Chapter 233: Beautifully Out of Reach
Olivia snatched the gown from his hands, her grip tight and unyielding. "Of course. Do you truly believe a mere piece of fabric has the power to intimidate me? Naturally, I will pay whatever toll is required for our alliance."
Cedric’s smile widened with deep satisfaction, and he gestured toward the waiting maids. "Assist her in changing."
The maids moved in synchronization behind her, guiding Olivia into the private dressing room. As their fingers worked to adjust the seams, a wave of profound revulsion washed over her, curdling in her stomach at the mere reality of being in his presence. But she forced herself to endure it; she had to play along. At the very least, she knew Cedric’s madness was different from Roland’s—he wouldn’t physically harm her.
Within minutes, she was ready.
Olivia looked at her reflection in the grand mirror, studying the way the vibrant fabric clung to her skin. A bitter, sudden thought crossed her mind: if Mathias were here, he would have truly lost his sanity seeing her like this. Shaking the thought away, she forced a confident, sharp smile onto her face. Facing two monsters with nothing but her current weakness was a fool’s errand. If she couldn’t overpower them, she would be the one to shatter their alliance from within.
When she stepped back out into the dining hall, Cedric was waiting. The moment his eyes landed on her, his smile expanded into something filled with an enchanting, obsessive intensity as his gaze slowly swept down her body.
Olivia felt his eyes literally eating her alive. They were the exact same predatory, violating stares she had utterly despised since her childhood. A cold dread pierced her chest. Even after everything, those hyper-sexualized gazes still terrified her to her core. Secretly, she slipped her hands behind her back, locking her fingers together to hide the sudden, violent trembling of her hands.
"You look like an angel descended from the heavens, my dear," Cedric murmured, his voice thick with fascination.
Trying to anchor her voice, she replied with a tight, slightly strained note, "Thank you."
"Hmm, still so rigid," Cedric observed. He stepped forward with practiced, aristocratic grace, walking entirely around her until he stood directly behind her back. He leaned down slightly, pulling back a velvet-cushioned chair as he whispered against her skin, "Please, sit, my sweet."
Olivia sat down immediately, wanting to put distance between them.
The gown was ruthlessly bold. It was completely backless, aggressively tracing every curve of her silhouette and leaving her skin exposed to the cold air. Beneath her unbothered facade, she silently thanked God that her pregnancy had not yet begun to show. Despite entering her third month, her naturally frail physique and the massive toll of recent weeks had kept her stomach flat. She didn’t care for the medical reasons—she only cared that no one, especially not Cedric, could see even a hint of a bump. If he discovered the child, she would lose every card she held.
Olivia mindlessly played with the food on her plate, using every ounce of her concentration to evade the heavy, unblinking stare anchored to her.
"So..." Cedric began, breaking the tense silence, "does the cuisine please you? I explicitly instructed them to prepare only the absolute best for your palate."
"Hmm. It is good," she replied flatly, her voice keeping him at a distance.
"You don’t sound as though you are enjoying it," Cedric noted, his fingers trailing down the stem of his glass. "What about some wine?" He picked up the crystal decanter of dark, rich wine and began to pour.
"No, thank you," Olivia interrupted smoothly. "I am not drinking tonight."
Cedric froze, his hand hovering over her glass. His eyes narrowed into dangerous, testing slits as absolute suspicion flared behind his gaze. "Hmm? The connoisseur of fine wine refuses a glass? The very person who used to indulge in it more than water?" He tilted his head, his tone dropping into a sharp, analytical purr. "How entirely out of character. Is there a particular obstacle preventing you tonight? If I recall correctly, when we met not too long ago, you had no such aversion to it. What is making you abstain?"
Olivia caught the precise moment his gaze shifted, studying her body like a puzzle he was desperate to solve. A cold dread pierced her chest. If he discovered her pregnancy, it would be an absolute catastrophe; there was no predicting what a lunatic like Cedric would do with that knowledge.
Steeling her features, she forced a relaxed sigh. "It merely irritates my stomach lately. But... I suppose I can manage a little, since you so graciously offered."
Cedric’s face relaxed into a satisfied, dark smile. "That is what I thought. Let me pour it for you."
Olivia lifted the crystal glass to her lips. As she took a small, measured sip, a suffocating wave of fear enveloped her soul. Dear God, please have mercy, she prayed frantically in the silence of her mind. I have no choice but to drink this. Just a little.
Setting the glass back down with a soft click, she locked her cold eyes with his. "There. Are you satisfied now?"
"Utterly," he murmured, taking a slow sip from his own glass, swirling the crimson liquid as his predatory eyes continued to study her every move. "Now then, my sweet... how exactly do you plan for us to overthrow Roland?"
Olivia let out a soft, mocking laugh. "Me? Overthrow Roland? Are you jesting, Cedric? What power could I possibly possess to achieve that?"
Cedric’s expression instantly petrified, the playful warmth vanishing from his face. "Then who will do it?"
Olivia raised her slender hand, her index finger pointing directly at his chest. "You, my dear. You are going to do it."
Cedric blinked, and then a sudden, booming laugh vibrated from his chest. "Ah, I truly adore you when you speak like this." He leaned his weight onto the table, resting his chin in his palms with a twisted, playful fascination. "Aha. Tell me then, why exactly would I do that? I am burning with anticipation to hear your logic."
Olivia narrowed her eyes, her lips curling into a sharp, teasing smile. "Unfortunately, I despise making grand statements without cold, hard evidence. Therefore, you will simply have to wait a little longer. But I am entirely certain it will be worth your patience."
"So, you are preparing a surprise for me?"
"Something like that." Olivia pushed her plate away and stood up, the crimson silk cascading around her silhouette. "Well, I have had my fill. It is time for me to return."
"Return?" Cedric echoed, his voice dropping into a dangerous, amusement-filled register as he stood up to face her. "Return where? Won’t you be staying here tonight?"
For a fraction of a second, a raw, terrifying jolt of panic shot through her veins at his sheer audacity. But she refused to let him see her falter. Staring at him with a flashes of simulated anger, she quickly masked it with a sharp, highly seductive smirk.
"What?" she purred, her voice dripping with biting irony. "Do I look like an easy target you can capture on the very first strike? If you wish to win me over, Duke Allister, you had better learn to climb the steps one by one. Now... move out of my way."
Cedric stepped closer, invading her personal space until his breath brushed against her ear, whispering with a feral, deeply intoxicated obsession.
"That is exactly what I love about you, Olivia... you are so beautifully out of reach."
Then, he finally stepped aside.
"Wait. Where do you think you are going?" Cedric’s voice cut through the quiet, making her blood instantly freeze.
Olivia turned around slowly, her mask perfectly in place. Cedric approached her, but instead of reaching for her body, he gently draped his heavy wool coat over her bare shoulders once more. "The night air is freezing outside. Take my coat with you. Shall I escort you to your carriage?"
"Ah... fine," she managed, her voice steady despite the adrenaline surging through her.
He escorted her all the way to the waiting carriage, opening the door for her as she climbed inside. Before shutting it, he leaned in slightly. "I shall write to you very soon so we can conclude our fascinating conversation."
"I will be waiting on pins and needles," Olivia countered with a sharp, mocking edge. Cedric caught her hand one last time, pressing a lingering, devoted kiss against her skin.
The carriage door finally slammed shut, and the horses charged forward, leaving the Allister Duchy behind. Cedric remained standing in the dimly lit courtyard, his eyes tracking the retreating carriage until it vanished into the midnight fog.
The moment they were far enough from his estate, Olivia’s composed facade completely shattered. Panic and revulsion took over. She frantically searched the darkness of the carriage until she found an ornate, silver travel basin that nobles kept for long journeys.
Placing it on the velvet seat, she slid off the cushion and collapsed onto the cold floor of the carriage. Without a second of hesitation, she thrust her fingers deep into her throat, forcing herself to gag violently until her stomach convulsed and she finally threw up everything she had consumed.
It was agonizing, a wretched burning in her throat, but it was entirely necessary. Leaving even a drop of that alcohol in her system while carrying a child in her third month was a risk she refused to take.
Breathing heavily, she signaled the driver to halt. The coachman quickly disposed of the soiled basin into the dark woods before climbing back up, and the carriage surged forward once more.
The forceful purging left her completely drained, her frail body trembling from exhaustion. Olivia dragged herself back onto the seat, leaning her head against the cushions. She placed a weak, shaking hand over her eyes, and a breathless, bitter laugh escaped her lips.
"No matter how exceptionally clever you think you are, Cedric..." she whispered into the empty, rhythmic rocking of the carriage, her eyes gleaming with a sudden, lethal clarity. "The fact that you were brutally executed by Roland in the past life—after he framed you for being Mathias’s co-conspirator in the rebellion—is a reality I will never forget."
She stared out into the passing shadows of the night, her lips curling into a chilling smirk.
"So, let us see how you play your cards this time, Duke Allister... when you finally realize that no matter how much you scheme, you were nothing but a puppet from the very beginning."