Chapter 5 – Acknowledgement (Part 1)

After the day when the end of the contract was set for the Imperial banquet, they attended three more banquets. By the second, people who hadn’t believed it began to wonder if she would attend with Robin again at the third, and by the fourth, many people naturally assumed the two would attend together.

In the meantime, the scandals surrounding Olivie subsided, and the marriage proposals that used to arrive daily from unsuitable suitors disappeared. However, the fundamental problem Olivie faced remained unchanged: there were no suitable men of her age left in Plen.

Now, there was only a week left until the Imperial banquet.

“How about Ingdon?”

“Not bad. They have a higher marriage age over there.”

“And Sdein?”

“It’s okay there too, I guess.”

Olivie, who was absentmindedly responding to the maids’ words, placed the flower she was holding on the table. As she lay sideways with her elbow on the sofa head and let out a long sigh, her mother, who was placing a red rose in the vase, turned the vase around.

“Why can’t you concentrate?”

“What?”

“What could be the reason?”

Her mother, slightly turning the vase to see the empty spaces, picked up a pink rose and snapped the lower stem.

“Is it because of Robin?”

As she said this, she glanced and smiled at Olivie. Olivie, who had been sitting with her legs folded on the sofa, unfolded them and shook her head.

“Why would it be because of Robin?”

Feigning innocence, she asked back, and her mother placed the pink rose in the empty spot.

“Well, why could it be?”

Watching her mother turn the vase around, Olivie glanced at Elcia. Elcia urgently shook her head.

“Elcia, there’s nothing to see; the rumors are already widespread in the social circles, aren’t they? That things are suspicious between you and Robin.”

Her mother smiled as if she already knew, picking up another flower.

“Robin is much better than the nobles from other countries.”

‘Not just better, he’s too good.’

Robin was the complete opposite of what her father had always emphasized about knowing one’s place and keeping to one’s limits. If she dared to covet him,

‘It would tear me apart…’

More than anything, he also didn’t seem to have any thoughts of going that far with Olivie. That’s why he had drawn a line so sharply that day.

Our relationship is just a little over a month, no more than that.

Olivie shook her head, rubbing her chest as if to soothe an unnecessary ache.

“I’m not really interested.”

“Hmm.”

Her mother seemed not to believe her words at all. Holding a clump of round, green grass in her hand, her gaze was filled with suspicion and a teasing smile as if she was dying to playfully mock her.

“Why not? Robin is the most promising man in the Kingdom of Plen.”

“Exactly because he’s promising.”

“……”

It was meant to be a casual remark. The moment Olivie noticed the sadness settling in her mother’s eyes, she bit her tongue, realizing her mistake. But it was already too late. Seeing her mother biting her lip with a gaze full of tears, Olivie hurriedly approached her mother and leaned on her shoulder.

“Mom, think about it.”

“……What?”

“If I marry into the Tanner family, do you think I can live comfortably? Why did you and Dad first choose Louis? It was so I could live as I please, wasn’t it? But if I marry Lord Tanner. Oh dear.”

Olivie shook her head as if just imagining it was exhausting. Her mother, who sniffled at Olivie’s jest, looked down at her.

“Is that all?”

“And he’s too handsome. He’s bound to act on it.”

“What?”

“What if he has an affair? Who would leave such a handsome man alone? I’d be anxious every night and wouldn’t be able to sleep. I’m already dying from insomnia…”

“Are you still having trouble sleeping?”

Damn.

I should just sew my mouth shut.

Olivie bit her tongue and awkwardly smiled, shaking her head.

“Sometimes. Very occasionally.”

“……”

But her mother’s cheeks were already wet with tears.

‘I’m going to get scolded by Father.’

Her mother was already distressed over the breakup with Louis, and she had thrown two stones into the water. Anticipating the endless nagging, Olivie held her mother’s hands tightly.

“It’s not because of that.”

“……”

“Dr. Orman said that was all treated. It’s just that I’ve been a bit unsettled lately and lost sleep a few times, so you don’t need to worry.”

As she calmly reassured her, looking into her mother’s dark green eyes, deep like a rain-soaked thicket, her mother sighed briefly and nodded, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.

“Alright.”

Seeing her mother forcing a smile made her nose sting slightly. It was someone else’s fault, but the gentle person who had done nothing wrong always ended up hurt. That’s why Olivie didn’t want to stir up the wounds of the gentle person any more than necessary.

Just by existing, Olivie knew her mother must already be struggling and had struggled enough.

Recalling her mother’s tears, Olivie pulled up the corners of her mouth into a smile, as if to hide her reddened eyes.

“I should put this in my room. I’ll leave mine in your room, Mother.”

Ignoring the color and the uneven sizes of the flowers in her own vase, Olivie pushed it away and pulled her mother’s carefully arranged vase closer.

“No matter how hard I try, I can’t make it look this pretty.”

“That’s because you’re not interested. But when you like something and set your mind to it, you do it so well.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

Smiling bashfully at her mother’s hedgehog-like compliment, Olivie linked arms with her as if to hang onto her. Rubbing her face against the faint floral scent from her mother’s embrace, her mother finally relaxed and tapped Olivie’s nose with her finger.

“I just want you to be happy.”

“……”

“No matter what your father says. Just look after yourself, and as long as you’re happy, that’s enough for me.”

Nodding at her mother’s gentle voice, which accompanied the soft taps on her cheek, Olivie agreed.

“I understand.”

“Promise.”

“Yes, promise.”

As her mother held up her pinky, Olivie hooked hers around it, smiling back at her. She pointed to the vase with her chin.

“This one’s mine.”

Pushing the vase in front of her back and pulling her mother’s vase closer, Olivie smiled brightly.

“Miss.”

With a knock, a servant entered the drawing room and bowed. It was the same child who had informed her of Robin’s first visit a few days ago. Recognizing the round head, Olivie acknowledged him.

“What is it, Philou?”

“Oh.”

Philou, who seemed surprised that Olivie knew his name, scratched the back of his head in confusion before gathering himself and bowing.

“Ah, Lord Caylen has arrived.”

Philou blinked, his entire body stiffening at the suddenly chilly atmosphere. He had never experienced such a mood while working in this house. 

Had he made a mistake? 

As Olivie came to her senses, she noticed the anxious, thin face of the boy and asked again.

“Who?”

“Lord Louis Caylen. He says he is your fiancé and insists on meeting you.”

With every word he spoke, the room’s atmosphere grew colder. Philou swallowed dryly, feeling as if the room might freeze over at any moment…

“Crazy bastard.”

“Really… yes, he’s truly crazy.”

Contrary to Olivie’s blunt words, her mother, who had been trying to choose her words, furrowed her brows and agreed with Olivie.

Olivie and the Countess spoke in turn.

“He’s out of his mind, isn’t he?”

“If he had any sense, he wouldn’t have come here. Does he even know where this is?”

Despite her calm tone, her mother’s hand, which gripped the scissors, trembled slightly. Yet, there was no trace of excitement in her expression or voice.

“Tell him to leave immediately. We do not receive uninvited guests.”

Of course, the displeasure was evident. Olivie pressed her lips together tightly.

‘Mother is truly angry.’

Olivie knew well that when her mother, the Countess, was most furious, it wasn’t when she exploded in anger, but when she swallowed her fury down her throat and became cold.

And at those times, she knew she should never step forward.

“No, I must tell the Earl to replace all the gatekeepers. How dare they let a peddler in, of all places.”

So, there was nothing Olivie could do but quietly watch as her mother drove Louis, or more precisely, the Caylen family, to ruin.