When The Moon Tilts West - Chapter 3-2

Chapter 3 – Part 2

“Please give me the medicine.”

As she reached out her hand, he handed her a vial. Though when she tried to pick it up, it was snatched away by Kevin.

“Why?”

“Should you take this medicine?”

“What…”

“I guess so, we were going to get married.”

That was the excuse for having their first relationship, which prevented her from rebelling when she was uneasy with her precarious position.

Olivia was young at the time, thinking it was all she had, she eventually accepted the rape-like relationship. Indeed, she was young then.

It was only later that she found out that it was Kevin’s lip service. The reason she was here is to exist as Kevin’s prostitute. If she were to marry him, she would only be his mistress, though she could not be formally married.

Of course, what kind of noble would marry someone from the country that they defeated and colonized?

“If you’re serious about marriage, why didn’t you tell His Excellency that we’re in a relationship?”

Kevin’s eyes widened as if surprised by her words. Meanwhile, she quickly took the medicine from his hand and drank it.

“That’s why you’re upset?”

He looked happy.

However, her gaze was cold as she spoke her next words.

“I don’t believe you anymore.”

“I’m sad about this. I really wanted to marry you.”

“Isn’t brother making me your mistress?”

Kevin smiled without denying it. Nonetheless, Olivia was not hurt because her heart was already tattered to be hurt. When she saw her usage, she gave up her own future.

She doesn’t know how she will live in the future, though if this body is worth using, she will continue to live this life as it is. She knew all too well that it would be better than dying as a prostitute like her mother.

For her, the tragic death of her mother often appeared as a nightmare.

“It’s good that you’re so clever.”

“….”

“Where I buried my thing, and you’re desperately trying to take the contraceptive pill. I mean, it’s cute.”

Kevin pointed to his own leg. The red flesh was erect again.

At that, he smiled as she frowned at his manhood which had raged against her.

“The medicine, take another one.”

“Brother, stop it…”

“Olivia, I really like you. You’re quiet and not loud like other b*tches, I appreciate what you have. So, I want to stay with you for a long time.”

“….”

“I’ll take care of you, in some form.”

He grabbed her wrist and laid her down. He then licked the tip of her painfully bitten chest with his tongue, and sucked it as if he were sucking milk.

With the stinging pain, she bit her lip. Olivia struggled, but soon gave up her resistance. Either way, Kevin would do whatever he wanted.

So, as she relaxed her body, Kevin made her lie face down on the bed. Another love affair as intense as ever. Accepting him, she lay face down on the sheet. Nothing changed. It’s just a matter of whether or not it gets worse than this.

“Olivia. Call my name.”

Kevin moved his waist, calling her name.

As she let out a moan as an obligation, she realized that her room was slightly open. For some reason, she was concerned about that open gap.

 

*** 

Seeing what was in her hand, Olivia smiled slightly. It was a parasol, used to protect the skin from strong sunlight.

As a child, her mother would often walk with her in the garden wearing the parasol. Her figure was so beautiful that she said she wanted to be like her mother, too.

She was always told that the parasol was a luxury. So, among those who come to Deorc’s mansion, she would always be envious of those who wore the parasol.

The sight of the ladies walking around gracefully wearing their parasols made her flutter. It seems that this was also included in what Leon ordered to buy. She cherished this parasol the most.

She gazed out the window. The day was sunny and it was a good day to bring a parasol. She carefully opened the parasol. It was new, so it was difficult to unfold, although when she saw it all unfolded, Olivia was amazed. It shone white in the sunlight, and the delicately woven lace was very beautiful.

She took it and walked carefully through the garden. She liked the new white chemise dress, as well as the parasol.

The maids carrying the laundry stared at her with unkind eyes, but it didn’t matter.

The sky was blue, and white clouds hung in the sky. Having the parasol like this, the scorching sunlight was not dazzling at all. It was quite interesting to see the garden with her eyes open in the strong sunlight.

With an excited expression on her face, she stopped when she saw a man who had just appeared out of nowhere as she was walking through the garden.

It was Leon.

As he walked down the path, he gazed at her and he came straight up to her. Perhaps the sun was stinging or the ground was uncomfortable, he was frowning.

She tilted her head.

“Hello, Duke.”

“….”

Leon glanced at her without saying a word. Olivia was puzzled by that gaze. Could it be that he didn’t like the fact that she was walking around with the parasol? Like all the other maids?

What he offered and disproved of logically made no sense to her, but it felt like that to her.

Thinking that, she tried to fold the parasol, although it didn’t fold well since she hadn’t been used to it yet. So, as a result, as she was whining while clutching the parasol, Olivia blushed at the stupidity she was doing in front of him.

Eventually, Leon came over and grabbed the handle instead and folded it neatly.

“Thank you.”

She swept her hair behind her ear with a shy expression, revealing the hidden neckline. His gaze turned to it, but Olivia didn’t notice it. Instead, she only swept her pitiful hair.

“You seem to be in a good mood today.”

“Yes?”

“You are smiling.”

His regards were a little strange. There was even a sign of dissatisfaction with what she liked. Maybe it was a mistake, but when she gave him a bewildered look, he put the parasol in her hand again.

As Leon got closer, he smelled her perfume.

“Are you always out at this hour?”

Olivia hesitated at his question. Why is this question coming up? Then, she realized that he was asking for a small conversation. She didn’t even need to find a reason in the first place. He talked to her a lot these days.

Even though Leon looked unhappy, Olivia was happy with this conversation.

“No, I came out because the sun was nice.”

“Is that so?”

He pulled himself away then spoke while looking at her face.

“My brother is going to be away for a while.”

“Yes?”

Kevin? He didn’t say anything like that yesterday…?

At the sudden news, she widened her eyes.

“This morning, he received an order from His Majesty. He is probably getting ready to leave now.”

“I see.”

Leon seemed to be paying attention to that because he thought she and Kevin were close. Since in the first place, he didn’t really need to tell her anything about Kevin.

As her expression clouded when the word Kevin appeared in the pleasant conversation, his two eyes examined it closely.

“Are you sure you don’t want to say goodbye?”

“No, I don’t want to get in the way of him getting ready.”

Rather, Olivia hesitated whether to talk to Leon or not. Because he always came back in the evening and was never at home during the day.

‘Didn’t he go to the palace today?’

That simple question was too difficult for her. But, when she gathered her courage and opened her lips, he turned his body and disappeared. There was no such thing as saying goodbye.

Olivia’s expression darkened again in the coldness. Looking at her folded parasol, she sighed with a heavy expression on her face. He must have been in a bad mood today.

In such a situation, it may be natural to feel twisted when he sees her taking a walk without notice. Leon was also a man.

Olivia gripped the parasol tighter.

She seemed to have to be careful about walking, too.

 

*** 

As Leon said, Kevin left the mansion and did not return for several days. She was again given freedom.

Looking back, after Leon returned, she felt more comfortable in the mansion. Neither the maids were blatantly displeased with her, and the butler was also respectful to her. Everything was rich and overflowing to the point of being burdensome.

She enjoyed the comfort. Seeing Leon she occasionally encounters, there were heartbreaking moments too. She expected him to secretly eat with her or have a tea time in the tea room, though he looked busy, and after asking if there was anything inconvenient when meeting her, Leon just coldly went into his room.

Is she being treated coldly?

Or, maybe he doesn’t feel the need to have a conversation?

At first, she was excited and wanted to talk about something, but his low attitude made her withdrawn, and in the end, Olivia almost never left her room, like before.

When she went out, it was always without Leon. It was her little happiness to go for a walk while blocking the intense sunlight of the approaching summer with the parasol.

That day, she was also walking. It suddenly rained like a fickle summer weather.

Since the parasol was used to block the sunlight, not the rain, Olivia was drenched because of the sudden rain. After she folded the parasol, she frowned as she brushed away her wet hair. It was because the wet chemise dress was stuck against her body, and it was unpleasant.

The heavy rain that had fallen so much that it obscured the view turned into lighter rain, but she would still get rained on to get to the entrance. In the end, she frowned under the tree, avoiding the rain. However, she thought that it would be all right if she just went and got wet, anyway.

Deciding not to run, she walked slowly to the porch. It was raining so no one was outside, so she was relieved that she didn’t need to show herself.

It was when she reached the front door.

“Miss Claudel?”

Leon’s voice made her startled and glanced back.

Why does he have to be there? He was looking at her with a puzzled expression on his face, which made her ashamed.

“I…”

“Let’s go in and talk.”

He hurriedly cut her off and he put a cloak on her. It was one he was wearing. Although they were at the front door anyway, so Olivia thought she didn’t need to put on this cloak, but she didn’t want to refuse the consideration he gave her.

As soon as she entered the mansion, Leon beckoned the butler who had been with him. As she made her way into her room to change her clothes, he followed.

“Your Excellency?”

Gazing at him with a puzzled expression, Leon said in a low tone.

“Didn’t I tell you to talk to me?”

His voice wasn’t very loud, but it was the most intense of all the voices she had ever heard.

Is there anything he has to say? She tilted her head. As soon as Olivia entered her room, she took off the cloak and handed it to him. He stared at her for a while as she took the cloak off.

“What do you want to talk about?”

She wanted to change her wet clothes and was embarrassed to continue talking for a long time like a mouse wet in the rain.

Leon stared at her face for a long while before sighing and shook his head. He let out a sound of laughter, which was heard by her as a sneer and Olivia opened her eyes wide.

“Your Excellency?”

“I don’t even know if what was said is true.”

What did he just hear?

She looked at Leon with a puzzled expression. He was gazing at her with a cool expression. What was engraved in his eyes was clearly contempt—familiar contempt. It felt like her chest was sinking.

“Look at Miss Claudel’s figure now.”

‘Figure.’

He uses the word figure. In an obvious negative sense, at that, she stared into the mirror in her room. Her face hardened.

It was the first time she had seen a dress like this, so she didn’t know exactly what it would look like. The wet cloth was transparent, exposing her skin intact. Her thighs, buttocks, navel, and even the bright red n*pples. It was like standing in front of him naked.

“Your, Your Excellency, this is…”

Olivia was ashamed. She was ashamed and wanted to cover her body with the cloak again. But, the cloak was already in his hands.

“It seems that you and brother have already mixed bodies.”

She flinched her body at those words that wanted to make her kill herself once again.

“As soon as I went out, did you continue to do that?”

“…Your Excellency.”

“You don’t have to tell me. I’ve already seen it with my own two eyes.”

“No way…”

“He was really passionate.”

With the shock that he had seen her affair with Kevin, the cold ridicule that came out of his mouth made her feel like she was falling into an abyss. It wasn’t very cold, though her body shuddered.

“At first, I knew and thought to just let it go, but seeing what you are doing now, I can’t get over it.”

“….”

“Unfortunately, my brother is going to get married to another noblewoman… Unfortunately, he cannot marry Miss Claudel.”

“…….”

“You probably didn’t know.”

Did you think you could marry Kevin?

Realizing the hidden implications of his words, Olivia felt the floor crumble. She knew. She knew, but she did not expect to hear these words from Leon’s mouth. Even so, isn’t a situation like this too cruel…?

Her face grew whiter and whiter.

“After listening to my brother and the butler and other employees, they said that the Miss seduced him first. Is it true?”

“Brother Kevin said that?”

“It was said that there was no love between the two of you, only a physical relationship. He explained that you couldn’t live without a man.”

“Haa…”

“Is that true?”

Oddly enough, her tears, which had been overcome by shame, disappeared, and her head became cold.

The emotions that came out of her mouth were not only sadness, but also anger. The feeling of being betrayed by Kevin, however, Leon’s stake in the current anger was greater.

In front of Leon, only in front of Leon, she could be a shy girl. Although Olivia was not a sophisticated noble lady, she was an ordinary woman with a heart with affection for him. It was quite a happy thing to fall in love with him in her gloomy life. Although now, he was apparently treating her as a prostitute.

Why does he dare to ask if this is true? Isn’t he already showing cold contempt?

He already believes what his brother Kevin says and what his employees say. Look at that face. Already, he was convinced of everything and just wanted to ask her to confirm.

She knew she had no choice but to defend herself. It used to be like that when she was beaten by Kevin, too. Even if Olivia later agreed to him, she was hurt by the forced relationship.

When she cried and told the maid she didn’t know what to do, the maid only said in a chilly tone, ‘The Miss seduced him too.’ This man was no different…

She smiled coldly at the betrayal.

“Yes, I seduced him.”

Already, her heart ached as if it were being ripped into a thousand parts. But for the first time, she faced him proudly.

“If I said that, would you be satisfied?”

Saying so, she smiled bitterly.

Leon tried to say more, but she didn’t want to hear it.

“What did the employees say? Do they say I’m a prostitute? Yes, that’s right. That’s what I saw and learned.”

Olivia smiled coldly. When he didn’t answer, the painted smile on her face was sad. It was strangely cool. Whether he knew anything about her or her relationship with Kevin, she felt freed from the strange sense of guilt she had harbored.

“It’s brazen.”

“You already knew and asked, do I need to hide it?”

She stroked her hair as water dripped from it. Then, Olivia opened her mouth and asked again after a sudden thought.

“I wonder if that’s why you sent Brother Kevin away?”

“Then, what will you do?”

At his answer, she smiled bitterly.

Doesn’t that seem that he is trying to ‘isolate’ Kevin from something sick and dirty…?

“Is it true what you said that you can’t live without a man?”

As they went further, it became more and more difficult to hear. His words plunged her into an even more inseparable abyss.

Is this confirmation? Or, is it to mock her? Maybe it was both, she didn’t know. Olivia was angry at this situation, and at him for taking the blatant words casually.

Eventually, she got fed up with this desperate situation. Even if she says no, no one can prove it. Kevin and the employees have already made her that way. If she said of her innocence, would this person believe her? It wasn’t the answer.

Even in the grim reality, if there was one wish she had, she would never want to leave this very mansion. Because the other world was scary.

Whatever her future was, she wanted to stay here. After Leon returned, she wanted to see him until her allowed time. Nevertheless, that dream was shattered. He now despised her as a prostitute.

Thinking it was all over, she felt a little exhausted.

“Then what will you do?”

“….”

“Why, so you’re going to be Kevin’s replacement?”

He gazed at her with his eyes wide open. Olivia now waited for his contemptuous words to be uttered towards her. He will soon shout at her to get out of the mansion right now. She didn’t know, maybe she will be beaten for insulting him.

That’s how tired she was.

What if she gets kicked out? She has no blood, and her country has already disappeared. Will Kevin come back and find her?

She didn’t want to go down the same path as her mother, and she tried to stay in this mansion. At least, in the end, she didn’t want it to look like this…

As tears were about to form in Olivia’s eyes, she heard his voice.

“Gladly.”

She had never doubted her own hearing as much as what she heard at this moment. Hearing the unexpected words, she widened her eyes wide and stared at him.

“What…?”

He almost looked like he was glaring at her.

“It means that I will satisfy you on behalf of my brother. So, don’t do that with my brother anymore.”

That face was more serious than ever.

As she was dumbfounded, Leon just walked out of her room, like a confirmation shot.

“I will come back when the moon tilts west.”