CH 23

It’s really cumbersome and a lot of work.

Brandon didn’t seem to notice and moved closer to Olivia.

“It’s my left eye. Can you check what’s in it?”

Brandon blew into Olivia’s eye, completely unaware that Callie was looking at them from the window.

Then, when he realized that nothing had entered Olivia’s eyes, Brandon took a step back with a false smile, realizing he had been deceived.

He then realized that if Callie saw what he was doing, she might misinterpret it, so he turned and looked up at Callie’s bedroom window.

Fortunately–or unfortunately–Callie was nowhere to be seen.

However, he could not pretend not to know Olivia’s intentions.

“Olivia, don’t do anything suspicious again. This is the last time I’ll tolerate your jokes,” Brandon warned. “There won’t be any more facades like before. As you know, I now have a wife to be responsible for. I have someone to protect now. If you’re not comfortable with that, don’t watch it at all.”

There was no hint of his usual jovial tone in his raspy voice.

Olivia entered the guest room, her chest rising up and down as she tried to catch her furious breath. 

She could still hear what Brandon had told her earlier.

It was the first time in my life that I had been so humiliated.

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No one has ever treated her so rudely even now that she was a widow.

Aside from the wedding, where it was difficult to say a word properly, the last time she saw Brandon was at her husband’s funeral.

At that time, Brandon, who came to visit her, sincerely comforted her.

It was then she realized that his heart was still hers, and she felt the same way.

I thought it was over with Brandon because she had gotten married, but she thought of him all her life and couldn’t give up.

So, while it’s a bit late, she thought of starting again.

So she returned to the Gonette family as Olivia Gonette, giving up all of her deceased husband’s marquisate and inheritance.

Although it bothered her to be considered a widow, it seemed that Brandon, who didn’t care about other people’s opinions, would be fine with it.

However, the news of Brandon’s marriage came unexpectedly.

She didn’t believe it at first. She had assumed that this time too, it was just nonsense made up by the gossiping folk.

However, he actually married the daughter of a fallen count family, which his family arranged.

She tried to visit Brandon, but she couldn’t meet him because he was busy preparing for his wedding.

She was angry at the thought of losing him again, but the more she thought about it, the more she comforted herself.

She would never lose Brandon again. She would do anything to have him.

Olivia laughed, replaying what Brandon had said earlier. 

“You’re on your honeymoon, so you’re telling me to go home now? You can’t do that, Brandon.”

Olivia remembered Leslie, who she had always been by her side since she was young, the three of them hanging out together.

“Leslie will help me.”

It was only Brandon and Callie in the dining room for dinner. The seat where Olivia had sat in the morning was empty.

“Where’s Olivia?”

“It looks like she skipped out so as not to disturb the meal time of the newlyweds on their honeymoon.”

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I saw something by the window a moment ago. Skipping out for the newlyweds?

Callie laughed to herself.

I saw you two kissing.

Because of the angle of the view from Callie’s room window, Callie mistook Brandon’s blowing her eyes for a kiss.

“Oh, she’s considerate of the newlyweds on their honeymoon. I don’t know why someone so caring came here. It’s the villa where a couple on their honeymoon is staying.”

Was she jealous?

Brandon wasn’t offended by Callie’s comments. 

If another woman had done that, he would not have bothered to see her again.

“Olivia will return soon. So, put your jealousy aside.”

“Haa, jealousy? There’s no way that could be. Jealousy is only for the person you love.”

Brandon smiled lazily as he saw Callie blushing as she said she wasn’t jealous.

Denying felt more like a confirmation than confirming it directly instead.

Callie belatedly noticed that she was angry, but it didn’t matter. He’s the one who mixed up even the slightest courtesy.

“If you see your husband, the one you had married a few days ago, kissing a woman he brought as a friend, it’s natural to feel bad about it. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t marry him for love. Because that meant he was belittling you.”

I saw you with Olivia in the garden a little while ago.

Because something got into her eyes, she misunderstood that Brandon was kissing her.

“It’s very tearful to hear that her love is so strong that she didn’t care that you got married.”

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“There’s nothing to be tearful about, because it’s not love. We didn’t even kiss.”

Callie, lost in her own thoughts, couldn’t hear Brandon’s words.

You must hate me for being between the two of you.

If Callie disappeared, they could continue their love. 

So was it one of those two that killed me?

I’d like to find out more about them.

“Can I ask how you became friends with Olivia?”

“It’s not very interesting. Do you want to hear it?”

“Yes.”

I need to know if either of you really killed me.

Her suspicions about Brandon had already diminished.

If he really meant to hurt her, he wouldn’t have risked his life when he nearly fell off his horse.

So, was it Olivia who wanted to win back Brandon’s love?

“Ever since I was little, Leslie and I have been coming here every summer and winter. Then one day, I went out on a boat on the lake, and I saw someone drowning and rescued them. That was Olivia, and since we’re about the same age, Leslie and I have been friends with her since then.”

“I guess the feeling from that time has continued to this day.”

“‘Not all the way.”

Of course, she’d give her heart to someone who saved her life. What’s more, he was handsome, too.

“Let me ask you one more question.”

“You can ask as much as you want,” Brandon said, shrugging. 

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“What if… If I’m being threatened by anyone, who do you think would do it?”

“Even if I’m considered a scoundrel from the Cleart family, no one would threaten you who married me and became my wife. Are you being threatened right now?”

Although she mentioned it was only rhetorical, his expression was impeccably serious.

“I said, ‘what if.’ Don’t you know what ifs?”

“I don’t want to think about what ifs. Stop imagining useless things. It’s not good for your mental health.”

“Well, for you to say that, it sounds like it isn’t you, at least.”

Callie had asked a rhetorical question, but Brandon didn’t think Callie would ask such a question without reason.

Is there something going on that I don’t know?

“That joke’s too much, Callie.”

Looking at his serious expression, Callie almost told him everything that had happened.

But he would have probably thought I was crazy.

Callie came to her senses quickly and hurried to say, “You’re right. I wouldn’t want to hear that even as a joke. I’ll drop the question. Pretend you didn’t hear it.”

「Dear Leslie,

I don’t know if you know, but I’m back at Gonette mansion in Vihiru.

My life is too long to live as a widow.

No matter what people look at me and say, I will live for myself.

I don’t want to live for my father’s or family’s honor anymore.

Are you still my friend?

Come to your villa in Vihiru, Leslie. I miss the good old times when you and Brandon had so much fun together.

Let’s live like it was then after a long time. I’ll be waiting for you.」

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Leslie, who sat in the carriage as he read the letter from Olivia, folded it again and tucked it inside his jacket as they approached the villa.

When the carriage stopped, the servants Brandon had brought from Hughes Hall and Billy came out to greet Leslie.

“Welcome. You must have had a long trip.”

The last time Leslie visited this place was the year Olivia got married, so it was his first visit in years.

Leslie, warm and friendly to the servants, smiled softly, pleased. “Long time no see, Billy.”

“Welcome, milord.”

“Yes. But what about my brother?”

“He’s in the study.”

At that time, Callie, who did not know that Leslie was coming, saw a carriage coming in through the window and looked out to see if there were guests.

“Leslie, welcome. I was surprised to hear you’d be coming.”

“You’re on your honeymoon, but I came without notice.”

“It’s fine. It’s nice to have someone to talk to.”

“Isn’t brother more suitable for that? I’m not very good at talking.”

“Brendan knows things that will please women rather than make them laugh. Anyway, let’s go in.”

As the two entered the house together, Brandon, who was in the study, came down as well.

But his attire wasn’t one to greet his brother.

“I know you’re not interested in men, but are you going out hunting because your brother is here?”

“You came just as I was about to go hunting. Should I stop hunting because of you?”

“Not at all. Don’t mind me. Do what you want. I will, too.”

Leslie’s answer was jarring.

He was planned and meticulous in everything.

After living with him all his life, Brandon knew his brother wouldn’t do anything without planning in advance.

Besides, Leslie had stopped visiting Vihiru since the year Olivia got married.

Leslie couldn’t have come to spend the summer here without any particular reason.

“Why did you suddenly come here?”