An Incomplete Divorce - Chapter 5

Johan didn’t particularly want a divorce.

Any suitable marriage partner would do. That was enough.

So even if they were an illegitimate child born from a scandalous affair, it didn’t matter.

It was sufficient as a shield to avoid the annoyance of family elders urging marriage and matchmakers in the marriage market.

Moreover, his marriage to Olivia brought him many things.

The deal with the Crown Prince was absolutely profitable.

Of course, his wife’s obsessive attachment was beyond calculation, but that could be ignored, and Johan had nothing to lose.

“Please divorce me…”

When she said those words, Olivia was more radiant than the sun. Unbelievably so.

What part had he missed?

It was irritating like a thorn stuck under his fingernail, but he couldn’t figure out the cause.

Johan pulled on the horse’s reins. The racing horse began to gallop, its glossy black mane fluttering.

As he rode across the vast prairie, he shook off the thoughts left by the sudden divorce.

After circling the equestrian grounds once, Johan and the Crown Prince dismounted and went to rest in the club’s royal room.

“Isn’t it nice to come out?”

The Crown Prince, Johan’s cousin and same-age peer, dismissed the attendant’s hand and personally filled glasses with ice and brandy, pushing one towards Johan. He emptied the glass instead of answering.

“It seems the former Duchess has now completely lost interest. You should have treated her better, Johan.”

“Get to the point.”

Johan stared blankly at the Crown Prince.

“It’s about time to bring in a new Duchess Leopold, isn’t it?”

“You’re crazy.”

The Crown Prince, Christian, chuckled as he tilted the bottle to the empty glass.

“The world has improved so much. Be grateful you were born in such a good era.”

Christian lifted his glass and swirled it around. The clear ice cubes clinked, sparkling in the sunlight.

“The Grand Duchess of the Grand Duchy of Krantz. Marry her.”

“Why don’t you do it?”

Johan narrowed his eyes and stared at the Crown Prince.

“Low Field. I’ll give it to you as a wedding gift. Come on, get married.”

Christian was engaged to the princess of Azent. At this point, independence movements were detected in the Grand Duchy of Krantz, a vassal state of Rondos.

From Rondos’ perspective, they needed the Grand Duchess as a hostage, and unfortunately, the only unmarried royal blood of marriageable age was Johan, who had just divorced 3 weeks ago.

“We can’t use Uncle Ayden, can we?”

There was a duke who turned fifty this year, but from the perspective of the twenty-two-year-old Grand Duchess, wouldn’t a twenty-eight-year-old divorcee be better than a fifty-year-old bachelor? It was truly a selfish consideration.

“Why don’t you remarry the Queen to the Grand Duke instead?”

“You crazy bastard. How can you say that?”

Christian burst into laughter with a curse. His eyes, wiped of laughter, turned to the Queen’s portrait hanging directly in front.

“If Father had heard that, he would have torn open his coffin lid and shoved a revolver down the Grand Duke of Krantz’s throat.”

Christian continued to sneer.

“It seems the former Duchess is also looking for a second husband. Of all people, Lancelot? Is she deliberately trying to spite you?”

“Shut up.”

An intense gaze, untamed wildness not yet contained, briefly fixed on Christian before disappearing.

“Oh! How scary, how scary.”

The words spoken with a sneer were half sincere.

Johan was one of the few people around Christian who didn’t wear a mask.

He never hid his emotions. Christian preferred Johan, who transparently showed his essence, to the type who stabbed you in the back while smiling.

“I invited her to Catherine’s birthday party. You just keep your mouth shut and show your face. For the peace of Rondos!”

Christian raised his glass high with exaggerated gestures like a theater actor. Then, changing his expression, he murmured in a low voice.

“It’s an order.”

Ridiculously, at that moment, his wife’s voice spread through Johan’s mind.

‘Please divorce me.’

The memory of that day, even its end dry, came to him for no reason.

It was something Olivia would never say, even if the world turned upside down.

The glass held in his hand, veins bulging, was emptied in one gulp.

As he slowly wiped his lips with his thumb as if brushing them, Johan quietly gazed at the bright blue banner crossing the Queen’s chest in the painting. The color that reminded him of his former wife’s eyes.

A second husband… is it?

A photograph he had been shown before leaving his office.

His wife walking down a flower-lined street with a maid, smiling.

Had she ever smiled like this before?

Johan couldn’t remember ever seeing his wife like that. Not even once.

For the first time since meeting Olivia Blanchet, he looked at the woman in the photograph and thought she was beautiful. And wondered what could make his wife smile like that.

From the few possibilities, he cut out the worst one of Edgar Lancaster Lancelot. As long as it wasn’t Edgar, he didn’t care who became her second husband.

***

“Miss Blanchet has sent a reply declining the invitation.”

“Is that so? That’s a shame.”

Edgar nodded with a knowing smile. The suite room attendant quietly placed the tray on the desk and withdrew.

A pale pink letter lay neatly on the silver tray.

It was something he could have thrown straight into the trash without bothering to open it, since he already knew the contents from the report.

Edgar loosely gripped the paper knife.

He had harbored a strange expectation of her after seeing her on the tennis court yesterday. Unlike before, he thought she might respond to the invitation, with her upright gaze that met his confidently.

Was it a misconception?

The sharp blade slid, catching the sunlight. Edgar opened the envelope and took out the contents. He lowered his gaze.

「Wishing for the infinite development of Lancelot Hotel」

The extremely dry sentences starting with stiff phrases were politely declining the invitation, but Edgar couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

My goodness, such a gentle bad handwriting.

A pure loveliness emanated from the writing, each character pressed down firmly with great care.

***

“Oh my goodness! Miss, it’s eleven o’clock.”

Anne exclaimed in surprise.

According to plan, they should have had an early breakfast and left the hotel, but Olivia and Anne had become habitual oversleepers. The two looked at each other and chuckled as they woke up close to noon.

The two hurriedly prepared to go out. Finally, after putting a hat on Olivia, Anne grabbed a parasol and opened the door.

Olivia, looking at a map of Litten City, moved a few steps down the corridor when she suddenly bumped into someone.

“Oh! I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

The man slightly lifted his hat and then lowered it, knocking on the door of the room next to Olivia’s. He was a man she had often encountered since coming here.

Olivia headed for the elevator, and the man entered the room as the door opened from inside.

As they came out of the building, the sweet spring breeze gently fluttered the ribbon ties of the bonnet prettily tied under her chin. Spring was fully revealing itself. Every street tree was bursting with light green leaves and hanging purple flower petals, coloring even the fragrant air with the wind.

“I’m glad we came out, Anne.”

“Yes. The weather is truly too lovely to ride in a carriage.”

The two were so immersed in the spring atmosphere that they wanted to walk, but romance couldn’t overcome hunger. Anne, who had boarded the carriage held by the doorman, conveyed the destination to the coachman.

“Please take us to Grand Blue.”

The carriage started moving and soon picked up speed, leaving Golden Avenue.

After driving along the riverside road, the carriage finally arrived at its destination.

The restaurant, famous for its Mediterranean seafood dishes, had a white exterior with a bright blue entrance door. As they opened the door and entered, an employee in a tailcoat with a napkin draped over his arm greeted them warmly.

“You’ll have to wait a moment, is that alright?”

“How long will we have to wait?”

“Ten minutes should be sufficient.”

“God must be watching over me.”

Olivia said with a smile. In fact, she was on the verge of fainting from hunger. As they sat in the seats the employee guided them to, the bartender placed a thin, long glass in front of Olivia.

While drinking the aperitif, Olivia turned her body. The hall, where all kinds of noises coexisted, was visible at a glance.

The front of the high-ceilinged space was wide open towards the Vichen River with large windows, and the terrace with a view of the blue sea and river was already full.

The diners putting food in their mouths all wore satisfied expressions as they conversed.

The wait was not boring with anticipation. But the moment they saw the group of noble ladies sitting in the left corner of the terrace, Olivia and Anne frowned.

“Miss, shall we come another time? It seems that table might be ours…”

Anne trailed off, seeming troubled.

The table that two employees were busily preparing was in front of the glass wall separating the terrace and hall. It was a seat facing the noble ladies they had encountered yesterday in the hotel cafeteria, across the transparent glass.

“Are you uncomfortable?”

“I’m fine, but…”

“Me too.”

Olivia said playfully as she turned her gaze and opened the menu.

“If they pretend to be friendly again like yesterday, I should ask them to pay for our meal.”

Anne smiled softly at her relaxed attitude. This wasn’t the miss of before.

She had wondered if someone’s soul had been switched with the miss who had crossed death’s threshold, making such impossible imaginings while watching Olivia sleep.

“What?”

Olivia looked at her, feeling Anne’s gaze.

“If we’re going to bill them, let’s eat something expensive, Miss.”

As Anne expressed her determined ambition, Olivia burst into laughter.

Olivia and Anne clinked their clear glasses as if making a toast. It was then that the hallway near the entrance became noisy.

“The new employee at Anglia is amazing, I tell you.”

“What a pathetic guy. Flirting in broad daylight.”

As the men’s snickering voices drew closer, the guests revealed themselves. Olivia’s eyes widened slightly as she was just taking a sip of champagne. It was the group she had seen on the tennis court.

Unlike yesterday, well-dressed gentlemen entered, and an elderly manager ran to them in surprise.

“Welcome, My Lord.”

“It’s been a while.”

The tall man in the center answered with a handsome smile. The man with strikingly deep black hair like the night sky was yesterday’s winner.

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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