The Game Continues
Ezekiel looked down at Olivia as if she were something cute and insignificant. This woman was beautiful, provocative, and immensely entertaining to him. But that was all.
He did not consider her an equal. If men were generally short-sighted and ugly, women were usually emotional and dependent. She might be acting bold now, but eventually, she would either be clinging to his knees, begging for love, or running into the arms of a "fine husband" while crying about being hurt. It would be one or the other.
Did she actually believe that with nothing but a little money and a beautiful body, she could be his true partner? Someone to share worries, decisions, life, and power with?
Yet, he couldn't deny that even her presumption was one of the elements that fascinated him. This woman’s greatest charm was her ambition and her guts.
Ezekiel wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin and set it down. Beneath the table, his foot dug more intimately into the folds of Olivia’s skirt. He was highly pleased to see her eyebrows twitch ever so slightly.
His polished, hard shoe pushed aside her petticoats, making direct contact with her delicate skin. Olivia wasn't wearing drawers beneath her garter stockings. He tried to force her knees apart with his foot, but before he could, Olivia set down her fork and grabbed his hand.
He raised an eyebrow, signaling his displeasure at being blocked. Olivia said in a cold voice:
“I’m afraid I have absolutely no desire for you to continue.”
“Haha.”
“I haven’t surrendered to you yet, Duke.”
“I want to shove my own into those lips of yours.”
“…….”
Ezekiel pulled his hand from Olivia’s grip and, with a show of mock generosity, lowered his foot. He then reached out and lightly brushed her glistening lips.
Olivia opened her mouth as if to say something. He slid his index finger slightly inside, touching her gums. Her mouth was a soft, vibrant red, contrasting with the dark rose color of her lips. Surely, the mucosa further down would be the same.
He pressed his saliva-slicked finger against her plump lower lip, then traced a straight line down to her chin. His hand swept under her jaw and followed the line of her throat, exposed and pale.
He stopped his finger at a point below her Adam’s apple. A smudge of her dark red lipstick remained where he had pressed down. He spoke in a voice thick with lust:
“I think I could get in at least this far.”
Lowering her eyes, Olivia said in a sweet voice:
“Whether I win or lose against you, it will be highly entertaining.”
“Hahahaha.”
Ezekiel laughed heartily once again.
“Indeed. Our game isn’t over yet. I’ll root for your victory. If you can bewitch me enough to take you to my bedroom, then even defeat will be sweet.”
As if he didn’t think for a second that he could lose, he returned to his seat with nonchalance and continued his meal with his usual elegant posture.
Olivia suppressed a rising wave of nausea and kept smiling.
By the time she left the Willow Mansion, the sun had already set and darkness had fallen. Ezekiel had left first, and Olivia walked out of the mansion guided by a servant holding a lantern.
There had been no harvest, but if one were to weigh the success or failure, it was closer to a success. Ezekiel had neither lost his patience and forced her, nor had he lost interest and grown bored.
Aside from the nausea and the lingering, phantom sensation of her entire leg being crushed by his shoe between her knees, it hadn’t been bad. Even if she did want to vomit.
Returning to her carriage after crossing the mansion’s garden, Olivia let out a long sigh and finally took off her mask. With a weary face, she held out her hand.
“Give me a candy.”
“Are you alright, My Lady?”
“I feel like I might throw up, but… in any case, I want to cleanse my palate.”
The carriage was always stocked with ginger candies in case of motion sickness. Mary took one out for her.
Sucking on the candy, Olivia signaled for them to depart. It wasn’t that she had urgent business, but she wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible. She intended to wash away the filthy feeling with a bath and get a good night’s sleep.
However, once she arrived home, she found she had no such luxury. The lights were on in the parlor of the annex of the Count Andex estate.
Seeing this as she stepped out of the carriage, Olivia sighed. It seemed she had a guest.
‘Is it something urgent?’
Coming all the way here at this hour meant it was undoubtedly important.
Feeling disappointed, she stepped down, instructed Mary to go inside first, and straightened her appearance at the entrance. Then, she wiped away her exhausted expression and walked straight into the parlor.
“Welcome back, Olivia.”
“My apologies for the late hour.”
Margarita, who had been receiving the guest in her stead, greeted her first, and Ferdinand rose to follow. Olivia hesitated, about to ask him what was going on.
Theodore, who had been sitting beside Ferdinand, slowly stood up. Even though he was wearing a simple wool jacket over a cotton shirt without any decorations, he possessed a dignity that made it clear he was no mere aide or secretary.
Even though nothing had happened, Olivia’s heart pounded so hard it felt as if it might sink. She felt so ashamed and dirty, fearing that Ezekiel’s touch—which had lingered on her body like the slime trail of a snail—might be visible in Theodore’s eyes, that she could barely stand it.
She forced herself to look away. Fortunately, Ferdinand was there, so she wasn’t left without a place to rest her eyes.
“You visited at this hour, so there must be something urgent, right?”
“There was a performance at the Lih Theater today. During the intermission, the Empress entered Zion Miller’s dressing room and was dragged out.”
Ferdinand said. Olivia nodded.
“It seems the Head Maid’s patience has reached its limit.”
“Even so, I didn’t think they would treat the Empress like that.”
Ferdinand sighed. He hadn’t seen it himself, but according to witnesses, the Empress’s guards had forcibly hoisted the struggling woman onto their backs, carried her out, and shoved her into a carriage. It was unimaginable.
“They have no respect for the Imperial family or the throne. The Duke of Schwab’s orders are far more important to them. If they had intended to make her a true Empress, they could have chosen a noble lady from the start, but the very fact that they chose a dancer shows they only wanted someone they could manipulate at will.”
“Haa.”
Margarita lamented. For those who missed the late Empress, Empress Lillian was an object of hatred, but treating the woman who held the position of Empress in such a manner was also something to be outraged by.
Theodore added:
“There was someone who witnessed the scene. A maid of Countess Albesleben, apparently. They didn’t bother to stop her. It’s safe to assume that everyone around the Countess will know within a week at the latest.”
Olivia nodded with a serious face.
It was what she had been waiting for. She had intentionally left those who hovered around Zion alone, thinking that if not the Countess Albesleben, then surely someone would try to dig up the truth.
“What happened to Zion?”
“I had her returned home safely.”
“Since the performance was still ongoing today, they couldn’t touch her, but I don’t know what will happen from here on out. Protect her thoroughly.”
Theodore nodded. The easiest way to erase this scandal was to eliminate Zion herself, so the possibility of an assassination attempt was high.
“Any separate instructions?”
“Zion will handle it herself. More than that, I need to prepare for what I have to do.”
“What are you going to do?”
Margarita asked cautiously. Olivia spoke clearly, even while conscious of Theodore’s gaze resting upon her.
“I must prepare to open the second salon. As soon as possible.”
To prove Zion’s innocence and amplify the fallout when Empress Lillian’s incident erupted.
Theodore let out a low sigh. Even if they were enemies, it couldn’t be easy for him to accept a scheme that trampled on a woman’s life. Olivia knew this, but she pretended not to notice.
This was her way. Even if Theodore were to think of her as a monster, it was something she had to do.