The Fragile Mask of Laila
It was not easy to keep her composure.
Olivia had suspected that Ezekiel would come today. That was the very reason she had sent out the anonymous invitation.
She had prepared herself to face him. Or so she thought.
But the moment she saw Theodore’s face, the thin shell of Laila shattered, exposing the raw, vulnerable skin of Olivia beneath. Ambushed by Ezekiel in that moment, she struggled desperately not to reveal her bleeding inner self.
I am Laila.
I love a life of splendor.
I am a woman who will stop at nothing to grasp fame and wealth.
She repeated those words to herself over and over.
Fury and intrigue swirled together in Ezekiel’s cold blue eyes. He could see the woman in his arms breathing in ragged, gasping breaths, her body slowly turning cold as she fought for control.
She was a woman who knew how to hide herself. He was certain that, until now, he had only licked the surface of her hard, icy shell. This woman had become even more interesting.
He looked down at Olivia, the corners of his mouth curling upward. He was generally only interested in beautiful, greedy women, and he despised the weak and timid, regardless of their gender.
But this time, it was somehow different. He was even more curious about what lay beneath this woman’s audacity. Surely, it would be filled with fragrant, delicious flesh.
Whether she knew of his savage desire or not, Olivia placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke in a cold, detached voice.
"I am not your subject, am I?"
"Oh?"
"Duke Klaus is offering me his favor; why should I refuse it?"
Ezekiel bared his teeth, intending to bite her lips as she spoke so confidently. He leaned in, then exhaled a hot breath against her skin and asked,
"So, you’ve placed both me and Duke Klaus on your palm to weigh us against each other?"
"You, of all people, shouldn't act as if you own me just because we kissed once."
A brazen answer. Ezekiel moved his index finger, which had been tucked into the gap of her bodice, and tugged at the fabric. The sight of her pale pink nipple peeking through the parted neckline made his mouth water.
She was truly insolent. But unlike when he had first arrived, Ezekiel’s anger had already subsided significantly.
His groin ached with a painful tension. Yet, he didn't want to drag her away and satisfy his lust by force. He wanted to see this woman spread her legs and beg for him of her own volition.
"Olivia Peril."
He called her name in a low voice. Olivia’s body stiffened slightly, and she looked up at Ezekiel with wide, startled eyes.
This was a calculated performance. With Marel’s help, Olivia had practiced countless times how to express herself through her body—not just emotions like bewilderment, surprise, and fear, but even more complex gestures.
And to Ezekiel, that performance was clearly effective. He mistook her reaction for an attempt to hide her shock and let out a scoffing chuckle.
"Why? Did you think I wouldn't know?"
As he withdrew his finger, the silk bodice failed to return to its place, hanging loose. He used that same hand to trace her collarbone and lightly press against her throat.
Helmut had eventually been forced to report to him that Olivia was Gisela’s daughter. Ezekiel had told him to leave her be, but that was back when he thought she was a spy for the Lanier Duchy. If she were the daughter of a maid who had served the late Empress and lived in hiding in the Lutgarth County, it was an entirely different matter.
"How cute. Why did you run away from Lutgarth?"
"...Because I couldn't stay trapped in such a rural place forever."
Olivia answered, her voice now reduced to a whisper.
"I was sick of living on the pity of an old man. Are your questions answered now?"
"If you wanted to become a noblewoman, you could have just accepted the position of Countess Lutgarth."
"You say that because you know nothing about Theodore Lutgarth."
She scoffed.
"Playing the part of a virtuous lady was enough when I was playing the role of a good foster daughter."
Ezekiel’s warm breath, accompanied by a laugh, brushed against the tip of her nose.
"So, do you intend to become a vulgar temptress now? It’s a pity. I don't think Duke Klaus will be able to perform anymore."
"The one who prefers vulgar women is you."
Ezekiel’s lips grazed her philtrum, and just before he could press them against hers, she pushed him away slightly.
He released her only as much as she pushed. Thus, the distance between them remained just enough to feel each other’s body heat without their bodies actually touching.
"So, how far does your ambition reach?"
Olivia stiffened reflexively at the whisper that flowed into her ear as he bit it. She struggled to suppress the trembling of her entire body, but a deep, resonant voice cut through the night air.
Ezekiel flinched in surprise and turned his head, though he did not let go of Olivia’s waist.
Theodore was standing behind him. Olivia bit her lip from the inside to keep from moaning.
Ezekiel smiled, a grin filled with both ferocity and cruelty.
"Count Lutgarth, you lack tact. Interrupting someone else’s tryst."
"It is a different matter if the partner of that tryst is my fiancée."
Theodore took a firm step forward. He was clenching his fists so tightly that the veins on the back of his hands stood out.
Ezekiel chuckled and pulled Olivia into his arms as if to show off.
"I didn't know. I heard the Count’s fiancée had run away."
Olivia hesitated for a brief moment. But she could not bear to accept Ezekiel’s kiss in front of Theodore. Nor did she intend to be branded as his possession here.
She slipped out of Ezekiel’s arms like a fish.
"You both seem to have forgotten. I am the host of this salon tonight. I don't have time to waste like this."
"Laila."
"I’ve been away from my guests for too long. I shall excuse myself first."
With those words, Olivia bowed gracefully to the two men and turned on her heel.
The gaze fixed on her back stung. She didn't know what kind of expression Theodore was wearing. She had long since prepared herself for the possibility that he might be disappointed in her, or that it would be fine if he hated her, but her heart could not help but ache.
Still, she smiled. They said that expressions are revealed not just by the face, but by the body. She hoped the back she left behind looked confident, self-assured, and unbothered. Not just to Ezekiel, but to Theodore as well.
But her throat ached terribly. She tried to blame it on Ezekiel’s grip earlier. She told herself that her stinging eyes were merely due to dry tear ducts.
Once the hem of Olivia’s night-sky-colored dress disappeared completely from view, Ezekiel, his interest dampened, turned away as well. It had been fun, but the woman was gone. He had no intention of engaging in a boring, petty dispute over love with a stoic man.
He crossed the garden and exited the Klaus estate. The valets and guards standing at the garden entrance looked flustered, but he ignored them, walked outside, and calmly boarded his waiting carriage.
His aide looked startled at the dark rose-colored lipstick smeared on his lips and around his mouth, offering him a hand mirror. Ezekiel looked at his ruined mouth in the small mirror, laughed, and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe it away.
"Your Excellency."
Rowan spoke cautiously, seeing him in such a seemingly good mood. Ezekiel replied with a scoff.
"Leave her be for now. She isn't a spy from Lanier."
"But, Your Excellency..."
"Isn't she cute? Saying she’ll do anything for the sake of her ambition."
Not knowing how precious her life was.
His judgment leaned toward the conclusion that Olivia Peril could not possibly be the Imperial Princess.
'If she were the Imperial Princess, Duke Klaus wouldn't have left her like that.'
If she were the real Princess, he would have built a room of jewels and silk to keep her safely tucked away. There wasn't a soul who didn't know how much Duke Klaus loved his daughter and granddaughter.
But he felt no sense of pride in that woman that would suggest she was a Princess. He could only confirm an intense desire to climb higher. Those were the traits of someone from the bottom. He should have doubted the reliability of the information that the previous Count Lutgarth had treated her like a daughter.