Chapter 64
I Must Be Crazy
The claim of just passing by was, of course, a lie.
But Edgar, pretending not to know, held out the bouquet and said,
"I'd like to be the second, too."
This was the truth.
The summer night breeze carried the scent of flowers.
Why are you doing this to me?
Suppressing the urge to ask, Olivia said,
"...Unfortunately, it's the coach."
Just then, Russell Junior's distinctive laughter sounded unpleasantly. Edgar frowned.
The sound of people laughing and chatting filled the silence between them. The banquet, to which only she was uninvited, seemed quite enjoyable.
"Then, the third?"
"Elaine."
Edgar chuckled. Seeing the ends of his neat eyebrows droop like a disappointed puppy, Olivia couldn't help but laugh.
"The fourth would be Madam Lauren, I suppose."
Olivia nodded slightly.
Silence fell between them again. From the dining room, hearty laughter and Russell Junior's voice occasionally leaked out.
For some reason, she didn't want to go in. She was also tired of dealing with people at the party.
"Well, I guess I'll have to be satisfied with having the first. Take it."
Olivia reached out her arm. Edgar grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer.
"Ah!"
Olivia cried out in surprise.
"What are you doing?"
"I want to be alone with you."
"......"
A desire to monopolize the woman arose.
Edgar grabbed her hand and started running, toward the Bichen River.
Quite impulsively, like a teenager suffering from the fever of first love.
Such foolishness, which he hadn't even done in those days, felt particularly romantic tonight, perhaps because of the brilliant starlight in the night sky.
A man in a black suit, holding a bouquet of bright red roses in one hand, grabbed her wrist and crossed the avenue.
The sound of their shoes echoed on the quiet night street, bathed in the reddish-orange glow of the streetlights.
As she was dragged along, Olivia blankly stared at the man's broad back.
Because you keep doing this...
I'm getting confused.
Her heart was racing.
Above his dark hair, above his straight shoulders, bright yellow starlight shattered and fell.
Perhaps from the beginning.
Maybe it was from the moment she first met him on the tennis court of the Lancelot Hotel.
With a dark hair color resembling her love, from the moment she saw him swinging the racket, she was...
Perhaps she had been falling for him.
Are you doing well?
Olivia raised her head. Toward his world, which might be connected somewhere at the end of the starry night sky.
Toward the world she once lived in.
Her grandmother had passed away. On that night after the funeral, huddled alone in the empty room, he had come.
It was a cloudy and chilly day, as if it would pour rain.
'Did you... eat?'
How could she not have loved the person who appeared at the moment she thought she was left alone in the world?
So she cried out loud. The sorrow that had been building up to her throat burst out in his arms.
From that day on, that person became a star in her dark heart.
...Me too.
I'll be fine.
Finally, she bid farewell to her long unrequited love. It was at the same time that Olivia grabbed Edgar's wrist and pulled hard.
He stopped abruptly and turned around. Olivia, who had already raised herself on tiptoe, reached out her arms and wrapped them around his neck.
Their lips met.
She slowly savored his lips, exhaling a trembling breath.
Countless rose blossoms fell to the floor with a thud. Edgar wrapped his arms around Olivia's waist and pulled her closer.
In the scent of fully bloomed roses, Olivia closed her eyes.
Lips as soft as a summer night were tender, fragrant, and hot.
Just a little.
He knew very well how to make people anxious.
Just a little more.
The heat tangled together between their lips.
The sound of insects chirping on the riverbank, the sound of the cruise ship sailing on the Bichen River, and the sound of the flowing water were faintly heard.
Edgar's lips slowly fell away.
Olivia unknowingly opened her closed eyes. Her legs faltered.
Clutching the man's arm, she caught her breath. Her face was gradually heating up.
Seeing the man's lips shining in the white moonlight, reason suddenly returned.
I must be crazy.
I drank too much wine. I was also excited because I won the game.
Still.
I'm crazy.
Olivia, who had been intoxicated by the lyrical atmosphere and the alcohol, fell into a dazed state of confusion.
Blinking her bewildered eyes, she covered her face with both hands.
"...P, please let me go."
Her thinly trembling voice was terrible.
"Now?"
Edgar looked down at the woman trapped in his arms and smiled.
"I'm not done yet."
Olivia, not knowing what to do, raised her face, which was dyed bright red.
Seeing the woman struggling in his arms, an unbearable thirst arose.
The woman, whose ears were flushed red, hastily licked her moist lips.
"...I made a mistake. I... Yes, I made a mistake."
"A mistake?"
Was it because of the particularly clear moonlight? The smile on the man's face looked excessively lewd.
It was dangerous. Why did she do such a thing? Olivia was terrified.
The woman nodded vigorously, averted her gaze, and quickly added an excuse.
Her neatly combed hair rustled at her nape as she moved.
"...Y, yes. A mistake. I think I had a little too much to drink. I don't usually drink much, but today is, well, a special day."
Edgar smiled and pulled her waist closer, wrapping his arms tightly around her.
Olivia was startled and pushed his chest with her hands. He found that reaction quite cute.
No, it was incredibly lovely.
Edgar lowered his gaze, which was calm, and admired the woman who contained only him.
A piece to be used and discarded. No more emotion was needed.
But today. It was also a meaningful day when the woman had perfectly proven her usefulness.
So, just for today.
It didn't seem so bad to enjoy this moment for a while.
"It is special. Today."
Edgar chuckled and lowered his head as it was. He swallowed her lips, covering her small face with his large hands.
Olivia, surprised by the kiss that penetrated a little deeper than before, tightly closed her eyes. Her thin eyelids fluttered.
Edgar. The name that flowed out in an irregular breath scattered on his lips. It was ecstatic.
'Olivia, no.'
Yohan's voice shattered above it. The pleasure increased.
Edgar swallowed a suppressed sigh and explored the woman's lips, Olivia. He called her name like a languid breath, again and again.
Olivia.
Under the moonlight of the quiet riverside, the night she didn't want to end deepened.
***
The Express Train carrying Yohan arrived at Lemonde Station.
It was evening, but as befitting Rondos' best resort city, the city center, which was centered around the station, was brilliantly illuminated with lights.
The Carriage, which had been waiting after receiving the message, took Yohan and departed for Lemonde Port.
What kind of crazy thing is this, putting aside all the urgent schedules?
Maurice, who was sitting across from him, glanced at Yohan, who had his eyes closed, and clicked his tongue. It was an unprecedented deviation for him.
Suddenly heading to Britz.
Could this sudden move be because of Princess Krantz?
Maurice would bet his entire fortune that it was absolutely not.
Regret, it's regret.
Maurice was sure.
People's hearts are originally made so wickedly.
They get tired of you when you cling to them, but when you say you hate them and leave, they want to hold on.
You should have treated her well when you had the chance.
"Stop staring."
"Ah, yes."
Startled, Maurice closed his mouth and quickly turned his head to the opposite window.
Even so, Maurice glanced at Yohan reflected in the black glass window. He still had his arms crossed and his eyes closed.
What are you thinking?
As the splendid lights flowed into the silent Carriage, the night sea, gradually submerged in darkness, revealed its appearance.
As Maurice dozed off, the Carriage arrived at Lemonde Port and stopped.
"Have you arrived, CEO?"
Yohan, who lightly nodded at the greeting from the employee who came to greet him, moved his steps to Pier 2, where the Leopold was docked.
"An urgent telegram has arrived from the royal family."
Yohan, who had been walking ahead, stopped at the employee's words as he quickly followed behind him.
"From the royal family?"
"Yes, CEO."
He nervously swept his forehead. The sea breeze, laden with moisture, stuck thickly.
An ominous premonition came over him that the day would be very long.
As expected.
Yohan's brow furrowed as he checked the telegram he had received in the VIP lounge.
His silver-gray eyes held a chill. Daring to look at the letter from His Majesty the King of Rondos.
"Damn it."
The low-muttered curse was eerie.
I must be crazy.
Maurice's complexion turned pale, as if he had been caught plotting treason.
Curious about what it was about, Maurice stretched his neck and leaned over.
「Urgent. Request to enter the palace」
It was the content of the telegram that the Queen had urgently sent.
What amazing timing.
Maurice shook his head.
Yohan placed a cigarette between his oiled fingers.
With a click, a flame flared up. His cold but elegant features instantly became sharp.
Yohan's gaze, slowly exhaling smoke, turned to the outside of the window, where the boundary between the night sky and the sea had collapsed and turned completely dark.
The small lights of the pier, the lighthouse, and the passing ships were twinkling.
Yohan twisted his wrist to check the time.
Before the clock hands, his wife's face encroached on his vision.
'Think of me.'
Ha. The light blue-gray smoke slowly rising in a long sigh scattered in the air.
I missed her.
The ridiculous sight of her, who was across the sea, playing tennis.
Because he couldn't believe it until he saw it with his own eyes.
That was all.
