As evening settled in, the deepening lights outside painted the transparent glass windows with a brilliant hue.

Johan Leopold entered with slow steps.

The gold rim of his Patek “New Watch” glinted in a ring shape on his straight wrist bone.

The two silently stared at each other.

In the stillness, Johan was the first to move. As Johan approached with long strides, Edgar also narrowed the distance.

As Edgar passed by the table, he reached out and snatched the black box.

The two stopped, with a sparkling tower of champagne glasses between them.

With even footsteps halted, a precarious silence flowed through the space once again.

It was Edgar who broke the stagnation in the air.

“I hope you like the gift.”

Edgar said nonchalantly as he pulled out two glasses from the very top.

Johan passed him by indifferently and sat on the sofa. Edgar took a seat opposite him.

“So. What’s your business.”

As he crossed his legs in an arrogant posture, a golden glint appeared and disappeared above his wrist.

“That watch.”

Johan’s gaze, which had been looking at Edgar with narrowed eyes, followed Edgar’s to his own wrist.

“Olivia wants it.”

Edgar answered as he pulled on the red ribbon wrapped around the box. With a swoosh, the string fell to the floor without resistance.

Johan’s brow furrowed slightly. It wasn’t funny.

The reason he had come here to Greathill, and at this time when Margaret Wellington was visiting, was because of a watch.

“Since when did you become Olivia’s dog.”

Edgar chuckled at Johan’s meaningful question.

“Not yet. Up to a dog.”

He burst into laughter imagining himself whimpering at Olivia’s feet.

“Who knows what the future holds.”

It might not be so bad.

“Since when?”

Johan asked, loosely holding a cigar in his mouth.

“From the moment you abandoned her, perhaps.”

“That’s comforting.”

“We have similar tastes, don’t we?”

Edgar said, pulling up the corners of his mouth as he opened the gift box. Johan laughed when he saw the champagne neatly placed on the black velvet.

The spelling of Leopold glinted on the silver foil surface in the light.

“You heartless bastard.”

Johan struck a match to light the end of his cigar and cursed as he raised his head.

“I knew you’d like it.”

Edgar poured the champagne while directly facing Johan, who exuded the noble self-confidence that flowed through the men of the House of Edinburgh.

Yellow liquid swirled in the clear glass, bubbles rising.

Edgar pushed a glass towards Johan.

“Happy birthday, Johan.”

A cool early summer night breeze blew in from outside the window.

Edgar’s eyes deepened under the swaying chandelier light.

The Patek shone on Johan’s wrist as he raised the crystal glass.

“Have you ever been this kind to me?”

Johan asked casually as he put down his glass and leaned back against the chair. His gray eyes were aloof under the dim lighting.

“Depending on the situation.”

Edgar showed a relaxed smile.

“To do such a foolish thing because of her…”

Along with Edgar’s nonsense, Olivia’s voice speaking of eternal love flashed through his mind, and a sneer escaped.

“Olivia.”

It was a heavy voice.

“No.”

Johan’s gaze erased the smile lingering on Edgar’s lips.

“Why.”

Under the brilliant light scattered by the crystal, Edgar narrowed his eyes and asked languidly, tilting his head.

“For the reason you’re thinking.”

Johan said in a low voice.

“It sounds like you wouldn’t mind if it weren’t for that reason.”

“Even if it were, the result would be the same.”

“Why?”

Edgar asked, raising his glass.

“Because I don’t like you.”

It was a truly arrogant and selfish attitude.

Edgar couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Then in an instant, the laughter disappeared and his expression turned cold.

“Then. Try to stop me.”

Looking into those gray eyes that resembled his own but had a strangely blue tinge, Johan once suspected that he might not be an unofficial cousin, but a half-brother.

A bastard born of a bastard. Edgar Lancaster Lancelot.

Those who knew the truth were already buried underground, so he would continue to live as a Lancelot. But Olivia, who had shared her body with him, getting involved with Edgar was something he could not tolerate.

That was all.

“Do I look generous to you?”

A chilling aura was felt from Johan. Edgar did not avoid that gaze.

Olivia Blanchet.

She was meant to be used and discarded, but with her ex-husband provoking him like this.

He had no choice but to live up to expectations.

“Once again.”

Edgar stood up first.

“Happy birthday. Brother.”

Leaving a languid smile in the light, Edgar crossed the reception room.

He may not have retrieved the watch, but he had avoided the mishap of it being revealed in public, so it wasn’t a bad outcome overall.

In the place where Edgar had disappeared, a cool breeze brought the scent of roses.

“My love makes even your watch jealous.”

The words written on the birthday card came to mind.

That’s the kind of woman Olivia was.

Like a fish washed up on shore, gasping as if it would die without air. A woman who writhed as if she would die without his love.

Such a woman had changed.

Johan slowly tilted the champagne glass in his hand.

Following that swirl, the chandelier light shattered on the surface. It also settled like starlight on his wristwatch.

Anne had returned.

Once again, Olivia’s daily life became peaceful.

“My love makes even your watch jealous.”

To have read that…

Though embarrassing phrases kept popping up making her cheeks flush, she could bear it.

It wasn’t even something she had written, yet the embarrassment was entirely hers.

Whenever that happened, Olivia shook her head, trying to forget.

Surely he wouldn’t misunderstand that she still had lingering feelings.

That was something she couldn’t stand.

Don’t think about it anymore. Don’t think about it. Don’t think…

“What are you thinking about?”

“…Huh?”

A gentle voice awakened Olivia from her daze.

Startled, she looked at Edgar. His softly curved lips opened.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Ah… Well. It’s nothing.”

Her hands, which had stopped cutting the veal tenderloin steak, began to move again.

Slowly putting down his wine glass, Edgar looked deeply at the woman sitting across from him.

He wondered if she was still bothered by the birthday gift he had failed to retrieve.

More precisely, was she thinking about Johan.

“We need to have the tennis outfit made. Do you have any designs in mind?”

Edgar changed the subject.

It was a quiet weekday afternoon at the Dublin Club’s restaurant.

Blue eyes catching the sunlight hitting the deck began to sparkle.

“I do have a design I want.”

The Dublin tennis tournament was now just two weeks away. The weather was gradually getting hotter.

Today too, Olivia had moved vigorously for 3 hours.

The long skirt that came down to her ankles swirled around her feet, and the long-sleeved blouse that came to her wrists made movement uncomfortable, making people even more tired.

“Tell me.”

Olivia continued to ponder silently before finally raising her clear eyes.

“…A bit.”

What is she trying to say that she’s hesitating so much.

Her pursed lips were cute, so Edgar, whose patience had also lengthened, put his elbows on the table, leaned his upper body forward a little, and asked.

“A bit?”

“Can it be a bit… daring?”

The surface of the deep blue sea spread out to the side, reflecting the sunlight and glittering silver. Edgar’s smile deepened.

Daring, is it.

This summer, the Dublin Championship was set to heat up considerably with Olivia Blanchet’s boldness.

While making a huge profit. There was no reason to refuse.

“How daring are you planning to be?”

He nodded readily. A smile hung at the end of his playful question.

It was summer. The woman smiled as brightly as the sun that seemed it would never set.

‘Olivia is.’

The woman’s neat hair swayed in the salty breeze.

‘Not allowed.’

Johan’s voice echoed in his ears.

Is it really not allowed? Edgar’s gaze on the woman became calm.

If she found out about his relationship with Johan.

If that happened, she probably wouldn’t smile so prettily at his self-interested smile like now.

“November 11th.”

“Pardon?”

Unusually blue eyes blinked long eyelashes.

“It’s my birthday.”

Edgar smiled.

And the next day, a designer sent by Edgar visited River House.

“…”

Olivia couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

“It’s been a while, Miss Blanchet.”

The woman wearing a peacock feather hat with green and blue intricately mixed greeted her with a smile.

“How is this different from last year? Am I the only one who doesn’t know?”

Princess Anblyn asked designer Mi Chem as she stared blankly at the mirror.

Such an old-fashioned design. She couldn’t help but sigh.

It was beyond pathetic and even shameless to have only timidly modified the materials and details from the tennis outfits Madame Lauren had designed so far.

“As there’s a lot of arm movement, to elegantly emphasize the motion, we’ve accentuated the sleeve cuffs with frills and used lace as you can see−”

“Honestly, I don’t like it.”

“Pardon?”

Mi Chem’s face turned bright red at the blunt criticism.

It was a gathering of the princess’s secretary, ladies-in-waiting, and friends.

Mi Chem, who came from a relatively prestigious noble family, had never experienced such public humiliation before.

She was a painter who had graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts and even held her own exhibition.

The reason she switched to being a designer was because of the suggestion from those around her that she should try making beautiful clothes with her aesthetic vision.

Moreover, anyone with eyes would know. How beautiful this dress is.

Mi Chem blinked her eyes as she looked at the skirt hem that fluttered like flower petals with the slightest movement.

“If you could tell me what exactly you don’t like about it, I can revise it−”

“You.”

The high-pitched voice suddenly lowered as an oppressive gaze fixed on Mi Chem.

Startled, Mi Chem shrank her shoulders and swallowed dryly.