— A few weeks later —
Invites concerning the Crown Prince's coronation into his official role as the successor to the crown had been sent to every duke and noble family. It went as far as being delivered to other ally kingdoms.
Reginald eyed the letter with reckless abandon, before casting his gaze on the Princess who focused on her meal.
The dining hall was filled with awkward silence, each buried in their thoughts. General Hayes was not with them as he had to travel for an urgent issue.
So, it was agreeable to say they had nothing to talk about. Even when she saw the invite.
Their relationship never improved at all. The Princess kept pushing him away as she didn't try her best to get close to him. He guessed she still thought Madeline and him were doing their 'adulterous' relationship.
He was getting tired of it, honestly. He wanted to tell her and prove to her he wasn't doing those things.
'It would be better letting her find out herself. That way, she can apologize for defaming my character.' he thought.
Reginald also considered acting like a wall toward the Princess. But today, for no particular reason he couldn't tear his eyes from her direction.
"I want us to head to the Castle together." His cool voice reached her ears, rendering her to shoot her head up. Her eyes widened because she thought she heard wrong.
Olivia's brows furrowed and she spoke, "Not interested." She pushed her seat backward and rose from it, not sparing him a glance.
At the same time, Reginald rose from his seat, his expression darkening. "You shouldn't speak to me like that. I asked politely." His dark eyes penetrated her face not moving its focus.
"And I replied politely, I'm not interested. I think Madeline is more into going than I am, you should go ask her." She shrugged in nonchalance and swished away from the table.
Reginald rolled his eyes and cussed in his breath before he took large strides toward her moving body. His large hand caught her wrist and he pulled her to him.
Olivia was caught unaware and it rendered her losing balance. She felt herself darting to him in milliseconds while her eyes broadened like the moon.
"Madeline...?" He chuckled and his dark eyes sent a chilly sensation down her spine. It was strange how she started to feel this way staring at him and hearing his words.
But Olivia decided not to let herself dwell on it. Not like he even meant to do that. For some reason, she saw a tinge of dislike in his eyes as he said that name. The way he rolled out her name with utter disgust made her re-think for some seconds.
'I might be imagining this. There's no way it sounded like he hates Madeline. After all, one often gets tired of getting the same meal that they just want. Just like the former, he'd get tired and replaced. I'm just a replacement...'
Her brain gears kept churning out reasons why she shouldn't bask in the moment of hearing that utter disgust.
Well, she heard stories about men who cheated on their wives living in the markets, so no one could judge her reasoning.
Her resolve stiffened and a subtle smirk appeared on her face. "You're getting tired of her already? Get yourself some–" She was interrupted because her body slammed his immediately.
Olivia gasped as soon as she felt his solid body on hers. His hand was latched on her small waist and it made her surprised.
'This has never happened before. What is going on?' she questioned in her head.
At the same time, she could feel darkness looming around him. An indication that she had bitten more than she could chew.
"If I hear her name from your mouth again... I swear I would..." His eyes were locked with her gray ones and he felt his patience waning.
The stubborn look mixed with shock was what he saw. And he didn't know why it gave him an electrifying sensation. One that was too hard to resist. With her body so close to his, he doubt if he could keep up with this.
His eyes fell on her lips and he tore them away from it in a flash.
"Do what? Hit me? Scream at me? Just what on Napoleon do you think you wa–"
"Shut up." Reginald slammed his eyes shut while his grip on her waist tightened. He interrupted her words again, this time with his deep voice lower than usual.
"You have no right to interrupt me. You... Let go of me this instant." Olivia tried to wiggle herself from his iron grip. Even though she did not feel disgusted at his touch, she never wanted him to hold her like this.
Not when the thoughts of another woman frolicking around him kept entertaining themselves in her head.
"And why should I? You're my wife." He raised a brow staring at her face that contorted into different expressions. Reginald stated like he was speaking about something so casual.
His words made her stop in his grip and she scoffed. 'Your wife my foot! It's just a title I hold.' she stated in her head and tried to move again in his grip.
"Hahaha... I'm your wife by title. Go meet the woman you're supposed to hold like this." Olivia chuckled while throwing her head back. She angled her head and peered at him through her lashes.
She never knew those words of hers hurt him. She made him look as though he was begging for her company with her poisonous tongue.
Olivia never expected him to react. And she was happy he did not. His hand that hooked her waist toward him loosened and he created a distance between the two of them.
'Wife by title... this woman... has the tendency to make me mad!' he almost yelled in his thoughts.
His expression was blank and he took a step backward before a crafty smile appeared on his face.
"I guess you have a knack for staying alone." He lowered his eyes to the waist his hand held a second ago. Then he lifted them to size her up again, watching how her facial expression changed slowly.
Her face paled as she stared at him, and Reginald thought he succeeded in getting back at her cold words. "That's why you'll spend your life... alone."
He did not notice how her eyes started to pool with tears as she stared at him.
Olivia couldn't contain her tears when he said those words. It took her back to those memories that became a nightmare for her. It opened up the scar that she concealed some weeks back.
Her lips moved in inaudible words as tears fell down her cheeks.
Reginald raised his eyes to meet hers only to be dumbstruck seeing her crying. The Princess cleaned her tears roughly before striding past him, not looking back.