CH 26

Brandon pushed himself off the chair and strode towards Olivia, his face ice-cold. He approached, narrowing the distance, and was terribly intimidating. 

Olivia swallowed hard as Brandon stopped right in front of her. 

“This is the last time I will listen to your boring love story. The moment I hear it again, you and I are over. Remember that the time I see you as an old friend ends here.”

Was Brandon such a cold man? He was a humorous man who always laughed and made jokes. It was the first time Olivia had seen him talk so coldly with such an imposing face.

Olivia couldn’t speak easily at the unfamiliar Brandon, but she couldn’t end it like this. 

“Honeymoon? Do you want to show some courtesy to the bride you haven’t shared your first night with?”

“What?”

“Brandon, I know everything. Neither in Hughes Hall nor here in Vihiru did the two of you ever spend the night together. Even on the first night, I saw you briefly go into Callie’s room before leaving. I saw it with my own eyes.”

When he watched Olivia tremble as she said everything, Brandon laughed. 

“Brandon, the infamous womanizer, rejects his newly wedded bride? How much did you hate sleeping with her? I understand everything, Brandon.”

Olivia must have decided on her own that Brandon and Callie hadn’t spent the night together because Brandon didn’t want to hold Callie.

Rather, it was the opposite.

“Well, regardless of Callie. If that’s what you think, I’ll have to tell you this so you can understand. I’m not interested in a woman who’s been married once. If I hug a woman who was another man’s wife, I can’t get hard,” Brandon said, glancing between his legs.

“…”

Devastated, Olivia said nothing and silently listened to him. 

“Do you understand now why I don’t want to do anything with you? Oh, and it looks like you’re interested in my first night with my bride. It’s not because I don’t want to do it. I’m waiting for my bride to accept her womanizing husband.”

After finishing what he had to say, Brandon left the study with a bitter smile.

Olivia stood in a daze and couldn’t even move from her spot. 

Preparing for the party wasn’t easy.

Food and flower arrangements weren’t a problem. No, the biggest problem was that those who attended such parties were conscious of the host’s status.*

It had been a long time since Callie attended a social party that Susan had taken her when the woman was conscious of the people around her, and at that time, Callie was too lazy to make friends with people there. In the end, she only knew a few nobles.

At this rate, only a few people might be at the first party hosted by Brandon Cleart’s wife. It would be a disgrace to the Clearts.

She really didn’t want to, but she had no choice but to ask Olivia for help.

As a result, Olivia decided to help with the party preparations and stayed at the villa for a while longer.

Callie looked at the party invitation and let out a long sigh, recalling the report she had received from Lisa a few days ago.

「Lisa, what about Leslie and Olivia? Did you notice anything unusual?」

「I didn’t find anything unusual between the two. Rather…」

When she saw Lisa hesitate, Callie told her it was okay. She then heard something she didn’t want to hear.

「I saw Olivia a few days ago, late at night, go into the study.」

「Was Brandon in the study?」

「…Yes.」

Brandon, who never came to Callie’s bedroom, was with Olivia late at night. After hearing that, I kept imagining the two of them making love.

Today, too, Callie absentmindedly filled out the list of invitees when Olivia entered the drawing room.

“I was going out for a walk, but I saw you here, so I came in. Is this the invitation to the party?”

“Yes.”

“Have you decided on the guest list?”

“I don’t go to social scenes often, so making a list is a little difficult.”

“Then, may I help you?”

Before asking for help, Callie stared quietly at Olivia, who had offered it first. 

Then Olivia smiled brightly as she said, “I’ll help you.”

Of course, you will. All you’ve ever done in your life is dress up nicely, go out to parties, and hang out with people.

If there were another problem, Callie would try to solve it herself, but since Olivia offered to help with this part, it was difficult to refuse.

It was my first party after becoming Brandon’s wife, and I couldn’t make a shabby party because I put my pride first. She thought giving up her pride was the right choice rather than disgracing the Cleart family.

“Then, will you please make a guest list?”

“Of course.”

So, with Olivia’s help, she wrote the invitation.

Callie went out into town to order teapots for the party, and Lisa, who spotted Leslie around the corner, whispered, “Oh? It’s Sir Leslie.” 

At Lisa’s words, Callie turned in the direction Lisa gestured.

“That’s on the way to the mage Anton’s house. He’s not going there, is he?”

“Anton the mage?”

Just around the corner of the alley where Leslie entered was Anton’s house, which Callie had been to before.

“Lisa, tell the coachman to go down that alley.”

“Yes.”

At Callie’s instruction, the driver turned the carriage toward the alley where Leslie had entered.

Then Callie saw Leslie getting off his horse and entering Anton’s house.

‘Did the two know each other?’

Nothing was particularly wrong with the two knowing each other, but somehow it didn’t feel normal.

They might have known each other since Leslie spent summers and winters here when he was young.

“Why would Leslie come to see Anton?”

“If they know each other, maybe he stopped by to say hello since it’s the first time in a while he’s back in Vihiru?” Lisa responded lightly, but Callie wasn’t convinced.

“Lisa, stop the carriage. I must see Anton.”

“He has a guest. Would he meet with you?”

“If he refuses, then there’s nothing I can do about it. Let’s just go and have a look.”

Callie got off the carriage and trotted to Anton’s house. The butler who opened the door remembered her face and informed his master. Fortunately, Anton didn’t mind the sudden visit and said he would meet Callie.

I was ushered into the same drawing room as on my last visit, and it didn’t take long before Anton showed up.

“You’re back.”

“I came here suddenly, so thank you for meeting me. I wasn’t sure if it was rude of me to visit.”

“Last time we met, I told you you could come anytime. So it’s okay.” Anton showed no signs of being uncomfortable with her visit.

“I thought seeing you if you were with a guest would be difficult. I guess no other guests were here since I was welcomed like this.”

“Yes. You don’t have to worry about it.”

No guests? Surely I saw Leslie enter this house? Why are you hiding the fact that you have a visitor? Does Anton know what kind of relationship I have with Leslie?

Callie didn’t tell him who her husband was, so he probably didn’t know who Callie was or that Leslie was her brother-in-law. 

“By the way, why did you come to see me today?”

“Ah, I need to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“The cutlery you gave me last time.”

“Yes.”

“Can I get another set? When dining with my husband, using different cutlery seems a little unusual. I think my husband would like to use the same thing. Could you please get me another set? Oh, of course, I’ll pay for it.”

“You know that’s not just your average cutlery, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“That cutlery has been treated with an agent to measure poison in silver.”

“Will it be difficult to find?”

When Callie looked disappointed, Anton changed his mind. 

“It’s an agent that’s not easily available, so it will be difficult to treat it. But I can get cutlery of the same shape, so would that be fine?”

“Yes. If it looks the same, it doesn’t matter. Then, my husband won’t wonder why I use different cutlery.”

“All right. I will try to get it.”

“Thank you, Anton. How much can I give you?”

“It’s okay. I don’t know if you know, but I’m a pretty famous magician. I make quite a bit of money doing shows. I’ll give you that much as a gift.”

While doing so, Callie asked for another favor.

“And may I ask you one more thing?”

“…?” 

His expression curious, Anton carefully listened to Callie’s words.