“With Duke Johann Leopold, Olivia Blanchett’s Shock Divorce, Where is the Former Duchess Now?”
With a sensational headline, a photo of the couple from their wedding graced the front page of the newspaper, pushing aside the scandalous personal life of the prodigal crown prince and striking the tabloids day after day.
It was the divorce of Duke Leopold, who had once been embroiled in a scandalous affair with the illegitimate child of the Blanchett family, so it was natural that the society of Leyden was turned upside down.
“They were hiding here.”
The noblewomen gasped upon seeing Olivia, sitting like a painting, bathed in spring sunlight.
“Exactly. Who would have thought we’d see the Duchess here…”
“What Duchess? She’s Miss Blanchett now.”
Carol’s eyes narrowed as she spoke in a low voice, causing the lady she corrected to flush with embarrassment.
“Just as the rumors said, she must have secured a hefty settlement. To think an illegitimate child and a divorcee is staying at the Lancelot Hotel. It’s beyond her station, isn’t it?”
Carol’s words had the other ladies nodding and tsk-tsking in agreement.
“I wonder what she’s doing in Litten?”
“Maybe she’s trying to change her luck at the upcoming Rose Ball.”
May in the Kingdom of Britt was the season for the Litten Flower Festival. Among these events, the Rose Ball at the Lancelot Hotel was second only to the royal ball.
In contrast, in the Kingdom of Londos, May was a month of mourning due to the death of Queen Katrina’s husband. Grand balls and social gatherings were restrained. To the socially restless, the festival across the sea in Britt served as an escape.
“With the alimony she extracted, she’s probably luxuriating here. How else would a divorcee and a bastard be staying at the Lancelot Hotel? She’s out of her depth, isn’t she?”
Envious glances stealthily moved towards Olivia. Anne was the first to notice.
Anne quickly grabbed Olivia’s arm.
“Miss, how about we go to the garden today? This hotel is famous for its beautiful rose garden. It’s a nice day for a walk.”
Her words tumbled out rapidly.
Olivia tilted her head, pondering.
“If you’re still tired, we can just go back to the room.”
Anne was anxious, but Olivia appeared unhurried.
Meanwhile, the pompously adorned peacock-like ladies approached, heads held high. Anne grew anxious, not sure if they were headed to their own seats or coming this way.
Even though Olivia had changed, if she crumbled again, she might revert to her former state.
“Miss?”
Olivia was deep in thought.
According to the guidebook, the Lancelot Hotel’s pride was its roses, including the ‘Princess d’Alessia’ dedicated to the late Queen Allenicia of Britt, along with Double Delight and Iceberg roses. She might never visit such a luxurious hotel again.
“Let’s go to the garden.”
Olivia responded with a bright smile.
As they rose from their seats, Anne quickly steered Olivia towards the terrace leading to the garden.
Just as they were about to cross the threshold…
“Miss Blanchett.”
Olivia’s name echoed through the piano melody.
Anne’s heart sank. She wanted to flee with Olivia, pretending not to hear, but Olivia slowly turned around.
The cafeteria, filled with warm spring sunlight, seemed as if winter had arrived.
The air turned frigid as if it might shatter. The peaceful days in Litten seemed to be ending, and Anne felt afraid.
“It is indeed Miss Blanchett. Pleased to meet you. My name is Elaine.”
The woman approached with a dignified smile, accompanied by the other noblewomen.
“…Hello.”
Olivia belatedly returned the greeting, sifting through her memory. The woman’s face was unfamiliar.
While the woman’s demeanor was impeccably polite, her attempt to conceal the contempt in her eyes seemed clumsy, or perhaps she felt no need to hide it. Olivia, accustomed to such looks since birth, caught on immediately. Those who approached her with veiled disdain usually wanted something from her, and their ends were never good. Not even once.
“Are Miss Elaine and I acquainted? I don’t seem to remember.”
“We’ve never been formally introduced. I’ve seen you a few times at parties.”
“Ah.”
Olivia murmured softly with a gentle smile.
As the illegitimate child conceived from an affair, there wasn’t much she could do at such parties except to drink alone on the terrace.
She would drink enough to feel slightly better, becoming numb to the suffocating stares around her.
It would have been better if she had stopped there. Olivia’s problem was her lack of restraint, which invariably led to embarrassing incidents.
To think these women had witnessed her beast-like behavior, perhaps several times.
Their disdainful looks were not incomprehensible.
“I heard your lawyer did a remarkable job during your divorce?”
“…”
“Was the settlement higher than what Princess Anne Boleyn received in her divorce?”
“And asking for the entire Isle of Cres too?”
“How shameless. But then again, if she had any shame, she wouldn’t have seduced the Duke with such lowly methods and demanded marriage as her price.”
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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