Chapter 3 – Run Away (Part 1)

She lifted her heavy eyelids.  

When she woke up at dawn, it was already well past noon.  

Since then, she had been in his arms several more times, and feeling as if her whole body had been consumed by pleasure, Olivie quickly grew tired. Maybe it was the fourth time. Before reaching the climax, she had fallen asleep in his arms as if she had passed out.  

It was the kind of sleep she had longed for and desired so much—deep, long sleep.  

Perhaps that was why.

She unexpectedly dreamt of something deeply buried.

‘Useless.’  

As if to erase the distant dream, Olivie closed her eyes, confirming the window where sunlight was pouring in.  

“Oh, my head.”  

As if waiting for her to open her eyes, a headache surged in. A burning thirst accompanied it.  

“This is killing me.”  

Olivie pressed her temples with one hand and, out of habit, reached for the bell pull.  

She wanted to drink water quickly and wash up with warm water. But the pull, which was always within reach, was out of her grasp, and her hand hovered in the air.  

‘Ah, right.’  

Olivie slowly opened her eyes.  

For a very brief moment, Olivie blinked slowly at the unfamiliar sight before her and then lowered her head.  

Just a thin chemise.

Of course, she was wearing nothing underneath, but it was fortunate that she didn’t wake up completely n*ked.  

And also, that he wasn’t there.  

“…….”  

She gazed at the cold, empty spot beside her for just a moment.  

She was used to waking up alone. Even in situations like this. In fact, it was more awkward when the person she had drunk with and spent the night with was still lying in bed.  

But somehow, a strange feeling unexpectedly surfaced. Something like disappointment…  

“No, no way.”  

But as if to block her own thoughts, she quickly shook her head.  

‘Olivie, you need to know your place.’

She fiercely rejected any strange emotions from creeping in, threw off the blanket, and got out of bed to gather her clothes.  

She didn’t want to stay in his private space any longer.  

No, she had to leave before he returned.  

Just one night.  

As she had resolved when she entered this house.  

There was no reason to linger.  

Quietly, discreetly spending just one night and leaving cleanly—that was the way.  

That must be why he left the space vacant.

Thinking it was a good thing she wore clothes designed for commoners to put on and take off easily, rather than a cumbersome dress, she hurriedly left his mansion.

She thought she would shake off the remaining thoughts once she got home.  

“Carriage!”

* * *

Thud.  

Robin, who had been looking around the empty room, placed the box he was holding on the table.  

The warmth still lingered in the bedroom. There was no sign of Olivie anywhere.  

From the disheveled blanket on the bed, he could tell that she had hurriedly slipped out.  

“Ha.”  

Feeling somewhat empty, he sat down on a chair positioned in a way that allowed a clear view of the bed.  

He crossed his long legs and leaned sideways against the armrest, rubbing his lips.  

He thought he had caught her.  

But it seemed he’d have to catch her again.  

This time, there would be no obstacles.  

Casting the net again and baiting her wouldn’t be difficult.  

Robin, who had been staring intently at the messy bed, stood up as if shaking off his emotions.

* * *

At that moment.  

“Olivie!”  

As Olivie had expected, the house was in an uproar.  

Her mother rushed out as soon as she stepped out of the carriage, and her father’s face, following behind, was not pleased.  

On top of that, her brother…

“You! Where have you been!”  

As usual, he yelled at her angrily without warning.  

That was always the way with her brother. He would claim he was worried, but he always started by shouting first.

When she was younger, she really didn’t like her brother being like that.

But today, seeing the deep shadows under his eyes, and his lips swollen and cracked from being bitten in frustration,  

‘He didn’t sleep at all last night.’  

It seemed he had stayed up all night with his eyes wide open.  

“You! Did you cry? Why! What happened? Why is your face like this? Why are you crying! Why are you crying over a guy like that!”  

“I didn’t cry. I drank.”  

“Where!”  

“Stop yelling, I’m not deaf.”  

“Lie!”  

As if trying to stop her brother from shouting, her father raised his hand, dissatisfied with Olivie’s indifferent response.  

“Enough.”  

“Right, Evan. Let’s go inside first. Let the girl catch her breath, and then we’ll talk.”  

Her mother, too, blocked her brother and lightly stroked Olivie’s back.  

“Mom.”  

Seeing her mother’s face, which had become just as haggard as her brother’s, or even more so, her heart ached.

She didn’t want to disappoint them.  

“I’m sorry.”  

“No…”  

“What do you have to be sorry about! That bastard couldn’t keep his pants on…”  

“Enough!”  

Evan’s voice, which had seemed subdued, suddenly burst out. Her father’s voice, which had been holding him back, grew louder. He was not one to raise his voice often, so the startled servants widened their eyes and turned their heads.  

But soon, they seemed to understand the situation and quickly lowered their heads, scurrying away.  

And among them was Olivie’s maid, Elcia.  

Seeing Elcia standing there, pale and tense, Olivie could roughly guess how much she had been tormented last night.  

‘I should give her a generous gift.’  

With a sympathetic frown, Olivie mouthed a small “Sorry.” to Elcia. Meeting her gaze, Elcia hastily shook her head.

With a short sigh at that expression, Olivie passed through the first-floor hall, entered the family room on the second floor, and sat on the sofa.  

But before she could even take a sip of the warm water, her father asked,  

“What happened?”  

“Ah.”  

His mustache was unkempt, as if he had forgotten to trim it, and there was a shadow around his mouth. Forcibly pulling up the corners of her mouth into a smile, Olivie shrugged her shoulders.

“He had an affair. The other woman is pregnant, and he said he wants to take responsibility because he loves her, so I agreed.”

“……”  

She added a smile, as if it was no big deal, as if there was no need to care about such a trivial matter.  

But it seemed no one in this room believed her words.  

“Really, I’m okay.”  

“……”  

“Seriously.”  

Despite her repeated assurance, her father’s expression didn’t soften.  

No, rather, it seemed the more she repeated it, the more suspicious they became. Her father’s expression grew more rigid, and her mother was wiping away tears, feeling sorry for Olivie.

As for her brother…  

He was breathing heavily, like a bull about to charge.  

He looked the most enraged in the room.  

Well, it made sense since her brother had somewhat looked after Louis.  

‘It’s understandable why he’s angry.’  

He had put in some effort.  

Even she felt the time spent with him was a waste, so it must be a bit troublesome for her brother and father, as they were tied to the family.

“I’m sor—”  

“There’s nothing to apologize for.”  

“Yes, I agree with your father. I wouldn’t give my daughter to a man like that.”  

“Bastard.”  

As her father, mother, and brother spoke in turn, Olivie bit her lips inward. She had been worried they would be disappointed in her because of this incident, but that worry seemed to vanish in an instant.

“Father, I’m really okay.”  

Olivie smiled faintly at her father, who had his lips pressed into a straight line.

Somehow aware that her expression wasn’t quite a genuine smile, slightly twisted, she raised the corners of her mouth a little more.  

“Seriously……”  

“You say you’re okay, but you’re coming home at this hour?”  

“Had a bit to drink.”  

She let out a light laugh, huffing, as she averted her gaze, which had been tearfully looking at her father with emotion just moments ago.  

She couldn’t possibly tell them everything that had happened last night.  

‘I can’t possibly tell them I slept with another man on the day I got dumped.’

No matter how open-minded the Kingdom of Plen was, this would be a shocking story.  

But her father seemed determined to keep asking questions.  

“Where did you stay?”