An Incomplete Divorce - Chapter 21

“I heard from Madam Lauren. That necklace……”

Anblyn’s voice trembled as much as her amber eyes.

Before she could finish the words she had struggled to utter, a knock sounded and the secretary brought in tea. A moment of silence fell between the two. As soon as the secretary withdrew after completing his task, Anblyn asked.

“What kind of relationship do you have? With that woman.”

“For a merchant, trust is life. I misjudged a person.”

“Why does Anne Julbert have it? You said you lent it.”

The trembling voice began to choke up.

“Is this how you punish me? By making me a laughingstock with that lowborn bastard?”

To maintain her last shred of dignity, the princess bit her lip instead of shedding tears.

Edgar was watching a very amusing play without any emotion. It was only regrettable that he was the sole audience member for this play he had been watching for three years now.

Edgar could bet his entire fortune that no one could match this woman’s acting of a perpetrator pretending to be a victim. Too bad there were no gamblers around.

Edgar chuckled and then instantly wiped the smile from his lips.

“You were the one who spoke of parting.”

As he stared at Anblyn with an icy expression, the princess’s face turned deathly pale.

“I have no obligation to report my private life to the princess.”

Edgar lowered his eyes and slowly opened them again. With the coldness gone from his gaze, a light smile appeared once more. He had explained it so simply that she should understand by now.

“Don’t you agree? An.”

At the affectionate voice calling her nickname, tears fell from Anblyn’s eyes.

“…I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Ed.”

The intermittent choking sounds soon turned into sobs.

“Please… Forgive me. Please!”

The final line of this play, asking for forgiveness, could not have been more tedious.

How unoriginal. And shameless.

Edgar stood up.

“Well then, take care on your way.”

Edgar gave a most courteous bow to the princess of a nation before leaving the office without hesitation. At the moment, all his attention was focused on the train bound for Nowoontin.

Had Olivia Blanchet boarded that train? That was his greatest concern.

It was terrible weather.

Even Litten’s iconic clock tower, usually visible from everywhere, was obscured by the thick fog.

They had long since given up on the idea of leisurely enjoying Litten’s beautiful scenery one last time.

The two could only hope that the carriage would arrive at the station in time. The carriage had slowed to a crawl, inching along as if on an icy road.

“Will we make it?”

Anne looked at Olivia with worried eyes.

Olivia took out her pocket watch to check the time. It was a parting gift from Elaine.

Twelve fifteen.

It was cutting it close, but if the carriage started moving now, there would be enough time.

“If we’re late, we can take the next train. Or we could go tomorrow.”

Olivia said calmly, stroking the vine pattern on the closed pocket watch.

‘Be careful of Edgar. That man.’

Olivia had asked what that meant. It was during dinner last night, when she was saying goodbye to Elaine.

‘He’s the princess’s man. You said you’re going to keep living here. I mean it’s not good to get involved with him.’

Elaine apologized for not giving her a heads up about the necklace earlier.

She said Madam Lauren had stopped her just as she was about to bring it up, and warned to be careful of that woman too. Thinking back, Olivia recalled that such a conversation had indeed taken place.

Edgar Lancaster Lancelot and Madam Lauren. Come to think of it, that woman was the designer recommended by Madam Marie.

And that maid was…

As one question led to another, the coachman opened the small window and shouted.

“Looks like there’s been an accident up ahead. We’ll be stuck for at least an hour, I reckon!”

After brief deliberation, Olivia and Anne paid the carriage fare and walked to Litten Station. Fortunately, they arrived five minutes early, but all trains were delayed due to the bad weather.

Litten Central Station was crowded with people due to the delays.

Olivia and Anne bought tickets for the 1 o’clock train to Nowoontin and sat on a bench in the waiting room to wait for the train.

Feeling tense because of people glancing at her, Olivia pulled down the brim of her bonnet to cover her face.

The news stand in the waiting room and the newspapers in people’s hands were plastered with all sorts of those unsightly photos.

“I guess the daughter of a temptress is still a temptress.”

“Seems she’s not satisfied unless it’s a duke. She only seduces dukes.”

Olivia let out a short sigh. It was a small blessing in misfortune that her face hadn’t been exposed.

Let’s go outside. Anne.

Yes, miss.

Exchanging glances, Olivia and Anne quietly left the place.

The air was very damp when they came out onto the platform. Despite it being daytime, the streetlights’ glow was murky, enveloped in a hazy fog.

Many people had come out to the platform to wait for the train. Here and there, curses from people tired of waiting could be heard.

The scandal heating up high society became mere cushion fodder here. Olivia thought that was quite fortunate.

Olivia and Anne sat on their trunks placed under a secluded streetlight, waiting for the train. After about two hours, a whistle sounded in the distance.

People started murmuring and stirring.

The train to Nowoontin entered the platform at nearly five o’clock.

The train that had been slowly piercing through the gray city reduced its speed and came to a stop.

People surged towards the train like a wave. Amidst the crowd, Olivia and Anne looked around for the car number printed on their tickets.

“Here. It’s here, Anne.”

Olivia called out to Anne who was heading downwards, waving her hand high.

She checked the train ticket and compartment number once more before opening the carriage door.

Just as Olivia was about to board the train, holding onto the arm Anne had extended, a dark shadow loomed over her head. At the same time, a stranger’s voice was heard from behind.

“Where do you think you’re going.”

Olivia slowly turned around, her foot paused mid-step onto the footboard.

Bushy white eyebrows twitched beneath a black silk hat. In the sunken, shadowed eyes of the old gentleman lurked an unfathomable anger.

“You ungrateful thing!”

A thunderous shout erupted from the gaunt figure.

Olivia, dragged to the Lancelot Hotel with her arm gripped tightly, was confused by the unexpected situation.

“How dare you. Not knowing gratitude.”

An impatient hand flew towards Olivia’s face. She reflexively raised her arm to block it but couldn’t withstand the strong downward force. The sound of a slap across the cheek rang out loudly. A roaring voice echoed in her numbing ears.

‘How dare you, in this place…’

The faintly audible voice seemed younger than now. At six years old, it was the moment Olivia had first faced her own bloodline upon entering the Blanchet Count’s family.

Olivia felt dizzy as she recalled the existence of her maternal grandfather, Count Blanchet.

How did he…

The answer to that question was all too simple. The scandal from the Rose Ball.

“How dare you divorce the Duke without a word!”

Once again, the old man’s harsh hand was raised. Anne, who had been standing helplessly, jumped in front of it to take the hit instead and lost her balance, falling and knocking over a table.

The newspaper on it fell with a thud. An embarrassing scene unfolded.

“You vulgar thing!”

Breathing heavily, Count Blanchet mercilessly struck his granddaughter’s cheek.

“You take after nothing, even this, you take after your mother!”

Count Blanchet, scolding fiercely, raised the cane he had been leaning on, unsatisfied.

Elena Blanchet.

Called the lily of Londos, she was the pride of the Blanchet family in high society.

She was more beautiful and lovelier than anyone, and there was no one who did not love her.

When Elena smiled, everyone around her became happy, and wherever she appeared, shadows disappeared and bright light shone.

Everyone predicted she would become the Crown Princess. It was as natural and inevitable as summer following spring, and autumn and winter coming after.

Until she fell in love with her sworn friend’s husband, her world was perfectly peaceful.

“What humiliation did I suffer because of that little brat. Why has our family come to this. And you dare to leave that position?”

The Count could not forget that day.

Johan Leopold.

Even that young man obtaining the Duke’s position was, come to think of it, thanks to him.

He should be bowing down in gratitude, yet that contemptuous gaze looking down on him like vermin.

He hadn’t expected a warm welcome after the divorce, but he never imagined such humiliation.

‘I thought you had already recouped enough from selling your daughter.’

‘Listen here, grandson-in-law.’

‘Count. Address me properly.’

Recalling his private meeting with Johan, Count Blanchet, overcome with anger, brought down his cane.

“Ah, no. ……You mustn’t do this. Master.”

Though trembling with fear, Anne once again blocked Olivia. Olivia, who had been standing in a daze, met eyes with Anne, whose lip was bleeding. Only then did she come to her senses.

“Stop! ……Please just go back.”

Olivia said coldly.

The tip of the cane held by the Count trembled.

“I’m an adult now and I’ll make my own decisions about my affairs.”

Olivia’s firm gaze fixed on the Count as she continued speaking clearly.

“I believe the debt for raising me has been fully paid by the money you’ve received from the Duke’s family all this time.”

“You insolent thing. Did you think that was all it cost me to take you into my home and raise you all these years? You, a disgrace to the family. The honor of the Blanchet family that fell to the ground because of you?”

Count Blanchet snorted.

The fog outside had already turned into pitch-black darkness. In the dim room with no one to light it, Count Blanchet’s voice echoed ominously.

“It’s far from over.”

“I know you received plenty of help. And the repeated failures in business were because of uncle-”

Olivia’s head snapped to the side violently. Her vision went black.