Chapter 1 – Broken Engagement (Part 3)

With a push of her foot, Olivie moved, turning her body.

But just then, the chime of the doorbell rang as someone pulled open the door, and her hand halted in midair, brushing against the doorknob.

“Oh?”

A heated voice came from behind.

“Oh my, isn’t that the young Earl of the Tanner family?”

“Looks like he’s returned from Eldora.”

The man who entered had captured the attention of everyone whispering.

Robin Tanner.

‘Of all people.’

Olivie bit her lip at the appearance of a man she didn’t want to meet. Robin, standing opposite her, frowned slightly. His cold gaze, as if looking at an obstacle, landed on her face, making her eyes sting.

‘Nothing is going right.’

She took a moment to catch her breath, tasting the blood from her bitten lip, and stepped back. She couldn’t afford to be caught up in unnecessary gossip, so she earnestly hoped for the situation to pass quickly and offered a slight bow.

“Sir Tanner.”

“……”

In the subtle silence that followed her light greeting, she forced a smile. But the continued silence made her heart tighten with anxiety. Her forcibly pulled-up smile twisted grotesquely, as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

She had been holding it together so well.

She didn’t even know why she was reacting this way.

Whether it was the current situation making her feel sorry for herself or because of Robin Tanner.

Whatever it was, she wished he would say something, anything, as she lifted her head and gave a slight nod toward the door. Robin, who had been watching her intently, gave a small nod in return.

“Miss Elphano.”

His low voice tickled her ear. But there was no time for sentiment.

“Then.”

Barely managing to contain her emotions at his indifferent farewell, she turned with a smile and brushed past him, exiting the dessert shop.

Ding.

For some reason, she felt his gaze lingering on the back of her head for a long time, and for a moment, she was breathless.

* * *

“Bastard!”

Bang!

In the dark of night.

Sitting alone in a rowdy pub, Olivie slammed her glass down with a loud thud.

Neither her actions nor the curses that burst forth were typical of a refined lady, but due to the noisy atmosphere, no one was paying attention to her.

And it was precisely because of this atmosphere that Olivie had come to this pub in the commercial area frequented by commoners, rather than a salon often visited by nobles.

The social circle in Plen was so small that everyone knew each other with just one connection. There was no need to advertise that she had been dumped in the gaze of those wolves who only thought about who to gossip about and enjoy today.

‘The rumors must have already spread.’

Argh!

“Bastard. Son of a b*tch!”

An affair! And a pregnancy!

Olivie pulled at her hair and screamed.

She honestly didn’t care if he had an affair.

She didn’t love him, so his infidelity wasn’t shocking.

But when he brought up an illegitimate child, especially a premarital one, and talked about breaking off the engagement, it was as if he had dragged not only her but her parents and the entire Elphano family into the middle of dirty gossip.

“Bastard.”

A guy without even a shred of conscience.

The more she thought about it, the more enraged she felt, as if her insides were turning upside down.

I should have just ripped him apart!

The calm demeanor she had when leaving the dessert shop was nowhere to be found as Olivie pounded the table with her fist again.

‘That trash was my fiancé.’

No, no.

“He was my fiancé.”

With a slurred tongue, Olivie corrected her inner thoughts and brushed her hair back as she brought the drink to her lips.

Gulp, gulp.

With her cheeks flushed, she drank the moonshine down smoothly and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

She needed to get drunk today.

“One more drink!”

She raised her index finger firmly towards the bartender, who glanced at her from behind the counter. But the bartender, frowning at Olivie’s demeanor, turned and stood in front of her.

“Hey, miss, you’ve had quite a bit. Maybe you should take it easy?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Olivie waved her finger at the burly bartender with a thick beard, resting her chin on one hand as she leaned against the bar.

“My fiancé cheated on me. He wants to break off the engagement. The woman is pregnant.”

“……”

The bartender, without a word, took her glass and filled it to the brim with moonshine, then slid it back to her with a smile.

“This one’s on the house.”

“……Thank you.”

She chuckled at his rough sympathy, brushing her hair back as she picked up the glass.

“Ahh.”

This time, she couldn’t finish it in one go and set it down, half-full. But her cheeks were as red as her hair, and her once-bright brown eyes were now glazed over.

Seeing her state, where it seemed difficult for her to make it home safely if she drank any more, the bartender sighed and glanced around. He looked to see if she had any companions, but it seemed she was alone tonight.

“Are you a noble? You didn’t come here alone, did you?”

“Huh? Does it show that I’m a noble? Does it?”

Surprised by the bartender’s words, she laughed and looked down at herself, rubbing her clothes with her hands.

“I tried to dress as non-noble as possible.”

“……”

“I hate frilly, lacy, flowing things.”

She was clearly drunk. The bartender, raising an eyebrow at her obvious state, leaned on one leg and examined her.

“Should I call a carriage for you?”

“No!”

“Is someone coming to pick you up?”

“No one’s coming, but I won’t leave alone.”

She giggled and waved her finger, leaving the bartender to frown, wondering what she meant. Olivie pointed to the door with her hand at the bartender’s disapproving gaze.

“I’m going to leave with the next man who walks through that door.”

“Hey, miss. What are you saying…?”

“Huh?”

The bartender, startled by the heavily intoxicated Olivie’s words, stepped forward. At that moment, her gaze shifted slightly to the door, which was moving.

“It’s opening.”

And at her words, the bartender, too, turned his head quickly in surprise.

“Oh, it must be the wind.”

The door, instead of opening wide, swung slightly open and then closed with a thud.

“Phew.”

He was relieved to see that.

The bartender ran a hairy hand over his chest.

His pub wasn’t exactly a salon or bar frequented by nobles, but it wasn’t a low-class place either. It mainly attracted middle-class patrons, especially merchants. However, the young lady before him seemed far too refined to be associated with the middle class.

Even though she appeared to have chosen ordinary clothes, nobility wasn’t all about attire. Her glossy, curly hair, flawless skin, and well-manicured nails all screamed of her noble upbringing.

If such a lady encountered trouble in his pub, it wasn’t just the establishment’s safety at risk but possibly his own life as well.

‘No, this can’t happen.’

Shaking his head, the bartender quickly moved closer to the table.

“I’ll call my carriage for you…”

“He’s coming!”

But Olivie, with her eyes fixed on the door, paid no attention to what he was saying.

“Drum roll, please.”

“Hey.”

Contrary to the bartender’s urgent call, she tapped the table alternately with her fingers, filled with anticipation.

It was something she had said on a whim while drunk, but it seemed like a good idea. So she hoped it would be a decent man.

‘Tonight, I need s*x.’

The only way to get rid of this filthy feeling was, no matter how much she thought about it, that. She desperately needed a man who could make her forget everything, someone who would make her body tingle from head to toe.

She needed a man who wouldn’t care who she was, who would just desire her body.

A man who could erase this filthy feeling that wouldn’t go away no matter how much she drank, someone who could make her writhe in pleasure. So she could forget about Louis, her parents, the broken engagement, and her family, and just cling to him, seeking only lust. A man who would desire her body all night long.

Only then could she sleep.

Since she was ten, her long-standing insomnia had made her head throb. Olivie pressed her stiff eyelids with a sigh.

‘I want to sleep.’

She closed her eyes a little tighter, as if it didn’t matter what meaning it held.

Having not slept properly for days, she couldn’t focus on anything else right now. All she wanted was to sleep, even briefly, in someone’s arms.

Then maybe she could escape all the thoughts that were tormenting her.