A Marriage Alliance for Revenge - Chapter 4

There!”

It was a nobleman’s carriage, a rare sight on the boulevards that intersected the slums and commoner neighborhoods.

It must have been returning home at dawn after a night spent at a brothel.

“Aah!”

The carriage driver’s scream rang out as Olivia’s body was propelled into the air.

She huddled down as best she could, shielding her head, but the instant she hit the ground, her entire body throbbed like it was going to be torn asunder.

Thud. Thud.

She felt her body hit  the carriage and rebound onto the pavement.

‘‥‥‥I’m alive. I’m alive.” 

Despite the agonizing pain that ripped through her body, Olivia’s mouth curled into a tearful laugh.

The horse reared up on its front legs and whinnied loudly as the carriage came to a sudden halt.

“Sh*t.”

The men chasing Olivia ducked into a dark alley.

Running into nobles on these streets was never a good thing. 

It spelled danger and even death if one was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Still, they weren’t about to give up on Olivia.

They ducked into an alleyway and kept their eyes on the main street.

“What happened?”

The coachman didn’t look happy when he saw Olivia lying on the ground, dazed.

The coachman was a reasonable man, but sometimes he could be apathetic.

“There’s been an accident,” he replied succinctly. 

“An accident?”

“A woman abruptly crossed our path.”

The coachman leaned his head forward in the front of the carriage.

It didn’t look like she had been hit hard, but the scrawny woman laid dead still on the cold ground.

“Hmm-“

A low murmur came from inside the carriage.

“Looks like she was being chased by someone, unfortunately. There are still some watching this way in the alley.”

The coachman’s head snapped up again as he recognized the slumlords.

“And the woman?”

“I think she’s passed out.”

The coachman glanced at Olivia, who was still huddled on the sidewalk, motionless.

“I’ll take her to the mansion.”

“What?”

“There seem to be quite a few witnesses, so do you not want to come out of this innocent?”

The coachman’s throat tightened at the harshness of the voice.

He chewed his lip and paced, his expression resembling someone on the brink of berating Olivia for her sudden appearance.

Up close, the woman’s visage was even more ghastly.

Her waist was barely a few inches wide, and her gaunt limbs resembled withered winter branches. 

“Oh, dear.”

Even if she was injured in a few places, words failed to capture the situation.

Poorly nourished slum women were prone to suffering severe harm from even the slightest impact.

The coachman delicately placed a finger under Olivia’s nose.

Thankfully, she was still breathing.

He squatted, gently picking up the unconscious woman.

As he held Olivia, the coachman appeared bewildered.

He was contemplating setting her down again when he picked her up as she gradually faded into unconsciousness. 

“Bring her inside, ” The man in all black addressed the coachman.

“What?”

“You want the fainted woman placed in the seat beside you?”

The notion sounded absurd. The coachman’s seat was meant for two grown adults sitting comfortably, but not a fainting woman.

The coachman chewed his lip again. Her mishap had perhaps caused him more trouble than he realized.

“I apologize.”

A muffled voice escaped the coachman’s mouth.

At his words, the man in the carriage opened the door a little wider.

The coachman lowered his head and gently laid Olivia down across from where the man sat.

“Ahhhh.”

Olivia groaned as the gentle movement, though gentle, exacerbated the pain.

The man accompanying the coachman looked unhappy.

His gaze was fixed on Olivia, who was still curled up in a ball, moaning softly.

“Let’s go.”

Drawing more attention would do no good.

The coachman settled into his seat, and the carriage sped along the street. 

Spitting and cursing erupted from those concealed in the alley.

“Damn it!”

The last pursuer to follow Olivia bared his teeth and glared at the rear of the carriage.

The carriage was all black and without a seal, a common mode of unmarked transport for nobles who came to brothels.

“Never thought I’d see an ebony carriage here.”

It wasn’t the typical, run-of-the-mill, nobleman who’d make a carriage out of wood that was said to be stronger than steel.

“Wench. I’ll sell you.”

The man turned, his gaze lingering wistfully on the carriage, which had now completely disappeared from the street.

The sun’s rays heralded the dawn that dispelled the darkness of night.

***

“Hmm.”

Lucas looked wordlessly at Olivia, who furrowed her brow and groaned.

Her tattered clothes draped over her emaciated frame.

The thin nightgown, drenched in dawn dew, revealed her contours.

Her lips were chapped, and her skin was pallid.

“Oh, no.”

She groaned and rolled over.

Lucas instinctively reached out a hand, catching her before she could fall out of the seat.

“Oh, no.”

Her body was deceptively lightweight for a human.

Evidently, she hadn’t eaten in days.

While the Empress had done a decent job replacing the foolish Gusto, there were still many things the Empire lacked.

Foremost among them were the slums of the capital.

The slums were inhabited by the destitute, drawn by famine to the capital’s refuge.

Lucas silently stared out the window at the slums.

Gusto may have been an idiot, but he enjoyed being in charge and initiating change. It fell to the Empress to remedy his blunders.

The image of the Empress, fit despite her pregnancy, contrasted with the woman lying in front of him.

“We’re here, Duke,” announced the coachman.

At a light knock, Lucas opened the carriage door.

The cold early morning air enveloped his body.

His brow furrowed at the dampness that enveloped him.

“You’ve returned, my lord?”

Despite the dawn, the butler’s appearance was unmistakable.

His half-black hair slicked back, the butler glanced toward the carriage.

“Take care of her properly.”

Lucas had already heard the story from his escort.

At Lucas’s words, Butler Vinter bowed his head.

Lucas glanced over at Olivia, who was still groaning in her sleep.

Her colorless, chapped lips twitched.

‘My baby?’ 

Lucas read the woman’s lips and frowned.

If he had run over a pregnant woman with a carriage, matters were bound to escalate.

“I’ve got a bath ready, if you’d like to come in.”

At Vinter’s urging, Lucas slowed his pace.

“What a peculiar woman.” 

* * *

 

In her dream, Olivia found herself back in the moment of drinking the poisoned tea.

Or rather, she was watching.

She drank Gusto’s tea without suspicion, enthralled by the baby shoes he’d made as a gift.

The pristine white baby shoes were soon stained with Olivia’s blood.

Gusto, who shrugged off the gruesome scene, erupted into malicious laughter.

“Oh, no!”

“Are you awake?”

The maid’s eyes widened largely at the sudden scream.

Olivia drew in a ragged breath, her hand unconsciously clutching at the spot where Gusto’s blade had been.

There was no wound there, but a lingering burning sensation persisted, akin to a phantom stabbing pain.

“Hey, are you all right?”

The maid asked cautiously, turning her attention to Olivia, who was panting heavily and surveying her surroundings.

Even though the maid had been cautious, Olivia’s abrupt movement made her heart skip a beat.

“‥‥‥Where am I?”

The room was sparsely furnished, containing only the bed where she lay and the chair the maid sat on. 

Recollections flashed back to Olivia, who dove into the speeding carriage’s path.

It was a gamble for survival, the only way to live.

And she did.

Gently stroking her scarred arms, Olivia realized, through her own senses, that she had returned from death’s embrace. 

Gradually, a sense of calm replaced the initial chaos she’d felt upon awakening after being poisoned and stabbed. 

“I’ll get a doctor.”

Observing Olivia still clutching her stomach, the maid rose from her seat with an anxious look on her face.

The maid’s words echoed in Olivia’s mind, reminding her to notify the maid if anything arose. 

Instead of responding, Olivia sat still, trying to make sense of what had happened. 

She had been killed by her own husband, Emperor Gusto, only to find herself in a body that wasn’t hers.

Slowly raising her hand, she tentatively touched the unfamiliar face.

“I can’t remember what you look like.”

The image she had glimpsed in the darkness eluded her memory.

Sunken eyes and a gaunt body suggested that the body’s owner would have died from starvation.

The ash-colored hair on her hands glinted silver in the light.

Bright.

While Olivia was lost in thought, a man entered the room.

No knock announced his entrance, violating one of the principles of etiquette.

“Ahhhh.”

Olivia’s eyes widened as the man stepped in.

Her weary dark green eyes suddenly ignited with life.

“Just a few bruises. I believe they aren’t serious enough to cause internal injuries.”

The doctor recited Olivia’s condition monotonously, as if he’d already heard about it from the maid.

He treated her like a impersonal statistic.

“I see.”

“When I personally examined her, I found no internal organ damage.”

I scoffed.

“‥‥‥.”

Adjusting his glasses, the doctor rubbed his forehead.

She wasn’t sick; she was hungry, and she looked like she could die right now.

Even by his own standards, her nutrition was abysmal.

“Prepare a light broth for her and ensure she takes the prescribed medication half an hour after eating.”

“Yes.”

The red-haired maid hurried outside.

Once she was gone, Olivia stared at the man.

“Where am I?”

“That’s not a question I can answer, my lord hasn’t yet decided what to do with you, so please wait.”

His response was followed by his usual dismissive reply.

“As I mentioned earlier, there are no significant injuries apart from bruises and malnutrition due to prolonged starvation preceding the carriage incident. So, let me make it clear that this isn’t my responsibility.”

“Of course.”

The room offered no hints about their location or the person the doctor referred to.

However, Olivia recognized who the man was, and the individual whom the doctor addressed.

“It’s fortunate that we can communicate.”

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Baron’s stern expression, seemingly pleased with Olivia’s response.

He stared into dark green eyes that brimmed with intelligence.

He had expected to encounter a defeated look, a manifestation of life’s trials.

Yet, those intense eyes held an explosive energy, as though they could erupt at any moment.

“I’ll contact the capital’s guard if you need me to, but I’ll need you to sign a few papers before I do.”

“No. No need.”

Olivia gestured along her emaciated arm, her gaze fixed on Baron, who stared back at her.

The son of the former imperial physician.

He had been destined to be a court physician for generations, or so everyone believed.

After his mysterious disappearance from the capital following the unfortunate events, Olivia assumed he was deceased.

She never realized he was by Lucas’s side.

Olivia sighed softly, shifting uneasily.

“So, is there anything else you require or find uncomfortable?”

“Nothing.”

“This question is for my own understanding as your doctor, to gauge your feelings accurately.”

Baron massaged his forehead, casting a concerned look at Olivia.

Something seemed to trouble him.

“What is it?”

“Are you pregnant?”

The word “pregnant” stopped Olivia’s thoughts in their tracks.

Her luminous eyes dimmed, her heart aching as if wounded anew.

Yet strangely, tears didn’t follow.

Baron observed the swift transformation with interest.

Olivia averted her gaze, fixating on the gray wall before her, then slowly shook her head.

“…No.”

“Good, then.”

Lucas had informed him that the unconscious woman had mentioned something about a baby.

Although Olivia hadn’t been pregnant during his examination, determining pregnancy in the first trimester was challenging even for a doctor.

Thankfully, Olivia’s response aligned with his expectations, and he nodded.

Relieved, Olivia’s gaze shifted to Baron as he issued instructions to the maid.

Opportunity.

Since her revival, Lucas Viterpan has been the first person Olivia has encountered.

An opportunity to settle the debt from that fateful day, so many years ago.

An opportunity to avenge her child’s death at the hands of its own father.

Olivia’s eyes flashed dangerously.

“Convey this to your master.”

Olivia nodded slowly.

Olivia’s words redirected Baron’s attention from his conversation with the maid.

“My master? You speak as though you’re acquainted with him.”

Olivia nodded slowly.

An air of elegance surrounded her, an incongruity within the slum setting.

Manifested through her rigid posture and her precise, hushed voice.

“What? What should I say to him?”

“That the Golden Rose comes to greet the Black Wolf under the moon.”

In her dark green eyes, he perceived a glimpse of verdant scenery resembling a forest.