Chapter 20

However, there was even less reason for the Noble Faction to target Olivia.  

If they were aware of the influence of the Marquis of Bianche, her family, and sought to do business with them, it might make sense. But they wouldn’t resort to such foolish actions.  

This was clearly a setup meant to cast suspicion on the Noble Faction.  

“Ha.”  

Freddy frowned at the crude scheme.  

Of course, the rumors would die down before long. The Noble Faction, being the first to be suspected, would step in to resolve the issue.  

But what was the purpose of orchestrating such an event?  

Pressing his hand against his eyes, Freddy fell deep into thought.  

Before long, he realized what the instigator of the rumors was aiming for.  

“Reputation.”  

They wanted to tarnish Olivia’s reputation.  

It was a vile and petty tactic.  

What was certain, however, was that this was an action taken with the clear intent of bringing her down.  

***  

Inside the returning carriage, Olivia was lost in thought.  

She knew why Freddy had moved so urgently earlier. She, too, had sensed the murmurs and the hostile gazes directed at her.  

Of course, as she had been told in the letters, not everything would go smoothly. Moving forward, as she worked to save Freddy, she might face even worse situations than this.  

But Olivia had never been treated this way in her entire life.  

The incident earlier served as a stark reminder that this was her reality now.  

Perhaps, over the past few days, Olivia had taken things too lightly.  

She had thought saving Freddy would be straightforward, and making him happy would be easy.  

To save him, she merely needed to ensure that ‘Liv’ didn’t die, and to prevent their daughter, ‘Lerry,’ whose death had marked the beginning of their misery, from meeting the same fate.  

The premise that Freddy could only live if Liv didn’t die remained unchanged.  

But what about the happiness Olivia wanted to protect for him?  

Who would guard his heart as it gradually sank under the weight of countless future events? Who would resolve his regrets?  

“Sigh.”  

If only she knew Freddy’s life story from beginning to end. If only the Unknown Gentleman had been a little more detailed in describing his circumstances.  

If she had known everything, she could have boldly prevented all his worries and regrets.  

She let her mind wander with meaningless fantasies.  

“Mister, you should’ve told me about yourself too, not just about Liv.”  

The gentleman’s letters merely recounted the past from his perspective. They didn’t reveal when or why certain events happened, nor who orchestrated them.  

In short, while she knew what was going to happen, she lacked the kind of information that could truly help.  

If she misjudged and conveyed the wrong information to Freddy, causing things to spiral out of control, that would be the worst outcome.  

If only she had more information, perhaps she could make him a little happier.  

Her thoughts spiraled endlessly.  

Olivia’s worries lingered even as she dined alone upon returning to the Grand Duke’s residence.  

After finishing her meal, she encountered Simon on her way back to her room. He appeared to be in a hurry to leave the residence.  

“Simon?”  

“Your Grace.”  

He was holding a small suitcase and a stack of documents. Noticing Olivia’s gaze, Simon quickly explained.  

“His Grace, the Grand Duke, will need to stay at the royal palace for a while to handle some matters, so I came to pack a few clothes and documents for him.”  

“I see…”  

“Yes, Your Grace. I’ve sent a letter addressed to you to your room. If I had known we’d meet like this, I would’ve delivered it personally.”  

“No need. You must be in a hurry, so go quickly.”  

Once Olivia gave her permission, Simon quickly finished his farewell and left.  

Even after Simon’s carriage disappeared from sight, Olivia stood frozen in place. Angela cautiously called out to her.  

“Your Grace?”  

“Let’s go up.”  

Though her gaze remained fixed outside, she reluctantly began to move.  

***  

It felt strange waking up without Freddy.  

She had thought it was odd to be welcomed by him in the mornings, but it seemed she had grown accustomed to it in the past few days.  

A morning without Freddy felt unpleasant.  

But just because he wasn’t there didn’t mean she could avoid starting her day.  

During the week Freddy stayed at the royal palace, Olivia familiarized herself with most of her duties as the Grand Duchess.  

Aside from tasks that required his handover, she didn’t face much difficulty managing the work.  

“Your Grace, where should I place the invitations from the nobles?”  

Angela entered the office, her hands full of invitations.  

“Leave them here.”  

Pressing her tired eyes, Olivia replied. Angela placed the invitations on the desk and set down a light snack for her.  

“Why don’t you have something to eat while you work?”  

“This will suffice.”  

Angela nodded at Olivia’s response. Though Olivia didn’t say it, Angela could easily guess why she wasn’t eating in the dining room.  

However, she refrained from voicing it, knowing it might upset Olivia.  

“Shall I prepare dinner here as well?”  

“Keep it simple.”  

After giving a brief answer to Angela’s question, Olivia refocused on the documents in front of her.  

Once she had finished her work, Olivia checked the invitations Angela had brought earlier. As she sifted through them one by one, she came across a familiar name.  

The Munk Ducal House.  

Olivia knew about this tea party invitation.  

It was a gathering of noblewomen from the Noble Faction, Royalist Faction, and even the Neutral Faction.  

Such a gathering of all noblewomen in one place was rare, except for royal banquets.  

However, the frequent clashes between the two factions at royal events had displeased the royal family.  

Thus, the tea party had been proposed as a way to ease tensions by meeting in a setting outside of royal events.  

“Should I skip it?”  

Without realizing it, Olivia voiced her genuine thoughts.  

The reason was simple.  

The tea party hosted by the Munk Ducal House was the only event she could vaguely understand through the letters from the ‘Unknown Gentleman.’  

While it wasn’t clear what had been said to Liv to make her feel humiliated and depressed, it was certain that she had heard unpleasant remarks.  

Letting out a short sigh, Olivia gently patted her cheeks a few times before beginning her reply.  

“I should still go.”  

There were many things she needed to change for his happiness. Adding more variables to the situation wouldn’t help.  

Olivia flawlessly composed the reply in Silvestian. Satisfied with her letter, she handed it to Angela.  

After Angela left, Olivia organized the remaining documents.  

Just then, one of the letters precariously perched on the edge of the desk fell with a soft thud.  

Thinking it was one she hadn’t checked yet, she reached out and picked it up.  

Seeing the familiar Frenchian script, Olivia assumed it was from her family and examined it closely.  

However, the sender was someone she hadn’t expected at all—someone she hadn’t even thought of since arriving here.  

“Why would His Highness, the Second Prince, send me a letter?”  

Olivia’s expression twisted into a frown.  

She wasn’t sure what kind of relationship ‘Liv’ had with him here, but Olivia herself found the Second Prince, Siare, uncomfortable.  

He had always shown her a sticky kind of obsession.  

Moreover, Siare had been forceful, insisting that she must marry him no matter what.  

Of course, the Siare of this world might be different from the one she knew.  

Still, since he had the same face, name, and voice, it was only natural for Olivia to feel uneasy.  

She tried to recall the last time she had seen Siare.  

But since he hadn’t been a significant figure in her life, it was difficult to remember him clearly.  

Only his brown eyes, filled with desperate desire, floated vividly in her mind.  

Shudder.  

A chill ran up from her toes, and Olivia stopped trying to think about Siare.  

She stared at the letter in her hand for a moment before deliberately shoving it into a drawer, pretending she hadn’t seen it.  

Ignoring a royal’s letter was unthinkable, but since it didn’t bear an official royal seal, and since Olivia was no longer a citizen of Frenchia, she felt no obligation to read or respond to it.  

Pushing aside her unease, Olivia buried herself in the remaining documents.  

It wasn’t until the sky had turned completely dark that she finally left the office.