As she unexpectedly recalled Dylanâs voice, Francis was instantly moved to tears. Oliviaâs glittering golden hair filled her red eyes.
âWhatâs up? I donât want to hear about Dylan again. Iâm sick and tired of your momâs nagging me about him,â Olivia said.
âYou will never know,â Francis murmured, leaning on the balcony railing.
There was emptiness and frustration on her face.
Francis continued, âYou have always looked at us in a condescending manner as if only you were hurt.â
When Francis complained, Olivia took her eyes off the book and looked up.
âYou cannot know how much I as well as my mother were hurt because of you.â
ââ¦You have not yet kicked the habit of blaming everything on someone else,â Olivia said, staring at her eyes sharply.
âMy mom often shed tears in front of me. Can you imagine? My mom shed tears! It was all because of you and your mother. What woman could love her husbandâs illegitimate child as soon as she got married? â
ââ¦â
âI was born with my momâs anger and sorrow. As I was raised by her, how can I recognize you? I inherited her anger.â
Olivia turned her eyes back at the book without responding. A blue bloodline was visible on the back of her white hand, turning the pages.
Francis covered her face with both hands. She couldnât keep her eyes open because of the sparkling sunlight.
âBecause of you I couldnât be the eldest daughter of my family. Maybe I wonât be forever.â
Francis wanted to shout at her, âIt will probably be impossible for me to be his first love.â
But she held back the urge to say that.
That afternoon, Francis made a secret order to her loyal maids. It was very difficult, but not impossible, to steal Oliviaâs marriage certificate from the earlâs study. Looking at Oliviaâs marriage certificate back in her hands, she tried to calm her nervousness.
âLady, Dylan Lennox arrived at the mansion. As you asked, he was escorted in the back garden.â
â⦠Great. you stand nearby and when I have Oliviaâs marriage certificate, tell Olivia where Dylan is. â
âYes, I will.â
Francis stood up from the seat.
In the back garden full of dahlia flowers, the afternoon sun was shining everywhere.
Francis approached a man standing in the middle of the sunny meadow.
âFrancis.â
Dylan called her, looking at her with a smile. His lively face and blue eyes were attractive enough for her to kiss.
âWhat is the urgent matter you mentioned to me? Is it anything to do with Olivia? Has anything happened to her?â He asked Francis as she stood among the red dahlia flowers. Her red hair looked more red with the dahlia flowers in the background.
âDylan, I donât feel good as you have mentioned Olivia as soon as I meet you. Of course, I know what you have said about her,â she complained with a sullen voice.
She carefully held Dylan Lennoxâs hand and continued to speak. He pulled away his hand as if he was embarrassed. She withdrew her hand quickly, though she plucked up the courage to hold his hand. As if to show her that he was not her lover, Dylan awkwardly lowered his hand.
Francis took a deep breath. The sweet scent of dahlia was hanging in the air as if caught in a spider web. It was very strong.
âYou will be shocked to hear what I have to say from now on,â Francis thought to herself, looking at Dylan with a grin.
âI wish you had loved me. Then I wouldnât have had to share this sad news with you. â
âWhatâs going on?â
Sensing her seriousness, he hardened his expression. Francis was curious how deeply Dylan could knit his neat brows. It wasnât hard for her to imagine what his face would look like after hearing what she had to say, but she didnât want to see him frowning in distress, either. But today she intended to watch his distressed face as much as she could.
ââ¦Olivia and Earl Duoldran are in the process of marriage. Today, the people of Marquis Zaksen Bahar brought the marriage certificate because he became the witness of the groom. â
Dylanâs face turned white immediately. He asked back as if he could not understand.
âWhat do you mean? Olivia is getting married? â
âYes, since Marquis Bahar signed the certificate as a witness, half her marriage is almost done.
âNonsense! Does Olivia know this? No way!â His pale face turned red with anger.
Francis continued after looking at his red face, âOlivia doesnât know anything about this. It was decided by my parents. I couldnât stop it even if I knew it. â
âHow can your mother do this when she knows my relationship with Olivia? Does she think I will sit idle? Iâll formally protest your family about this. You canât do this! â
âDidnât you hear me? The marquis already signed the certificate. What can you do now? If you do, it will disgrace Olivia all the more.â
If one lost both arms on the battlefield, would that person have the same expression that Dylan had on his face? Dylan breathed out with a resigned look at her scolding.
âWell, there is a way for you to solve the problemâ¦â she said, holding a dahlia petal in her hand.
â⦠If you destroy her marriage certificate and show it to Marquis Bahar and openly disgrace his honor, the marriage becomes invalid. â
ââ¦â
âIf you can put up with Marquis Baharâs anger, you can do that.â
Dylan stared at Francisâ face. As if trying to figure out her intentions, he stared at her for some time.
âDylan, I can help you. Let me give you the marriage certificate, if you do me a favor.â
Speaking with a fresh voice, she put her hands on his waist.
âYou knew I set my heart on you, right? Isnât it why you said you loved Olivia in front of me several times? Oh, donât tell me that you didnât know. â
She knew his indecisive character that made it impossible for him to ignore her because she was Oliviaâs sister.
So, she used his indecisiveness in her favor. To get close to him, the shield of Oliviaâs sister was very useful for spending time with him.
The shield that she was Oliviaâs sister always helped her to approach him or spend time with him. Although mentioning Olivia always offended her pride, Francis decided to put up with it as long as she was with him.
â⦠So, what do you want?â said Dylan warily.
Francis smiled gently, âHummm⦠even if you are wary of me, Iâve already set my heart on you.â
Pulling her hand from his waist, she called a maid standing at a distance. Receiving a large silk pouch from her, Francis offered it to Dylan. Then, the maid quickly disappeared.
âThis is Oliviaâs marriage certificate.â
Dylan urgently took it and opened it. His face was distorted when he saw the handwriting on a piece of paper acknowledging the marriage of Olivia and Count Duoldran.
âItâs okay for you to pretend to love me. I want to be your love at least once. If you kiss me passionately like you would to express your sincerity, I can forget everything and bless your relationship with Olivia. â
After she said that, she took the wedding certificate out of his hand. Dylanâs eyes followed her hand holding the certificate.
âIf I kiss you, you will give me that certificate?â he asked with a feigned smile as if she was ridiculous.
âYes.â
âWhat nonsense! Ha, Francis, please donât do this to me. Donât play the fool with me!â
âOh my⦠do you think Iâm playing the fool with you? Donât you know Iâve been loving you for a long time? But Iâve told you I will give up on you when you kiss me. You canât even do it?â
She looked at him in resentment.
â⦠Do you think I can accept your request? â
âOf course, because you have no choice. You can invalidate Oliviaâs marriage with this, so you donât have to hesitate. Donât you think so?â Francis said, leaning into him with a cute smile.
She continued, âYou wonât try to take this certificate from me by force, right? One kiss is enough, so donât complicate things. If you let me down, I know how to make you run into trouble. So, help me refrain from saying anything nasty about you. â
âFrancis! How come youâ¦.!â
âI donât have time, Dylan. If my father knows that this marriage certificate is missing, he will have the servants search for it right away. And the guests of the marquis will also try to search for it like mad.â
Dylan clenched his teeth with trembling eyes. While staring at her sharply as if he could not understand her, he closed his eyes as if he was determined.
His hand touched her shoulders. In a tempting manner, Francis narrowed her eyes and put her hands around her waist. While Dylan hesitated for a minute, she first put her lips on his.