‘The Dumblin Tennis Championship. That’s the condition.’

Surprised by such an unexpected condition, Olivia widened her eyes and asked again.

‘……Tennis championship?’

‘I’d like you to participate. Of course, it would be even better if you win.’

The sunlight, as warm as a spring day, pooled inside the carriage. The man with a smile on his lips looked at Olivia. Although she disliked appearing in front of people.

‘……Alright.’

It was better than becoming homeless with Anne.

“Well, it’s all done. Please sign here.”

Awakened from her reverie by the fountain pen intruding her vision, Olivia took the pen offered by the clerk and wrote her name in the blank space.

It will work out somehow.

Olivia withdrew the cash she needed immediately and put the newly issued certificate for the remaining amount in the safe. Trying to suppress her anxious feelings, Olivia and Anne left the bank.

Everything will be fine, just as it has been until now.

“Let’s go, Anne.”

“Yes, young lady.”

Along with the pervasive scent of flowers, the spring breeze blew in, caressing Olivia’s cheeks. Somehow, that gentle wind felt like the hope given by the season of revival.

Olivia and Anne made their way to Riverside. Riverside, a residential area where aristocratic townhouses were concentrated, was located on the tranquil banks of the Bichen River, offering an excellent view.

“This is truly a historic mansion. It’s a building that’s over a hundred years old, but it’s well-maintained, look. Isn’t it clean? Moreover, if you live seeing this scenery every day, you wouldn’t envy even His Majesty the King. How wonderful. Speaking of which……”

The real estate agent introduced by Edgar tended to be lengthy in his explanations.

Olivia and Anne were looking around several townhouses where they would stay temporarily for about three months until the end of the Dumblin Championship in July.

Due to the ongoing scandal with Edgar, staying at the Lancelot Hotel was problematic.

Fortunately, just as their feet were starting to ache, they found a house that perfectly suited Olivia and Anne’s taste.

A red brick house half-covered with ivy, its dark blue roof looked like a heated griddle as the setting sun fell on it, and even the white window frames were reddish.

After looking around inside, Olivia signed the contract on the spot. The interior was clean enough to move in and set up house immediately, with no apparent need for further improvements.

Olivia paid three months’ rent of three hundred francs at once.

It was said that Count Blanchet was arrested by the police on charges of forgery the moment he submitted the documents to the International Bank headquarters.

So he wouldn’t be able to bother her anymore, but somehow, she felt uneasy carrying large sums of money since that day.

After parting with the agent and returning to the hotel, evening had already fallen. As she dragged her tired body across the hotel lobby, the elevator doors opened in front of her, and a familiar face walked out.

It was Madam Lauren.

Although the hotel lobby was bustling with guests from the lounge and club, it was impossible to mistake the woman walking confidently through the crowd. The sound of thin stiletto heels clicking on the marble floor stopped in front of Olivia.

“We meet again, Miss Blanchet.”

The ostrich feathers on top of the woman’s head fluttered slightly as she bowed her head.

“Yes. It’s been a while, Madam.”

Olivia, who had glanced at the elevator the woman had just exited, returned the greeting.

“There have been… quite a few changes, I see.”

Madam Lauren, with widened eyes, nodded and muttered to herself as she observed Olivia’s clearly changed appearance.

Though largely hidden by her hat, the neat bob haircut suited her very well. The plain attire that a maid might wear actually maximized her unique beauty.

The result of the ongoing rumors of a secret affair with Duke Lancelot since the Rose Ball wasn’t bad at all.

Olivia Blanchet…

Princess Anblyn was Eve Lauren’s muse. She was a model that perfectly matched the high-quality design Madam Lauren pursued.

Then, Lancelot Lauren is.

Madam Lauren once again carefully examined Olivia standing before her. That’s when.

“It seems you’re acquainted with Mr. Lancelot.”

Olivia’s gaze briefly turned to the elevator before returning to Madam Lauren. The representative’s private elevator of Lancelot Hotel. Recognizing its meaning, she smiled and said,

“I’m thinking of establishing a connection. For business purposes.”

She was quite perceptive. There was a considerable gap from the woman imagined based on rumors from across the sea. Olivia’s eyes still held suspicion. A kind explanation seemed necessary.

“I made a reckless move. The necklace incident caused trouble not only for Miss Blanchet.”

She had overlooked Princess Anblyn’s feelings for Duke Lancelot. Who would have thought she still had lingering affection for the man she had abandoned to marry a foreign prince?

“So I need a new investor.”

She had to admit her own mistake in not calculating such a variable. If she had known beforehand, she wouldn’t have insisted on Anne Julbert.

“I see.”

Olivia nodded slightly with no particular expression.

Madam Lauren inwardly sighed in relief but outwardly smiled. At this point, it would be troublesome if Olivia connected Edgar and herself. At least until Lancelot signed the acquisition contract.

“We might see each other often. Well then.”

Madam Lauren bid farewell and brushed past Olivia. The confident sound of high heels resonated over the lively music flowing from the lounge. Her red lips curled up greedily.

Hey, you naive little miss. Beware of the beast that acts like a cat.

Olivia Blanchet needed to be more certain in her suspicion of people.

The game room of the Honors Club was already bustling with Crown Prince Christian and his friends engaged in a card game. As Johan entered, the gamblers’ gazes quickly followed him.

Tabloid newspapers that had been provoking Johan were scattered on every table. Reading the articles, one would conclude that there was no man in the world as foolish as him.

Ah! Poor fellow.

In an article about the acquisition of a waterlogged steel company, somehow discovered, Johan’s wife appeared as an industrial spy who had leaked company secrets for her beloved Edgar Lancaster Lancelot.

In this way, his ex-wife, Olivia Blanchet, continued to grace the pages with new appearances, making Johan look like a pitiable fool to the world.

“You’re here?”

Christian, with a cigarette in his mouth, looked up from the cards in his hand to greet Johan. Then he turned his gaze back.

Johan passed by them indifferently and headed for the balcony.

Christian received the last card. His face lit up with joy.

Five cards of the same suit.

“As expected, my Johan! My goddess of fortune!”

Christian exclaimed as he pulled in the chips. The young aristocrats giggled. It wasn’t something one would say to the man currently considered the most unlucky in Londos.

Christian, who had ordered brandy and ice from the floor person, got up from the table and followed Johan to the balcony.

“Want to join the next round?”

Christian, already slightly drunk, plopped down on a white iron chair.

“Send a letter. Don’t tell me to come and go.”

Johan watched with narrowed eyes as brandy was poured into the glass.

With golden hair as noble as the men of the Londos royal family and a confident air that was nothing short of arrogant. Christian smirked.

“You do remember I’m the crown prince, right?”

Christian chuckled, taking a long drag from his cigarette and exhaling. Johan picked up his glass.

“You’ve been relying on Olivia a lot lately. Should I send a thank you gift?”

Whether due to the alcohol or his good mood, Christian kept grinning.

The crown prince, who often caused controversy with his dissipated private life, was a regular on the front pages of newspapers. Recently, he had graciously given up that glorious position to Olivia Blanchet.

“If it weren’t for the talk of agents and royal marriage, I wouldn’t have handed her over to you. But why, of all people, Edgar? Was that Olivia’s taste?”

Olivia. Olivia.

That damned name.

“So.”

Johan said coldly, placing the empty glass he had drained in one go on the table.

“What’s the matter.”

“Next week, Friday. I’ve informed the Grand Duchess’s side that you’ll be attending. Prepare well.”

Beyond the smoke Christian exhaled, the night view of the Londos capital twinkled like stars in the sky. It was a city with unnecessarily bright lights.

‘Please divorce me’

The sudden intrusion of his wife’s voice was no longer strange.

A marriage made without love once, there was no reason he couldn’t do it twice. It was time to erase the existence of the woman whose name followed his like a tag.

“What I stand to gain is.”

Johan’s murmur was low. As his proud gaze turned to Christian, he grinned and raised his glass.

The second deal had begun.

“Young lady. It’s all done.”

Anne, who had been neatly tying the hat strings under her chin, said.

“Thank you, Anne.”

Olivia walked to the mirror with a smile and checked her appearance. The wide-brimmed hat enveloped her small face, making it difficult to recognize her unless one looked closely.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, young lady.”

“It has been an honor to serve you.”

“Thank you for everything.”

The two bid farewell to Mrs. Mary and left the suite room at the Lancelot Hotel where they had been staying.

As they exited the main entrance, journalists wearing black fedoras were smoking and chatting. They scrutinized the faces of people getting in and out of carriages with persistent gazes.

Olivia, tensed, took a deep breath while gripping the handle of her trunk.

The two politely declined the carriage held by the doorman and quickly passed by the journalists.

They hurried around the corner of the hotel, finally escaping from their sight. Only then did Olivia and Anne look at each other and laugh silently.

As they raised their heads, the sky was incredibly clear.

In the full spring air, the early spring flowers had fallen, and the lush leaves had turned a deep green.

The dazzling sunlight pouring down through the leaves danced with the wind on the sidewalk. Their steps towards the carriage stop trembled with anticipation and excitement.