Chapter 8 – Part 2

His lips were overt and dominating as if to say he had been holding back until now. Olivia, out of breath, had to squeeze her eyes shut several times, and every time she opened them, she felt like she was drowning in his night-sky-like eyes.

“Ha… breathe through your nose, Buddy.”

He spoke with a shameless attitude as if they had done this many times before. With his upper body completely exposed, the only thing to grab onto was his muscles, but the wounds on them were disturbing.

Despite not fully understanding the situation, Olivia unconsciously stroked the wounds as if to soothe him. Marsden pulled his lips back slightly and let out a strained sound.

“Just kiss me, Olivia. Unless you don’t want to hear answers from me.”

“Don’t want to hear the answer?” Olivia pondered that sentence deeply as she lost the sensation of her red lips once again.

Yes, she didn’t want to hear it. If the answer was yes, she should have reprimanded and questioned him like before, but then… she felt she wouldn’t be able to bear it.

Avoidance wasn’t Olivia’s way. That’s why she turned Marsden around and tried to extract the truth from him. Running away like this wasn’t right.

“Olivia, Buddy… Buddy… My Buddy…”

A sound that couldn’t be discerned as begging or sobbing flowed out from between his white lips. Olivia held the childlike man tightly.

“Don’t get hurt, and don’t be in pain.”

His long arms hugged her waist too tightly, making it hard to breathe.

“Don’t leave me… and don’t die…”

Thump, thump, thump.

Her heart ached. Her mind was dizzy.

“Stay with me forever.”

For a moment, she felt a soft sensation, followed by a faint pain in her neck. Marsden gently stroked Olivia’s trembling back. Then he kissed the mark he had left once more.

“Will you put some ointment on it? And bandage it. I’m hurt, Buddy.”

As if clinging to her, the man locked her in his embrace, rubbing his head against her neat shoulder.

“Please treat me.”

Olivia’s breath quivered.

Now, she was truly afraid. Afraid that she really meant everything to this man, and that he might even kill himself.

* * *

Gael, who had received a secret edict from the Emperor, remained calm. If there had been decisive evidence from the start, they would have openly arrested him instead of sending someone quietly.

“It will take quite some time.”

It seemed that sending Ronae to the Count’s manor had been a good idea. Even though she was an unpleasant woman, having her in his house brought Gael a slight sense of relief. He had his knights ensure that Ronae did not step foot outside the mansion.

“Still, she has no excuse.”

Although Gael had not heard all the details from Ronae, he had roughly guessed that she had conspired with Troy Marsden. He hadn’t yet figured out their exact purpose or what they intended to gain, but that could be uncovered gradually.

It was just very annoying that she had conspired with another man. It was laughable how she kept her mouth shut and pretended not to know anything.

“Once the spell is broken, you will pay the price.”

“……”

“We’ll see if you still keep your mouth shut then.”

Her pale complexion, yet stubbornly closed lips, all irritated him. Gael wanted to break the spell as soon as possible, but at the same time…

“No, no. I hate this woman. Even if she loves me now, I already…”

“Count?”

Gael was pulled from his thoughts by the call of his attendant in the same carriage. A faint cold sweat had formed on his forehead.

“It’s time… to get off.”

Ignoring the concerned look of his attendant, Gael got off the carriage, which was opened by a palace servant.

He had considered choosing a carriage without a coat of arms, but that might have seemed more suspicious, so Gael arrived in his usual carriage. Because of this, those who recognized the insignia glanced at him.

“Gael, no matter how low their rank, please be more considerate and respectful.”

It was something Olivia had said when he finally won her heart. On the day they attended a garden party at a certain noble’s house, a servant had been glancing at them disrespectfully, and Gael had called him out and punished him separately. Olivia seemed quite uncomfortable with that situation.

Gael had agreed, but he knew that he had seen a flash of cold contempt in Olivia’s eyes.

“Liv, do you love me?”

He also knew that she couldn’t answer that question.

“I’ve been avoiding it all along. Justifying that she really came to love me.”

Looking back, if only one of the two women hadn’t appeared in his life, he wouldn’t have been so tormented. If only one of them had disappeared.

“Your Majesty, Count Abyss is here.”

Gael adjusted his posture as the attendant announced his presence. He didn’t want to appear intimidated before the Emperor, who was his peer.

“Count Abyss, welcome.”

Hellebore greeted him while sipping tea. Despite calling him for a serious matter, his demeanor was quite calm.

The spacious audience chamber was divided into two areas: one where the Emperor overlooked his throne, and the other resembling a living room with a neatly arranged table and chairs for a light tea time. Hellebore was seated at the table.

Gael inwardly clicked his tongue. The Emperor always got on his nerves.

“No, it’s an honor to be called.”

Gael skillfully hid his emotions and sat down in the chair pulled out by the attendant. Hellebore clasped his hands with a friendly smile as Gael took his seat, and soon, a light conversation followed.

“How is Lady Bartram’s prenatal care going? Have you decided on a name for the baby?”

“I told her to choose as she wished, but she seems to have no particular name in mind.”

“Haha, just let her talk about various names. Although there’s Lady Lottie Bartram, the more heirs, the better, isn’t it?”

He was acting like a good-natured godfather, but Gael recognized Hellebore’s true intentions.

‘He wants to understand the succession structure in advance.’

“If she finds a name she likes, she will let us know. The most important thing is that the baby is born healthy.”

“The mother’s health is also important.”

“…Yes, that’s true.”

Gael tried to change the subject, but was instead met with a counterattack. He suppressed his irritation and hoped this meeting would end soon.

Hellebore was as unpleasant as ever, both in the past and now. His attitude of acting as if he knew everything was irritating, and his arrogance, as if he lacked nothing, was laughable.

‘In the end, you too are just a mere human who can collapse at any moment.’

“…In that sense, Count.”

It seemed this was the main point. Hellebore lowered his hands below the table, a signal known only to a few. It roughly meant that he was about to start grilling Gael. Gael put on a gentle smile as if challenging him to do so.

But contrary to Gael’s expectations, Hellebore didn’t speak immediately and instead glanced towards the door.

“They should be arriving soon.”

Feeling uneasy, Gael turned his head to look, despite the rudeness of the act. At that moment, he heard the attendant’s voice from outside. Then, the door opened wider than when he arrived, or so it seemed.

“Here comes Duke Marsden.”

‘D*mn…’

Gael barely swallowed the harsh words that almost escaped his lips. No matter how much he wanted to tear that face apart, he wasn’t crazy enough to curse in front of the Emperor.

“Duke Marsden, you always arrive just in time. We were just about to discuss the matter.”

“Glad I’m not late, Your Majesty.”

“Not at all. Is the Marchioness alright? She seemed quite startled.”

“Yes, she’s resting well.”

Their conversation flowed smoothly as if they had practiced it many times. Though Gael knew that Hellebore and Marsden were closely connected, it irritated him more than usual today. He didn’t want to hear them naturally bring up Olivia either.

‘Could they have called Marsden for an unofficial interrogation related to the spell?’

Moreover, Marsden sat between Hellebore and him as if he really was here as an interrogator. Even though the table was wide enough that their clothes didn’t touch, Gael felt uneasy as if Marsden were right next to him.

“I apologize for the oversight, Count. The conversation extended longer than expected due to the pleasantries.”

“…No problem.”

When Gael turned his head, he was met with eyes that resembled an abyss, staring at him calmly. Those eyes always made him uncomfortable.