Chapter 44
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It wasn't easy to control herself.
Olivia had known Ezekiel would be coming today. That was why she'd sent out the anonymous invitation.
She was prepared to face him, or so she thought.
But the moment she saw Theodore's face, the thin veneer of Laila shattered, revealing the vulnerable Olivia inside. Ezekiel attacked her in that moment, and she struggled desperately not to show her bleeding heart.
I am Lila.
I love the colorful life.
I am a woman who will grab fame and fortune by any means necessary.
She told herself those words over and over again.
Ezekiel's blue eyes mingled with anger and interest as he watched the woman in his arms slowly calm as she breathed in and out in ragged gasps.
She knew how to hide herself. He was sure he had only licked a little of her hard, cold skin so far. This one was more interesting.
"Let's hear your excuses, shall we?"
He looked down at Olivia, the corners of his mouth tugging upward. He was generally interested in beautiful, voracious women, and despised the weak and timid, male or female.
But this time was somehow different, and stripping away this woman's boldness only made him more curious to see what lay beneath. No doubt it was filled with fragrant, delicious flesh.
Whether she was aware of his savage desire or not, Olivia placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke in a cold voice.
"I'm not your vassal, am I?"
"Hun."
"Duke Klaus is doing me a favor, and why should I refuse?"
Ezekiel asked, baring his teeth and moving his lips closer to hers, intending to bite her lips for speaking so boldly, but then he blew out a hot breath.
"So you've weighed both me and Duke Klaus in the palm of your hand?"
"You, my dear, don't act like I'm anything just because you kissed me once."
The cheeky reply came back. Ezekiel flicked his index finger between her bodice and tugged at her dress. The sight of the tip of a crimson nipple peeking through the open neckline made him salivate.
So arrogant. But unlike when he'd come here, Ezekiel's anger had already subsided.
His groin ached. But he didn't want to drag her down and ravish her at will. He wanted to see this woman spread her legs and beg for him on her own.
"Olivia Ferril."
He called out to her in a low voice. Olivia's body stiffened slightly, and she looked up at Ezekiel in surprise.
This was an intentional act. With Marel's help, Olivia had practiced countless times how to express emotions with her body: embarrassment, surprise, fear, and more complex gestures.
And it clearly worked for Ezekiel, who mistook her for trying to hide her surprise and gave her a sneer.
"What, did you think I didn't know?"
The silk bodice sagged as he withdrew his index finger, unable to snap back into place, and he traced it up Olivia's collarbone, pressing it lightly against her throat.
Helmut was eventually forced to report to him that Olivia was Gisela's daughter. Ezekiel had told him to leave her alone, but that was when she was a spy for the Duchy of Raniere. It was a different matter altogether if she was the daughter of a maid who served the dead Empress and was hiding out in Count Lutgard’s domain.
"How cute. Why did you run away from Lutgard’s?"
"...Because I couldn't stay locked away in the countryside forever."
Olivia answered in a voice that was now barely above a whisper.
"I was tired of living on the pity of an old man, now are your questions answered?"
"If you wanted to be a noblewoman, you could have accepted the position of Countess of Lutgard."
"You're only saying that because you know nothing about Theodore Lutgard."
She snorted.
"Being a good foster daughter is enough for me."
Ezekiel's light breath brushed the tip of her nose as he laughed.
"So now you're going to play the part of a sleazy courtesan. I don't think Duke Klaus will stand for it."
"You're the one with the taste for shallow women."
Ezekiel's lips grazed Olivia's sternum, and just before he finally pressed his lips to hers, she pushed him away slightly.
He let go of her just long enough for her to push back, so that the distance between them was just enough for him to feel her body heat without their bodies directly touching.
"So how far do your ambitions stretch?"
Olivia stiffened reflexively at the whisper that slipped past her ear. A deep, husky voice pierced the night air as she fought to keep from shivering.
"I hope you will let the lady go, Duke of Schwaben.”
Ezekiel jerked his head up in surprise, but he didn't let go of his grip on Olivia's waist.
Theodore stood behind him. Olivia curled her lips inward and bit down hard to keep from moaning.
Ezekiel smirked, a smile that was both ferocious and cruel.
"You have no sense, Count Lutgard, interrupting someone else's private affair."
"Not if that other person is my fiancée."
Theodore took a step forward. His fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles were white.
Ezekiel smirked and pulled Olivia into his arms.
"I didn't know. I heard the Count's fiancée ran away."
Olivia hesitated for the briefest of moments. But she couldn't accept Ezekiel's kiss in front of Theodore. She didn't want to be labeled a possession here.
She slid out of Ezekiel's arms.
"You're both forgetting, I'm the owner of the salon today, and I don't have time to waste like this."
"Laila."
"I've been gone too long, so if you'll excuse me."
With that, Olivia bowed gracefully to both of them and turned on her heel.
The stare on her back hurt. She didn’t know what Theodore's face must be like, and she had long since resolved that it was okay if he was disappointed in her, that it was okay if he hated her, but her heart hadn’t.
Still, she smiled. They said that expressions are not only shown on the face, but also on the body. She wanted the image she left behind to be one of dignity, confidence, and nonchalance. Not just for Ezekiel, but for Theodore.
But her throat hurt terribly. She tried to blame it on Ezekiel's squeeze earlier. Her eyes were stinging, too, she thought, from the dryness of her tears.
Once the hem of Olivia's night-blue dress was completely out of sight, Ezekiel, his excitement waning, turned away. It was fun, but she was gone. He had no intention of doing the tedious business of arguing over dirty laundry with the blunt man here.
He crossed the garden and exited the Klaus Ducal Residence. The messengers and guards standing in the doorway gave him a puzzled look, but he paid them no mind as he stepped outside and nonchalantly climbed into a waiting carriage.
An aide held out a hand mirror to him, flustered by the dark rose-colored lipstick on his lips and at the corners of his mouth. Ezekiel smirked at the mess around his mouth in the small mirror and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe it off.
"Your Excellency."
Rowan said cautiously, seeing how amused he looked. Ezekiel grunted in response.
"Leave her alone for now. She’s not one of Raniere's spies."
"But Your Excellency...."
"Cute, isn't she? She’ll do anything for ambition."
Not worthy of life.
His judgment leaned toward the fact that Olivia Ferril couldn’t possibly be the princess.
‘If she was, Duke Klaus wouldn't have let her go like that.’
If she was the real princess, the old Duke would have made a room of jewels and silk and kept her there. Everyone knew how much Duke Klaus loved his daughter and only granddaughter.
But she had no pride in being a Princess. All he saw was her strong desire to climb up. A trait that only those at the bottom would have. He should rather doubt the reliability of the information that the old Count Lutgard regarded the woman as his daughter.
***
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