Johann didn’t particularly want a divorce.
As for his marriage partner, anyone would do. That was enough.
Thus, he didn’t care if the child born from an affair was a bastard. It was just a shield to avoid the bothersome pressure from family elders and marriage brokers.
Moreover, his marriage to Olivia had given him many things.
The deal with the crown prince was undeniably a profitable one.
Of course, his wife’s obsessive behavior was an unforeseen complication, but as long as he ignored it, it wasn’t a problem for Johann. He had nothing to lose.
“Divorce me…”
When Olivia said that, she shone more brilliantly than the sunlight. Unbelievably.
What had he missed?
His nerves felt prickly, like a thorn under his fingernail, but he couldn’t figure out the cause.
Johann pulled on the reins of his thoughts. With his black mane flowing, like a racehorse, he began to gallop. He shook off the lingering thoughts of the sudden divorce as he ran through the wide-open plains.
After a round at the racetrack, Johann and the crown prince dismounted and went to the royal club room for some rest.
“Isn’t it nice to get out?”
Johann’s cousin, the crown prince, Christian, poured brandy into a glass filled with ice and pushed it toward Johann. Johann drank it without answering.
“It seems the Duchess has finally given up. You should have tried harder, Johann.”
“Just get to the point.”
Johann stared at the crown prince.
“It’s time to bring in the new Leopold Duchess, isn’t it?”
“Are you insane?”
Christian chuckled as he poured more alcohol into the glass.
“Things have really gotten better, haven’t they? Be thankful you were born in such a good world.”
Christian twirled his glass as the clear ice cubes made a tinkling sound under the sunlight.
“The Grand Duchess of Krantz Empire. Marry her.”
“Why don’t you do it?”
Johann narrowed his eyes at the crown prince.
“Lowfield. I’ll give you as a marriage gift. Marry her.”
Christian was engaged to the princess of the Agent family. At this point, movements toward independence from the Krantz Empire, a vassal state of Londos, had been detected. From Londos’ perspective, they needed a hostage, and the only unmarried, eligible royal bachelor was Johann, who had just gotten divorced three weeks ago.
“Aiden, your uncle, can’t be used.”
There was a duke in his fifties, but for the twenty-two-year-old Grand Duchess, a twenty-eight-year-old divorced man seemed preferable to a fifty-year-old bachelor. It was a selfish consideration.
“Why don’t you remarry the Queen to the Grand Duke instead?”
“Crazy bastard. Don’t even say it.”
Christian burst into laughter as he cursed. His eyes then shifted toward the portrait of the queen hanging on the wall. “If Father had heard that, he would have risen from his grave and shoved a revolver into the mouth of the Grand Duke of Krantz.”
Christian’s taunting continued.
“It seems the former Duchess is looking for a second husband, though. Lancelot, of all people. Is she trying to make you miserable on purpose?”
“Shut up.”
Johann’s intense gaze briefly fixed on Christian before disappearing.
“Ah! I’m scared. I’m scared.”
Half of his words were sincere.
Johann was one of the few people Christian didn’t wear a mask around. He had no way of hiding his feelings, and Christian liked Johann for being transparent and honest, rather than the type to stab someone in the back with a smiling face.
“I’ve invited you to Catherine’s birthday party. Just stay quiet and show your face. For the peace of Londos!”
Christian raised his glass in an exaggerated gesture, like an actor, before lowering his voice and muttering,
“It’s an order.”
At that moment, Johann’s wife’s voice echoed in his mind.
“Please divorce me.”
The memory of that dry day came back to him for no reason.
Even if the heavens were to split, Olivia would never say those words.
The glass in his hand, gripped with muscles bulging, was emptied in a single gulp. Slowly wiping his lips with his thumb, Johann quietly stared at the blue curtain cutting across the queen’s chest in the painting. The color reminded him of his wife’s eyes.
A second husband… perhaps. The photograph he had seen before leaving his office that morning.
His wife, walking down a flower-lined street with a maid, was smiling.
Had she ever smiled like that?
Johann didn’t have any memories of her smiling. Not once.
He had first thought the woman in the photo was beautiful when he met Olivia Blanchett. Then, he wondered what had made her smile like that.
He cut away the worst possibility of Edgar Langaster Lancelot from his mind. As long as it wasn’t Edgar, he didn’t care who became her second husband.
“Lady Blanchett has sent a reply declining the invitation.”
“Is that so? What a shame.”
Edgar nodded with a smile, as if he had expected it. The hotel staff placed a tray on the desk and quietly stepped away.
On the light pink stationery was a neatly placed letter.
Though he knew the contents from the report, Edgar held the paper knife loosely.
Yesterday, on the tennis court, he had harbored a strange sense of expectation toward her. She seemed different from before, her gaze more confident, and he had subconsciously thought she might accept the invitation.
Was that an illusion?
The sharp blade slid smoothly across the sunlight. Edgar opened the envelope and pulled out the contents. He lowered his gaze.
“May the Lancelot Hotel continue to prosper,” the cold, formal phrase began, politely refusing the invitation. Edgar couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
A kindly but illegible handwriting.
Each letter was written with such care, pressing hard, but the pure affection behind it was clear.
“Oh my goodness! Miss, it’s eleven o’clock.”
Anne exclaimed in surprise.
According to the plan, they should have had breakfast early and left the hotel, but somehow, Olivia and Anne had become habitual late sleepers. By noon, the two women, having woken up, smiled at each other from their beds.
In a rush, they finished getting ready. Anne placed a hat on Olivia and grabbed a parasol before opening the door.
As Olivia walked down the hallway, she bumped into someone.
“Oh! Sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
The man, lifting his hat slightly, knocked on the door of the room next to Olivia’s. He was someone she frequently ran into since arriving here.
Olivia headed for the elevator, while the man entered his room.
As they stepped outside, the gentle spring breeze made the ribbon of Olivia’s bonnet sway prettily under her chin. Spring was fully showing itself, with every tree sprouting tender green leaves and purple flowers hanging in the breeze, bringing a fragrant hue to the air.
“I’m glad we came out, Anne.”
“Yes. The weather is too beautiful to waste on staying indoors.”
The two of them were so immersed in the spring atmosphere that they wanted to walk forever, but hunger won out. Anne boarded the carriage and told the driver their destination.
“Take us to Grand Blue.”
The carriage sped up and quickly left Golden Avenue.
After running along the river road, they arrived at their destination.
The Mediterranean seafood restaurant was known for its white exterior and bright blue doors. As they entered, a waiter in a tuxedo with a napkin draped over his arm greeted them warmly.
“You’ll have to wait for a moment, is that alright?”
“How long will it be?”
“Ten minutes should be enough.”
“God must be watching over me.”
Olivia smiled as she spoke. Truthfully, she was on the verge of fainting from hunger. Once seated, the bartender placed a long, thin glass in front of Olivia.
As she took a sip of the pre-meal drink, Olivia turned her body. The noise of the crowded hall was visible, with a high ceiling and expansive glass windows that opened up to the view of the river, the green sea, and the sky beyond.
The terrace with a great view of the sea was full, and the guests eating their meals had satisfied expressions on their faces. Waiting, full of expectation, was not tedious. However, when Olivia and Anne spotted a group of ladies sitting at the left corner of the terrace, their faces darkened.
“Miss, should we come back another time? That table seems to be ours…”
Anne hesitated, unsure.
The staff was busily setting up a table at the glass wall dividing the terrace from the hall. It was the same ladies they had encountered at the hotel cafeteria the day before, sitting just on the other side of the glass.
“Uncomfortable?”
“I’m fine.”
“Me too.”
Olivia, flipping open the menu, teased,
“If they try to act friendly again, I’ll make sure they pay for the meal.”
Anne smiled faintly at her playful tone. Olivia wasn’t the same person as before. After narrowly escaping death, was it possible that someone had switched souls with her? Anne wondered as she watched Olivia sleep.
“Why?”
Olivia asked, noticing Anne’s gaze.
“If we’re going to charge them, let’s order something expensive, Miss.”
Anne made a determined suggestion, and Olivia burst into laughter.
The two clinked their glasses in a toast. Just then, a commotion by the door caught their attention.
“A new employee at Anglia is quite the catch.”
“Such a fool. Flirting in broad daylight.”
The sound of men’s laughter grew louder as they entered the restaurant. Olivia’s eyes widened when she saw them.
It was the same group she had seen on the tennis court yesterday.
Unlike yesterday, the men were dressed elegantly, and the elderly manager hurried to greet them.
“Welcome, Marquis.”
“It’s been a while.”
The tall man at the center of the group responded with a charming smile. His black hair, as dark as the night, was particularly striking. He was the winner from yesterday.
