Chapter 4 – Seize (Part 1)

Time passed quickly, and just like the passing time, rumors spread rapidly.

“I heard the young Earl Caylen had an affair?”

“They say it was with the daughter of some Viscount family up north, no one even knows where.”

“She’s already pregnant, I heard.”

“Oh my, how shocking. An illegitimate child before marriage.”

“What a scoundrel.”

“They’re a family no one should associate with.”

At first, it was just an interesting bit of gossip when the two of them broke up. But as the story spread, most people agreed that Louis was at fault.

Regardless of gender.

It was unusual and awkward to see such public opinion in the Kingdom of Plen, known for its liberal atmosphere. Perhaps it was because there isn’t a single noble family without issues related to illegitimate children, which made this case even more unsettling.

In any case, as the aversion towards him grew, so did the sympathy for Olivie. People started thinking she had been ‘dumped’ and missed her chance at marriage.

And those rumors left Olivie feeling quite uncomfortable.

“I’ve been dumped.”

“Yes.”

“These gifts are meant to console me for being dumped.”

Not only were there gifts from her peers, the noble ladies of her age, but also from nearly every woman in the capital’s social circles who held even a bit of influence.

Flowers, perfumes, sweet bread and tea, and cakes from the dessert shop ‘EDEN.’

Seeing the name of the shop prominently displayed on the box, along with a card from Miss Leblanc—oh, she’s now Madame Yuhel, wife of the Baron—Olivie’s lips twitched in irritation.

Sending a cake from the dessert shop where Olivie last met Louis was too obvious in its intent.

It was clearly meant to mock Olivie.

Otherwise, why would she specifically choose ‘EDEN’ among the countless dessert shops?

“Sigh.”

She couldn’t understand why that woman still harbored a rivalry with her even after getting married. Olivie instructed Elcia to throw away only that cake and take good care of the rest before turning away.

But then—

“Um, my Lady.”

Hesitant, Elcia pointed to the flowers and gifts that had been pushed aside by the other gifts from the ladies. Olivie, who briefly glanced at the seemingly ordinary presents, tilted her head in curiosity.

“What are those?”

“Those are gifts from men.”

“Hm?”

Men?

Were they also feeling sorry for Olivie’s broken engagement? Puzzled, Olivie reached through the pile of gifts and picked up the card from the flower basket at the front.

“Edward Polveta.”

As she opened the card, she tried to recall who Edward Polveta was.

[I’ve heard the unfortunate news about the beautiful Lady.

I send my deepest condolences.

They say that wounds inflicted by people can be healed by people.

I earnestly hope to have the opportunity to meet you soon.]

“……”

Sensing the card’s subtle hint of wanting to be added to her list of suitors, she closed it.

“Who is he?”

“The man who was flirting with you at Count Menuel’s banquet. The one with the belly and balding…”

“Ugh!”

Olivie recoiled, throwing the card—no, the entire flower basket—far away and reached for the next gift.

“Thomas Deloza.”

“The tall, skinny one who was hitting on you at Baron Fabian’s banquet.”

“That pervert!”

“Yes.”

He had tried to grab her behind just because she smiled at him once during a dance, so she had stomped on his foot with her high heel. The fact that he still had the nerve to send her a gift despite that made her skin crawl, and she threw away both the gift and the card. There were still over a dozen more gifts left.

“Are they all perverts, pigs, deviants, playboys, abusers, gamblers, and failed bachelors who missed their chance at marriage? Or rather, scoundrels?”

“Yes.”

“Sigh.”

Had she been nineteen, they wouldn’t have dared speak to her so carelessly. But now, at twenty-two and with a broken engagement, she found it absurd and outrageous to be treated this way.

And she genuinely wanted to kill Louis for putting her in this situation.

‘I should have told Father to go ahead when he asked if he should kill him.’  

She regretted it a little too late. But Evan had already broken all his limbs, leaving him bedridden, and Father was withholding the pain-relieving medicine from him.

‘I have to be content with that for now.’

She couldn’t turn her father into a criminal who killed his daughter’s ex-fiancé.

Olivie shook her head at the horrible scene, just imagining it, and looked back at Elcia.  

“Throw all of those away. No, burn them all.”

“Yes.”  

“And if you want to eat that cake, go ahead, otherwise, throw it away.”  

“I’ll throw it away.”

Quick-witted.  

Olivie chuckled at Elcia’s resoluteness and turned around. She didn’t realize that among the gifts from those men, she hadn’t checked the name on the card attached to a very small gift box, which read Robin Tanner.

* * *

Even after burning and tearing everything apart, the men continued to shower her with gifts for several days. Of course, a few of them gave up, but Edward, Thomas, and a few others kept sending flowers and gifts.  

“Ma’am……”  

“Send them back.”  

“Yes.”  

As the servant who had brought them in turned to leave with the gifts in the same condition, Olivie, who had been reading a book, slammed it shut with a snap and clenched her teeth.  

‘Bastard.’  

Her anger towards Louis grew over time.  

It was absurd and ridiculous that she had become an easy target because of him. Olivie herself hadn’t changed since she left the dessert shop a few days ago, but in those few days, her value had plummeted.

Her parents didn’t say anything, but they seemed deeply upset.  

‘Restoring my honor is urgent.’  

Olivie gnawed at the corner of her thumbnail.

She needed to let people know that she wasn’t dead yet. And do it in a very, very flashy way. She had to show that she didn’t need those kinds of men, and most importantly, that she had no reason to be pitied. The best way was to take a handsome man as a partner to a banquet. It was an outdated and annoying method, but there was no more certain way in the social circles of the Kingdom of Plen.

‘It’s just annoying.’

Because it would be like voluntarily becoming a zoo monkey walking among people. But a bigger problem was that there was no man to play the monkey role with her.

Olivie had met and enjoyed time with many men so far, but most had gotten married. Olivie herself had also tidied up most men about a year before her own marriage.

‘If I contacted them, they would come out, but…’

That would be for seeking each other’s bodies for a night, not to become monkeys together with her. And some of the fairly handsome men were commoners.

‘It wouldn’t look good.’

If she took those only good-looking men as accessories, pity would quickly turn into ridicule. Olivie shook her head, recalling the whispers when divorced ladies attended banquets with handsome young men.

‘It won’t do, no.’

For that reason, after excluding all the commoners among the men around her, only a few noblemen remained.

“……Damn.”

Somehow, at this very moment, she had accurately grasped her situation.

The reason why they dared to poke at Olivie.

‘No.’

Almost accepting her current situation, Olivie shook her head urgently. Even if she didn’t get married, it couldn’t be with those men.

She would rather marry abroad.

Yes, there were a few countries around where the marriage age was later than in the Kingdom of Plen. Moreover, there was a kingdom with which the Elphano Earl family, a trading family, had been continuously dealing. It was a matter of looking for someone among the nobles there.

“Right. Let’s turn our eyes outward.”

Olivie, who had decided that this wretched place had no hope, put down the book and stood up. However, even if she wanted to marry into a neighboring country, it was difficult with her current situation.

She needed to reverse the situation and greatly elevate her value. It had to be known through the social circles of Plen that Olivie Elphano was still attractive, beautiful, and a valuable woman.

For that, there was only one way.

“Damn.”

Indeed, there was only one way.