“Duke Johan Leopold’s Sudden Divorce from Olivia Blanchet, Former Duchess Whereabouts Unknown”

The grand headline, along with the wedding photo of the two adorning the front page of the newspaper, had been dominating the tabloids for days, pushing aside even the scandalous private life of the wayward crown prince.

It was only natural that Raiden’s social circles were in an uproar over the divorce of Duke Leopold, who had once married Blanchet’s illegitimate child amidst an unsavory scandal.

“So this is where you were hiding.”

The ladies were shocked to see Olivia sitting like a painting, basking in the spring sunlight.

“Indeed. I never expected to see the Duchess in a place like this…”

“Duchess? You should call her Miss Blanchet now.”

Carol lowered her voice, casting a sidelong glance. The lady who hesitated at her jab flushed red.

“It seems she’s secured quite a sum, as rumors say. How presumptuous, staying at the Lancelot Hotel.”

The ladies covered their mouths and clicked their tongues in agreement with Carol’s words.

“By the way, what brings her to Ritten?”

“The Rose Ball is coming up. Perhaps she’s trying to change her fortunes.”

May in the Brit Kingdom was the season of the Ritten Flower Festival. Among these, the Lancelot Hotel’s Rose Ball was second only to the royal ball in fame.

In contrast, May in the Londos Kingdom was a month of mourning, as Queen Katrina’s husband had passed away in May.

Large-scale balls and social gatherings were restrained. For socialites itching with boredom, the festival across the sea in Brit was a sort of escape.

“She must be indulging lavishly here with the enormous alimony she supposedly extracted. How else could an illegitimate child and divorcée afford the Lancelot Hotel? She doesn’t know her place. Don’t you agree?”

Envious glances darted towards Olivia. Anne was the first to notice.

She hastily grabbed Olivia’s arm.

“Miss, shall we go out to the garden today? I hear this hotel is famous for its rose garden. The weather is perfect for a walk.”

The words tumbled out rapidly.

Olivia tilted her head, wearing a contemplative expression.

“If you’re still tired, we can return to the room.”

Anne was anxious, but Olivia, unaware of the situation, remained leisurely.

Meanwhile, a flock of gaudily dressed peacocks approached, heads held high.

Anne was on edge, unsure if they were being guided to their seats by staff or coming this way.

Though her miss had changed, there was no telling if she might revert to her old self if faced with another mentally crushing situation.

“Miss?”

Olivia was lost in thought.

The hotel’s brochure boasted of a rose paradise, featuring unfamiliar names like ‘Princess de Alencia’ dedicated to the late Queen Alencia of Brit, as well as Double Delight and Iceberg.

She might never have another chance to visit such a luxurious hotel.

“Let’s go to the garden.”

Olivia replied with a bright smile.

The two rose from their seats and turned towards the terrace that opened to the garden right behind them.

Just as they were about to cross the threshold of the terrace door, with Anne leading Olivia in an uncharacteristically quick movement—

“Miss Blanchet.”

Olivia’s name rang out, piercing through the piano melody.

Anne’s heart sank. She wanted to pretend she hadn’t heard and flee with her miss, but Olivia slowly turned around.

It felt as if winter had descended upon the cafeteria filled with clear spring sunlight.

The frozen air seemed about to shatter. Anne feared that the peaceful days in Ritten were coming to an end.

“It really is Miss Blanchet. Pleased to meet you. I’m Elaine.”

The woman approached with a dignified smile and greeted them. Other ladies accompanied her.

“…Hello.”

Olivia responded after a moment’s hesitation, searching her memory. It was an unfamiliar face.

The woman’s manner was impeccably polite, but she seemed unskilled at hiding the contempt in her eyes. Or perhaps she felt no need to.

Olivia caught onto this with uncanny precision. It was a gaze she had received constantly since birth, one she had been conditioned to.

People who approached with smiles while hiding their disdain usually wanted something from Olivia. And it had never ended well. Not once.

“Are Miss Elaine and I acquainted? I’m afraid I don’t remember.”

“We haven’t been formally introduced. I’ve seen you at a few parties.”

“Ah.”

Olivia responded with a gentle smile and a short exclamation.

At gatherings where a dirty illegitimate child conceived through adultery was shunned, all Olivia could do was go out to the terrace alone and drink.

When she was sufficiently tipsy and her mood improved, she could become a little numb to the suffocating stares.

The power of champagne should have only been borrowed that far.

If only it had been so. Olivia’s problem was her lack of self-control, which always led to unseemly incidents.

To have seen such an animal-like state. And multiple times at that.

The woman’s gaze was not incomprehensible.

“I hear your lawyer was quite impressive during the divorce proceedings?”

“…”

“Is it true that the alimony surpassed even what Princess Anblyn received in her divorce?”

“They say you even demanded Cress Island, didn’t you?”

“How can someone be so shameless? Well, if she had any shame, she wouldn’t have seduced the Duke with such vulgar methods and demanded marriage in return.”

Thanks to these women who abandoned their ladylike pretenses and deliberately raised their voices in this situation, all eyes in the cafeteria turned to Olivia.

The corners of the women’s mouths turned up noticeably under their mocking gazes.

She could have explained that these were just unconfirmed facts recklessly spread by the media.

But would they believe her? The truth didn’t seem to matter much to them.

It was a trivial amusement in their boring daily lives, to the extent that they would make up stories themselves just to humiliate Olivia Blanchet.

Hidden behind their desire to trample on the woman who had undeservedly occupied the position of duchess, adorned herself with dresses and jewels more expensive than theirs, and held a superior position in society thanks to her husband.

It was foolish to bare her teeth at such opponents.

The alimony-related matters were Johan’s will. Even so, they would never believe it. They wanted Olivia Blanchet to be humiliated.

If that was the case, she decided to take a slightly stronger stance.

“I didn’t know my husband owned an island. If I had known, I would have demanded it. What a pity.”

Olivia smiled as if genuinely regretful.

“If you ever need a competent lawyer, please let me know. I can introduce you. You never know what might happen in life.”

“My, what a wicked thing to say…”

“Since getting divorced, I’ve realized that money is more important in life than a husband.”

An elegant chill flowed from Olivia’s smile.

She didn’t want to show them the image they were expecting. As if to clearly show them that the Olivia Blanchet they knew no longer existed, she wore an even more confident smile at the corner of her lips.

The women gaped in shock.

She must have gone mad after the divorce!

The Olivia they were used to seeing at gatherings was always hunched over, intimidated by her humiliating origins, unable to utter a word and clinging to the walls.

No matter how much she wrapped herself in the shell of being Duchess Leopold, the woman was treated as invisible in social circles.

The lips of the noble ladies who had been humiliated by such a lowly and insignificant being trembled.

“Your necklace is quite pretty.”

As if it had been bothering her all along, Olivia commented on Elaine’s necklace as she was about to turn away.

“It suits you well.”

Surprised by the sudden compliment, the ladies’ gazes turned to Elaine’s neck.

It was a pink diamond necklace with dazzling reflections. It was also Elaine’s pride, a gift from her husband on their seventh wedding anniversary.

“You do have an eye for these things.”

As if to say, ‘For someone like you.’

Elaine spoke haughtily, raising her chin and straightening her neck.

“But if you care about dignity, you shouldn’t wear imitations. It makes the person look fake too.”

Leaving the red-faced woman behind, Olivia and Anne left for the garden through the terrace.

Amidst the intoxicating scent of early-blooming red roses, they could hear the noble ladies gasping in shock.

As the two entered the rose garden, they quietly walked along the path. The fragrance of lush roses with large blooms tickled their noses.

Anne glanced at her miss, who was taking neat steps.

Watching her miss treading on the clear sunlight fallen on the flagstones, Anne realized. The unfamiliar person her miss had become would no longer hide in the darkness.

“I didn’t know you remembered.”

Anne said, adjusting the ribbon of the blouse that had come loose in the wind.

“Hm? Remember what?”

“…That necklace.”

“Ah!”

Silence fell between the spring breezes. The two walked wordlessly, recalling the same day.

The disappearance of the late duchess’s keepsake one day, which caused a huge commotion at Greathill.

Barely ten minutes after the search began, the necklace was found in Anne’s room, as if by magic.

‘I, I didn’t do it. I can swear to God. Please believe me.’

It was clearly a false accusation, but no one believed Anne’s words. Not even her miss.

“I’m sorry, Anne. For putting you through that.”

“No, miss. I didn’t bring it up to hear such words. It’s just that back then, I…”

Anne stopped. She couldn’t bring herself to utter the words that had risen to her throat.

She should have told her not to trust Diane Brook, should have warned her to be careful, but Anne couldn’t. The fact that the Duke’s secretary had such improper feelings for him.

‘You should be grateful for the Duke’s mercy. If you dare to wag that tongue of yours again, it won’t be you who’s in trouble, but your miss. Do you understand?’

“What about back then?”

“…It’s nothing, miss.”

Anne decided to hold her tongue. She feared that the relationship with her miss, which had been strained by Diane Brook’s meddling, might deteriorate again. It wasn’t a pleasant story to hear, and it was all in the past now.

“Let’s go over there, miss.”

The garden they hurried towards exuded a sophisticated charm befitting a city hotel. Whoever the hotel owner was, they were clearly a very romantic person.

Roses bloomed everywhere. In the center, a huge fountain sprayed cool streams of water, and around it, intricate patterns trimmed from boxwood created an exotic atmosphere.

Warm sunlight showered down on Olivia and Anne as they walked along the path.

As they walked silently, the embroidered flower beds ended, and a well-trimmed hedge path appeared. The path between the hedges led to a tennis court.

As they drew closer, they could hear rough breathing and shouts of excitement.

Two gentlemen were engaged in a match on the grass court. Even from a distance, their appearance was captivating as they swung their rackets, dressed in white dress shirts and flannel trousers.

Olivia stopped and watched them.

Her gaze was drawn to a notably tall man. His agile yet flexible movements as he chased the ball, combined with his black hair gleaming in the sunlight, made him look like an elegant predator.

The man caught his breath and tossed up the ball. Olivia tilted her head back, following the lime-green ball. The summer of Hanjiahn unfolded against the dazzling blue sky.

The summer sun that had tanned their faces under the pretense of tennis, the cicadas’ cries that seemed to choke with intensity—it all felt so vivid.

Senior.

Why had she fallen for him with such painful passion?

She had liked him enough to develop calluses on her racket-holding palms and blisters on her feet. That desperate struggle—the man probably never knew.

Even so, every moment had been enjoyable.

To him, she was probably just the granddaughter of the housekeeper who took care of the household. But to Jiahn, he was her first love.

As if to break her reverie, the racket struck the ball with incredible speed, accompanied by a short roar. At that moment, the spectators erupted in cheers. Young ladies clapped their hands and shouted in excitement.

The audience surrounding the tennis court was applauding the winner of the match.

“He’s so cool!”

“If only he’d look this way just once.”

The ladies whispered shyly, unable to take their eyes off the man. The man with fine hair dripping with sweat crossed the court with leisurely steps.

His gait was that of a winner, arrogant like the king of all creation.