Side Story 3 (Part 3)

After that day, the relationship between Robin and his father began to gradually deteriorate.

Of course, in public matters, he conformed to his father’s wishes and steadily rose through the ranks as the heir of the Tanner family. On the surface, everything probably seemed fine.

His father must have thought so initially as well.

There were no visible signs of rebellion or deviation in other areas.

Except for one thing: matters concerning women.

His father continuously presented him with marriage prospects, but Robin accepted none of them.

He simply repeated what he had said before.

That he would marry Olivie.

Even when asked what he intended to do about a lady who was already engaged, Robin did not provide a specific answer.

Thus, time passed helplessly, and three years went by, with Robin truly remaining unmarried at the age of twenty-four. There were no formal engagements or love affairs. Of course, there were occasional rumors of light affairs from various countries, but none of them had any substantial basis.

In fact, there couldn’t be any.

Those rumors were actually counter-rumors spread by Earl Tanner to dispel gossip about his son who neither married nor got engaged.

Despite Olivie and Louis being engaged for three years, they still hadn’t married.

Rather, they couldn’t marry.

After the Caylen family was chosen by Earl Elphano, Louis Caylen’s value skyrocketed, making him busy being called here and there.

From merchant guilds to family matters, he was so busy that he was almost out of his mind.

Sometimes, he even acted as a proxy for Earl Elphano’s affairs, and secretly, the Elphano family already treated him as their son-in-law.

As a result, there was no one in the capital who dared to treat him carelessly.

Moreover, since Olivie and Countess Elphano had a strong hold on the social circles, the status of the Caylen family continued to rise year by year.

In other words, they had ascended from a peripheral noble family that the capital couldn’t even consider, to the center of the Plen social scene.

He was so busy that he had to postpone marriage.

Or rather, he wanted to use the excuse of being too busy to delay marriage.

Of course, this was Louis’s intention, not the Caylen family’s. The Caylen side wanted to seal the deal and make everything their own.

However, it seemed that Louis could envision his future clearly.

A future where he was tightly controlled by Olivie.

So he made various excuses to postpone the marriage, and before they knew it, they were four years into their engagement. Both had gone from being sixteen to twenty, and Louis no longer had a valid reason to avoid marriage.

There were no more hectic business matters, and there was no place for him to fit into foreign merchant guilds.

Just when it seemed that this happiness would finally end, news arrived like a miracle that Louis Caylen was included in a trade group dealing with the Eldora Continent.

Rumors circulated that even just joining the lower ranks of this group could lead to sudden wealth, making not only merchants but also nobles eager to participate, their eyes gleaming with desire…

And Louis Caylen was the one who secured that spot.

People talked about it as if it were a miraculous event. Complaints arose about how such good things always seemed to happen to Louis.

Louis himself also thought he was fortunate.

Yes, it might have been luck or a miracle if Robin Tanner hadn’t been in charge of that delegation. If that had been the case, it might have been called luck or a miracle.

But behind that miracle, an invisible hand was at work, and that invisible hand was Robin Tanner.

Anyone who knew this would easily guess that all those numerous fortunate events that allowed Louis to hold off marrying Olivie were orchestrated by Robin.

If only he could separate Louis from Olivie, Robin could offer him even more riches than this.

But if Louis went too far and crossed the line…

That was a different story.

‘I love you, Angela. You’re the only one for me. You know that.’

‘But, but…’

‘Don’t think about Olivie. That woman is just… nothing. It’s only because of family matters, you know that our family’s financial source is Elphano. Apart from that, Olivie Elphano is a woman who’s dried up and has nothing to offer.’

‘But you’re going to marry her soon, aren’t you? Then I’ll be discarded.’

‘I will have to marry. But I’ve told you that’s all it is. Marriage is just a way to make you happy. I have to marry to be able to handle their family’s money freely. So Angela, please don’t say you’re leaving.’

‘Louis.’

‘Please endure just a little longer, I’ll make you happy soon.’

Thud-!

“So.”

Robin, who was listening to Angela’s report, flipped over the document spread out in front of him.

“He doesn’t seem to have any intention of breaking up.”

“Not at all.”

Angela nodded.

“He only thought of soothing me, saying the marriage is just a means.”

“…”

“Because she’s the financial source.”

Robin lifted his head at Angela’s words.

Angela was the only noble lady Louis, who flirted with countless women, was truly infatuated with. Even while he was lost, entangled between her legs, he said he had no intention of letting go of Olivie.

“Then, I guess we need to dry up that money first.”

Robin stopped intervening in his miracles any further.

Moreover, he began to take back everything he had given him.

Though Louis’s true intentions were the trigger, he was also getting annoyed by the way people started seeing Louis Caylen and Olivie as a pair.

‘With someone like Louis.’

Of course, it was Robin himself who had let him be so indulgent. He had let him act as if he were something important, strutting around. He even let him play around with plenty of money.

Both he and his father were easily tempted by women, so he thought it would be fine to just leave him be. He hoped Louis would naturally fall away from Olivie’s side, infatuated with another woman.

But the moment he saw Louis intending to deceive and use her, all those thoughts vanished.

“How much more should I pay for a pregnancy?”

He could no longer leave Olivie by his side.

“I don’t care if it’s a scam.”

“…”

“Just make him believe it. I’ll take care of the rest.”

* * *

“Oppa?”

“…”

Robin belatedly turned his head at Olivie’s call.

“…What?”

“I’m a bit in pain.”

“…”

For a moment, he was lost in distant memories and didn’t realize he was squeezing Olivie’s hand that was pulling him. Only when he saw Olivie’s face twisted in pain did Robin quickly release his grip.

“Oh, sorry, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine…”

Olivie, who had turned her body to look closely at Robin, dragged out her words.

Honestly, she wasn’t so much in pain as she was worried because he didn’t respond no matter how many times she called him. Robin’s expression, asking if she was okay, was more seriously hardened than Olivie’s, who said she was in pain.

“Are you okay, oppa?”

“Huh?”

At Olivie’s expression, as if asking what she was talking about, Robin belatedly relaxed his expression and rubbed his mouth with his hand.

“Oh, I was just lost in thought.”

“What were you thinking about to have such a scary face?”

At Olivie’s words, Robin could only pull up the corners of his mouth into a smile, having no other response to show.

It was all he could do back then.

“Just.”

Suddenly, a fear crept over him about what would happen if she found out about his twisted emotions and the ugly deeds he committed to have her.

Like a smile that distorts grotesquely when you try to laugh.

All those things he subtly pushed to send Louis Caylen into ruin. The indirect moments he drove him to betray her, the things he did.

“…”

Of course, he didn’t regret it.

After all, she was in his arms now.

“…Lie.”

“Yeah?”

Robin, who was staring intently at Olivie with deepened eyes, suddenly pulled her into his arms as the fear surged.

Tightly.

He held her in his embrace for a long time without a word, to the point where she could feel the pressure.

“…”

Then he felt Olivie’s small hand patting his back. At that light soothing, Robin loosened his tightly gripped hands and rested his forehead on her shoulder.

“Whew.”

At the deep sigh that revealed a tender side for a moment, Olivie patted his back.

“Was it really that upsetting?”

“…”

“That I was engaged to Louis?”

Olivie continuously stroked his head as he silently nodded to her question.

“I didn’t know.”

“…”

“But why be so upset over someone like Louis? Why let it hurt your heart?”

“…Because I almost lost you.”

“But right now, it’s you who’s by my side.”

Seeing the grown, large man in her arms acting like a child throwing a tantrum, Olivie let out a small laugh. She then escaped from his strong embrace and pressed Robin’s cheeks with her hands.

“The present is what’s important.”

Olivie pressed his cheeks and kissed his lips.

“Right now, I’m Olivie Tanner, aren’t I?”

“…”

Olivie smiled broadly as she looked at him. Her eyes folded gently like crescent moons in a bright smile. As if infected by that smile, Robin also lifted the corners of his mouth.

What more could he say in the face of that radiant smile?

“Yes.”

He simply buried his ugliness deep down again and pulled her into his arms once more.

“The present is what’s important.”

The fact that she was by his side now was what mattered.

“That’s right.”

Olivie agreed with Robin’s words.

“I love you, Robin Tanner.”

Then, with a light kiss on his chin, Robin, who laughed again at her confession, also kissed her head.

“Me too.”

It was a whispered confession, spoken softly into her ear as he held her tightly, afraid someone might take her away.

“I love you, Olivie Tanner.”

Unlike mine, Olivie shrugged her shoulders at the confession that somehow made her whole body tingle. Robin rubbed her belly and kissed her a little deeper.

His shallow breath seemed to touch her lips and slipped through the gap of her parted lips.

At that excited breath, Olivie slightly turned her body, wrapped her arms around his neck, and was about to climb onto his thighs.

“Master!”

A small light was visible beyond the already darkened black surroundings.

“It’s over.”

The words spoken simultaneously by both at the sound of the jingling carriage. The two who looked at each other burst into light laughter and shared a gentle kiss.

“Let’s go home.”

Though they couldn’t attend Fiona’s debutante due to the broken carriage, they should at least go home.

“I hope this carriage is a bit sturdier.”

Olivie stroked down from his shoulder and tapped lightly on his chest.

It was a small, soft resonance.

Something that could never be let go.

Robin took Olivie’s hand that touched his chest and kissed her palm.

“That’s good to hear.”