Chapter 14
#014. Nasty, Awful, and Terrible, Yet Still Waited For Jade
"......I don't know what you're talking about, Jade,"
"Stop calling me that, it's sickening. And tell me why such ridiculous rumors are spreading, like the Grand Duke swore an oath to you."
Olivia reflexively bit her lip.
It had been a year and a half. This reunion with Jade, who had gone to war with Heferti and never once came back, was after a year and a half.
There were so many things she wanted to say. She wanted to complain about why he never replied to her letters, why he sent back the relief supplies.
She hoped that if she said she was grateful he returned safely, he would smile at least once.
But Jade hadn't changed at all from the Jade of a year and a half ago, who always ignored her.
Jade's sharp eyes softened slightly.
"It's a lie, right? I knew it. I mean, who would swear an oath to you, especially someone like the Grand Duke,"
"It's true."
"......What?"
Jade stared at Olivia with an incredulous expression, then scoffed.
Olivia slowly opened her mouth at Jade's habit of calling her a liar.
"His Grace, the Grand Duke, swore an oath to me, Jade. As your brother knows, it was a Knight's oath to a lady."
"That can't be!"
"Why, why do you say it like that?"
"Like what!"
Jade shouted at Olivia's small, mumbled words. His insides were boiling, as if they were about to explode.
He was sure, he was sure that Leopold should have sworn an oath to the Princess, so why her of all people? Did that idiot even know what it meant?
He was panting for a while, but then he realized Olivia was too quiet. Jade stared at Olivia, momentarily forgetting to breathe. Come to think of it, what did she say?
Moonlight streamed through the window above the door, illuminating Olivia. Under the noble and cold moonlight, Olivia quietly lowered her head. Her silver hair, so much like his, sparkled as if it would disappear at any moment.
Jade's heart sank. Olivia had never lowered her head even once. Not even when ten-year-old Jade found out that Olivia wasn't really his sister.
"Was it because of you? Was it because of you that our mother!!"
Jade, who had been taking care of Olivia secretly from his father and Conrad, hated Olivia more than anyone else from then on.
Olivia, dressed in shabby clothes, seemed to say something with her lips tightly shut, but he didn't want to hear any excuses.
Even after his mother died, Jade thought Olivia was his sister for two years. He regretted taking care of Olivia during that time. From then on, Jade steadily tormented Olivia.
Whether it was releasing a group of frogs under her bed, leaving her outside in the cold autumn rain with the door locked, tearing up her cherished books, or pushing her for no reason.
Even when she was alone in society.
Through all those things, Olivia held her head high.
Not like this, with her head lowered.
While Jade couldn't say anything, Olivia raised her head. Her face was smiling brightly as usual.
"Why. Why do you say it like no one would ever swear an oath to me?"
"Th,"
"I can receive one too, can't I? I'm clearly an adult who has had her Debutante."
As if joking, Olivia smiled brightly, gathered the hem of her dress, and pretended to pay her respects. Jade's eyes narrowed as he stared at her.
"That. Those are Heferti gloves."
"Huh?"
Olivia unknowingly hid her hands behind her back. Jade spat out a suppressed voice between his teeth.
"Did you get them from the Grand Duke?"
"......Yes."
"Did you know before you saw me today?"
"......Yes."
"You, you idiot!"
A thunderous voice fell. While Olivia flinched for a moment, Jade, who had been seething as he looked at her, shouted and went up the stairs. Soon, the sound of the door slamming shut echoed.
Olivia glared at the top of the stairs a little. Conrad was the expert at harsh words, but Jade's words had gotten worse since he came back from the battlefield. How could he pick out only the words that would hurt her?
The words "sickening" and the immediate denial of the oath came to mind, and Olivia clenched her fists even harder.
Only now did she realize the nail marks that would be left on the palm of her hand under the gloves. Her feet started to hurt again as if they were burned.
Olivia climbed the stairs with a limping gait.
Had the way to her room always been this long? As soon as she entered her room after passing through the long corridor, Olivia sat down on the floor only after confirming that she had closed and locked the door. The hurt was clearly visible on her face, which had lost its smile.
It had been a long time. And this was such a mess of a reunion.
Nasty Jade. Awful Jade. Terrible Jade.
Nevertheless.
Jade, whom she had been waiting for so eagerly.
With a mixture of joy, regret, affection, and a little bit of resentment, Olivia barely muttered a word.
"......I'm glad you came back safely, Jade. I really, really waited for you."
The words that Olivia wanted to say so much to Jade swirled around the room where she was alone and disappeared.
When the tired Olivia fell asleep, she dreamed of the day Jade gave her a doll.
It was eight years ago, during the Madeleine estate festival. When twelve-year-old Olivia woke up to the sound outside her room.
Had Jade come to put frogs in her room again?
If he was going to be mean, a sewer rat would be better. The young master, who couldn't even touch a mouse, tried his best to torment her.
No one knew that Jade, who had given her flower crowns, smiled at her, and even gave her puzzles from the age of eight to ten, would become such a nasty fourteen-year-old. Even though she always did her best, Jade didn't understand at all and only acted mean.
As if Olivia was really hateful to him.
Swallowing her bitterness, Olivia waited for Jade's mischief. Still, it might be better to be tormented like that. Rather than her father, who didn't even look at her as if she didn't exist.
But no matter how long she waited, Jade didn't come in. Olivia, who had been holding her breath and waiting for the room to open, finally carefully opened the door.
Jade was in the dimly lit hallway. The smell of alcohol was strong, as if he had secretly stolen some alcohol to drink. Jade, with a dazed face, slowly turned to look at Olivia.
Olivia tensed up for a moment.
Jade, who was at least three spans taller than Olivia, had become closer to an adult physique than a boy while learning swordsmanship. He had never hit her even once, but she had seen many times in Turningbell Street how adults changed when they were drunk.
But Jade didn't do anything. He was standing there with a large rabbit doll and a small rabbit doll in each hand.
As if he slowly recognized Olivia, his still youthful face slowly contorted. The focus of his amethyst eyes was fixed on Olivia.
"......Inde."
After a long time, a mumbling sound came out. Olivia listened carefully and unknowingly took a step forward. And at that moment, she couldn't breathe.
"......She's my sister, but why aren't you my sister......"
"......"
"I thought you were my sister."
"......"
"Why aren't you my sister......"
Tears welled up in the eyes that had been glaring at Olivia. For a moment, Jade, who was even younger than now, overlapped with him.
Jade, who always made flower crowns, bickered over puzzles, and eventually handed her the puzzles. Jade, who smiled happily while receiving kisses from the Duchess.
"Father and brother are too much. You haven't eaten, have you?"
Jade, who secretly brought bread and dolls to comfort her without knowing why his father and Conrad were doing that.
"Was it because of you? Was it because of you that our mother!!"
And ten-year-old Jade, who screamed after knowing all the facts.
Olivia bit her lip tightly. Olivia had always stubbornly said that she was also his sister, but now she couldn't say anything to Jade.
Jade staggered to Esella's door and put down the large doll.
And after throwing the small rabbit doll towards Olivia, he disappeared into his room.
Only then did Olivia slowly walk towards the doll. A pretty rabbit doll. The doll she hugged tightly was cozy. Just like the doll Jade had brought her when she was young.
That night. Olivia couldn't fall asleep easily. Something was pricking her heart. The happiness of her childhood that she had tasted for a moment rose up again.
Maybe Jade also thought of her as his sister in one corner of his heart. If she tried just a little harder.
"Olivia is the Emerald Princess."
She thought that happiness would come back to her again.
* * *
The slammed door echoed. The image of Olivia lowering her head flickered before his eyes. Jade shook his head to get rid of the afterimage and spat out an expletive.
"That crazy bastard, I heard he's lost his mind, what is this!"
He had been waiting for today. He had been rolling around for a year and a half, thinking that the day to go to the victory banquet would come.
But a tip came in that there were remnants of Heferti. That crazy Grand Duke specifically pointed him out to go and take care of it.
The tip was false.
He didn't know why he had been waiting for the victory banquet. There were plenty of banquets like that.
Still.
What poured cold water on his swelling expectations was one of the Knights he met when he entered the capital.
The Knight, who said he was already on his way back to the mansion after going to the banquet, was spouting strange words.
The Grand Duke swore an oath to someone?
Jade scoffed. It seemed the Emperor had used an ingenious trick to tie up his dog. He must have sworn an oath to the Princess.
"His Majesty the Emperor is very determined. It seems like he's going to hold a state wedding."
"No. Vice-Captain. The other party is not Her Highness the Princess! The person His Highness swore an oath to is......"
The Knight, who was speaking with excitement, suddenly looked at Jade and trailed off.
"......Come to think of it, Vice-Captain. She's Vice-Captain's sister......"
"What?"
His vision went white. Olivia was the only Madeleine Debutante who could attend the banquet.
Olivia wasn't at the mansion he returned to in anger.
Jade, who was sitting on the first step after dismissing everyone, stood up as soon as Olivia returned. And he held back his seething heart and asked.
The person who received the Grand Duke's oath was, Olivia was right.
That idiot.
Did she even know what kind of person the Grand Duke was?
He was furious. Jade picked up any of the gifts next to him and threw it against the wall.
As the box fell, the gloves inside fell out. They were the same gloves that Olivia was wearing. Jade took a rough breath and looked at the gifts piled up next to him.
They were gifts that he had bought the same as Esella's, but had never given to Olivia. He couldn't throw them away or send them, so they just kept piling up.
The idiot who he thought was his sister, but wasn't.
Jade closed his eyes. He didn't know why he was so angry, so he became dazed.
Beyond the pitch-black vision, Olivia was visible.
Ten years old. Eight-year-old Olivia, who had been hostile to him after learning about his mother's death, and who had been circling around him.
Because of the expectations in those green eyes, Jade felt even more suffocated. He thought it was a wish that could never be fulfilled.
Why had he piled up so many gifts? If he had thought just a little more, it would have been an easy path. At this time, Jade couldn't think that little bit more.
* * *
First floor of the Madeleine mansion.
Olivia was watching the sunrise. The green juice she made for her father was going to be thrown away again like this.
She had been waiting since dawn. She thought that either her father or Conrad would come and ask her something. Whether it was about the Grand Duke's oath or her relationship with Leopold.
But the morning was so quiet.
"My lady. The meal is all prepared. Give this to me and have your meal."
Sally said, taking the juice. Jade had gone out since dawn, she said. In the empty dining room, only her place was set with food.
Eating alone was unappetizing.
When was Esella coming back from her maternal home, the Marquess of Haelquin's residence?
Olivia kept trying to think of other things. It was the only escape she could manage right now.
Sally, who was standing behind her, came closer and carefully poured juice into the empty glass, saying,
"Um, my lady. May I ask you just one thing?"
"What is it?"
"My lady, did you really receive the oath to a lady from Grand Duke Bikander yesterday?"
"How did you know that?"
Sally smiled brightly with a flushed face.
"It was true! I knew it! My lady, you were so beautiful yesterday! The newspapers are full of articles about how beautiful you were!"
"Newspapers?"
"Yes! Articles about you, my lady, have spread all over the newspapers!"
Olivia felt her fingertips grow cold. Newspapers? Who dared to spread what happened in the Imperial Palace?
Sally asked with a very excited face.
"Shall I bring them?"
Olivia nodded, and Sally hurried out of the dining room.
Olivia closed her eyes for a moment.
Events in the Imperial Palace, especially at banquets, were all treated as 'unofficial.'
At most, it was gossip about who Leopold's partner was at the banquet.
The fact that she was decorating the front page of the newspaper meant one of two things.
Either the Imperial Palace allowed the article to be published,
"...or someone intentionally leaked the article."
Olivia muttered lowly and opened her eyes.
"Yes?"
Sally brought only a few copies of influential newspapers to Olivia. The headlines emblazoned across the front page were all about Olivia, all about her story.
Hero Grand Duke Bikander, Vows Allegiance to Madeleine?
Breaking News) War Hero, Finally Takes an Oath to a Lady?
Olivia quickly scanned the newspapers.
The Grand Duke had sworn an oath to her, that was all it said.
It seemed she would be living in seclusion for the time being, something that wasn't even on her schedule.
Olivia calmly thought about what she had to do. Stay at home except when entering the Imperial Palace, and she would have to call someone to manage the finances of the Crown Princess Consort's Palace. Even as she organized her thoughts, Leopold kept popping into her head.
Had Leopold seen this article? What did he think?
...He would care, wouldn't he? Olivia smiled bitterly and was flipping through the newspapers when.
"So many letters came for you this morning, my lady. I put everything else in your room and only brought this one. Ta-da."
Sally held out a letter with a face full of anticipation. Olivia, who was guessing whether it was from Esella or Leopold, blinked when she received the letter.
The seal stamped on the luxurious envelope was clear.
"Someone came directly from the Grand Duke's family!"
The Bikander family.
A sword decorated with splendid roses and sharp thorns. Olivia carefully tore open the letter with the emblem she had only seen in the aristocratic yearbook.
The moment she read the elegant handwriting, Olivia's eyes widened.
I did not take the sword. I will prepare a more precious gift, so give me a chance. I will wait anytime. - Edwin R. Bikander
Was this really all? Olivia read the letter, and read it again, and at some point, she burst out laughing.
Goodness. What kind of person was this? She had clearly heard that the Grand Duke was dangerous and cruel. Yet, the letter, unperturbed by the noisy articles, was telling a different story.
He's a really strange person.
Olivia muttered to herself. The gloom that had enveloped her since early dawn vanished as if washed away, and suddenly her appetite returned.
Strangely, she felt like everything would be alright, so Olivia picked up her fork again and called out to Sally in a low voice.
"Sally."
"Yes?"
"Let's go out for a while in the afternoon."
She had written a lot of letters to send to Esella. It would be okay to send one of them. If she had time, it would be nice to send a reply to the Grand Duke.
For some reason, the sunlight coming through the window felt warm.
* * *
At the same time.
Esella left her maternal home, the Marquess of Haelquin's residence, in a carriage.
Her destination was the Imperial Princess Palace in the Imperial Palace.
