hypocrisy, she wouldn’t have felt this way.

But she saw that Troy Marsden was the kind of man who bore his burdens alone, to a foolish extent. Olivia wanted to expose all of it.

“To me now, you’re still a stranger, but you must not have been to the old Olivia. I don’t need to ask others to know that much.”

At least she wanted him to understand that she acknowledged that feeling.

“So, I need to know. How important were you to me?”

So she could clearly decide what to do next.

She didn’t have much time left. It sounded like she was terminally ill, but it was true. She had to find the culprit who tried to kill her within a month. Only then could she survive the crazy Emperor Hellebore.

In the process, it was a luxury to show any weakness. Given the situation, she couldn’t afford to ignore Marsden, even if her past feelings for him might resurface.

“How important it is…”