Chapter 76
Chapter 76. Madness, The World Calls That Love
2023.12.15.
"Well. It's not poison."
After playfully smiling with her eyes and making eye contact with Anne and Madam Marie in turn, Olivia looked down at the letter she held in her hand.
She slowly unfolded the paper, whose corners were folded perfectly straight.
"……"
Olivia's eyes shook intensely.
Raindrops pattered against the firmly closed window.
Olivia's gaze left the letter and fell upon the windowpane, transparently stained by rainwater.
"Who is it from?"
Anne asked cautiously.
Even at Anne's question, Olivia stared blankly out the window for a while.
Olivia, who came to her senses the moment the slightly dim room flashed with lightning, answered belatedly.
"...It's not from Edgar, and it's not from the Princess either. You don't need to worry."
Her calm voice trembled slightly.
Olivia's eyes conveyed that she wanted to be alone quietly. Anne and Madam Marie withdrew.
Madam Marie, who had stopped at the doorway Anne had exited through, turned and looked at Olivia for a moment.
Turning her head away from Olivia's face, which seemed agitated and was turning pale, Madam Marie closed the door without a sound.
The sound of the rain grew fiercer. Because a downpour was pouring, outside the window was entirely gray. Around the time her heartbeat had slowed, Olivia, who had been still, unfolded the folded letter again.
「To Miss Olivia Blanchett
I have picked up my pen like this as I have something to say regarding the matter of your broken engagement with Duke Johann Leopold.」
Her heart began to beat rapidly again at the neat handwriting.
The sender of the letter was none other than Princess Krantz.
What could she possibly have to say to her regarding the broken engagement of the two? No matter how much she thought about it, that was the only thing.
Olivia, who had brought her hand to the area near her heart, waited for the pounding to subside.
「I hesitated greatly before writing this letter. But I could no longer turn a blind eye to the pain you must be in. I ask that you forgive my cowardice for not being able to gather the courage sooner for your sake. I also ask that you forgive the rudeness of me unilaterally seeking your forgiveness.」
"……."
The reason for the broken engagement was not Olivia. At that part, Olivia let out a long sigh of relief.
Surprisingly, Princess Krantz said she had another man in her heart.
The unexpected letter both surprised Olivia and made her curious.
Moreover, the image of the princess, an illusion she had conjured in her mind based on her noble appearance, shattered in an instant.
She was just a young lady with slightly strong pride, no different from other ladies her age.
Somehow, Olivia even felt like she wanted to cheer her on.
She mentioned that it was currently inappropriate timing to publicly announce their relationship, so she was merely watching the situation unfold, and begged for forgiveness for herself, who had no other choice.
The elegant script fully contained both the joy of being united with her loved one and her apology towards Olivia.
The densely written characters continued on after that. Olivia, her tension eased, continued reading the letter with a peaceful heart.
It was then that a thunderstorm, as if the world were splitting apart, struck.
At the sound of a loud Boom!, a startled Olivia dropped the letter and hit the table hard with her knee.
From the impact, the table shook violently and the coffee cup overturned.
"No!"
Olivia shot up, swatting the cup away with her hand and hurriedly picking up the letter.
The neat characters spread like running paint and were crushed in an instant. Simultaneously, the cup that had fallen to the floor shattered into pieces.
Once again, Crash! Lightning struck the ground.
"Ah! What do I do?"
A flustered Olivia urgently pressed down on the letter with the sleeve of her blouse.
The edge of her white sleeve was stained hideously with yellowish-brown and purple water. It was something that would make Madam Marie shriek if she saw, but there was nothing to be done.
But despite her efforts, she couldn't bring back the letters that had disappeared.
Olivia looked down at the stained letter with a blank face for a while.
She was so curious about the following content, but there was no way to know.
\\
Following the movement of the white hand, a swan's feather rustled and a scratching sound came from the pen tip.
In the quiet night when everyone was asleep, Christian's steady breathing was occasionally heard.
Irene wrote the letter without hesitation. She really wanted to tell the story, even if Miss Blanchett might think it presumptuous. With the hope that they would not miss each other.
「I do not know why you chose divorce. Nevertheless, what I clearly know is the fact that Duke Leopold regrets the divorce.
Is it because I have fallen in love?
I see people who have fallen in love.
That man's gaze always touches his wristwatch. I knew it was the birthday gift you gave to the Duke. I tell you this lest you misunderstand, but the person who discovered that small habit was my lady-in-waiting. After that, I merely witnessed that small habit frequently.
I respect your choice. Therefore, I cautiously make a suggestion. But this suggestion is only valid if feelings for the Duke still remain within you.
If you chose to part because you were unsure of the Duke's heart, how about giving him another chance?
There is no perfect love in the world. The beginning is clumsy for everyone. Because I was like that too.
My words have grown long. I believe my sincerity has been sufficiently conveyed. If, however, you are offended by my presumptuous interference, I apologize for my discourtesy.
May God's protection be with you and your future.
Irene de Krantz」
Irene, having placed the pen back in the pen holder, rested her elbows on the desk, interlacing her fingers as she waited for the ink to dry.
Dear God!
May Christian, who has started rehabilitation, be able to walk again.
May Duke Leopold safely cross the ocean and reach her without delay.
May Olivia's life be peaceful.
On a night where yellow starlight shimmered quietly beyond the transparent glass window, Irene prayed for a long time.
\\
He's gone mad. He's gone mad.
The carriage carrying Yohan and Maurice began to cut through the rain towards Pier 1.
Maurice, leaning his head against the carriage wall, kept making the sign of the cross repeatedly.
Oh! Dear God!
The windowpanes between the frames rattled as if they might shatter. Outside, one couldn't even distinguish where the pier ended and where the sea or sky began.
The road was slippery, flooded with rainwater, and the frightened horses couldn't pick up speed.
"I still don't want to die yet."
Maurice said with a shudder. The violently rocking carriage felt like it was racing towards the gates of hell.
"You won't die."
The indifferent voice carried an air of detachment that somehow didn't seem human.
"It feels like I'm going to die."
"Get out."
It was an impassive tone.
Although Maurice muttered with a face full of dissatisfaction, Yohan still sat with his legs crossed and arms folded, eyes closed.
Ah! This is driving me crazy. His temper, which he thought had dulled and disappeared from constantly suppressing his anger while living by his side, suddenly popped out.
"Why on earth are you going to such lengths to go?"
In this situation where we might become fish food, let's say everything we have to say before we die. Maurice could see nothing now.
"Why, why? Why are you doing something you never did, and in this mad weather of all times. Really!"
He glared fiercely at Yohan.
If he had known it would be like this, he would have at least dated more. Or maybe proposed to a lady he had his eye on, even if just pretending to be crazy.
He felt endlessly resentful of his past self, who had refrained out of fear of being grandly rejected.
If people hear we died by drowning in the sea while going to watch the Dumblin finals, everyone will laugh and say we're mad. What sin did the captain commit, what sin did the sailors commit? Me? Me? I haven't even gotten married yet. Why on earth are you doing something you never did? Huh?
Inside the carriage, where only the sound of the wind was clamorous, it became eerily silent after Maurice's grumbling abruptly stopped.
Yohan, who hadn't moved, unfolded his arms and placed a hand over his eyes.
"I don't know."
The monotonous tone sounded almost bored.
It was an attitude completely mismatched with this insane course of action, trying to board a ship in such terrible weather.
At his attitude, Maurice's mouth dropped open.
Surely not. No, it can't be. What kind of person is our representative?
Maurice was four years old when Yohan was born.
On the day the young master was born, the Madam passed away. His birth was not blessed, and from that day on, the Edinburgh Duke Residence was submerged in deep sorrow.
When he realized what his mother's anniversary meant, his childhood ended.
Yohan's birthday was also the anniversary of the Duchess's passing, so until the Duke, who loved his wife dearly, passed away, there was no one who celebrated his tragic birth.
The first person to ever celebrate the birthday of Yohan, who grew up under thorough indifference and cold treatment, was none other than his wife. Olivia Blanchett.
It was utterly impossible for such a man to know love. Because the life he had lived was frozen solid in harsh cold.
At his wife's words that she was happy he was born, Yohan didn't know what emotion he was supposed to feel.
He didn't know what expression to make or what to say. Was that something to be celebrated? He doubted it.
For Yohan, that day was merely a day with a business trip scheduled, and he had only passed by his wife, who was blocking his busy journey, indifferently.
Nevertheless, his wife did not give up and threw grand parties whenever Yohan's birthday came.
Although it was a result stoked by Diane Brooke.
So this is love.
Maurice was quite flustered now.
If there is someone important enough to go meet by braving such a storm, to commit such madness for, then that must surely be love.
The world calls that love.
Ahem, Maurice cleared his throat.
Although it's not right to meddle in other people's love lives, and even though he himself has zero dating experience, it seemed like a little intervention was needed between these two.
How unfair would it be to die without even knowing one's own feelings? Let's tell him straight and clear, and let's not board that ship. Absolutely!
Maurice, who wanted to live, concluded thus.
"There are two cases when a person does something they normally don't do. One is that people usually do strange things when they're about to die."
Maurice glanced at Yohan, who still had his eyes closed, and continued.
"And the other one is precisely lo-."
It was then. Something, carried by the wind whirling like a gust, flew in and hit the carriage wall with a thud.
Reflexively, Yohan opened his eyes, and simultaneously, the windowpane shattered, and fragments poured inside along with the rain.
The object that struck the side of the carriage and flew off hit the heads of the running horses and fell forward with a thump. In the darkness, whipped by the storm, the horses, their legs tangled in the falling object, stumbled and collapsed instantly.
"Da... Dangerous! Hold on tigh-. Aaaah!!!"
Along with the coachman's scream, the carriage tilted in an instant.
Instinctively, Yohan grabbed Maurice and pulled him into his embrace. With a loud crash, the carriage overturned onto the road surface.
In the darkness, the wheels spinning from inertia flicked the lashing raindrops into the air.
The sound of rain beating against the carriage exterior grew faint.
In the pain that felt like his whole body was being torn apart, the arm wrapped around Maurice's head came into his blurry vision.
There was no sound of ticking. As Yohan tried to lift his wrist with effort, he lost consciousness.
